Useless Facts

[01dragonslayer]

A "jiffy" is about one trillionth of a second.​

You've probably said you'll be "back in a jiffy" at least a few times in your life. But what you might not realize is that you made a promise you couldn't keep. According to Dictionary.com, a "jiffy" is an actual unit of time—and a very short one at that. Sometime during the late 18th or early 19th centuries, scientist Gilbert Newton Lewis defined a jiffy as the amount of time it takes light to travel one centimeter in a vacuum, which is about 33.4 picoseconds or one trillionth of a second. That's a short (and pretty much useless) amount of time indeed!

 

[kragon]

A "jiffy" is about one trillionth of a second.​

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You've probably said you'll be "back in a jiffy" at least a few times in your life. But what you might not realize is that you made a promise you couldn't keep. According to Dictionary.com, a "jiffy" is an actual unit of time—and a very short one at that. Sometime during the late 18th or early 19th centuries, scientist Gilbert Newton Lewis defined a jiffy as the amount of time it takes light to travel one centimeter in a vacuum, which is about 33.4 picoseconds or one trillionth of a second. That's a short (and pretty much useless) amount of time indeed!

01dragonslayerso jiffy lube is LIES!

 

[01dragonslayer]

There are at least 40 disused or abandoned Underground stations in London​

When the London underground was first built in the 19th century, there were a lot more stations in the middle of London than there are today. Where did those stations go? Well, no where! They're still there, underground and abandoned, waiting to be reopened. Abandoned stations include King William Street, British Museum and Lords. Next time you're on the Tube, have a look out of the window and see if you pass any of them!

 

[01dragonslayer]

A pineapple is called an 'ananas' in over 30 languages - but not English​

That's right - pick a language, and the word for pineapple is probably 'ananas' - or something like it, at least. Why didn't English go for the same thing? Well, it's thought that the word 'pineapple' refers to their resemblance to a pinecone, while the apple bit refers to the fruit inside. If you think that's weird, you should see how they grow - not on trees, but on little shrubs in fields!

 

[01dragonslayer]

There are at least 54 African countries​

We say at least because it tends to change, but there are a LOT of countries that make up this huge continent. The biggest one is Algeria in North Africa, whilst the smallest is the Seychelles, a collection of islands off the East African coast. As well as this, there are over 2000 languages throughout the continent! Do you speak any of them?

 

[01dragonslayer]

Bananaphobia is...you've guessed it, a fear of bananas​

Bananas might sound like an odd thing to be scared of, but there are loads more weird phobias out there that are a bit odd, including: bibliophobia (fear of books), Koumpounophobia (fear of buttons) and trypophobia (fear of holes!) Are you scared of anything strange?

 

[01dragonslayer]

About 10 percent of the worlds population is left handed​

No one is quite sure why left handers exist. Some people think it may be genetic, others think it may be to do with how the baby behaves in the womb. Either way, about 10% of the global population is left-handed, and southpaws show up in all cultures and countries. Famous lefties include Leonardo Da Vinci, Napoleon, Bart Simpson and Prince William.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Tea used to be so special and expensive in Europe that it was locked in special boxes​

Tea is everywhere today, and you've likely had a cup before you've read this article! But in the 16th and 17th centuries when it was starting to be imported from China to Europe, tea was so fancy and expensive that people who could afford it would lock it away in special boxes so it wouldn't get stolen! Can you imagine locking away your Yorkshire Gold?

 

[01dragonslayer]

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world​

Depictions of wrestling in art go back thousands of years and have been found in cave paintings. It was also popular in ancient Greece, and it was even a sport in the original Olympic games. Modern athletes might not have enjoyed it though - you had to participate in all events naked!

 

[01dragonslayer]

The average temperature on Venus is 462 degrees Celsius, or 864 degrees Fahrenheit​

Venus is one of the hottest planets in the solar system, largely due to its position near the sun, but also due to the fact that it's atmosphere is made up of a lot of carbon dioxide, which traps the sun's heat. This makes Venus even hotter than mercury, which is nearer to the sun! Venus's average temperatures are way above what human being could handle, so if you're hoping for a Venus colony to be set up any time soon, you may be disappointed!

 

[01dragonslayer]

About 69% of Japan is covered in forest​

Japan is known for being a densely populated country, with Tokyo being its most densely populated city. However, what you may not know is the reason for this density is because most of the country is covered in forests! Yup, Japan is about two thirds forest, and forests have long been part of Japanese art and culture, including forest bathing - the idea of walking through a forest and bathing in its peacefulness. Sounds nice!

 

[01dragonslayer]

There is no wind on the moon​

Have you ever wondered what it's like on the moon? Well, apart from there being no oxygen, it's pretty still. So still in fact, that every footprint ever made by an astronaut on the moon is still there! That's right, there's no wind on the moon, so everything stays exactly the same, which must be pretty eerie! If you look at the flag planted by American astronauts you can see that a pole is making is stick out - because there's no wind to wave it around!

 

[01dragonslayer]

Queen Elizabeth I of England wore a wristwatch​

It might seem hard to believe, but all the way back in Elizabethan England people had wristwatches! Or rather, very wealthy people like the queen did. Watches were a relatively modern invention at the time, and lots of people still used the sun to tell the time. Described as an 'arm watch', Elizabeth's watch was given to her by a courtier called Robert Dudley in 1571. Snazzy!

 

[kragon]

Not sure if this was mentioned.. but you cant fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 times

 

[01dragonslayer]

Hawaiian pizza doesn't come from Hawaii​

Sorry to spoil it, but Hawaiian pizza doesn't come from Hawaii - or even from Italy. Like most of the popular pizza recipes out there, this was dreamt up in North America - in Canada, to be precise, by a Greek immigrant called Sam Panopoulos in 1962. He liked the idea of having a dish that was sweet and savoury, and since pineapples were grown in Hawaii, the name stuck!

 

[01dragonslayer]

Hippopotamus means 'river horse' in Greek​

Hippos are some of the coolest (and most dangerous) animals in the world, but did you ever wonder where their slightly weird name comes from? Well, it's Greek - from 'hippo' meaning 'horse' and 'potamus' - 'of the river'. They aren't related to horses at all, which makes you wonder why they got the name - maybe the ancient Greeks hadn't seen many other animals?

 

[01dragonslayer]

You breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide​

Ever wondered why trees are so important? It's because they balance out all the breathing we humans do! Human being inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide - and trees do the opposite! They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen! The reason we do this is because we need oxygen for energy - the carbon dioxide is more like a waste product we need to get rid of. Now you know!

 

[01dragonslayer]

The Aboriginal people of Australia have lived there for over 50,000 years​

You may recognise parts of Aboriginal culture from things you've seen like boomerangs, digeridoos, wall paintings and their sacred place Uluru rock. Over half a million Australian's identify as Aboriginal, and keep their culture alive through song, dance, and clothing. Sadly, many parts of Aboriginal life have been harmed by colonisation, but now more than ever they are fighting to have their way of life preserved and respected.

 

[01dragonslayer]

A blue whale's heart weighs 400 pounds!​

The blue whale is the biggest animal in the sea. It's also the biggest animal on the planet, and it's ALSO the biggest animal to EVER live! Yup, bigger than all the dinosaurs,m giant sloth and wooley mammoths! A creature that big needs a big heart to keep it going, and the blue whale heart is 400 lbs! That's about 4 of your, give or take!

 

[01dragonslayer]

Jamaica's women's bobsled team debuted in 2018​

It may sound a bit crazy, but Jamaica has a bobsled team! Despite being completely snow free, Jamaica is home to a popular past-time called box car racing, which is similar to bobsledding but on wheels. The men's bobsled team has been around since the 80s and competed in several Olympics games (and was immortalised in the film Cool Runnings) but the women's team only debuted in 2018. Let's hope they do well!

 

[01dragonslayer]

Alfred Hitchcock threw live birds at his lead actor Tippi Hedren in his horror film 'The Birds'​

Alfred Hitchcock was known for his unconventional directing style, which sometimes left his actors feelings a little frightened. In the horror film The Birds, for example, lead actor Tippi Hedren, who was scared of birds in real life, was made to walk into a storm of them, all swirling and screeching, which Hitchcock had thrown at her. The birds terrified her, and left her with loads of scratches. Apparently Hitchcock wanted to get a 'genuine' reaction out of her - sounds like he just needed to trust his actors more!