10 Random Facts - April 2020 Edition
1. Five out of six types of corn won't pop.
There are six types of corn : dent, pod, flint, sweet, flour, and lastly popcorn (better known as Zea mays everta 😉). So as is obvious by the name popcorn will pop, but only when the pressure in the kernel reaches 135 pounds per square inch. If there is too little moisture in the kernel it won't pop at all, and if that happens the kernel becomes an "old maid".
2. Tornadoes can hit anywhere.
It is true that in some places they are more likely to happen, but a tornado has hit every continent with an exception of Antarctica. Furthermore contrary to popular belief tornadoes can continue over things like valleys and mountains. They can also go over lakes and rivers in which case they become a waterspout.
3. Michelangelo fired his workers.
IL Divino was one of the most famous things to come out of the Renaissance. In case you don't already know, it's a 1,000 square metered fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo is mostly responsible for it since he dismissed the other painters assigned to the job and finished it himself, it took him four years. Another fun fact is that Michelangelo preferred to sculpt so he wouldn't have undertaken the project, but the pope insisted and it was taken out of his hands.
4. You dream way more than you think you do.
If you are over 10 years old then you have about four to six dreams per night. It only seems like you don't dream that often because humans forget 95 to 99 percent of their dreams. Most of your dreams are only pictures, and there is very little movement or sound in them.
5. Oprah has "glopophobia".
Glopophobia a fear of balloons, and Oprah Winfrey has that fear. She once shared a story about her 40th birthday party at which the decorations were... you guessed it, balloons. She said she had to walk through and over them, and remarked "it reminds me of gunfire."
6. Octopuses have their own version of pepper spray.
Most of us know that a threatened octopus will spray ink at a predator in order to escape. Most of us also think it's just to hide the octopus while it makes its getaway. But the ink contains a protein called tyrosinase which isn't dangerous in humans (it just helps control our melanin production), but can pack a punch when it's sprayed in a predator's eye. It not only causes a blind irritation but messes up the predator's sense of taste and smell, in fact it can even be dangerous to the octopus itself and if it doesn't get away fast enough it can die. Also in case you noticed that I said octopuses instead of octopi, octopuses is the correct term despite the fact the octopi is way more fun to say.
7. A hedgehogs spines are poisonous.
While we're discussing poison in nature, I figured I'd share this little gem. Hedgehogs are immune to some poisonous plants, and they use that for more than expanding their diet. They eat the plant and then make a frothy saliva in their mouth. Afterwards they lick the poisonous saliva onto their spines. Scientists think that other than the obvious reason for them upgrading their spines, they might be doing it to hide their scent from predators so that they don't have to test the potency of their concoction.
8. Laughing is good for the soul and heart.
Laughing causes the lining of your blood vessel walls to relax and expand, and that is very good for your heart. A good laugh actually sends up to 20 percent more blood flowing throughout your body. It also causes your heart rate to increase and boosts your oxygen intake which burns up to 40 calories with just 10 to 15 minutes of laughter.
9. Snow White could've been a blonde.
Most of us can't imagine Snow White with fair hair, but it almost happened. In the early concept art she was drawn as a blonde, but it was later changed to the raven black hair that we're all familiar with.
10. You've heard of Yahtzee, but what about Yacht?
That's right there is a game called Yacht. While Yahtzee took characteristics of many other dice rolling games it took a lot of them from the game of Yacht, but there are some key differences. Yahtzee introduced a lot of new features like the upper bonus section, the Yahtzee bonuses, the Joker rule, and the Small Straight. It also included the three-of-a-kind category and several scoring differences.
There are six types of corn : dent, pod, flint, sweet, flour, and lastly popcorn (better known as Zea mays everta 😉). So as is obvious by the name popcorn will pop, but only when the pressure in the kernel reaches 135 pounds per square inch. If there is too little moisture in the kernel it won't pop at all, and if that happens the kernel becomes an "old maid".
2. Tornadoes can hit anywhere.
It is true that in some places they are more likely to happen, but a tornado has hit every continent with an exception of Antarctica. Furthermore contrary to popular belief tornadoes can continue over things like valleys and mountains. They can also go over lakes and rivers in which case they become a waterspout.
3. Michelangelo fired his workers.
IL Divino was one of the most famous things to come out of the Renaissance. In case you don't already know, it's a 1,000 square metered fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo is mostly responsible for it since he dismissed the other painters assigned to the job and finished it himself, it took him four years. Another fun fact is that Michelangelo preferred to sculpt so he wouldn't have undertaken the project, but the pope insisted and it was taken out of his hands.
4. You dream way more than you think you do.
If you are over 10 years old then you have about four to six dreams per night. It only seems like you don't dream that often because humans forget 95 to 99 percent of their dreams. Most of your dreams are only pictures, and there is very little movement or sound in them.
5. Oprah has "glopophobia".
Glopophobia a fear of balloons, and Oprah Winfrey has that fear. She once shared a story about her 40th birthday party at which the decorations were... you guessed it, balloons. She said she had to walk through and over them, and remarked "it reminds me of gunfire."
6. Octopuses have their own version of pepper spray.
Most of us know that a threatened octopus will spray ink at a predator in order to escape. Most of us also think it's just to hide the octopus while it makes its getaway. But the ink contains a protein called tyrosinase which isn't dangerous in humans (it just helps control our melanin production), but can pack a punch when it's sprayed in a predator's eye. It not only causes a blind irritation but messes up the predator's sense of taste and smell, in fact it can even be dangerous to the octopus itself and if it doesn't get away fast enough it can die. Also in case you noticed that I said octopuses instead of octopi, octopuses is the correct term despite the fact the octopi is way more fun to say.
7. A hedgehogs spines are poisonous.
While we're discussing poison in nature, I figured I'd share this little gem. Hedgehogs are immune to some poisonous plants, and they use that for more than expanding their diet. They eat the plant and then make a frothy saliva in their mouth. Afterwards they lick the poisonous saliva onto their spines. Scientists think that other than the obvious reason for them upgrading their spines, they might be doing it to hide their scent from predators so that they don't have to test the potency of their concoction.
8. Laughing is good for the soul and heart.
Laughing causes the lining of your blood vessel walls to relax and expand, and that is very good for your heart. A good laugh actually sends up to 20 percent more blood flowing throughout your body. It also causes your heart rate to increase and boosts your oxygen intake which burns up to 40 calories with just 10 to 15 minutes of laughter.
9. Snow White could've been a blonde.
Most of us can't imagine Snow White with fair hair, but it almost happened. In the early concept art she was drawn as a blonde, but it was later changed to the raven black hair that we're all familiar with.
10. You've heard of Yahtzee, but what about Yacht?
That's right there is a game called Yacht. While Yahtzee took characteristics of many other dice rolling games it took a lot of them from the game of Yacht, but there are some key differences. Yahtzee introduced a lot of new features like the upper bonus section, the Yahtzee bonuses, the Joker rule, and the Small Straight. It also included the three-of-a-kind category and several scoring differences.
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