Useless Facts

[01dragonslayer]

Babies are born without kneecaps.​

Turns out, babies are as soft and delicate as they look. Babies may have more bones than the average fully-grown human, but they definitely won’t be doing any stunts anytime soon. Babies are born with a cartilaginous structure in their knees that will eventually develop into kneecaps by the time they are four years old.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Japan invented a tomato robot for runners.​

The TOMATAN is a backpack robot that feeds you tomatoes. Invented in 2015 by Kagome, the robot was created for runners to have nutrition on the go. Useless facts, or not-so-useless?

 

[01dragonslayer]

Grass flip flops are an actual product you can buy.​

The Australian company KUSA makes artificial grass flip flops that simulate the feeling of walking on fresh grass. See for yourself if these grass flip flops are as comfy as they say so.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every 2 weeks.​

If your stomach fails to do this, it will digest itself. The fact stands: stomach acid is so powerful, it can melt razor blades and itself.

 

[01dragonslayer]

7-UP is a straightforward name.​

When Charles Leiper Grigg created in 7-UP in 1929, he named it after the original 7-ounce bottle (7) and the direction that the bubbles go in a soda (up).

 

[01dragonslayer]

Reindeer love grass.​

If you want to meet Santa on Christmas Day, you might want to consider keeping your lawn fresh instead of leaving cookies. Rudolph and his kind love greens such as willows, birches, and sedges. However, they would occasionally eat their old antlers for calcium.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Mustache shields were a thing in the Victorian Era.​

You’ve heard of post-mortem photo opps and cocaine toothache drops, but another peculiar Victorian Era thing is the mustache shield. Patented in 1876 by Virgil A Gates, the mustache shield was designed to keep facial hair out of the way when eating and drinking.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Mary Shelley allegedly lost her virginity on her mother’s grave.​

It is widely believed that the author of Frankenstein did the devil’s tango with her would-be husband, Percy Shelley, on her mother’s final resting place. Does it get any more gothic than that?

 

[01dragonslayer]

A second is called a second for a reason.​

The first division of an hour is by minutes. If you divide minutes, the next measurement is by seconds. The term “seconds” derives its name from being the second way to split an hour.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Slinkies are 82 feet long.​

Fully stretched out, Slinkies can reach up to 82 feet – or as long as 14 average-sized people.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Legos have a uniform system.​

A Lego brick made in 1960 will fit perfectly with a Lego brick made today.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Bangkok has the world record for the longest name.​

Bangkok’s full name is “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.” Why it was eventually called Bangkok is still unconfirmed, but some theories point to the Thai word for “island village” or that it is named after a certain plant.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Americans eat enough burgers to circle the earth over 32 times.​

Americans eat an estimated 13 billion hamburgers each year, which is enough to go around the Earth more than 32 times.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Bees have 5 eyes.​

The 3 small eyes on a bee’s head detect light and help them escape from predators approaching from above. The 2 visible front eyes help them with navigation and recognizing shapes.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Watching TV burns more calories than sleeping.​

But it’s not by a lot. Watching TV only burns 10% more calories than sleep.

 

[01dragonslayer]

The thumb nail grows the slowest, the middle nail the fastest, nearly 4 times faster than toenails.​

Fingernails grow about 3.5 millimeters per month while toenails grow 1.6 mm on average.

 

[01dragonslayer]

The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles has a hidden meaning.​

No, it’s not the Illuminati. The “57” on Heinz bottles represents the 57 varieties of Heinz products. However, Henry Heinz first chose 57 because he thought it was lucky.

 

[01dragonslayer]

A blob of toothpaste is called a nurdle.​

The everyday toothbrush blob may not seem like a big deal to you, but actually caused a court dispute between the two biggest toothpaste brands in America. In 2010, GlaxoSmithKline got sued by Colgate Palmolive for claiming ownership of using nurdle pictures in branding and packaging.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Plants do a lot for your room aside from making you happier.​

Rooms with plants have up to 60% less airborne mold and bacteria.

 

[01dragonslayer]

You spray 2.5 drops of saliva per word.​

The average talker sprays 300 microscopic saliva droplets per minute. No one has the statistics for announcers and DJs yet, though.