True History is considered the earliest form of science fiction written in 2nd century about adventurers who travel to outer space and get involved in interplanetary warfare between the king of the Moon and the king of the Sun.
Russia will spend about $200,000 maintaining Vladimir…
Russia will spend about $200,000 maintaining Vladimir Lenin’s corpse this year. Maintenance includes bathing the body in chemicals and occasionally replacing parts.
The “Pirate speak” from movies and books was an actual…
The “Pirate speak” from movies and books was an actual distinct dialect of English which was spoken until the 19th century in the west country. It became associated with pirates due to the strong seafaring tradition from the area.
Dubai man Mohammad Basheer bought a lottery ticket before
Dubai man Mohammad Basheer bought a lottery ticket before boarding an Emirates flight that crashed. He escaped the crash and won the lottery.
Currency shaped like knives was in circulation…
Currency shaped like knives was in circulation in China from 770 to 220 BC.
Some Koreans are trying to rename their country back to “Corea”…
Some Koreans are trying to rename their country back to “Corea”. They believe that Japan changed the spelling to “Korea” so Japanese athletes would march first at the 1908 Olympics.
The word “hobbit” has been found exactly once in…
The word “hobbit” has been found exactly once in texts predating Tolkien, in a list of magical creatures with no explanation or context.
Reading silently didn’t happen until the dark ages
Reading silently didn’t happen until the dark ages, when monks took a vow of silence. Before that, reading was done aloud, which is why the Romans had no punctuation and instead, chanted words to rhythms. Reading silently uses an entirely different part of the brain.
Parents who are concerned about how their children’s names…
Parents who are concerned about how their children’s names may affect them in life can now hire services to name their kids for them. Services have popped up all over the US and Europe, with one Swiss agency charging $29,000 to research and recommend your child’s name.
Cherophobia (fear of happiness) is an attitude towards…
Cherophobia (fear of happiness) is an attitude towards happiness in which individuals may deliberately avoid experiences that invoke positive emotions or happiness because they think something bad will happen after.