fact
In addition to Father Christmas, Icelanders are visited by the 13 Yule Lads (including Sausage-Swiper, Spoon-Licker, & Door-Sniffer), as well as their giant pet cat Jólakötturinn, who eats children who don’t receive new clothes for Christmas.
During WW2 the Japanese built a deathray inspired by ideas from Nikola Tesla, the problem was that enemies would have to stand perfectly still for 10 minutes before it would work.
The Peruvian tradition of Takanakuy is an annual event held on 25th December where villagers settle the year’s grievances with public fistfights.
Stalin hired people to edit photographs throughout his reign. People who became his enemy were removed from every photograph pictured with him. Sometimes, Stalin would even insert himself in photos at key moments in history, or had technicians make him look taller in them.
In Australia, torn money is valued by the percentage of the banknote remaining. Half of a $20 bill is valued at $10. Banknotes must be greater than 20% of the original size to have any value. If a banknote is 80% or greater in size it is worth the full value.
The “seeds” on strawberries aren’t actually seeds. They are actually a type of dry fruit called achenes.
In 1969 an experimental book named The Unfortunates was published. It shipped as a ‘book in a box’ consisting of 27 unbound sections with the first and last chapter specified. The remaining sections range from a single paragraph to 12 pages in length and are designed to be read in any order.
A 9-year-old boy decided he wanted to help the families of fallen US soldiers. He started a Facebook page and eventually traded up to $900 worth of Disney gift certificates, airfare and hotel credits. He then gave the trip to a 2-year-old girl who had lost her father in Afghanistan.
The FBI followed Einstein, compiling a 1,400 pages file, after branding him as a communist because he joined an anti-lynching civil rights group.
There is giant, hot pink slug. It is only found in a single, isolated forest on an extinct volcano in Australia.