During the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact soldiers, road signs in towns were removed or painted over to confuse invading troops—except for those indicating the way to Moscow.
Chaupadi is a traditional Hindu practice that…
Chaupadi is a traditional Hindu practice that banishes menstruating women — considered unclean — from the rest of the house. Nepali women are not allowed to touch kitchen utensils, share the same water source, go to school, or sleep inside the home during their periods. Instead, they sleep in huts, animal sheds, caves or even in the open.
St Augustine, who lived in the 4th century, advocated…
St Augustine, who lived in the 4th century, advocated that god should have made use of natural, evolutionary, original causes in the production of man’s body. He believed it was the soul that was created through a supernatural process, the body was created through a natural evolutionary process.
Mob boss John Gotti’s youngest son was hit by…
Mob boss John Gotti’s youngest son was hit by a neighbors car while riding a mini bike, and killed. Not long after the accident the neighbor went missing and has never been found.
There is a theory that humans were not fully conscious…
There is a theory that humans were not fully conscious until 3000 years ago, and that instead people heard their consciousnesses as a separate voice that commanded them, and this may have been the source of the beliefs of many ancient gods.
Ten Facts That Sound Like Lies, But Are Completely True
Facts that sound like lies, but are completely true… Accompanied by Britney Spears GIFs.
1. When you get a kidney transplant, your kidneys are usually left in your body and a 3rd one is put in your pelvis.
And yes, if you know someone who has had two kidney transplants, they can totally have 4 kidneys.
2. Cosmic rays from outer space frequently cause glitches in your electronics.
Your cars and phones are not safe.
3. Your eyes have a pretty large blind spot that your brain is just filling with what it “thinks” you should be seeing.
Yes, your brain loves to mess with you.
4. Falling coconuts kill more people every year than sharks.
Coconuts… you just don’t see them coming.
5. Humans share 50% of their DNA with bananas.
Bananas… they’re closer to us than we thought.
6. Strawberries aren’t really berries… But avocados are.
Your life is a lie
7. Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than she did to the building of the Great Pyramid.
Your life is still a lie.
8. It rains diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter.
You’re living on the wrong planet.
9. There once existed a flying reptile that was the size of a giraffe.
They’re extinct now so if you had no reason to be happy today, now you have one.
10. If you have 23 people in a room, there’s a 50% chance two of them have the same birthday
But there’s a 100% chance that your birthday will be more important than theirs.
Make sure you follow @UberFacts on Twitter and get the UberFacts App for iPhone Now!
4 Mind-Blowing Facts for Star Wars Fans (and a chance to WIN some cool Star Wars gear)
It’s not quite May the Fourth yet, but since we’re giving away some sweet Star Wars™ First Edition STREET by 50 On-Ear Headphones… we’ve got some fun facts from a galaxy far, far away. Don’t worry – none of them have anything to do with Jar Jar.
A Schizophrenic Galactic Empire?
Did you know Darth Vader was played by a total of six actors on screen? If not, I find your lack of knowledge disturbing.
In the original three films, bodybuilder David Prowse played Darth Vader, while stunt performer Bob Anderson did the lightsaber action scenes.
Actor James Earl Jones provided the famous voice. Sebastian Shaw played Darth Vader unmasked in Return of the Jedi. In the more recent films, Jake Lloyd portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, followed by Hayden Christensen in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. So, which one is Luke’s father?
Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader
Win a pair of the NEW Star Wars™ Galactic Empire headphones from SMS Audio by becoming an Uber VIP through our Twitter contest (click the Twitter link to enter):
50 Cent has been a fan of Star Wars™ his whole life. So, they’ve teamed up to do this: https://t.co/hoUG9Ak6l7
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) April 21, 2014
Rebel Alliance and an Alias
Luke Skywalker went through multiple changes in George Lucas’s early drafts of the script. Originally intending Luke to be female, Lucas also toyed with portraying him as a grizzled old general.
In fact, Luke’s last name was almost “Starkiller” before a last minute change. Which is good, because “Starkiller” just doesn’t seem to suit our protagonist.
Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker
WIN Star Wars™ Rebel Alliance headphones by SMS Audio! (click link in Tweet below to enter)
Star Wars™ has the most successful movie-related toy line ever sold! Win the newest addition HERE: https://t.co/YaMIZbrXQ6
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) April 22, 2014
The Truth About the Elusive Boba Fett
Although the mysterious bounty hunter gained cult status and was ranked #79 in Empire Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters, Boba Fett only has four lines in the Star Wars films.
Catch all of the lines here, in less than 30 seconds:
George Lucas even admitted that had he known the Mandalorian would become so popular, he would have given him a more dignified death scene. Oh well, Boba Fett’s still a badass.
Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086190/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2
WIN free Star Wars™ Boba Fett headphones by SMS Audio! (click link in Tweet below to enter)
The Voice of Yoda was provided by Frank Oz, who is also the voice of Miss Piggy. Hear it for yourself with these… https://t.co/yM6k616iYF
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) April 24, 2014
Seriously, Stormtroopers…
Though notoriously bad at aiming, Stormtroopers look freakin’ cool. So much so that there’s an international fan-based organization dedicated to Stormtrooper costumes called the 501st Legion. In its 17th year and 6,500 members strong, the group got an homage in Revenge of the Sith; the legion of blue clone troopers led by Darth Vader into the Jedi Temple was designated the 501st. It pays to be a fan.
Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/501st_Legion
WIN free Star Wars™ Stormtrooper™ headphones by SMS Audio! (click link in Tweet below to enter)
Infamous bounty hunter, Boba Fett only has four lines in the Star Wars™ films. Hear them through these… https://t.co/tdUmW4gjcM
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) April 24, 2014
OR get your own pair of limited-edition Star Wars™ headphones by SMS Audio when you pre-order here >>
How about you? What’s the craziest Star Wars™ trivia you’ve ever heard?
WATCH: You Can Make Dry Ice At Home
Making dry ice is easier than you thought! All you need is a pillow case, some gloves and a fire extinguisher. Watch below!
Phobias Might Be Memories Passed Down From Ancestors In Your DNA
Memories may be passed down through generations in DNA in a process that may be the underlying cause of phobias.
Memories can be passed down to later generations through genetic switches that allow offspring to inherit the experience of their ancestors, according to new research that may explain how phobias can develop.
Scientists have long assumed that memories and learned experiences built up during a lifetime must be passed on by teaching later generations or through personal experience.
However, new research has shown that it is possible for some information to be inherited biologically through chemical changes that occur in DNA.
Researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, found that mice can pass on learned information about traumatic or stressful experiences – in this case a fear of the smell of cherry blossom – to subsequent generations.
The results may help to explain why people suffer from seemingly irrational phobias – it may be based on the inherited experiences of their ancestors.
So a fear of spiders may in fact be an inherited defence mechanism laid down in a families genes by an ancestors’ frightening encounter with an arachnid.
Dr Brian Dias, from the department of psychiatry at Emory University, said: “We have begun to explore an underappreciated influence on adult behaviour – ancestral experience before conception.
“From a translational perspective, our results allow us to appreciate how the experiences of a parent, before even conceiving offspring, markedly influence both structure and function in the nervous system of subsequent generations.
“Such a phenomenon may contribute to the etiology and potential intergenerational transmission of risk for neuropsychiatric disorders such as phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
See full articles from Telegraph
Making Electricity From Urine
Scientists have developed a way to convert urine in to a renewable energy source. But as Sally Magnusson, author of Life of Pee and presenter of Radio 4’s Secret Science of Pee, writes in this viewpoint feature, there is some way to go before the idea is embraced more widely.
A growing number of scientists have cottoned on to the fact that urine is a source of vital enzymes for medicine, precious minerals like fast-depleting phosphorus, and chemical compounds like urea, which are crucial to the manufacture of fertilisers, plastics and cosmetics and can also be used to make electricity.
The question is, can urine help us? And if so, can we see it not as a useless, embarrassing waste product, but as a substance that could drive the next stage of the green revolution?
I started out mildly intrigued by the range of uses urine had in centuries gone by – it was used in the manufacture of gunpowder, alum, dyes, paint and stained glass, to clean Roman togas, and heal wounds.
I wrestled with the revulsion that arises when we move from historical curiosity to envisaging personal application, but I ended up convinced there is an urgent role for urine again in the 21st Century, based on its unique scientific properties.
Urea, an important constituent of urine, is the key to many modern applications.
At Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, the Youtricity research team has developed a urine-powered system to generate electricity.
The carbamide power system runs on urea fuel cells sourced from human urine.
Dr Shanwen Tao, who invented the technology, said urea fuel cells were similar to hydrogen fuel cells, but used urea instead.
His colleague, Dr Robert Goodfellow said it had been a “huge” breakthrough in the search for renewable energy, but the system was being further developed.
See the full article from BBC News
