People Share NSFW History Facts That You Might Not Be Familiar With

I consider myself a history lover, but even I was pretty blown away by the facts that people threw out here in the article you’re about to read.

Are you ready to see a side of the past that you don’t usually get to check out?

It’s time to get some naughty history lessons from folks on AskReddit.

1. Iceland.

“There is a legal p*nis size in Iceland.

It’s an old law from the Middle Ages after a woman was married off to a man and on her wedding night was so disappointed with how small his p*nis was that she took him back to the church to have an annulment.

Because of her a law was made that a man must be at least three inches while hard to marry.

There is a wonderful documentary called “The Final Member” in which this is an actual problem.”

2. A carving.

“There is a carving on the side of the belfry in Ghent that depicts a man suckling the breast of a woman.

The story is that the man was condemned to die unless he could prove his innocence by surviving imprisonment without food for 40 days. He could have visitors during his imprisonment but they of course were checked for food.

His daughter visited him everyday. She was a wet nurse ….

He was let go after 40 days having survived.”

3. Yikes.

“In ancient Egypt, soldiers proved their battle prowess by presenting the severed p*nises of their slaughtered enemies.

Traditionally, severed hands were presented, but in 1182 B.C. Libyans, and other allies invaded Egypt and were defeated by the army of Ramesses III, and Ramesses suspected that some soldiers were claiming extra credit by presenting the hands of women as well as the male soldiers.

So he demanded p*nises instead. His victory inscriptions mention 12,535 foreskins and hands, and has images of the piles of the body parts at the Medinet Habu mortuary temple.”

4. Whoa.

“Shi Pei Pu was a Chinese opera singer turned spy active during the 1960s. He pretended to be a woman for 20 years to seduce a French embassy employee and obtain classified documents.

His charade went so far as to fake a pregnancy and purchase a child and pretend it was theirs. He managed to fool everyone, including his lover, for over two decades before finally being exposed to the world.”

5. The high seas.

“Back during the age of sail, sailors would go months and months without any women or any privacy. When they’d get to port, hundreds of prostitutes would take boats out to the ships to greet the sailors, who would almost all have s*x with at least one.

This included the ship’s boys. Like I said, there was no privacy at all – the crew would share one huge room, dozens or hundreds of men sleeping in hammocks slung 28” apart. So the ensuing copulation took place in the wide open, hundreds of people having s*x all over the ship in plain sight.

This wasn’t a rare thing. It was almost universal, though some more religious captains wouldn’t let the prostitutes on board. STDs were therefore incredibly common.”

6. The Bad Pope.

“Pope John XII was interesting. He became Pope in 955. His high points are.:

Turned the sacred palace into a whorehouse

Fornicated with, among others, his father’s concubine, various widows and even his own niece

Castrated and then murdered a cardinal

Blinded and then murdered his confessor

Took payment for ordaining bishops and even ordained a 10-year-old boy as a bishop

Ordained a deacon in a stable

Refused to make the sign of the cross

Toasted the Devil

Invoked the names of pagan gods while playing dice and when he lost, used money from the papal treasury to pay off his debts

Granted, he was a teenager when he became Pope, thanks to his dad buying the office, but still…”

7. Harsh times.

“When the Roman statesman Sejanus, the Emperor Tiberius’ right-hand man, fell from grace and was executed, The Roman people were eager to take their revenge on his family as well for all the tyranny he had put them through.

So they decided to kill his young son and daughter as well. There was no real issue about killing the boy, but when it came to the young girl there was a sudden outcry.

It was against all precedent to execute an innocent young girl, and above that, deeply impious to put to death a virgin maid.

So they had the executioner r*pe her first.”

8. Well, that’s different.

“Mary Toft put baby rabbits in her v*gina and then pretended to give birth to them to confuse doctors.”

9. What a way to go.

“The actual death of Ratcliffe (you know, the oddly proportioned villain from Pocahontas?).

From the Encyclopedia Virginia:

The colonists, led by Captain John Ratcliffe, walked into an ambush; about thirty-three men, or two-thirds of their number, were killed.

The Indians captured Ratcliffe, and their women skinned him alive using mussel shells.”

10. Big boy.

“Ferdinand VII of Spain had a huge d*ck, so much in fact that its rumored that one of his wives died of a hemorrhage derived from having s*x with the monarch.

He almost died without a heir bc he couldn’t have s*x with the queen consorts without any damage (he only had a daughter, and he had to go through hell to change some old laws that prevented his daughter from reigning).”

11. Wrap it up.

“Roman troops were provided cow intestine condoms, as STD epidemics could decide the fate of entire wars.”

12. Messed up.

“At the temple of Aphrodite in Cyprus, overlooking the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, young virgin girls would tie a bow string around their head and await a man to come along and throw a silver coin of any value into their lap.

The man would say ” I demand thee in the name of the goddess”. The girl then had to have s*x with the man. In this way the girl would make her “first fruit” offering to Aphrodite.

It is said that some girls had to come back for many days before they were chosen.”

Okay, history buffs, now it’s your turn.

In the comments, tell us some more crazy history facts that most people don’t know.

Thanks a lot!

The post People Share NSFW History Facts That You Might Not Be Familiar With appeared first on UberFacts.

People Share NSFW History Facts That You Might Not Be Familiar With

I consider myself a history lover, but even I was pretty blown away by the facts that people threw out here in the article you’re about to read.

Are you ready to see a side of the past that you don’t usually get to check out?

It’s time to get some naughty history lessons from folks on AskReddit.

1. Iceland.

“There is a legal p*nis size in Iceland.

It’s an old law from the Middle Ages after a woman was married off to a man and on her wedding night was so disappointed with how small his p*nis was that she took him back to the church to have an annulment.

Because of her a law was made that a man must be at least three inches while hard to marry.

There is a wonderful documentary called “The Final Member” in which this is an actual problem.”

2. A carving.

“There is a carving on the side of the belfry in Ghent that depicts a man suckling the breast of a woman.

The story is that the man was condemned to die unless he could prove his innocence by surviving imprisonment without food for 40 days. He could have visitors during his imprisonment but they of course were checked for food.

His daughter visited him everyday. She was a wet nurse ….

He was let go after 40 days having survived.”

3. Yikes.

“In ancient Egypt, soldiers proved their battle prowess by presenting the severed p*nises of their slaughtered enemies.

Traditionally, severed hands were presented, but in 1182 B.C. Libyans, and other allies invaded Egypt and were defeated by the army of Ramesses III, and Ramesses suspected that some soldiers were claiming extra credit by presenting the hands of women as well as the male soldiers.

So he demanded p*nises instead. His victory inscriptions mention 12,535 foreskins and hands, and has images of the piles of the body parts at the Medinet Habu mortuary temple.”

4. Whoa.

“Shi Pei Pu was a Chinese opera singer turned spy active during the 1960s. He pretended to be a woman for 20 years to seduce a French embassy employee and obtain classified documents.

His charade went so far as to fake a pregnancy and purchase a child and pretend it was theirs. He managed to fool everyone, including his lover, for over two decades before finally being exposed to the world.”

5. The high seas.

“Back during the age of sail, sailors would go months and months without any women or any privacy. When they’d get to port, hundreds of prostitutes would take boats out to the ships to greet the sailors, who would almost all have s*x with at least one.

This included the ship’s boys. Like I said, there was no privacy at all – the crew would share one huge room, dozens or hundreds of men sleeping in hammocks slung 28” apart. So the ensuing copulation took place in the wide open, hundreds of people having s*x all over the ship in plain sight.

This wasn’t a rare thing. It was almost universal, though some more religious captains wouldn’t let the prostitutes on board. STDs were therefore incredibly common.”

6. The Bad Pope.

“Pope John XII was interesting. He became Pope in 955. His high points are.:

Turned the sacred palace into a whorehouse

Fornicated with, among others, his father’s concubine, various widows and even his own niece

Castrated and then murdered a cardinal

Blinded and then murdered his confessor

Took payment for ordaining bishops and even ordained a 10-year-old boy as a bishop

Ordained a deacon in a stable

Refused to make the sign of the cross

Toasted the Devil

Invoked the names of pagan gods while playing dice and when he lost, used money from the papal treasury to pay off his debts

Granted, he was a teenager when he became Pope, thanks to his dad buying the office, but still…”

7. Harsh times.

“When the Roman statesman Sejanus, the Emperor Tiberius’ right-hand man, fell from grace and was executed, The Roman people were eager to take their revenge on his family as well for all the tyranny he had put them through.

So they decided to kill his young son and daughter as well. There was no real issue about killing the boy, but when it came to the young girl there was a sudden outcry.

It was against all precedent to execute an innocent young girl, and above that, deeply impious to put to death a virgin maid.

So they had the executioner r*pe her first.”

8. Well, that’s different.

“Mary Toft put baby rabbits in her v*gina and then pretended to give birth to them to confuse doctors.”

9. What a way to go.

“The actual death of Ratcliffe (you know, the oddly proportioned villain from Pocahontas?).

From the Encyclopedia Virginia:

The colonists, led by Captain John Ratcliffe, walked into an ambush; about thirty-three men, or two-thirds of their number, were killed.

The Indians captured Ratcliffe, and their women skinned him alive using mussel shells.”

10. Big boy.

“Ferdinand VII of Spain had a huge d*ck, so much in fact that its rumored that one of his wives died of a hemorrhage derived from having s*x with the monarch.

He almost died without a heir bc he couldn’t have s*x with the queen consorts without any damage (he only had a daughter, and he had to go through hell to change some old laws that prevented his daughter from reigning).”

11. Wrap it up.

“Roman troops were provided cow intestine condoms, as STD epidemics could decide the fate of entire wars.”

12. Messed up.

“At the temple of Aphrodite in Cyprus, overlooking the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, young virgin girls would tie a bow string around their head and await a man to come along and throw a silver coin of any value into their lap.

The man would say ” I demand thee in the name of the goddess”. The girl then had to have s*x with the man. In this way the girl would make her “first fruit” offering to Aphrodite.

It is said that some girls had to come back for many days before they were chosen.”

Okay, history buffs, now it’s your turn.

In the comments, tell us some more crazy history facts that most people don’t know.

Thanks a lot!

The post People Share NSFW History Facts That You Might Not Be Familiar With appeared first on UberFacts.

What Are Some NSFW Facts About History That We Don’t Hear Very Often?

Calling all history fanatics!

Here’s an article that we know you’re gonna love!

Yes, we’ve all learned most of the basics, but what about the dark underbelly of the past that we don’t usually see?

What are some NSFW history facts that a lot of folks don’t know about?

Here’s what AskReddit users had to say.

1. You fools!

“In 1488 an Italian noblewoman Catarina Sforza-Riario locked herself in a castle to save herself from her enemies.

Her enemies managed to capture her children and threatened to kill them if she wouldn’t surrender.

She climbed on ramparts, lifted her skirt to expose her female parts and shouted “Fools! Don’t you see that I can make myself more children?””

2. A little uptight.

“In colonial America a guy was arrested and charged because he drew a lewd image of his wife in the snow.

Puritans didn’t appreciate the art.”

3. Getting it on.

“In 1992, two astronauts did not disclose they were married to NASA until it was too late to replace one of them and thus became the first married couple in space.

While the two astronauts in question are not the kiss and tell types, most people assume this means space s*x has happened (obviously you don’t have to be married to try it, but it does make it harder to figure out the couples).

NASA’s official stance is that it hasn’t, but I’m not sure people really believe them.”

4. Sounds like a party.

“From the 13th to the 15th of February the Romans celebrated Lupercalia (Roman precursor of Valentine’s day), which was a festival of love and fertility.

Priests would sacrifice a goat and then cut the goat skin into pieces. Part of this they would wear on their heads, and other parts were cut into thongs. The men would then run around the city of Rome naked, hitting as many women with these thongs as they possibly could (being hit would help with pregnancy or becoming pregnant).

So depending on what they wanted, the women would either deliberately stand in the way of the men, or try to run away while pretty much everyone was naked.

In another part of the festivities men would draw names of women from a jar and the goal was that they’d stay together for the duration of the festival. This would often result in a lot of… you know… intercourse, and sometimes people actually fell in love and got married after they met during Lupercalia.”

5. Uh oh.

“The CIA once considered sending the Soviets condoms that were large labeled “small” to convince them that the US was well endowed.”

6. Hmmmm…

“In Pisa on St Catherine’s day, students would search for and capture the fattest Jew they could find and demand a ransom of his weight in sweets.

Source: The Great Mortality, John Kelly.”

7. Come on in!

“A lot of people banged in the White House on the day of Andrew Jackson’s inauguration.”

8. Really getting into it.

“French modern philosopher Michel Foucault, in addition to studying crime and deviance in a Criminology sense, also applied his theories on punishment to his fascination with BDSM, having also written a number of kink-based works.

He eventually moved to San Francisco and partook in gay bathhouses (notorious for casual s*x).

He eventually caught HIV and some have speculated (it may be written somewhere?) that he purposely contracted it as some sort of poetic social commentary.”

9. Go for it!

“In Ancient Egypt they held a fertility festival each year and at this festival it was the Pharaohs responsibility to strip down and jerk off into the Nile.”

10. Ugh!

“There was a guy that tried to prove that yellow fever wasn’t contagious and so he would pour the infected vomit into his freshly cut opened would, pouring it into his eyes, and drinking it.

And soaking into a bath of it. And smearing his body with blood, piss, and spit. He was fine because yellow fever isn’t spread through direct contact, it’s spread through mosquitoes.

So he did all that for nothing. His name was Stubbins Ffirth, look it up.”

11. I’d like to see that!

“In 1511 a bunch of people in Brussels took part in the building of 110 vulgar snowmen as an act of protest.”

12. One-track mind.

“Romans loved depicting s*xual acts.

On many everyday items, like oil lamps, combs, bowls, etc. you often see images of people f*cking.

Like p*rn, but in daily life.”

13. Brutal.

“During war time some armies would wipe sh*t on their spears so that when they stabbed/slashed enemies they’d get that extra poison damage.”

14. Sick.

“Slave owners in the US had a “health official” who would lick slaves to see if their health was of good standing.”

How about you?

Do you know some NSFW history facts?

If so, please share them with us in the comments. Thanks a lot!

The post What Are Some NSFW Facts About History That We Don’t Hear Very Often? appeared first on UberFacts.

This is Where the Saying “Take It With a Grain of Salt” Comes From

When someone tells you to take something with a “grain of salt,” you should be skeptical about what you’ve heard, because your source may be unreliable.

A grain of salt is tiny. It is also a reflection of not putting too much belief in something that has already proven itself worthy of reservation.

But where does the association between salt and skepticism come from? We’ll tell you what we know, but you take this information with a grain of… well, you know.

Photo credit: Pixabay

The phrase itself goes all the way back to 77 A.D. It’s earliest recorded use comes from Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder, who created an antidote to poison in his Naturalis Historia—it called for figs, walnuts, rue (an herb), and a “grain of salt.”

It didn’t appear to have a symbolic meaning until a few hundred years later.

In the 17th-century, Anglican Bible commentator John Trapp included it his A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments as a metaphor concerning his own writing.

Just what its meaning was to Trapp, however, is still unclear.

Photo credit: Pixabay

Over the years, the phrase continued to make its way through the English language in literal and figurative speech, but wasn’t used in its current incarnation until just after the Second World War.

It was then that became widely used by Americans and the British, who slightly altered the phrase to a “pinch” of salt.

In 1948, English author F.R. Cowell first included it with this particular meaning in his book, Cicero & the Roman Republic. According to Cowell, Cicero and those around him “took more than the proverbial pinch of salt before swallowing everything written by these earlier authors.”

Photo credit: Pixabay

Do you use this idiom or know of others with equally fascinating origins?

Let us know in the comments below!

The post This is Where the Saying “Take It With a Grain of Salt” Comes From appeared first on UberFacts.

This is Where the Saying “Take It With a Grain of Salt” Comes From

When someone tells you to take something with a “grain of salt,” you should be skeptical about what you’ve heard, because your source may be unreliable.

A grain of salt is tiny. It is also a reflection of not putting too much belief in something that has already proven itself worthy of reservation.

But where does the association between salt and skepticism come from? We’ll tell you what we know, but you take this information with a grain of… well, you know.

Photo credit: Pixabay

The phrase itself goes all the way back to 77 A.D. It’s earliest recorded use comes from Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder, who created an antidote to poison in his Naturalis Historia—it called for figs, walnuts, rue (an herb), and a “grain of salt.”

It didn’t appear to have a symbolic meaning until a few hundred years later.

In the 17th-century, Anglican Bible commentator John Trapp included it his A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments as a metaphor concerning his own writing.

Just what its meaning was to Trapp, however, is still unclear.

Photo credit: Pixabay

Over the years, the phrase continued to make its way through the English language in literal and figurative speech, but wasn’t used in its current incarnation until just after the Second World War.

It was then that became widely used by Americans and the British, who slightly altered the phrase to a “pinch” of salt.

In 1948, English author F.R. Cowell first included it with this particular meaning in his book, Cicero & the Roman Republic. According to Cowell, Cicero and those around him “took more than the proverbial pinch of salt before swallowing everything written by these earlier authors.”

Photo credit: Pixabay

Do you use this idiom or know of others with equally fascinating origins?

Let us know in the comments below!

The post This is Where the Saying “Take It With a Grain of Salt” Comes From appeared first on UberFacts.

Statues Nobody Will Ever Tear Down Because They’re Awesome

We’re going through a time of reflection brought on by the protests of Black citizens of the racism they face by law enforcement and in all areas of their everyday lives.

As we strive to have meaningful conversations about race, one of the casualties of the Black Lives Matter movement has been the statues of Confederate generals and early explorers like Christopher Columbus. There are further calls to keep toppling statues until every reminder of racism is removed from sight.

So is any statue safe? Sure!

On Twitter, author and historian James Barr asked a provoking question about the value of statues occupying public parks and streets. He got plenty of answers.

Here are 12 statues everyone seems to like.

1. Tokyo

A life-size Gundam!

2. Dublin

The Famine statues were presented to the City of Dublin in 1997.

3.  Sheffield, United Kingdom

Bronze sculpture by Martin Jennings that remembers the women of Sheffield who worked the steel factories during WWI and WWII.

4. Norway

By Gustav Vigeland. The babies are evil spirits.

5. Vancouver

Terry Fox was a Canadian athelete and amputee who ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

6. Vaxjo, Sweden

Whacking Neo-Nazis!

7. New York

By artist Paige Bradley to show a figure disconnecting herself from attachments.

8. London

Mary Seacole was a Black woman who traveled the world and helped people in need. She was best known for her work as a nurse during the Crimean War.

9. University of Maryland

Jim Henson and Kermit The Frog sit on a bench in front of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union Building deep in conversation.

10. Sao Paulo

Commerating Brazil’s essential workers.

11. Denver International Airport

Blue Mustang. Also called Blucifer. Actually killed his creator, Luis Jiménez.

12. Seaham, Co. Durham

Great War soldier by artist Ray Lonsdale.

Just as there are statues that commemorate people who are no longer considered heroes in the current context, there are many more honoring the lesser known men and women who changed the world in valuable ways. Other statues are artistic works and we need art to make us look at life in different ways.

Our history may be considered a source of misery, but we also need to remember the ones that made it as beautiful as they could–and still do. May we learn from them.

The post Statues Nobody Will Ever Tear Down Because They’re Awesome appeared first on UberFacts.

George Floyd’s Daughter Paid Tribute to Her Dad, Saying He “Changed the World”

The murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police touched off marches across the U.S. and abroad. Black citizens have taken to the streets demanding accountability within law enforcement and a review of racist policies and treatment.

Out of the shouting, chanting and singing from the streets, a small but meaningful voice reminded us recently of whose life was given so this metamorphosis could begin.

Floyd’s 6-year old daughter, Gianna, was recently filmed declaring her “Daddy changed the world.”

The poignant video was captured by director, Skrptz, which he captioned with, “‘My Daddy Changed The World!!!’ When You Remember George Floyd Make Sure You Remember This Beautiful Soul That He Left Behind.”

Earlier this year, a video recording made by a bystander, as well as police bodycam footage, showed Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck, ignorning his pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Footage also revealed that Chauvin continued pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for two minutes after Floyd became unresponsive. Medical responders transported Floyd to Hennepin County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

View this post on Instagram

POWERFUL🖤✊🏿✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻📸

A post shared by Skrptz (@skrptz) on

An investigation found that Floyd died during his arrest for a complaint over an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill.

The video of the incident spread as did the collective horror at Floyd’s treatment by Minneapolis law enforcement. Soon after, marchers descended on city centers demanding change and abolishment of police brutality.

Roxie Washington, Gianna’s mother, made a statement at a press conference in Minneapolis.

At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families. Gianna does not have a father.

He will never see her grow up, graduate.

He will never walk her down the aisle.

If there’s a problem she is having and she needs her dad, she doesn’t have that anymore.

Floyd’s friend and former NBA player, Stephen Jackson, was filmed later walking with Gianna on his shoulders. “My daddy changed the world,” the little girl said, too young to even understand the details of her father’s death.

Officer Derek Chauvin has been fired and arrested for the murder of George Floyd.

The post George Floyd’s Daughter Paid Tribute to Her Dad, Saying He “Changed the World” appeared first on UberFacts.

NASA Animation Shows Oceans Draining and What’s Beneath the Sea

Approximately three-fifths of the planet’s surface lies beneath our vast oceans, including Earth’s longest mountain range and the land bridges early humans used to travel from one continent to another.

Recently, planetary scientist James O’Donoghue remade a 2008 NASA video to show what could be revealed if all ocean water drained.

From the Japanese space agency, JAXA, where he works, O’Donoghue, a former NASA scientist, took the video created by NASA physicist and animator Horace Mitchell and tweaked the timing. He also added a tracker to show the amount of water draining in animation.

As the water drains, you can see the underwater edges of the continents first. These are known as the continental shelves.

O’Donoghue told Business Insider,

“I slowed down the start since, rather surprisingly, there’s a lot of undersea landscape instantly revealed in the first tens of meters.”

The continental shelves also make up some of the land bridges humans used to cross to other continents. Our ancestors, from tens of thousands of years ago, were able to traverse from Europe to the U.K., and Siberia to Alaska, by land.

Early inhabitants of Australia could even walk to what are now islands surrounding the Australian continent.

O’Donoghue explained that water frozen at the poles during the last ice age melted and created the continents we know today while enclosing the humans where they were.

Earth’s longest chain of mountains, called the mid-ocean ridge, appears once the sea levels drop 2,000 to 3,000 meters, revealing its 37,000 global stretch. More than 90 percent of the range is underwater.

Volcanic mountains can be seen between the Earth’s tectonic plates. Most of the planet is revealed at 6,000 meters, with the Marianas Trench needing another 5,000 meters before totally emptying.

The video really does showcase how interesting the topography of the Earth is underneath the oceans and the chapters of our earliest existence.

What do you think about this revealing video? Let us know in the comments!

The post NASA Animation Shows Oceans Draining and What’s Beneath the Sea appeared first on UberFacts.

NASA Animation Shows Oceans Draining and What’s Beneath the Sea

Approximately three-fifths of the planet’s surface lies beneath our vast oceans, including Earth’s longest mountain range and the land bridges early humans used to travel from one continent to another.

Recently, planetary scientist James O’Donoghue remade a 2008 NASA video to show what could be revealed if all ocean water drained.

From the Japanese space agency, JAXA, where he works, O’Donoghue, a former NASA scientist, took the video created by NASA physicist and animator Horace Mitchell and tweaked the timing. He also added a tracker to show the amount of water draining in animation.

As the water drains, you can see the underwater edges of the continents first. These are known as the continental shelves.

O’Donoghue told Business Insider,

“I slowed down the start since, rather surprisingly, there’s a lot of undersea landscape instantly revealed in the first tens of meters.”

The continental shelves also make up some of the land bridges humans used to cross to other continents. Our ancestors, from tens of thousands of years ago, were able to traverse from Europe to the U.K., and Siberia to Alaska, by land.

Early inhabitants of Australia could even walk to what are now islands surrounding the Australian continent.

O’Donoghue explained that water frozen at the poles during the last ice age melted and created the continents we know today while enclosing the humans where they were.

Earth’s longest chain of mountains, called the mid-ocean ridge, appears once the sea levels drop 2,000 to 3,000 meters, revealing its 37,000 global stretch. More than 90 percent of the range is underwater.

Volcanic mountains can be seen between the Earth’s tectonic plates. Most of the planet is revealed at 6,000 meters, with the Marianas Trench needing another 5,000 meters before totally emptying.

The video really does showcase how interesting the topography of the Earth is underneath the oceans and the chapters of our earliest existence.

What do you think about this revealing video? Let us know in the comments!

The post NASA Animation Shows Oceans Draining and What’s Beneath the Sea appeared first on UberFacts.

The National Bonsai Museum in Washington D.C. Looks Pretty Awesome

In Washington D.C., an extraordinary museum has some mighty special trees. These trees aren’t giant oaks or flowered with cherry blossoms, though. The National Bonsai Museum, rather, is home to 150 species of trees pruned and cared for in the manner of bonsai – a traditional Japanese cultivation technique that produces trees in miniature.

National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
The museum opened in 1976 to exhibit a gift from Japan of 53 bonsai trees commemorating the U.S. bicentennial and presented to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Their botanical gift joins the 3,000 cherry trees, given by Japan in 1912, that famously still grow today around D.C.’s National Mall.

National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
The exceptional display of bonsai trees can be found in the Department of Agriculture’s National Arboretum. Over the years, the collection has grown to include various species, including beeches, maples and pines, among others.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

As the Japanese style of bonsai varies, there are several design types to see at the museum. Look for Chokkan style, characterized by a straight tapered trunk with thick branches coming from the middle of the trunk and finer sproutings at the top for a formal tree shape.

You can also see the dramatic kengai trees, which appear to “cascade” down mountains. Others on display are “root-over-rock,” where the tree’s roots reach around a stone base before disappearing into earth, and “forest” style, that have several trees, usually an odd number, arranged in a single container.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

The absolute can’t-miss specimen of the entire exhibit is a Japanese white pine. The tree was started in 1625 and tended by five generations of the Yamaki family until it was donated to the U.S. It’s also called the Hiroshima Survivor because it emerged unharmed from the atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima in 1945.

Bonsai gives both the viewer and the cultivator the opportunity for quiet contemplation. In a busy city that represents a country as dynamic as the U.S., this museum is an excellent place to root your soul.

The post The National Bonsai Museum in Washington D.C. Looks Pretty Awesome appeared first on UberFacts.