7 Facts You Learned in School That Are No Longer True

It stands to reason that, with technology and our understanding of the world changing so rapidly over the past several decades, at least a few of the things we were taught back in the day would no longer be applicable.

Even so, you may not have considered these seven “facts,” or when, exactly, they became obsolete.

#7. Who built the pyramids?

Photo Credit: Pixabay

It wasn’t the Israelites exiled to Egypt, since the massive structures were erected before the Jews existed.

#6. The names of the nine planets.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto is a dwarf planet, and therefore doesn’t count. So there are only 8.

#5. The toilets in Australia.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

If you’re still under the assumption that the water spins the opposite way down the drain in Australia, you’d be wrong. The reasoning behind the claim is the coriolis effect, but it’s not strong enough on Earth to affect small appliances like a toilet or sink.

#4. The hardest material in the world is…

Photo Credit: Pixabay

I bet you said a ‘diamond,’ but if so, you’d be wrong. According to the Scientific American, there are two substances that are (quite a bit) harder: wurtzite boron nitride and lonsdaleite.

#3. You can’t see the Great Wall from outer space.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

According to NASA, the Great Wall is only visible from a max of 1200 miles up – low Earth orbit, not outer space.

#2. How witches were killed.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

In the United States, more witches were hanged than burned, especially during the Salem trials. Witchcraft was punishable by hanging here – in Europe, where the crime was heresy, more burning was done.

#1. Your favorite dinosaur is dead…again.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

There’s no such thing as a brontosaurus. Womp-womp.

The post 7 Facts You Learned in School That Are No Longer True appeared first on UberFacts.

These Digitally Restored Images of 5 Famous Historical Ruins Look Incredible

As amazing as it is to wander through the amazing ruins of the ancient world, it can be hard to visualize what they might have looked like in all of their painted, jewel-encrusted fineries. Luckily, one of the cool things we can do these days with digital devices is to re-imagine and digitally restore these old buildings, allowing people to get a glimpse of what they might have looked like brand-new.

These images are awe-inspiring, truly, and I, for one, wish once again that time travel were possible.

#5. Lower Terrace, Masada (Masada, Israel)

Josephus Flavius, a governor of Galilee and Roman historian, told of the fortress of Masada that was built by Herod the Great between 37 and 31 B.C.E. The ruins stand atop an isolated rock cliff overlooking the Dead Sea, which is beautiful on its own, and featured three terraces.

The image only imagines what the lower terrace, reserved for entertainment and relaxation, would have looked like in its heyday, covered by frescoes and gilded columns.

Photo Credit: My Voucher Codes

#4. Domus Aurea Octagonal Court (Rome, Italy)

Emperor Nero’s “Golden House” was constructed between 65 and 68 C.E. and played host to his lavish parties and banquets. Roman historian Suetonius describes the building as a “circular banquet hall which revolved incessantly, day and night, like the heavens” and also goes into detail regarding gem-encrusted walls, ivory and mother-of-pearl decorations, and ceilings that showered guests with flowers and perfumes.

The following image was created from his account.

Photo Credit: My Voucher Codes

#3. Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)

This complex housed a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu and took around 30 years to construct. At the end of the 12th century it was converted to a Buddhist temple and is one of the world’s largest religious buildings. The massive building is home to elevated towers, porches, and different levels of courtyards linked by a series of stairways.

Photo Credit: My Voucher Codes

#2. The Parthenon (Athens, Greece)

Photo Credit: My Voucher Codes

The Parthenon was built in the mid-5th century and housed a golden statue of Athena. It was over 12 meters high and contained about 1,140 kilos of gold and ivory.

#1. Roman Baths (Bath, England)

The bathhouse was constructed around 70C.E., as the baths were an important part of life in Ancient Rome. Citizens congregated there to mingle, gossip, and relax in the geothermally heated water. The roof is long gone, but it was originally an impressively high and barrel-vaulted.

Photo Credit: My Voucher Codes

The post These Digitally Restored Images of 5 Famous Historical Ruins Look Incredible appeared first on UberFacts.

12 Cool Facts About Cars

Most of us (unless we live in a place that has good public transportation) rely on cars A LOT. They’re just a part of everyday life, there’s no better way to put it.

Here are 12 facts about one of life’s necessities: cars.

1.

Photo Credit: did you know?

2.

Photo Credit: did you know?

3.

Photo Credit: did you know?

4.

Photo Credit: did you know?

5.

Photo Credit: did you know?

6.

Photo Credit: did you know?

7.

Photo Credit: did you know?

8.

Photo Credit: did you know?

9.

Photo Credit: did you know?

10.

Photo Credit: did you know?

11.

Photo Credit: did you know?

12.

Photo Credit: did you know?

The post 12 Cool Facts About Cars appeared first on UberFacts.

California Was the First State to Make Solar Panels Mandatory on Homes

Starting in 2020, all new single-family homes and multi-family buildings that are three stories or less in California must be constructed with solar panels. California was the first state to pass such a law, which is part of a bigger plan to be free of fossil fuels within 20 years.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Even with the solar panel requirement for homes, that doesn’t mean the end of some natural gas-burning. When the sun goes down, especially during hot months, solar energy won’t be enough to power many homes, so additional sources are needed.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

California is also pushing other energy initiatives. The state is planning on getting half of its power from renewable sources like wind power by 2030. The plan is working so well that officials say that goal may be reached 10 years early, by 2020.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

h/t: Mashable

The post California Was the First State to Make Solar Panels Mandatory on Homes appeared first on UberFacts.

When USSR premier Nikita Khrushchev…

When USSR premier Nikita Khrushchev visited IBM’s Silicon Valley research facility in 1959 he showed indifference to computing technology, but he was so impressed by their buffet style cafeteria that he instructed factories across the Soviet Union to implement the self service dining concept. 00

France had a “proto-internet” called Minitel…

France had a “proto-internet” called Minitel, to which half the population had access. It allowed for buying plane tickets, shopping, 24-hr news, message boards & adult chat services. It was used to coordinate a national strike in 1986. Some believe it hindered the internet’s adoption in France. 00

Uber drivers in China changed…

Uber drivers in China changed their profile photos to ghosts and zombie images so that when potential passengers saw these pictures they would cancel the ride they’d just booked, thus earning the driver the cancellation fee. 00