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15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us

Our world is so intricate and filled with wonders that a whole lifetime wouldn't be enough to learn all there is to know about it. But that is exactly the fun of it! Gaining new knowledge is always fun, so we decided that it’s high time for another installment of random yet absolutely fascinating facts. 
 

1.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, male engagement rings

You know the drill when it comes to engagement rings: in most cases, it’s the man who purchases it and waits for the right moment to pop the question. In 1926, jewelers and advertisers joined forces to try and popularize the concept of male engagement rings. The rings even had ultra-macho names: the Pilot, the Stag, the Master. But these campaigns flopped, as the public couldn’t shake the association of engagement rings with femininity. 

2.

15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, Disneyland tunnels

There certainly are many myths and urban legends when it comes to Disney and its theme parks, but this one is absolutely true. The tunnels were built as a response to characters having to run through other ‘lands’ to get to their posts which spoiled the magic. 

Related: 20 Interesting Facts

3.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, hand gestures

The ‘Devil’s Horn’ hand sign for example, which is usually thrown up in rock concerts can be offensive in other countries. In European and South American countries, this hand sign implies that a man’s wife has been unfaithful.

4.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, travel dehydration
The condition is called insensible water loss. The combination of the humidity levels in the plane, which can be as low as 10-15% and the mildly hypoxic environment increase breathing rate and lead to this so-called traveler's dehydration.
5.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, willow bark as pain killer
For centuries, willow bark has been used as an alternative to aspirin. The active ingredient in the bark, salicyl, turns to salicylic acid and is more gentle on the stomach than over-the-counter aspirin. 
 
6.
15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, first documentary staged
‘Nanook of the North’ is widely credited as the world’s first-ever feature-length documentary, but the 1922 film was actually all staged. The clothing and customs shown in the film hadn’t been practiced for generations, and the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic were anything but isolated from modern society. Even Nanook himself was played by a man named Allakariallak.
7.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us,the Queens's wardrobe spreadsheetDressing the Queen is no simple task. Angela Kelly, who’s official title is Personal Adviser to Her Majesty, is responsible for curating the Queen's wardrobe. That includes running a meticulous spreadsheet in order to keep track of all of the monarch’s dresses, coats, shoes, handbags, and hats. And of course, there is also a spreadsheet to prevent outfit repetitions. 
8.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, lion whiskers
Like humans and fingerprints, each lion has a whisker pattern unique to their nose, according to the New York Times. Back in the late 1960s, researchers conducted a whisker identification method that consisted of overlapping photographs of lions’ noses with a standard grid.
 
 
9.
15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, old eggs

This might sound like a granny fable, but it is actually a time-tested method. If you’re not sure how old an egg is and if it’s still good to use, simply pop it in water. If it floats, it’s old; if it sinks, it’s a fresh egg and you’re good to go. 

Related: 9 Wrong ‘Facts’ You Probably Learned In School

 

10.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, survival in space

Fifteen seconds is how long it takes humans to lose their consciousness in space due to a lack of oxygen to the brain. In 1965, a technician inside a vacuum chamber at Johnson Space Center in Houston accidentally depressurized his spacesuit by disrupting a hose. He lost consciousness after 15 seconds, but his suit was repressurized at 27 seconds. 

According to Scientific American, the man recalled “the moisture on his tongue beginning to boil as well as a loss of taste sensation that lingered for four days following the accident.

11.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, crop seed vault
It turns out the human race is ready for the apocalypse. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is located in one of the coldest corners of the world - an island on the Svalbard archipelago, between Norway and the North Pole. In case the farmer’s fields start to dry out, or any other disaster wipes out the world’s crops, this seed vault would come to the rescue. 
12.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, stuntwomen
Clothing like skirts, high heels, and tank tops make the job that much harder for women than for men. While a man’s suit can easily be padded, bare legs cannot. Ouch!
13.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, goats emotional inteligence
Research shows that goats are socially aware of the environment they’re in. They can “differentiate between other goats’ happiness or displeasure by listening to their voices,” according to National Geographic.
14.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, go oldest game
This mind-boggling game is said to be the oldest strategy game that’s still played today. According to the American Go Association, the game originated in China anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000 years ago. In ancient times, It was considered one of the four essential arts of a cultured Chinese scholar.
 
15.15 Intriguing Facts About the World Around Us, words originating from Arabic

These are just a handful of words we use every day, that have their roots in the Arabic language. The word alcohol comes from the Arabic al-kuhl, (the kohl) which is a form of eyeliner. Because the cosmetic was made via an extraction process from a mineral, European chemists began to refer to anything involving extraction or distillation as alcohol.

Algebra has its roots in al-jabr, which describes a reunion of broken parts, and magazine comes from makzin, which means storehouse.

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