12 Trivia Tidbits for Friday, March 29, 2024
The Navy’s Foolproof Method to Fall Asleep: Yell at Your Body
The U.S. Navy has a method for falling asleep in under two minutes, which it says 96 percent of its pilots have mastered. It”s basically breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation, but you specifically tell each of your limbs to sink into the ground.
Harvard’s Skin Book Is No More
A book that Harvard has owned since 1934, Destinies of the Soul, was confirmed in 2014 to have been bound in human skin. What tipped them off? The doctor who owned the book left a note that said, “I had kept this piece of human skin taken from the back of a woman. A book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering.” He went on to stipulate that the anonymous woman died of natural causes. Harvard is currently trying to track down the woman’s identity, and figure out how to give her skin back.
Disney Has an Official Collaboration With Guantanamo Bay
Not only does Gitmo have three separate souvenir shops; they also sell official Disney merch. You’ll find the same familiar characters and vapid slogans (“I’m Grumpy. Don’t make it worse”), with “Guantanamo Bay” almost sheepishly slapped on at the bottom.
The Diaper Industry Is Responding to an Aging Population
A major Japanese diaper maker said that adult diapers began outselling baby diapers in 2011, and another just announced it would stop making baby versions and focus operations on the big boys. In 2023, Japan recorded the fewest annual births in decades, while its over-80 population broke the 10 percent barrier.
Getting Rid of Stem Cells May Be the Key to Living Longer
Scientists found that removing certain stem cells from older mice, particularly ones that replicate blood cells, actually boosted their immune systems.
We May Need a ‘Negative Leap Second’ to Keep Up With the Earth’s Rotation
The Earth progressively spins slightly faster, all the time, but at a literally imperceptible rate. Geophysicists say we may need to subtract a second from our clocks around the year 2029 to remain perfectly accurate. Interestingly, global warming may be slowing down the rate at which we spin faster, due to redistribution of water from the ice caps to the rest of the ocean.
This Year’s Official Cadbury Bunny Is a Raccoon
Hershey holds a tournament-style voting competition to crown the yearly Cadbury Bunny, and this year’s winner was a two-year-old raccoon named Louie.
LEGO Says ACAB
California made it illegal to post mugshots online, but the Murrieta Police Department wanted to keep racking up social media clout by posting candid photos of crime suspects. They started slapping LEGO head emojis over top of people’s faces, but LEGO found out and told them to knock it off.
Awesome: Someone Taught Robots How to Smile
Researchers at Columbia University built a robot, named Emo, that can predict when you’re going to smile, 839 milliseconds before you do it, and immediately mimic your expression.
The World’s Maple Syrup Reserves Are Dwindling
The largest (and only) maple syrup reserve in the world is, of course, in Canada. It can hold up to 133 million pounds, but it’s down to only 6.9 million pounds at the moment. Experts say that demand has risen, while warmer temperatures have slowed production considerably.
A Kentucky Library Let a $8K Fine Slide
A family just returned two books that had been out for over 100 years. Technically, they’d racked up a $7,800 fine, but the Louisville Free Public Library let them off with a warning.
The Fast-Food Mascot Who Complained About His Vasectomy
Mr. Delicious was a balding, middle-aged cartoon spokesperson for the Arby’s competitor Rax. He was designed to draw an older crowd into the store, so he spoke in a booming, boring voice, carried around a briefcase and in one commercial, hinted heavily that he was still healing from a vasectomy.