15 Vessels of Trivia We Retrieved This Week
Beware of con artists. For example, if someone invites you to audition for a TV show, this “TV show” might just be them filming you for their personal amusement. Or, suppose someone shows off their pet hen, and then hands you a freshly laid egg. On the egg are the following words: “Christ is coming.” Does this prove the end is nigh? Or is this farmer possibly trying to fool you?
Find out the truth about the prophetic chicken below, along with some frightening info about the nature of time.
The Reverse Alibi
Don't Miss
As a publicity stunt, a Canadian man stood on the sign of a car dealership until customers bought every car there. His wife, who’d been ill, got better during these days but became sick again afterward. After she died, authorities used this oddity to prove he’d poisoned her.
Double Your Pleasure
We all know about schadenfreude, a word whose existence proves the Germans have a high appreciation for sadism. But there’s also a word for taking pleasure in another person’s joy. It’s called mudita.
The Power of Resurrection
Sponges are animals, but they’re put together differently from any other kind of tissue you’ve heard of. Mash up a sponge and squeeze it through a mesh, then leave the result for a few days. The cells will rejoin back into a healthy organism.
Bills, Bills, Bills
A Chicago woman was billed $100,000 in parking tickets for leaving her car at the airport for three years. She hadn’t really left it there. Her ex had put a car in her name there to get revenge on her.
Shrinkage
Human brains aren’t larger than those of our truly ancient ancestors. The average brain is smaller than it was 20,000 years ago. The difference is about the size of a tennis ball.
Extreme Mooring
Since 1971, Chesapeake Bay has hosted annual boat docking competitions. The winner may win $10,000, but the biggest logistical challenge is arranging beer for all the spectators.
The Stopped Clock
Quickly look at a clock that shows the passage of seconds. It will feel as though more than a second passes before the clock shows the change. This is because you perceive time incorrectly when shifting your focus, to compensate for a brief gap in your consciousness.
English vs. French
If you slip away from a party without saying goodbye to anyone, we sometimes call that a “French Exit.” The French, however, have a different phrase for the same thing. They call it filer à l’anglaise, or “leaving in the English way.”
Pants on Fire
While many people die by accidentally setting themselves on fire, the concept of spontaneous human combustion exists largely thanks to the temperance movement. They spread the idea by calling spontaneous combustion a possible consequence of drinking liquor.
Reality Check
In 2002, a British man convinced dozens of people to quit their jobs to take part in a reality show, with a £100,000 prize. No such reality show actually existed, and the man was homeless. This didn’t qualify as fraud, however, since he didn’t actually benefit from this con in any way.
Mystery Mineral
The most abundant material on Earth is called bridgmanite. Weird thing is, scientists did not locate a sample of bridgmanite until 2014. It exists deep underground, beyond where anyone’s ever been.
Meat Lovers, Unite
According to the USDA, a grilled cheese is not a sandwich. Nor is a PB&J or any food with a vegetarian filling. A sandwich must contain “meat or poultry filling.”
Iconic Gibberish
The travel guide Lonely Planet has a baffling name. How can the planet be lonely? Lonely compared to what? The name is because the founder misheard the phrase “lovely planet” and rolled with it.
Phantom Rectum
Much like you may feel itching on a limb that’s been removed, you can feel sensation after losing your rectum. You will feel like pooping, even though there’s nothing there.
Mmmm, Pudding
In the 19th century, a mystic named Mary Bateman claimed to have a chicken that laid eggs containing holy messages. This was a harmless enough lie, until she used her reputation to prescribe mercury pudding to a couple, and she was hanged for murder.
