Tag: The Daily Extra

Cranberries can bounce

The small round fruit contains four air pockets, allowing them to not only float in water, but bounce when dropped on a hard surface. Try it and see!

A 16th-century “dance plague” caused people to drop like flies

In the summer of 1518, hundreds of citizens in the French city of Strasbourg danced uncontrollably for days and weeks on end, with some dying from the overexertion. According to the History Channel, scientists and historians aren’t quite sure what was behind the deadly dance-a-thon, but some choice theories include the participants being part of a religious cult or having ingested a toxic mold on bread that produced spasms and hallucinations.- 50 Weird Facts That Most People Don’t Know

Groaners: World’s Best of Bad Jokes and Puns

Q: Why does the weightlifter teach social studies?

A: He’s a history buff

A barber in India cuts hair with fire

Nazim Ali, a haircutter in New Delhi, has been using flammable chemicals he ignites in order to ‘cut’ and style hair, according to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Ali’s been using his technique for 30 years, and is especially popular with the Dehli youth.

Mindful Moment

Folding laundry provides an opportunity to practice mindfulness. Notice the textures of the fabric, as well as the patterns and colors of the clothing. As you take towels out of the dryer, pay attention to the heat and the fresh smell. Take a cleansing breath after finishing each article of laundry and offer gratitude for everyday things often taken for granted.

In Delaware, you can get your marriage annulled if it was a joke

If either or both spouses tied the knot in jest or as part of a dare in Delaware, the marriage can be annulled. You just need to file within 90 days of learning the nuptials weren’t on the up and up. This isn’t the only surprising marriage law in the U.S.- 50 Weird Facts That Most People Don’t Know

Mood lighting in Japan’s train stations help curb suicides

Blue lights on train platforms in Japan have been shown to reduce the chance someone will jump in front of a speeding train. In fact, one study in the Journal of Affective Disorders found blue lighting reduced suicide attempts by 84%. It’s believed blue registers as a calming color, associated with the sky and sea, which may be soothing to people in distress, according to Psychology Today.

McDonald’s once sold a Hawaiian ‘burger’

The Hula Burger, which came on the scene in the early 1960s, consisted of a slice of grilled pineapple and cheese on a bun. Created by McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, it was offered as alternative for Catholics who didn’t eat meat on Fridays. The Hula burger never caught on, nor could it compete with the other meatless option, Filet-O-Fish, and was quickly discontinued. 50 Weird Facts That Most People Don’t Know

You can make a diamond out of peanut butter

Diamonds and peanut butter both contain carbon, so scientist Dan Frost at the Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Germany decided to see if he could convert the carbon from peanut butter into a diamond. After Frost exposed peanut butter to the same intense heat and pressure a diamond undergoes in the earth, he was able to produce a crystallized diamond. But it’s not as easy as it sounds, in order to make a peanut butter diamond, you’d need to heat it to at least 2,000 Fahrenheit. Frost’s discovery is what you can file under weird science facts.- 50 Weird Facts That Most People Don’t Know

Fiat once sold a car with an espresso machine

The Italian automaker Fiat installed a Lavazza built-in espresso maker in its 2012 500L model. The car was only available in Europe, and you could only brew coffee when the car was parked. It was a short-lived idea that never really took off, and Fiat reportedly ceased production a year later.

By the Number

50 million

Estimated worldwide sales of Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon in various formats since it was first published in 1947.

Fun Fact

Amazon.com opened for business online in 1995, but it didn’t make a profit until 2001.

A game show dare inspired a town to change its name

Hot Springs, N.M. was renamed Truth or Consequences in 1950 after the popular NBC radio game show hatched a publicity scheme. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show, host Ralph Edwards wondered if there might be a town in the U.S. who “liked and respected” the show so much they’d change the name to Truth or Consequences. Hot Springs answered the call and via a special election, the town officially voted to have a new name. – 50 Weird Facts That Most People Don’t Know

The oldest piece of cake is nearly 4,000 years old

Go to the Alimentarium food museum in Vevey, Switzerland, and you’ll be able to see the world’s oldest slice of cake, according to Guinness World Records. Discovered in an ancient Egyptian tomb in 1913, the cake consists of two slices of wheat flatbread with a milk and honey filling. Estimated to date back to the reign of Pepi II (2251 to 2157 BCE), it’s the cake’s two copper molds that served as a vacuum, resulting in its preservation. – 50 Weird Facts That Most People Don’t Know

A flamingo’s pink color comes from its food

“These long-legged birds are actually born gray and turn pink as a result of what they eat. Flamingos dine on algae and brine shrimp, which contain natural red, yellow, or orange pigments, or carotenoids, the same ones responsible for color of carrots and tomatoes. As their bodies metabolize the carotenoids, their feathers turn pink.” – 50 Weird Facts That Most People Don’t Know