13 wonderfully weird facts about our wonderfully weird world
The universe is a strange place. At Ink Tank, we share facts ranging from happy facts to the downright odd. These facts highlight the peculiar nature of our world.
Historical anomalies
1. Oxford University
Oxford University predates the Aztec civilization.
2. The Hitler nephew
Adolf Hitler’s nephew William Patrick Hitler wrote an essay called “Why I Hate my Uncle”. It was published in London’s Look Magazine in 1938. W.P. Hitler was born in Liverpool and lived in Germany for a time. He eventually moved to the US and enlisted in the military to fight in World War II.
Geography and physics
3. Northern Rome
Rome is farther north than New York City.
4. Observing photons
Single photons can behave differently if they are observed. This phenomenon was demonstrated by the Double Slit Experiment.
Biological oddities
5. Caterpillar goo
Caterpillars undergoing metamorphosis dissolve almost completely before transforming into butterflies. Enzymes inside the pupa break down the creature into goo. Some neurons are preserved because the insect retains memories from its larval state.
6. Ancient dining
The oldest still-running restaurant in the world is older than the European printing press.
7. Toxic livers
Do not eat the liver of a polar bear. The same applies to bearded seals, walruses, moose or huskies. The high Vitamin A content can be fatal.
Modern milestones
8. Moon travel and luggage
A human traveled to the moon before wheeled luggage was invented.
9. The eternal fire
In 1962, a trash fire in Pennsylvania ignited a coal mine fire. It is expected to last for centuries.
10. Presidential timing
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4th, 1826.
I love that butterflies can taste with their feet.
This always blows my mind. Every human being spent about half an hour as a single cell.
Be interesting to know what happened to Willy Hitler. I’d imagine a name change for starters
This is an interesting one for non-Finns. Early Scandinavian and German traders in Finland sold goods, tools and weapons for the country’s most precious resource – soft animal furs. Raha, the word for pelt in Finnish, came to mean money, and Finnish slang can still refer to cash as ‘oravannahka’, meaning squirrel skins.
No way! I’ve lived in Finland for a while and had no idea. I’ll be sure to dazzle someone with this later today :)