MYRTLE CORBIN…..Gave birth to five children…despite being born with four legs and two separate pelvises….she was called “The four-legged woman”….in P.T. Barnum’s circus.
PISTACHIOS…..can spontaneously combust…..when stored in bulk…..their fat content can generate enough heat to start a fire….this is why they are classified as dangerous goods for shipping.
THE NILE RIVER….is longer than the distance from New York to Los Angeles
IN THE SPANISH VILLAGE….of Villar de Corneja near Àvila….where the average age is around 75…..the locals ring in the New Year 12 hours early…..so everyone can share a toast….and still head to bed at a comfortable hour.
NEW YORK CITY’S….Grand Central Station….is the world’s largest train station
MODERN JAPANESE SWORDSMITHS….must legally follow traditional katana forging methods…..even though modern steel no longer requires repeated folding….to achieve strength and quality.
HEALERS FORM THE ANDES….saved thousands of workers building the Panama Canal….by using a secret from a tree…..for 1,000’s of years the Kalllawaya people of Bolivia….have mastered plant-based medicine….by using quinine to fight malaria long before modern antibiotics…..their ancient knowledge is still vital to science till this day.
ONE OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST CULTIVATED FRUITS….is the Olive….the olive tree’s farming journey began in Crete around 3,000BC…..it was spread across the Mediterranean by the Phoenicians and became a Greek symbol for peace…..it was awarded to Olympic victors….and its oil not only provided for food but was also used to fuel lamps and entire economies.
ALUMINUM FOIL….began as a luxury for Swiss chocolates in 1910….before becoming essential military packing in World War II….Americans homes adopted it with TV dinners in 1954….while transforming how families ate and preserved food…..an idea that spread worldwide.
BACON’S 3.500-YEAR HISTORY…..began in China….where cooks salted pork belly for preservation….this method was known as Lap Yuk….and this idea traveled west along trade routes…..and eventually became the bacon we know and love.
BREAKING OUT OF PRISON….in Denmark isn’t illegal….provided you don’t break the walls.
A CULTURAL RULE….prevents marriages between close relatives by requiring Kazahks to recite their ancestors….back 7 generations…..known as Zheti Ata or “Seven Ancestors”…..this ancient tradition preserves family lines and honors the past.
BRAZIL….has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan
IN 1712….Sweden officially added a date that never existed before or since….February 30….after a failed plan to switch calendars caused the nation to fall out of sync with the world….officials ordered a rare double leap day….to fix the math….it remains history’s only legitimate instance of a 30-day February
HUMANS….and giraffes have the same number of neck bones
TWO PLANTS COULD SAVE THE PLANET….Bamboo and Hemp…..they grow faster than trees….require less water than cotton….needs zero pesticides…..and regenerates the soil.
ICELAND HAS NO…..McDonald’s….the last one closed in 2009….and is now on display in a museum
ON DECEMBER 21st, 1937…..Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in Los Angeles…..before this night everyone called the movie “Disney’s Folly”….they said no one would sit through a 90-minute cartoon…..and that the bright colors would hurt people’s eyes….they were wrong….the audience gave it a standing ovation…..grown men wept during the “death scene”….it became the highest-grossing sound film of all time…..until Gone with the Wind.
SCOTLAND….has over 400 words for “snow”…..(I have to ask my sister Jenny about this one)
HIPPOS…..aren’t fat….they’re mostly built from dense muscle….with only about 5% body fat……their thick skin and heavy bodies make them sink and run along the riverbeds…..while their skin secretes a natural fluid that protects them from the sun, bacteria and injuries.
SPAIN…will make abortion a constitutional right
IN SAMOA….it’s a crime to forget your wife’s birthday
HOSTING THE WORLD CUP…..will cost cities up to $250 million dollars….after the U.S. made the worst deal in history