17 Facts I Hated Reading, So I'm Making You Read Them, Too
1.In a year, the average human consumes so much microplastic, it's about the equivalent of the amount of plastic in a fireman's helmet.
A 2019 study by WWF suggests that humans could be consuming a credit card's worth of microplastic per week.
2.Chucky from Child's Play is based on a real doll that is said to be cursed and cause violent mishaps.
The doll was named Eugene and said to be given to Robert Otto in 1903 by someone who worked at the family's estate who was well-versed in voodoo and wanted to get back at them. The doll was said to rearrange furniture, destroy toys, and move freely. It is currently housed in Key West, Florida.
3.Madame Tussaud (of wax museum fame) honed her wax-sculpting skills by casting freshly-guillotined heads of French aristocrats during the French Revolution.
Madame Tussaud was actually set to be guillotined during the French Revolution until her freedom was negotiated. The last person she casted? Her prosecutor.
4.In April 2022, the 50,000th spider species was discovered, and scientists don't think that's it.
Not to mention, climate change may be making spiders bigger and more abundant.
5.Chainsaws were originally created for childbirth, before C-sections were a thing.
The first chainsaws were handheld and used to remove bone to make it easier for a baby to come out.
6.On average, humans spit enough over their lifetime to fill two swimming pools.
Second fact, not gross: Did you know we wouldn't be able to taste our food if our mouth wasn't filled with saliva?
7.A chicken named Mike lived with his head cut off for 18 months.
Mike was insured for $10,000 in 1946, which is today's equivalent of about $152,826.67.
8.Mosquitoes don't use one needle to suck your blood. It's actually six micro-needles.
Two of the needles saw the human skin, another set of needles hold the tissue apart, while a needle pierces the blood vessel.
9.Facebook created two AI chatbots to talk to each other, which were eventually shut down after they created a language that only they understood.
The chatbots evolved a language that humans couldn't understand, which, while amazing, is also terrifying.
10.Ducklings are prone to cannibalism. Scientists don't know why some have this behavior, but tie it to boredom.
Other conditions that seem to increase this behavior are overcrowding, lack of ventilation, and faulty nutrition.
11.A study from Harvard showed that being lonely has the same risk of heart disease as smoking does.
The study explains "loneliness, social isolation, or both were associated with a 29% increased risk of heart attack and 32% greater risk of stroke."
12.Snails have thousands of teeth.
They have a tongue similar to ours; it just has rows and rows of teeth on it.
13.There's a museum in Italy with scrolls they claimed to be signed by people in purgatory trying to signal the living.
Museo delle Anime del Purgatorio was founded in the church Sacro Cuore del Suffragio after a priest claimed they saw a presence in flames try to get the attention of the living.
14.You can rupture your throat from holding in a sneeze.
It happened to a 34-year-old man in 2013. According to BBC, "Trapping a sneeze could also damage the ears or even rupture a brain aneurysm."
15.Alien hand syndrome is a phenomenon in which someone can't control one hand, and it seems to act like it has a mind of its own.
Basically, the hand moves without the brain acknowledging it, making it feel like someone else is in control of it.
16.Butterflies drink blood.
It's not in their usual diet, but if the opportunity arises, butterflies have a hard time passing up how nutrient-rich blood is.
17.Finally, 56% of commercial pilots have admitted to falling asleep while flying.
And 29% have woken up to the other pilot asleep as well.
