Swedish meatballs originated from a recipe King Charles XII brought back from Turkey in the early 1800s.
100 Mind-Blowing Brought Facts
English is not native to the British Isles. It was brought to Britain in the mid-5th to 7th Centuries by German, Danish, and Dutch settlers.
From 1937 to 1953, NBC’s Today Show had a chimpanzee co-host named J. Fred Muggs. It is estimated he brought in the network around $100 million.
Europeans were scared of eating tomatoes when they were introduced. Scholars think Hernán Cortés brought the seeds in 1519 with the intent of the fruits being used ornamentally in gardens. By the 1700s, aristocrats started eating tomatoes, but they were convinced the fruits were poisonous because people would die after eating them. In reality, the acidity from the tomatoes brought out the lead in their pewter plates, and they died of lead poisoning.
Boars wash their food. National Geographic reported that at Basel Zoo in Switzerland, zookeepers watched adult and juvenile wild boars pick up sandy apples and bring them to a nearby creek in their environment to wash before eating. Though some items like sugar beets were eaten without human-like behaviour, the boars brought a whole dead chicken to the creek to wash before chowing down. One ecologist called this a “luxury behaviour.”
There’s an American flag on royal wedding souvenirs. The wedding of Prince Harry to American Meghan Markle brought much fanfare and excitement and that shows on souvenirs, including this coffee mug. Bet you didn’t expect to find an American flag at this wedding!
A Norwegian Island made dying illegal. It is illegal to die in Svalbard because they are unable to safely bury the deceased due to the permafrost ground. When people on this island are about to die, they are brought to mainland Norway to pass away there.
Disneyland serves 2.8 million churros a year. The churro was introduced to South America in the 1500s during the Spanish Inquisition. Around the same time, the Spanish brought cocoa to Europe, which they thickened with cane sugar to make hot chocolate. That probably explains why churros and hot chocolate are still a go-to pairing to this day.
Over a dozen skeletons were found in Benjamin Franklin’s basement. In 1998, an organisation called Friends of Benjamin Franklin House decided to restore the four-story Georgian house where Franklin lived in London. However, they discovered a gruesome sight – one of the workers found a human thigh bone. The authorities were brought in, and a total of remains from 15 people were found – 6 of those belonging to children, and all with holes drilled into their skulls. The skeletons date back to 200 years ago then, which was around the time Benjamin Franklin lived in the house. This is one of the most disturbing WTF facts.
Europe is the second smallest continent in size but the third largest in population. Europe is known for its diverse cultures, rich history and stunning landmarks. Despite being the second smallest continent in size (after Australia), Europe is home to a staggering population of over 746 million people, making it the third largest continent in terms of population (after Asia and Africa). Europe has one of the highest levels of urbanisation in the world, with over 75% of its population living in urban areas. With the world’s population expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050, we must increase efforts to understand and mitigate the challenges brought by rapid and unplanned urbanisation, air pollution, as well as issues related to the management of water and energy. ESA and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), in collaboration with the Google Earth Engine team, have developed the World Settlement Footprint – the world’s most comprehensive dataset on human settlement. Featuring data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 missions, this unprecedented collection of data on human settlement will advance our understanding of urbanisation on a global scale.
Napoleon is one of the greatest generals in military history. Yet, he was almost bested by a large herd of rabbits. To celebrate a victory, friends organised a rabbit hunt. The group brought thousands of rabbits in to release for the hunt. Upon release, many turned on the celebrators, including Napoleon.
A company in Japan awards non-smokers an extra six days of paid leave each year. It was brought to the marketing firm’s attention that employees who went for smoke breaks had more than 15 minutes of extra time away from their desks each day. Instead of penalising smokers, they came up with a creative incentive to quit smoking while keeping their non-smoking employees happy in the process!
The Nintendo Game Boy went to space. In 1993, a Soviet cosmonaut brought his Nintendo Game Boy to space on the TM-17 space mission. It is said to have orbited Earth 3,000 times and was later auctioned for $1,220.
Data centres brought in $228.4 billion in 2021.
Downfall by chicken. Having adopted the identity of John Palmer and posing as a horse trader in Yorkshire, highwayman Dick Turpin instigated his demise by murdering hunting associate John Robinson’s game-cock on 2 October 1738. When Robinson angrily responded, Turpin threatened to also kill him, which brought the incident to the attention of three local justices.
NSCID No.9: The promulgation of NSCID No.9 in 1952 brought about greater participation by civilian members (CIA and State) in the COMINT process, recognising the necessity for more centralised technical operations.