Peanuts aren’t technically nuts. They’re legumes. According to Merriam-Webster, a nut is only a nut if it’s “a hard-shelled dry fruit or seed with a separable rind or shell and interior kernel.” That means walnuts, almonds, cashews, and pistachios aren’t nuts either. They’re seeds.
100 Mind-Blowing Dry Facts
Humans have jumped farther than horses in the Olympics. The Olympic world record for the longest human long jump is greater than the world record for the longest horse long jump. Mike Powell set the record in 1991 by jumping 8.95 meters, and the horse Extra Dry set the record in 1900 by jumping 6.10 meters.
Only ¼ of the Sahara Desert is sandy. When you think Sahara, you’d probably think of something out of The Lion King or National Geographic: stretches of dry, barren sands. However, this is not the case. One of the fun facts about the Sahara desert is that it’s hardly made up of sand! Most of it is covered in gravel with mountains and oases.
Humans have jumped further than horses in the Olympics. The Olympics has been a good measure of humanity’s physical limits and capabilities. You’d be surprised that the world record for the longest human long jump is even greater than the record for the longest long jump done by a horse. When Mike Powell jumped 8.95 meters, he beat the record of Extra Dry who jumped at 6.10 meters.
Garlic is known to attract leeches. Leeches take around 15 seconds to attach themselves to a hand covered in garlic. However, it takes them over 40 seconds to suck the blood dry from its victim.
Strawberries are the only known fruit to grow their seeds externally. When a strawberry flower is pollinated, the fruit will not swell. Instead, it fertilizes the ovaries in the flower and forms small dry fruits separately.
Moisture causes superglue to dry. Exposure to humid conditions allows the glue to form a thin skin within seconds of contact. Water can also help this type of glue dry faster.
Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. If you think desert, you’d probably think of the Sahara. By definition, a desert is any dry land with little vegetation and rain. However, the biggest desert is Antarctica. The Antarctic Polar Desert is a cold desert that covers the entire continent and covers roughly 5.5 million square miles.
The holes in spaghetti spoons have a purpose. The single, circular hole in the middle of pasta spoons isn’t just for draining. It is a measure of the serving size of spaghetti. The amount of dry spaghetti that fits snugly in the hole counts as one serving.
Russians normally open their umbrellas indoors to dry.
Henry Ford produced the Model T only in black because the black paint available at the time was the fastest to dry.
Supermarket apples can be a year old. Are those apples you just bought a year old? Maybe! Farmers often pick apples in the fall, cover them in wax, hot-air dry them, and then put them in cold storage. This keeps them edible and ready to sell for 6 to 12 months!
Mars has north and south poles like Earth. The polar ice caps are covered in a layer of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice).
Atacama is the driest place on Earth. The Atacama Desert, located in South America, is widely considered to be the driest place on Earth, outside of the Antarctic dry valleys. This vast expanse of land spans over 100,000 sq km and receives an average of less than 1 mm of rainfall per year. The harsh climate of the Atacama is due to a combination of factors including its location in a rain shadow caused by the Andes mountains, the presence of the cold Humboldt Current offshore and a lack of moisture-bearing winds. Despite its arid conditions, the Atacama is home to several unique species of plants and animals that have adapted to survive in this harsh environment. The desert is also known for its stunning landscapes, including salt flats, geysers and towering volcanoes – making it a popular destination for adventurous travellers.
You blink less than half as often when using a computer, which makes your eyes dry out.
You Can Make Your Money Crisp by Ironing It: Ready for a surprising money fact that involves a little bit of fabric know-how? If you’ve got a creased, crumpled, or wrinkled dollar bill, you can make it look new by pressing it with your iron. As mentioned earlier, U.S. dollars are 75% cotton and 25% linen, so it’s fabric. To iron the money, dampen the dollar bill slightly with a spritz bottle, sprinkle water by hand, or use the spray function on the iron itself. Set the iron to low heat, put a towel under the bill and another on top of it, and then iron the money in a circular motion. Set aside to air dry. Presto! You should have a nice flattened bill.