100 Mind-Blowing During Facts

The prop master in Scream forgot to unplug Drew Barrymore’s phone, so she called 911 screaming several times until the police called back during a take.

Your nails grow faster during a hot summer.

3 Musketeers candy bars are so named because they used to come in three flavours — chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry — before sugar was rationed during the 1940s.

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was 18, during a ghost story competition while staying in Switzerland with writers Percy Shelley (her lover) and Lord Byron.

What’s inside a Kit Kat? Broken Kit Kats that are damaged during production—they get ground up and go between the wafers inside, along with cocoa and sugar. That’s a way to not let anything go to waste!

People started wearing pyjamas, originally spelt “pyjamas,” instead of nightgowns so they’d be prepared to run outside in public during World War I air raids in England.

The First Television Station. General Electric broadcast the first television station from a building in Schenectady, NY. Viewers watched W2XB, better known as WGY Television, in amazement. During each broadcast, various forms of content were played over the airwaves. The televisions and television stations of 1928 looked and worked quite differently than they do nowadays.

Amazon Prime Members Stats Just Keep Climbing. Launched as a membership service for Amazon patrons in 2005, Prime boasts 214.43 million international users and remains the most-visited U.S. multi-platform in the U.S., serving 98 million active users every month. Niches driving Prime traffic are Amazon Music (16.46 million users) and Prime Video (46.3 million). Members spent $1400 annually on goods and services driven by offers of discounted pricing and free shipping. Expanding its media influence, Amazon Studios has begun to rack up Emmy Award nominations for original productions available only to members. During Covid lockdowns, an estimated 37% of Prime members bought food and beverages from Amazon.

People read faster or slower depending on what they read. Not only do you blink less when you’re on a computer, but reading from a screen also slows you down. On average, people read 10% slower from a screen than from paper! As for the blinking part, did you know that during everyday life, people normally blink at a rate of twenty times per minute? But put them in front of a computer, and that number drops way down to seven times per minute!

Your tonsils could grow back if there was tissue left behind during the removal process. Sometimes it’s accidental; other times, it’s left on purpose.

The term “footage” comes from films being measured in feet when being edited in the early days of filmmaking. Why footage got its name is one of those questions that you have when taking a long shower or when you’re just starting to drift off to sleep. Fortunately, we have the answer for you and even an explanation! Back in the day, when movies were released without audio, they used to use 35mm film. During this era, the film was measured out and cut into foot-long (0.3 m) strips, which contained 16 frames in each. One foot of 35mm film was just one second of screen time. The amount of seconds in a film naturally became known as the footage.

In 2003, it was discovered that the same company that produced an anti-graffiti chemical also produced the Zyklon B gas used in concentration camp gas chambers during WWII.

The biggest shark attack. When the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine on 30 July 1945 survivors were left in the water for four days, during which time around 600 men died of exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks. Experts believe it may be the single greatest concentration of shark attacks on humans in history.

Sheep at the White House. American President Woodrow Wilson and his wife Edith kept sheep at the White House during World War One to keep the lawn neat and reduce gardening costs. The sheep’s wool was also auctioned off to raise money for the Red Cross.

Army on the streets. The last time the British Army deliberately killed anyone in Britain, (as distinct from Northern Ireland which is a very different story), was in August 1911. Two civilians were shot in Liverpool during a rail strike, and a few days later in Llanelli, two civilians were shot and killed again during a strike.

What is a quarantine? The word “quarantine” comes from quarantena, meaning “forty days” in 14th century Venetian. The Venetians imposed a 40-day isolation of ships and people arriving in their lagoon during the Black Death.

Surrender? Never! Lt Hiroo Onoda served with Japan’s army in the Philippines during World War Two. He was ordered not to surrender, so he didn’t, until 1974. His wartime boss was sent to get him. He returned home a hero.

The Halifax Gibbet. The Halifax Gibbet was a Yorkshire invention and was essentially a large axe attached to a wooden block, 200 years ahead of the guillotine’s adoption in Revolutionary France. The town of Halifax adopted it to punish even lowly crimes like petty theft, and it remained in use until the mid-17th century. It inspired another device – the maiden – first used in Scotland during Mary Queen of Scots‘ reign.

An iconic moustache. As a young man Hitler wore a larger, bushier moustache; he trimmed it to its iconic shape so that it could fit under a gas mask during World War One.

Outcast. DH Lawrence was thrown out of his village during World War One because he was allegedly signalling to German U-boats with laundry on his clothes!

Reign of Terror. While the guillotine is commonly associated with the brutality of the French Revolution, the Nazis also used the guillotine during the 12 years they were in power. In October 1936, Hitler secretly ordered 20 guillotines to be distributed to prisons in cities across Germany. According to Nazi records, they were used to execute approximately 16,500 people between 1933 and 1945, including resistance fighters and political protesters – a similar number to the French Reign of Terror.

Prohibition myths. It wasn’t illegal to drink alcohol during Prohibition – the 18th Amendment and subsequent Volstead Act prohibited the production, sale and transport of ‘intoxicating liquors’ within America, but their possession and consumption were never outlawed. Any alcohol already stashed away could be enjoyed in people’s own homes.

Cold War reaches boiling point. While the world watched the tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, they didn’t know just how close they came to destruction. The US Navy dropped harmless depth charges on a submerged Russian submarine off the coast of Cuba to try and force it to surface. The crew, believing that World War Three had begun, argued whether they should launch the nuclear torpedo that they had on board, and came close to a unanimous vote to launch. Luckily, Senior Officer Vasili Arkhipov cast the one vote needed to stop the impending destruction.

Covert baguettes. During World War Two, the baguette became a symbol of resistance against the German occupation, with bakers secretly baking baguettes containing messages or supplies to aid partisans.

Luckiest man in the world? Japanese engineer Tsutomu Yamaguchi survived the atomic bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two. Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip when the first atomic bomb was dropped on 6 August 1945. Despite being only three kilometres away from the blast, Yamaguchi survived, though was seriously burned and temporarily blinded. The following day, he began the journey back to his hometown of Nagasaki, arriving on 8 August. On 9 August, he was a little over a mile from the epicentre of the second atomic bomb when it dropped on Nagasaki. He survived but was injured again, along with his wife and infant daughter.

Stalin’s eldest son died in a German concentration camp. Stalin’s son, Yakov Dzhugashvili, was raised by an aunt and didn’t meet his father until he was 14. During the war, Yakov fought as a Russian soldier and was captured by the Nazis. After he was revealed to be Stalin’s son, the Nazis attempted to use Yakov as leverage, but Stalin refused to negotiate, stating: ‘You have in your hands not only my son Yakov but millions of my sons. Either you free them all or my son will share their fate.’ Yakov died at Sachsenhausen concentration camp while attempting to climb the camp’s electric fence.

Daylight saving time wasn’t officially implemented until 1916. Germany became the first country to adopt it to conserve coal during World War I. The United States didn’t follow suit until 1918.

Daylight saving time does more than make people lose an hour of sleep. It can have some pretty concerning health effects. Studies have linked daylight saving time with an uptick in heart attacks, car crashes, and mining injuries. The extra hour of daylight is good for koalas, though: Researchers found that koala-car collisions went down by up to 11 per cent during daylight saving time.

Linux Kernel development during the early days was done on Minix operating System.

Confirmed data breaches in the healthcare industry increased by 58 per cent during the pandemic. (Verizon)

Half a million Zoom user accounts were compromised and sold on a dark web forum during the first month of the pandemic. (CPO Magazine)

Remote workers have caused a security breach in 20 per cent of organisations during the pandemic. (Malwarebytes)

Hacking attacks increased significantly during 2020 (Iomart): According to studies from Iomart, the number of cyberattacks, hacking, and their resulting costs have increased significantly during 2020. The number of breaches increased by around 273% during the first quarter of 2020, compared to the same period in the year before. Not only has the number of attacks increased, but the severity of the hacks is higher too. According to Japanese brand, Honda in June, a hacking attack hitting internal production systems cost the company around $250,000 in bitcoin.

Remote working may be causing increased hacking issues (IBM): According to IBM and the Ponemon Institute, there’s been a 10% increase in the average total cost of data breaches between 2020 and 2021. Remote working and digital transformation caused by the pandemic of 2020 increased the average cost of a data breach by around $1.07 million. During the pandemic, IBM notes customer PII was the most common type of record lost, included in around 44% of breaches, and each record was worth around $180.

More than 85% of breaches in 2021 involved a human element (Verizon): The Verizon Data Breach Investigations report for 2021 found around 85% of breaches involved a human element, and 61% involved using an employee’s credentials stolen from the business. In 2021, the majority of attacks came from social engineering, phishing, and Denial of Service attacks, according to Verizon. Particularly, Phishing became one of the most significant threats during the pandemic.

History: The NSA originated as a unit to decipher coded communications during World War II. It was officially established to meet the growing need for signals intelligence and communications security.

Cryptanalysis: The NSA has a long history of cryptanalysis, including cracking the Enigma machine during World War II, which significantly contributed to defeating Nazi Germany.

Agnes Meyer Driscoll: Agnes Meyer Driscoll was a pioneering cryptanalyst who made significant contributions to the NSA’s early years, helping to decipher Japanese naval codes during World War II.

Winchester was the first capital of England: We’re beginning this collection of interesting facts about England by uncovering some insights into the country’s history. It’s a well-known fact that the bustling city of London is the country’s capital, however, it hasn’t always had this status! Over 1,150 years ago, in 871, the Hampshire city of Winchester was the country’s capital. This came to be when King Alfred began his reign as King of Wessex and chose the city to be his capital. During the 10th century, all seven of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, including Wessex, merged to become England. This led to London becoming the capital and the new base for the government, thanks to its fantastic trading opportunities.

The national dish features Indian cuisine: Commencing the Food section of this array of facts about England is the country’s national dish, Chicken Tikka Masala. According to NATO, the dish is England’s favourite, while Wales‘ national dish is Welsh Cawl, Scotland‘s is Haggis and Ireland‘s is Irish Stew. It’s believed that Chicken Tikka came over from India and was first introduced in Glasgow. The Masala sauce part of the dish was added during the 1970s when a Bangladeshi chef wanted to match the British tradition of serving meat in gravy. Indian cuisine has massively influenced the country’s dining scene, with CurryCulture.co.uk estimating there to be around 10,000 curry houses in the UK.

The Queen didn’t have a passport: During her 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II has visited over 100 countries on official duties. Although every person in the world needs an identity card, she does not need a British passport during her travels. This is because passports are issued in the name of the Queen.

Cheese rolling is a sport: Yes, you read it correctly, cheese rolling is a sport. It is estimated that the sport started in the 15th century. Once a year, competitors compete in a cheese rolling competition at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire. During these competitions, participants chase a 3.2-kilogram (7lb) wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down a steep hill. It is certainly a sport at risk, but it is a tradition not to be missed in the region. The winner, the one crossing the finishing line first, wins the wheel of cheese as their prize.

During the reign of William the Conqueror, criminals were not given a death sentence but were instead blinded and castrated.

British Secret Service agents during the First World War used semen as invisible ink.

During the Victorian period, sausages were also known as “little bags of mystery”.

London experienced a ‘Great Horse Manure Crisis’ in late 1894. During this period, the London streets were always buried in nine feet of horse manure.

In the 1700s, the UK witnessed the ‘Gin Craze’ during which per person consumption of gin went up to 10 litres per year.

During the 1800s, the name Mary was so popular that nearly half of the female population was named Mary.

The USA in the year 1919, once outlawed alcohol during the Eighteenth Amendment.

Tiny Tribute: Two mice fighting over a slice of cheese is London’s smallest statue. The tale behind this small artwork is rather heartbreaking. During the construction, two of the monument’s constructors fought over a sandwich that was later discovered to have been consumed by a mouse.

Banging Bangers: The term “bangers and mash” originated during World War I, when sausages that had been soaked in water due to a lack of food would explode (“bang”) when they were cooked.

London Has Had Numerous Names: One of the interesting facts about London, United Kingdom is that London has had numerous names in the past. Ludenwic in Saxon times, Lunenburg during Alfred the Great’s reign, and Londonium during the Roman invasion. These were all its previous names.

Stonehenge Is More Ancient Than the Pyramids: Few people are aware that Stonehenge, one of the most well-known prehistoric monuments in the world, predates the pyramids by even longer. Another interesting information about England is that Stonehenge was constructed during the Bronze Age as a cemetery. The remarkable stone circle was created in the late Neolithic era, roughly 2500 BC, and the initial stones were part of an early Henge monument, which dates back to 3000 BC. Meanwhile, the construction of the pyramids took place between 2500 and 2400 BC. Therefore, we can conclude that both of these ancient sites are well worth seeing! Not only as a sightseeing spot for tourists all over the globe, but Stonehenge is also a site of interest for students in related fields as well. For learners studying this prehistoric monument, uhomes.com provides a list of accommodation options in the area.

Such a rare archaeological find as the ancient Greek dekadrachms are considered the most expensive money. The dekadrachm was minted in Athens, Syracuse and Akragant, as well as during the time of Alexander the Great (336-323 BC).

The first paper money appeared in the Chinese Empire during the reign of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 BC), but these were private banknotes. The issuance of money at the state level began in the next Song era (970 – 1278).

There is no exact historical data, but many experts are inclined to believe that the word “money” comes from the Turkic designation of coins “tenge”. The “penny” got its name during the time of Ivan the Terrible, when they issued money with the image of a horseman with a spear in his hand.

YouTube’s user base expanded greatly during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

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