Whenever Charles Dickens was away from home, he would always realign the bed he was sleeping in to face Northwards, as he felt that this fostered and unlocked his creativity.
100 Mind-Blowing Face Facts
Humans specifically have eyes that face forward to see in 3D. On the other hand, vegetarian dinosaurs such as the Triceratops had eyes that looked out to the side so they could stay vigilant, watching for danger as they ate.
Bananas grow upside down. Or technically, we peel them upside down. Naturally, they grow outward from their stems, but that means their bottoms face the sky. As they get bigger, the fruits turn toward the sun, forming that distinctive curve.
T. S. Eliot wore green makeup. No one is sure why the poet dusted his face with green powder, though some guess he was just trying to look more interesting.
People used to say “prunes” instead of “cheese” when having their pictures taken. In the 1840s, a big—dare we say, cheesy—grin was seen as childish, so one London photographer told people to say “prunes” to keep their mouths taut. And that look predated today’s “fish face” selfie by, oh, about 180 years.
The U.S. treasury once printed $100,000 bills. Between December 18, 1934, and January 9, 1935, the notes with Woodrow Wilson’s face were issued to Federal Reserve Banks but never went out to the general public—which is probably for the best. Can you imagine losing that bill?
Humans specifically have eyes that face forward to see in 3D. On the other hand, vegetarian dinosaurs such as the Triceratops had eyes facing both sides so they could look out for predators.
Slugs only have one nose. It’s a common myth that slugs have 4 noses, but this isn’t the case. A slug’s features and sensory organs are found in tentacles on its face. A pair of tentacles hold each eye, while another pair of tentacles underneath contains nostrils. The four-pronged appearance of a slug’s face gives the illusion that it has four “noses.”
Victorians said “prunes” when taking pictures. Whenever we take photos, we say “cheese” because it makes us smile. However, smiling in photographs was once seen as a vulgar act. To keep a neutral face, they would say “prunes,” but there was little to no chance of it forming a smile.
In Japan, letting a sumo wrestler make your baby cry is considered good luck. One of the coolest fun facts about Japan: they have a ritual where sumo wrestlers make babies cry. Sounds like a dream for me, but a nightmare for my parents. However, the ritual is said to bring good luck. The Naki Sumo is a 400-year-old Japanese ritual where babies engage in a baby-cry sumo: two sumo wrestlers face each other carrying a baby each. The sumo wrestlers will try to make the babies cry, and the child that cries first or the loudest wins.
A French pig was executed for killing a child. A pig from the Middle Ages was tied to a crime involving murder. The pig was said to have come in contact with a child’s face which caused complications due to the injuries. Ultimately, this led to the death of the 3-month-old child. The pig was sent to jail and eventually publicly executed.
The happiest prisoner on death row had an IQ of 46. Joe Arridy was sent to the gas chamber and entered with a smile on his face. It was then later discovered that he was innocent all along. What a twist.
Bats have very thin leg bones. Their legs are not very good for use in other tasks apart from hanging upside down. The bones in their legs are also quite fragile which means they are unable to walk. Apart from their weak legs, their knees also face backwards.
The filmmakers of Saw paid for Jigsaw to have its seat. Jigsaw the puppet is the face of the grisly Saw franchise. Whether you’re a sadist who enjoyed the films or you’re one of the people who just looked away, one of the interesting facts about Saw is that Jigsaw once got its plane seat. James Wan and Leigh Whannell paid for Jigsaw to have a seat on a flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles. Imagine how its seatmate felt!
A man once hired someone to slap him to avoid checking Facebook. Maneesh Sethi hired a woman to slap him in the face every time he tried checking Facebook at work. He paid the woman $8 an hour.
Roman Polanski had pee thrown at his face during Chinatown. If you’ve had any experience making a video group project, you’d know the high-tension environment of productions. Fights are pretty much inevitable. One of the most iconic cinema fights and funny facts: During the shoot for Chinatown, Faye Dunaway asked for her character’s motivation in one particular scene. Instead of offering advice, Roman Polanski yelled, “Say the fucking words. Your salary is your motivation.” This friction continued until the director wouldn’t let Dunaway take a toilet break. Fed up, Dunaway threw a coffee cup with her pee in his face.
Women were once warned of bicycle face disease. In the 19th century, experts warned women of the disease called bicycle face, or getting stuck with the faces they made while riding a bike.
Skydiving on a Sunday is illegal for single women in Florida. Unmarried women who are caught committing this “crime” can face imprisonment or subject to fines.
There’s a cheese eaten with live maggots. If you’re one for exotic eats, the Casu marzu is a Sardinian cheese that has a special ingredient: live maggots. These maggots can jump up to five inches out of the cheese while you’re eating it, so it’s advised to shield it with your hand so it won’t get on your face.
The Mona Lisa may have had eyebrows. The famous portrait may look relatively facial hair-less, but in October 2007, Pascal Cotte claimed that Leonardo da Vinci originally painted eyebrows and eyelashes on the Mona Lisa. Using a high-definition camera, the French engineer and inventor zoomed in 24 times on Mona Lisa’s face and found a single brushstroke of hair. However, whether or not this is true is one of the many mysteries of the Mona Lisa.
The human heart can squirt blood 30 feet away. When the heart pumps blood throughout our system, it creates pressure so strong that when our arteries face sudden trauma, blood squirts out.
The Bucket List promotes a positive outlook on life. The film emphasises the importance of seizing the moment and finding joy, even in the face of adversity.
The film showcases the power of individual action in making a difference. Schindler’s bravery and determination to save lives remind us of the impact one person can have in the face of unimaginable evil.
The film serves as a timeless reminder of the power of compassion and humanity. Schindler’s List” reinforces the importance of standing up against injustice and the potential for individuals to make a positive difference, even in the face of unimaginable adversity.
We only see one side of the moon. Since the Earth and the moon’s rotations are synchronous, we only ever see one face. It’s kind of sad!
Manatees face several dangers in their native waters: boating accidents can harm or even kill manatees and things like plastics in the water can cause health problems. You can learn more about how to protect manatees even if you live thousands of miles away, by visiting Save the Manatee.
Narwhals are still hunted today for their tusks, and in addition, face other environmental threats like pollution. You can help by adopting a narwhal (bonus: you get a plush narwhal as a keepsake!).
Male lobster’s bladders are in their heads, and when they fight, they squirt each other in the face with urine.
NASA’s Internet speed is 91 GB per second. The average household Internet speeds are roughly 25 MB per second, which is usually fast enough to watch Netflix with no buffer time. And let’s face the fact; if there’s any tech company that would make good use of their Internet speeds, it’s NASA.
Rodent reprobates. In 1510, rats who destroyed a field of barley were summoned to face trial. Their defence lawyer, Bartholomew Chassenee, argued that attending court would put his clients at risk from local cats and dogs. A reasonable fear of death was a sufficient reason to excuse a human from court. If rats were to be subject to the same laws, surely the same mitigation had to apply? The judge postponed the trial indefinitely.
New clocks are set at 10:10 for a reason. If you’ve bought a new clock or watch recently, you may have noticed that the default setting was 10:10, give or take a few minutes. There are various theories behind this particular choice of time, but really, it all comes down to aesthetics. Setting the time to around 10:10 allows the hands of an analogue clock to be displayed in a neat, symmetrical way that doesn’t obscure any logos in the centre of the clock’s face. Clocks were once set to 8:20, and occasionally still are, but the hands’ downward angles can make it look like the timepieces are frowning.
George Washington was not the first face to be printed on the one-dollar bill.
Queen Elizabeth II holds the record for having her mugshot on more currency than any other person. Her face is used in more than 30 different countries.