There is an insurance policy issued against alien abduction. Around 50,000 policies have been sold, mainly to residents of the U.S. and England.
100 Mind-Blowing Residents Facts
The world’s most remote ATM is run by Wells Fargo in the Antarctic. The ATMs serve around 1,200 residents at the U.S. scientific facility.
Overwhelmingly, red states have the highest rate of dog ownership, while residents of blue states are more likely to keep a cat as a pet.
The Windy City nickname has nothing to do with Chicago’s weather. If you live in Chicago, you might already know this random fact, but we’re betting most other people don’t. Chicago’s nickname was coined by 19th-century journalists who were referring to the fact that its residents were “windbags” and “full of hot air.”
There’s only one U.S. state capital without a McDonald’s. Montpelier, Vermont, doesn’t have any of those Golden Arches. It also happens to have the smallest population of any state capital, with just 7,500 residents.
There is an island in the Bahamas with only pigs as residents. Another interesting fun fact: Pig Beach is an otherwise uninhabited island in the Bahamas mainly populated by feral pigs. There’s no confirmed theory of why these pigs ended up there in the first place, but some speculate that they came from a shipwreck, a business tactic, or an abandoned ration of food.
Only one capital in the U.S. has no McDonald’s. This capital is known as Montpelier, Vermont and it is also the smallest capital in America. Most residents have to drive to the next town over just to get a taste of the world-famous fries.
Connecticut accidentally issued an Emergency Evacuation Alert in 2005. This alert notified all residents that they needed to evacuate the state immediately. However, only 1% of its population tried to evacuate.
Several people residing in Iceland believe in elves. A survey conducted at the University of Iceland found that 62% of residents believe in elves. This is mainly due to the country’s elf history which dates back to the Viking era.
The village of Giethoorn has no roads. This village in the Netherlands has several underground paths and canals that its residents use. The entire village is connected through these canals, giving them no reason to walk around on the surface.
As a multiethnic country, Nigeria has over 520 spoken languages among its residents.
Antarctica is the only continent with no permanent human residents.
The earliest menu dates back to the mid-1700s. They first popped up in Europe around then to accommodate high-class residents during dinner parties.
A proposed amendment to the US Constitution in 1916 would have had citizens vote on all acts of war. In 1916 the United States had not yet entered World War I, but all signs pointed in that direction. The proposed amendment was submitted to Congress, along with a signed petition by Nebraska residents, but was ultimately rejected. The proposed amendment also would have ruled that anyone who voted in favour of an act of war would have to sign up as an army volunteer.
In Singapore, when you turn 21, you’re automatically registered as an organ donor. The Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) was first introduced in 1987 due to extremely low organ donation rates. It was only in 2009 that citizens and permanent residents were automatically registered as organ donors. You can opt out, but you may not want to as you’ll be lower on the waiting list for organs should you need a transplant.
A town in Antarctica forces would-be residents to have their appendices removed. Villas Las Estrellas lies on King George Island, one of Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands. The island itself has a rotating population of around 100 or so people, primarily made up of researchers and various military personnel. Because the island is so remote and the medical facilities there so small, anyone who wishes to live there must get their appendix taken out to ensure it doesn’t become a problem down the line.
Some countries skipped the era of landlines. Nigeria, Ghana, and Bangladesh went from zero to 100. Due to a lack of resources, it was too costly to adapt to using landlines. Less than 1% of residents in these countries have a landline, but over 85% have access to cell phones.
Tech companies often test their products in New Zealand. New Zealand is such a diverse country with English-speaking residents, which makes it a great place for testing. But the main reason is that since it’s somewhat isolated, news about a product failing won’t spread very fast.
Not all graffiti is negative. Some can transform a community by keeping urban areas and their residents energized and inspired.
Chicken Tikka Masala is England’s national dish: You probably think of roast dinner, fish and chips or a steak and kidney pie when you hear someone saying, ‘British food’. Nevertheless, the UK residents voted the chicken tikka masala as the country’s national dish. Its popularity can be explained by its former colony and still strong ties with India. The dish was popularised by British-Asian cooks in the 1960s, but who came up with the recipe for this Indian mild curry is not known.
All English residents are automatically entitled to free public health care through the National Health Service.
Multilingual Metropolis: London has more than 8 million residents who converse in a variety of languages. It is estimated that around 300 languages are spoken in the city.
Finland offers AI courses to ensure that the country remains competitive. Their goal is to teach at least one per cent of the residents the basics of AI.