Interesting Facts - Page 147

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731

Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, either witnessed or was close nearby during three different Presidential assassinations.

732

The lyrics to the national anthem of the Netherlands pay homage to a different country entirely, saying "to the king of Spain I've granted a lifelong loyalty".

733

Want to lose weight? Try moving to Denver. People who live at higher altitudes have lower rates of obesity. And lest you think that mountain dwellers simply exercise more, the same effect has been noticed in lab rats. It's also been observed in U.S. soldiers who are randomly assigned to higher elevation bases. So far, there is no explanation for why this effect should exist.

734

According to Herodotus, the Persians would always debate an idea twice: once while sober, and once while drunk.

735

For 14 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the undamaged reactors continued to provide power.

61 Comments

Level ∞

Oct 4, 2021

Credit @carys888 for 731.

Credit @TheNatureThread for 732.

Level ∞

Aug 9, 2025

More info for #733.

There is also a persistent effect (in the US at least) that high elevation counties have less obesity. People often try to suggest this is because of selection bias, where healthy people move to Colorado or something. But this doesn't fit the data. The random nature of soldier assignment means that living at high elevation CAUSES a reduction in obesity.

Why might this be? No one is sure. One hypothesis is that water at low elevations is more tainted by agricultural runoff. More data is needed, especially outside of the United States.

Level 34

Oct 4, 2021

About 733- I think it might be lower gravity at higher points affecting weight.

Level ∞

Oct 4, 2021

Nice thought, but no. That would only account for a very small amount of the difference, like 0.02 kilograms.

One possible explanation is that there is something in the water, perhaps agricultural runoff, which is causing weight gain. Because water flows downhill, there is more of this runoff at lower elevations.

Level 80

Oct 17, 2023

That doesn't really sound plausible either, there are so many other, more significant variables affecting drinking water quality, that the effect of altitude would probably be drowned out (oops, unintentional pun!). There's actually a rather well-founded biochemical explanation to the weight loss: increased altitude means less available oxygen, so the body realigns its metabolism to depend a little less on mechanisms that require a lot of oxygen. This makes energy consumption less efficient, so the body's energy requirements are increased. Add to that a concurrent observed decrease in appetite (the reasons for which are apparently less clear), and you have a perfect combination for weight loss, especially before full acclimatization occurs (although the effects last beyond that).

Level 60

Jan 4, 2022

logic go brrrrrrrr

Level 71

Feb 23, 2022

Gravity is actually much more strongly correlated to latitude than to elevation, since the Earth is fatter around the equator and relatively smooth on the surface. For example g in Denver is 9.798 m/s², and g in Houston is 9.793 m/s², despite Denver being a mile above sea level and Houston being right at sea level, and the two of them not being that far apart, in terms of latitude. Miami, also at sea level has g = 9.790 m/s². Bogota, Colombia, has g = 9.773 m/s², but life expectancy there is 75 years.

Level 51

Oct 4, 2021

Even including the Great Lakes, only three U.S. state capitals are on the coast: Annapolis, Boston, and Providence.

And while they're not exact duplicates, #734 is rather similar to #558.

Level ∞

Oct 30, 2021

Replaced #734, thanks!

Level 65

May 2, 2023

Olympia Juneau Honolulu?

Level 59

Oct 2, 2025

those first two arent on an actual coast, but honolulu is, so i dont know why it wasnt mentioned

Level 67

Oct 4, 2021

Yay, I got my first featured fact, thanks :D

Level 72

Oct 5, 2021

English singer Gary Numan is 13 days older than another Englishman, actor Gary Oldman.

Level 40

Oct 5, 2021

we already got it

Level 53

Oct 5, 2021

#733 might not hold up for that long. According to this slate article(hopefully a reliable source), Colorado's obesity rate has doubled and its childhood obesity rates are middling relative to the rest of the country.

Level ∞

Oct 30, 2021

I don't think Slate is a reliable source. It's also 11 years old. Why not just use the CDC date directly?

Level 55

Oct 5, 2021

Fun fact: Operation Northwood was a plan by the US government to make the CIA commit domestic terrorism, blame it on Cuba, and use that to justify a war on Cuba. John F. Kennedy, though, never considered this. Source

+10

Level 66

Oct 5, 2021

Robert Liston was a surgeon in the 1800s. One of his procedures killed three people while trying to save one. There was no anesthesia at the time, and he used a dirty saw. He hacked off the patient's legs, as well as accidentally relieving his assistant of two fingers. Both died from diseases related to these injuries. However, Liston also struck an elderly doctor, cutting his shirt. The elderly doctor believed that HE had been cut and not his shirt, shocking him and making him go into cardiac arrest. He also died. Therefore, Liston had a 300% death rate for one procedure.

Level 66

Oct 5, 2021

In the 1970s, the Soviets began to dig a hole as deep as they possibly could, purely for experimental reasons. They ended up going 7.5 miles down before the extreme heat of the inner Earth stopped them. Oh, and the hole was only 9 inches wide.

Level 66

Oct 5, 2021

In 1986, NASA approached Sesame Street's Big Bird to ask if he would fly on the Challenger Space Shuttle, which was to be launched that year. NASA had set up a project where ordinary citizens would fly to space. The purpose of Big Bird was to motivate children to go to space. However, they eventually picked Christa McAuliffe, a High School Teacher, because there wasn't enough room for Big Bird and his costume on the shuttle. So, Big Bird watched it -- He watched the Space Shuttle explode 73 seconds into flight -- on live TV.

Level 57

Oct 6, 2021

There isn't a fève in the king cake ("galette des rois") of the French President, because French people think a President can't and mustn't be a king too.

Level 54

Jul 1, 2022

But at the same time, the president of France is also a monarch – a co-prince of Andorra!

Level 57

Oct 6, 2021

Hercule Poirot was the only fictive character to have his own obituary in the New York Times. In the newspaper of August 6th 1975, there was written "Hercule Poirot is dead; famed Belgian detective.".

Level 54

Jul 8, 2022

Poirot facts from Poirot himself!

Level 59

Oct 6, 2021

736. Hudson Bay has the lowest gravity on earth.

Level 72

Oct 6, 2021

Could #733 be because of the lower air density at higher altitudes? You would have to breathe faster to get the same amount of energy through aerobic respiration, which itself would use energy.

Level 58

Oct 7, 2021

Lima, Peru is about as close to D.C as Anchorage, in Alaska.

Level 54

Oct 10, 2021

One of President John Tyler’s grandsons is still alive today—and he was born in 1790.

Level 67

Oct 12, 2021

Tyler was born in 1790, the way you said it seems like the grandson was, which would be impossible

Level 45

Feb 24, 2026

RIP Tyler's grandson

Level 54

Oct 10, 2021

The platypus doesn’t have a stomach at all: Their esophagus goes straight to their intestines.

Level 71

Feb 23, 2022

Platypuses are truly weird creatures. Pretty much everyone knows that they lay eggs, but few people know that they produce milk like other mammals but don't have nipples - their milk just comes out of their skin all over. And they have venomous spurs on their hind legs. Many arthropods glow under blacklight, but out of mammals, only the platypus does - not even it's closest living relative, the echidna, exhibits that trait.

Level 73

Oct 10, 2021

Culture appropriation is well shown in food. Not only Pho is actually French, ramen Chinese, and curry Portuguese, there is Japanese curry based off of Indian curry based off of British curry further based off of Portuguese curry.

Level 73

Oct 10, 2021

Also, upon researching, there are more British people in the U.S.A. than in the U.K.

Level 67

Oct 10, 2021

You saw JJ's video, right ;)

Level 73

Oct 11, 2021

Yep :)

Level 73

Oct 11, 2021

Also, a little mistake. Japanese Curry comes from British Curry, not Indian Curry.

Level 67

Oct 11, 2021

And it was just Vindaloo that is Portuguese.

Level 67

Nov 18, 2022

More information if anyone wants:

Curry is borrowed from Tamil, and has a cognate in Malayalam and I think Telugu. A lot of Indian languages have equivalents as well, and in all the languages I know of, the word really means vegetable, and are also used to refer to the dishes that in English are called curries. This is a big category of dishes so the word curry is helpful but also shouldn't be thought of as a certain dish or that Indians always eat curry, as that would be like thinking Europeans always eat "vegetable".

Level 54

Oct 11, 2021

It’s impossible to hum while holding your nose (just try it!).

Level 55

Oct 11, 2021

Lol I have a secret superpower then...

Level 55

Oct 11, 2021

For 18 seconds

Level 67

Oct 11, 2021

Your not holding it hard enough then!

Level 55

Oct 13, 2021

No matter how hard I hold it I can still hum..

Level 47

Oct 16, 2021

same here

+11

Level 67

Oct 11, 2021

Taiwan, formerly Formosa, is exactly opposite across the world from the Argentine province of Formosa.

Level 66

Oct 12, 2021

Until 1913, children could legally be shipped by mail in the United States

Level 54

Oct 14, 2021

Level 72

Oct 18, 2021

There are almost a four corners in Africa (Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.) The borders of Namibia and Zimbabwe are only 500 feet apart, if the borders were changed to the bridge over the Zambezi river that connects Botswana and Zimbabwe, there would be a four corners of Africa.

Level 73

Oct 19, 2021

90% of all Apple ringtones are made by Adam Young, or Owl City.

Level 68

Oct 19, 2021

I did not know that

Level 68

Oct 19, 2021

Here's another Owl City fact : He recorded his 2009 hit song 'Fireflies' on a keyboard in his parents basement.

Level 68

Aug 4, 2022

I believe the lyrics are : "Everything is never as it seems"

Level 53

Oct 25, 2021

In 2016, the World Curling Federation held a sweeping summit because sweepers were getting “too good” at influencing thrown rocks. They banned almost all broom pads to limit the power of the sweepers.

Level 55

Oct 26, 2021

Persistence is a way of creating a weather forecast, in which a random day's temperatures, precipitation, and more is selected and then compared to every other day in the year. Due to its tropical climate, in Hilo, the 2nd biggest city in Hawaii, persistence weather forecasts have been more accurate than famous websites like AccuWeather and Weather Underground this month. Source

Level 51

Nov 21, 2021

Hello my figgy friends

Level 72

May 4, 2022

Was the Dutch anthem always like that? Because for like 50 years Spain didn't have a king.

Level 67

Apr 9, 2024

Well you have to see it in its historical context. Which I admit is kind of weird for a national anthem...

It is more of a personal song honestly. The first line translates to "I am William Nassau", already weird for a national anthem. The second one is "I am of German blood". I mean I like Germany but to have that in a national anthem? So weird...

All in all, very strange anthem, but it is cool to use such an old song I guess :)

Level 89

Aug 2, 2022

My parents were born in the Netherlands and I oftened teased them for singing a national anthem that swore loyalty to the king of another country. You'd think they'd have changed it in the 400 years since they gained independence from Spain!

Level 67

May 17, 2025

The oldest verified person that ever lived, Jeanne Calment, is not exactly "verified". There are many theories that her daughter faked her age.

Level 71

Nov 23, 2025

Concerning 732: I think it's somewhat misleading to say the anthem of the Netherlands is paying homage to another country. In fact, it's rather the opposite. The Wilhelmus is written as a historical monologue spoken by William of Orange himself. When he says he honoured the king of Spain, he is referring to his (earlier) feudal bond to Charles V. The point of the anthem is not loyalty to Spain but the opposite: it shows William justifying his decision to resist Spanish rule once oppression under Philip II made that old duty impossible to uphold.