Interesting Facts - Page 187

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931

A tonsure is the haircut worn by monks where the center of the head is shaved, leaving a ring of hair around the outside.

932

The largest gem diamond ever found in Russia is named "26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union".

933

In 1986, Lake Nyos in Cameroon suddenly erupted – releasing a huge cloud of carbon dioxide gas. Being heavier than air, the gas descended into nearby villages, displacing oxygen and suffocating 1,746 people who lived nearby. It is unknown what causes these so-called limnic eruptions.

934

Ngerulmud, the capital of Palau, has zero known permanent residents, making it the only uninhabited national capital.

935

Hugo Chavez loved to talk. In 2012, while he was dying of cancer, he gave a state of the nation address lasting nine and a half hours.

7 Comments

Level ∞

Nov 11, 2023

Credit @Fianchetto for #932 and #933

Credit @QYZ for #934

Level 78

Nov 11, 2023

Oh my goodness my first fact on the list!

Level 78

Nov 11, 2023

I feel like it's some sort of JetPunk rite of passage.

Level 77

Nov 12, 2023

Carbonation does kill people...

Level 65

Nov 13, 2023

Ngerulmud does have people right? It has 318 people

Level 78

Nov 13, 2023

That's Melekeok's population, Ngerulmud is in Melekeok but no people live in Ngerulmud.

Level 51

Apr 21, 2026

We do know how limnic eruptions are caused; they happen when carbon dioxide gets trapped in the bottom of a lake. This isn't supposed to happen, as the carbon dioxide usually disperses to the top, then goes into the air at low amounts. However, when the gas stays at the bottom for whatever reason, when the lake gets disturbed, the carbon dioxide shoots up into the air when it finds a chance. This can be anything, such as a boulder falling into the water; and is very similar to a mentos inside coke, since the coke explodes due to many tiny imperfections that allow air pockets to stay; causing the carbon dioxide in the soda to quickly fill up these air pockets at a rate so high, all of it wants to go out.