Interesting Facts - Page 30

146
Coney Island, in New York City, is no longer an island. The water separating it from the mainland was filled in, making it a peninsula.
147
The Roman emperor Commodus renamed the city of Rome to "Colonia Commodiana". He also renamed all the months of the year in his own honor. Unsurprisingly, the name changes didn't stick.
148
During the French Revolution, the government of France instituted a new calendar and time system. All the months were renamed, a week had 10 days, a day had 10 hours, an hour had 100 minutes, and each minute had 100 seconds. The changes didn't stick.
149
Trepanning is the practice of drilling a hole in the skull for medical purposes. While ineffective, it was practiced in many different societies throughout history.
150
Tigers in the Sundarbans region of India and Bangladesh have been known to hunt and kill humans. Until recently, it is estimated that these tigers got 3% of their calories from eating humans.
24 Comments
+3
Level 67
Oct 21, 2018
Also, during the radical phase of the French revolution, they got rid of Sunday.
+4
Level 63
Nov 14, 2018
That doesn’t sound too radical...
+13
Level 65
Feb 10, 2019
Yes but imagine how Christians felt! No Church...
+2
Level 49
May 14, 2025
One day weekend I guess…
+2
Level 54
Oct 22, 2018
I'm liking the interesting facts!
+3
Level 28
Nov 21, 2018
What about Australia, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts & Nevis, etc.
+11
Level 73
Dec 1, 2018
What about them?
+1
Level 45
Sep 29, 2019
turns out you read them incorrectly my dude
+8
Level 79
Jun 27, 2021
i think you meant to comment this on the quiz you just took, not this interesting facts page
+6
Level 47
Dec 20, 2018
Trepanning is not ineffective. It is still performed today as a means to relieve dangerously raised intercranial pressure due to haemorrhages around the brain. Not very nice, but in fact extremely effective.
+4
Level 77
Feb 25, 2019
The one thing still named after commodus is the commode, though I don't think that was one that he wanted.
+3
Level 29
Sep 23, 2019
In french we have the word "commode" thats means "handy" or "convenient", used mostly by old people.
+2
Level 78
Jun 2, 2020
Is that word even named after him?
+1
Level 63
Aug 6, 2023
@vazilega: That's funny you mention it since commode is from that French word.

That French word is from a Latin word commodus, which is simply com- and -modus. So unfortunately, Commodus doesn't even get his own word. Or maybe fortunately.

+3
Level 76
Jun 6, 2020
I made a quick calculation, and in order for that French system to have synchronized with our current calender year there would have had to be roughly 315 or 316 "days" in a year, alternating each year (or 31.5 "weeks" instead of 52). Each "day" would have 100,000 seconds, compared to a normal day which has 86,400. Needless to say, the sunrise/sunset times would shift drastically every "day", resetting roughly every 6.05 "days", which would be equivalent to one of our weeks.
+7
Level 77
Oct 12, 2020
They had changed also the definition of hour, minute and second, so no.

Still 365 days a year, and midnight every day after 9:99.

Very rational, but also unpractical. On the other hand, there were different ways (non-sexagesimal) to count time around the world, before the European colonised most of the world and standardised the clock.

+3
Level 79
Oct 22, 2020
But we still call toilets "the commode", so, Commodus' legacy lives on.
+1
Level 70
Jan 14, 2021
Who's we?
+1
Level 82
May 28, 2021
I know there are some drawers called commodes.
+1
Level 63
Aug 6, 2023
That's actually independent too, see above.
+1
Level 92
Jul 13, 2022
Tony the Tiger says, "Theeyy're GREAT!!".
+1
Level 82
Jun 27, 2023
On the other hand, the Revolutionary decimalisation of pretty much everything else absolutely stuck with us.
+1
Level 64
Mar 13, 2024
what were commodus's months? i think we could rescue this trend
+1
Level 55
Apr 11, 2025
Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius, Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, and Exsuperatorius. Also he moved August from being the 8th month of the year to the 9th month of the year (Commodus).