Toads were a pregnancy test
Until the middle of the 20th century in Europe, to determine pregnancy, a woman's urine was sent to a special laboratory. The biomaterial was injected into a toad: if it laid eggs after a few hours, it meant that the woman was pregnant.
China has banned time travel in movies
In 2011, Chinese rulers banned movies or shows that showed time travel. According to Communist ideology, such phenomena are unacceptable and distort the facts.
Some turtles breathe with their backsides
Scientists call this phenomenon cloacal breathing. This happens during hibernation in winter: turtles breathe through the same place, absorbing oxygen through the water cells in the walls of the anus. Researchers are convinced: it's easier for turtles to survive in the cold.
The shortest war lasted 40 minutes.
In August 1896, England and Zanzibar declared war on each other amid a revolutionary upheaval. It lasted about 40 minutes, but took the lives of 570 Zanzibaris, while the British army suffered no casualties (only one soldier was wounded).
Saving Lives with a Tobacco Smoke enema
Smoke enemas were considered useful in the 18th century. Medics used them to resuscitate patients by blowing tobacco smoke into their throats and anus. This was thought to stimulate the lungs, bringing the person to consciousness.
Diamond rains on Saturn and Jupiter
Data from NASA meteorologists report that Jupiter and Saturn have a lot of carbon in the form of crystals. It hardens as it falls and then turns into diamonds thousands of kilometers later.
The horse was a Roman senator.
The mad emperor of Rome, Caligula, was known for his madness and cruelty. He had a horse, Incinatus, whom the ruler made a senator.
Woman who identifies Parkinson's disease by smell
John Milne of Great Britain can diagnose Parkinson's disease before the first symptoms appear: she does it by smell and has even participated in research.
A person's saliva can fill two pools
The average person excretes about 2 liters of saliva in a day. If a person lives to be 80-85 years old, the saliva they produce in all that time can fill two pools. Wouldn't want to swim in there...
Cleopatra is not Egyptian!
This famous woman was of Greek descent and her native language was Koine (ancient Greek).
Newborn Babies Don't Exude Tears
A baby's first tears come after the first month, and newborns just scream when they need something or are uncomfortable.
Bees recognize the bomb
Not only do bees detect cancer to the final stages, but they also sense and help find the explosive substance.
Supermarket bananas aren't real!
Bananas grown for sale have no seeds: in fact, they are artificial mutants that are specially created. A real banana is grown from a seed and looks different.
The biggest royalties were for the farting artist
Le Petomane, an artist from France, farted in a musical manner. His popularity in Paris was enormous, causing the man to earn more than Picasso or Proust. The artist entertained the public for as long as 20 years.
Heels were not invented for women.
In the 10th century, heels were used by Persian horsemen to keep their balance while firing an arrow.
You'll die if you eat a polar bear.
If you eat 30-90 grams of polar bear liver, you can die of poisoning due to the high retinol content - in other words, it would be a lethal dose of vitamin A.
Flight attendant survived a fall from 10,000 meters
Vesna Vulovic is the owner of the world record for the highest free-fall survivor without a parachute: the Serbian flight attendant was the only survivor of the 1972 JAT Airways crash.
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