The internet is so massive it feels like a universe of its own. Yet out of the endless stream of content we move through each day, very little actually stands out. Our attention span on social platforms is only 1.7 seconds, meaning most of what we see passes by without us taking the time to read or absorb anything.
But some corners of the web are worth slowing down for. One of them is the Facebook page Strange Things, which shares odd and interesting facts about the world. Below are some of their most intriguing posts—hopefully they’ll pique your curiosity and make you linger a little longer.
#1
"Two firefighters arrived at an accident scene to find everyone safe,
except for one little girl still trembling with fear.
She clutched a few bottles of nail polish in her small hands, eyes wide and tearful.
Instead of talking about the crash, the firefighters knelt beside her.
They asked about her favorite colors.
They let her paint their nails.
Her smile bloomed. The fear faded.
For a few precious minutes, the flashing lights and sirens disappeared.
When they left, their nails were far from regulation,
but painted in the perfect shade of comfort and kindness.
Because sometimes, the greatest rescue isn’t pulling someone from danger.
It’s helping them feel safe again."
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445points
#2
In 2011, a 59-year-old man named James Verone robbed a bank. He did so by handing the teller a small note that asked for one dollar. Just one dollar. After receiving his dollar, Mr. Verone sat down and waited for the police to arrive.
Suffering from chronic health problems, Verone had recently lost his job as a delivery driver—and with it, his health insurance. As a result, he could not afford the medical care he needed to survive. He knew that in prison, he would receive the treatment he needed even without insurance, so he committed the robbery simply to stay alive. He was sentenced to one year in prison, during which he received life-saving treatment.
A civilized country should never allow any of its citizens to become so desperate for medical care that they are forced to commit armed robbery just to survive. Charging people exorbitant amounts for the medications and treatments they need merely for profit is an insane injustice
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323points
#3
A turkish bee keeper was tired of bears taking all of his bees honey.
He’d tried every type of security system even putting the bees in cages.
He instead decided to allow the bears to become taste testers.
It turned out they were great candidates for this job as they had very specific and refined tastes for honey. They would come each night, and sniff the different honeys, before starting with their favorite one.
He makes great money from this honey now. His top honey sells for $300 for 2 lbs.
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198points
Now that you’re here, it’s safe to say you’re someone who loves learning more about the world around you. But have you ever stopped to wonder why we’re curious in the first place?
It’s not just a cute personality trait—curiosity is woven into who we are, and it serves a bigger purpose than simply wanting to know things.
#4
In Finland, children read to dogs in libraries - and even to cows on farms - because the animals are calm, attentive listeners who help kids relax and concentrate, with organized programs run by the Finnish kennel club and participating municipalities
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197points
#5
You can't store ice in a desert!
Oh yes you can.
The Persians could! Because they had the ingenious yakhchals, the ancient refrigerators!
By 400 BCE, Persian engineers had mastered storing ice in the middle of the desert, in the middle of summer; Yakhchal or "Ice Pit" is an architectural method used to produce ice and preserve food.
A yakchal was dome-shaped with thick brick and clay walls. This construction helped maintain a cold temperature inside the dome. During the winter, water was collected from rivers or melting snow Mountains. This water was directed to yakchals through canals and was distributed in small ponds or pools within the dome. During the night and the coldest hours of the day, the water would freeze due to the low desert temperatures at night. Once frozen, the ice was cut into pieces and stored in the lowest part of yakchal, where the temperature was colder.
The shape of the dome ( often rising as tall as 60 feet tall) and the natural insulation of the walls (made out of a special mortar, composed of sand, clay, egg whites, lime, goat hair, and ash in specific proportions) helped keep the ice frozen for many months. During summer, the stored ice was used to cool drinks, preserve food, or even for medicinal purposes.
In short, the yakchal took advantage of the natural cold of the desert night to create and maintain ice, using simple but effective storage techniques and thermal insulation.
Simply genius!
Oh yes you can.
The Persians could! Because they had the ingenious yakhchals, the ancient refrigerators!
By 400 BCE, Persian engineers had mastered storing ice in the middle of the desert, in the middle of summer; Yakhchal or "Ice Pit" is an architectural method used to produce ice and preserve food.
A yakchal was dome-shaped with thick brick and clay walls. This construction helped maintain a cold temperature inside the dome. During the winter, water was collected from rivers or melting snow Mountains. This water was directed to yakchals through canals and was distributed in small ponds or pools within the dome. During the night and the coldest hours of the day, the water would freeze due to the low desert temperatures at night. Once frozen, the ice was cut into pieces and stored in the lowest part of yakchal, where the temperature was colder.
The shape of the dome ( often rising as tall as 60 feet tall) and the natural insulation of the walls (made out of a special mortar, composed of sand, clay, egg whites, lime, goat hair, and ash in specific proportions) helped keep the ice frozen for many months. During summer, the stored ice was used to cool drinks, preserve food, or even for medicinal purposes.
In short, the yakchal took advantage of the natural cold of the desert night to create and maintain ice, using simple but effective storage techniques and thermal insulation.
Simply genius!
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186points
At first glance, curiosity seems a little strange for humans to have. Biologically, we’re programmed to survive: eat, drink, reproduce, and avoid danger whenever possible.
Venturing into the unknown doesn’t exactly fit into that plan. If every early human had an uncontrollable urge to wander into dark caves or reach out and touch every snake just to see what it felt like, our species probably wouldn’t have made it very far.
And yet, we still feel that pull. On different levels, we want to learn and understand. It’s the same drive that led us to discover new continents, develop vaccines, map the ocean floor, and send rockets into space. So where does this curiosity come from?
#7
The "war" between Denmark and Canada has been going on since 1984.
The two countries, specifically Greenland and Canada (the Danes are deputies), are 'fighting' over a small, uninhabitable island called Hans Island.
The war goes like this:
In turns, both countries send their military to the small island in order to hoist their own flag, and to remove their counterpart's one. Over and over again.
The Danes always leave a bottle of Danish liquor for the Canadians, and the Canadians leave a bottle of whiskey for the Danes.
If that's not the right way to resolve a conflict, I don't know what is
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170points
#8
These London fences look so strange for a special reason.
There are housing estates in London that have pretty ugly fences and you wonder who designed them.
If you look closely, you'll see strange curved pipes around the edges.
But they're actually good for something.
Well. They were.
These "fences" were once stretchers.
During the war, when wounded were carried away, they were placed on these steel scaffolds.
It wasn't comfortable and there was a lot of complaining about it.
But it was easy to clean them and they were not so heavy because of the grids.
After the war one had masses of such stretches, which were now useless.
And since many fences were no longer available in London, because all available metal had somehow been misused for the war, they came up with a "recycling idea".
And they built fences from the stretchers.
The stretchers were placed on the curved poles on the ground.
And so the London fences are silent monuments for us, which can admonish us not to let it come to that again.
There are housing estates in London that have pretty ugly fences and you wonder who designed them.
If you look closely, you'll see strange curved pipes around the edges.
But they're actually good for something.
Well. They were.
These "fences" were once stretchers.
During the war, when wounded were carried away, they were placed on these steel scaffolds.
It wasn't comfortable and there was a lot of complaining about it.
But it was easy to clean them and they were not so heavy because of the grids.
After the war one had masses of such stretches, which were now useless.
And since many fences were no longer available in London, because all available metal had somehow been misused for the war, they came up with a "recycling idea".
And they built fences from the stretchers.
The stretchers were placed on the curved poles on the ground.
And so the London fences are silent monuments for us, which can admonish us not to let it come to that again.
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168points
#9
Cat paw prints in the medieval floor tiles of the 12th century CE St Peter Church in Wormleighton, England.
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168points
There isn’t a single answer, but scientists have a few ideas. One group of psychologists believes curiosity comes from within, much like hunger or thirst. According to what’s called the drive theory, curiosity is an internal urge that needs to be satisfied. When we feel it, we look for something, new or familiar, that scratches that itch.
It explains why we pick up a musical instrument or read about a topic we know nothing about. These things aren’t necessary for survival and could even lead to failure, but they feed that mental appetite.
#10
A bear broke into an ice cream shop in Tahoe and ate so much that he passed out on the floor. The shop had just released its new monthly flavor — honey — and locals loved it, but the biggest fan turned out to be this hungry bear.
On only the second day of serving the new flavor, workers opened the shop to find tubs of honey ice cream completely empty and a large black bear lying on the floor, fast asleep after his feast.
Wildlife officials were called. They carefully woke the bear and safely guided him out before moving him to a safer place far from town.
Experts explained that bears have an incredible sense of smell — up to seven times stronger than a bloodhound’s — which helps them find food from miles away. It wasn’t surprising that the honey ice cream drew him straight inside.
The local wildlife center paid for the ice cream, and when the shop owner was asked about it, he just laughed and said, “As long as someone’s paying, I hope he comes back — that’s the fastest we’ve ever sold out!”
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152points
#11
Shrimp and goby fish.
The goby fish has much better vision and will stand guard, while the shrimp digs a hole for them.
Then, at night, they both share that hole so that they are safer from predators.
What amazes me is that this behavior became inbred in the species over time. The shrimp became less afraid of the fish and vice-a-versa. They just figured out, “We are better off together, than against.”
If only more humans realized this
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150points
#12
Canadian fans of the late Leonard Nimoy have angered the Bank of Canada by defacing their $5 notes in tribute to Mr Spock.
The image of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who was the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911, has long been altered to look like Nimoy’s iconic Star Trek character
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131points
But the drive theory doesn’t explain why we become curious about specific things. That’s where the incongruity theory comes in. This idea suggests that curiosity kicks in when something doesn’t match our expectations about how the world works.
We like predictability. So if something breaks the pattern, our brain demands answers. Imagine you’re reading this and you hear a strange noise in the other room. Most likely, you wouldn’t be able to ignore it. You’d try to investigate and figure out what happened. That instinct to investigate fits perfectly with incongruity theory.
#13
Oil and gas companies will sometimes use Turkey vultures to help spot gas leaks.
Ethyl mercaptan is added to natural gas to help people smell when there is a gas leak (otherwise they often won’t know, making the leak potentially lethal). This smell is also emitted from a rotting carcass.
Turkey Vultures happen to be very attuned to this smell. Natural gas company employees know to take note if they see a bunch of turkey vultures converged near one of their pipes or facilities because that usually means there is a leak somewhere.
The vultures are probably confused, wondering where their dinner is when it is in fact just a metal pipe.
It’s a rather clever, albeit indirect way of dispatching wildlife to help solve business needs.
Vultures, aka “nature’s cleanup crew” are one of the more underappreciated animals.
In nature, there is no malice and no remorse. And absolutely nothing goes to waste.
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128points
#14
European vs. American way of dealing with eggs.
As with most things, there are two approaches. American and European. One of them is clearly inferior and the other superior, again as per standard operating procedure.
The Industrial egg washer.
One major risk with egg consumption is the bacteria salmonella that is often present on eggs and can be dangerous if you eat undercooked eggs, as we all like to do on a daily or at least weekly basis, plus other bacteria that might penetrate inside. To that end Americans wash eggs thorughly, to remove anything that was in the chicken alongside the egg and remove bacteria. This works, but they also remove the protective coating on the egg that prevents bacteria from penetrating the pores on the shell. The egg isn’t contaminated when it leaves the factory, but something else could make its way inside quite quickly, so the egg needs to be refrigerated to prevent an infection.
European approach is to vaccinate the chickens against salmonella and rely on the natural coating to protect the egg. These eggs don’t need refrigeration, but you also need to clean the chicken cages more often than Americans, because dirty eggs aren’t as appealing to the customer. The costs work out to be about the same in both cases.
When it comes to food poisoning from eggs, the incidence in Europe is about one tenth that in America, which should provide a clue as to which approach is superior.
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120points
#15
The Manx sheep.
Is one of the few sheep breeds that can grow 4 horns! They are currently endangered.
Is one of the few sheep breeds that can grow 4 horns! They are currently endangered.
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107points
What scientists do agree on is that curiosity feels good for a reason. When we experience something new and enjoy it, our brain releases dopamine—the chemical linked to pleasure and reward, the same one that kicks in when we taste something delicious.
That’s why discovering unfamiliar information feels satisfying and exciting, whether it’s wandering down a street you’ve never explored or finishing the last chapter of a book and finally finding out what happened to your favorite character.
#16
“In Finland every year, about four thousand reindeer lose their lives on Finnish roads in car accidents, so they paint their antlers with reflective paint so drivers can see them at night.”
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106points
#17
Inosculation is a natural phenomenon in which trunks, branches or roots of two trees grow together. It is biologically similar to grafting and such trees are referred to in forestry as gemels, from the Latin word meaning "a pair."
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101points
#18
Did you know that the small vertical line between a dog’s nose and upper lip has a function? It is called the philtrum, and it is not just a random feature.
When a dog licks its lips, saliva gathers in that groove. Through a process called capillarization, the moisture moves upward to the nose and helps keep it damp.
A moist nose is more effective at collecting and holding scent particles from the air. This plays a role in making a dog’s sense of smell highly sensitive.
It is one of many examples of how animal anatomy supports survival and adaptation.
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89points
Curiosity isn’t limited to humans either. Researchers have found that some birds carry a gene called Drd4, which influences dopamine receptors. Birds with a common variation of that gene are more likely to explore new areas or investigate unfamiliar objects.
Rats wander into new parts of mazes without any promise of food, and primates in labs learn to open small windows in their enclosures just to peek at what’s happening outside. While that doesn’t mean animal curiosity functions exactly the same way ours does, the fact that it appears across species suggests it serves an important purpose.
#19
Some people think Hydrofluoric acid is the king because of Breaking bad.
It's a lie told by Hollywood!
Jesse dumps a body in a bathtub, the floor dissolves.
It was a messy thing - but was also nonsense.
Hydrofluoric acid is a mean nasty thing. But it is weak - chemically.
It is a thing that does not dissociate enough to eat a man whole. It just pickles him - If you really need to get rid of the evidence, you want Hydrochloric acid.
The stomach uses a weak version to digest steak.
In high amounts the thing becomes a weapon - It eats the calcium in bones and breaks down the proteins - It turns a person into sludge.
But it takes days, not minutes and reeks bad - You have to stir it, like soup.
It is not a thing of magic - It is only chemistry - The business is slow, wet, gruesome work.
It's a lie told by Hollywood!
Jesse dumps a body in a bathtub, the floor dissolves.
It was a messy thing - but was also nonsense.
Hydrofluoric acid is a mean nasty thing. But it is weak - chemically.
It is a thing that does not dissociate enough to eat a man whole. It just pickles him - If you really need to get rid of the evidence, you want Hydrochloric acid.
The stomach uses a weak version to digest steak.
In high amounts the thing becomes a weapon - It eats the calcium in bones and breaks down the proteins - It turns a person into sludge.
But it takes days, not minutes and reeks bad - You have to stir it, like soup.
It is not a thing of magic - It is only chemistry - The business is slow, wet, gruesome work.
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76points
#20
Beneath Venice, the historic structures rest on thousands of wooden piles, mostly oak and fir, driven into the lagoon bed.
Although it may seem strange to build on logs submerged in water, this engineering method has proven to be extraordinarily effective. The brackish water, devoid of oxygen, prevents the wood from rotting, while its constant contact with the water helps to harden it over time, transforming it into a stone-like material.
This system has allowed Venetian palaces to maintain their stability for more than 2,000 years
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76points