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12 Unexpected Facts That Will Leave You In Awe

Edited By: Helena M.

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The more we learn about the world, the better can we understand how marvelous, fascinating, and unexpected it is. Behind any ordinary object or historical event, there is a myriad of lesser-known facts that can blow your mind. This is exactly what we’re about to present to you in the article below. Here are 12 facts about anything - from Rubik’s cube to Ancient Roman customs - that will make your jaw drop.

1. 'Teasmade' was a device popular in the 1960s and 70s in the UK. It was an alarm clock that also made tea, ensuring a hot cup of tea was ready just in time you wake up.

2. There are over 43 quintillion possible combinations to solve a Rubik's cube, yet you are never more than 20 turns away from solving one.

3. In 2011, UK resident Lee Beaumont set up his phone line as a premium rate number because he grew tired of telemarketing calls. When cold callers phoned him, he was making money by keeping them on the line.

4. The first-ever Roman fire brigade was created by Licinius Crassus. During a fire, the firemen did nothing while Crassus offered to buy the burning building from the owner at a very low price. If the owner agreed, they would put out the fire. If he refused, they would simply let it burn down.

5. David Bowie was turned down by a BBC talent selection group just before his breakthrough, stating he was an "Amateur-sounding vocalist who sings wrong notes and is out of tune."

Image Source: Adam Bielawski / Wikimedia Commons

6. Piplantri, a village in Rajasthan, India, plants 111 trees for every girl born in the village. By now, they have a whole forest.

7. There is clear evidence that shows empathy and care practices toward disabled family members within early human and neanderthal groups. Individuals who could not aid in hunting and gathering were still taken care of.

8. The board game Candyland was invented to cheer up children in Polio wards. Polio paralyzed many of its victims, and the game offered the illusion of movement.

9. In 1991, a diver discovered a 20-ton nugget of pure copper in Lake Superior. It took some 10 years of paperwork until it was pulled out in 2001.

Image Source: Yinan Chen / Wikimedia Commons

10. The Mayan people constructed their temples in a way that a handclap at the base of the temple would produce an echo that sounds like the call of the sacred quetzal bird. They believed that the bird was a messenger of the gods.

11. In Japan, it is customary for a girl to ask for the second button from the jacket of the boy they like. This is done because the second button is the closest one to the heart.

Image Source: Jim Epler / Wikimedia Commons

12. Western music was banned in the USSR, but music enthusiasts found a creative way to smuggle it into the country and discreetly distribute it. Improvised gramophone records were made out of X-ray films. This was known as 'Bone Music.'

H/T: Acid Cow

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