fun facts
25,000-year-old building made of 60 mammoths
“Archaeologists find structure in what is now Russia that dates back 25,000 years made of the bones of 60 mammoths.” | learn more
Category: fun facts
fun facts
Buying under the influence (of a frenzy)
“The Securities and Exchange Commission suspended trading of Zoom Technologies on Thursday, partly because investors are confusing it with Zoom Video, which has seen a surge share price due to COVID-19. It will resume trading April 9.” | learn more
fun facts
Massive earthquakes, risk aversion, and entrepreneurship
Researchers in Italy have found that early exposure to a massive earthquake makes people significantly more risk averse, negatively impacting the rates of entrepreneurship over time. | learn more
fun facts
NASA fixes Mars lander by telling it to hit itself with a shovel
I’m reminded of how to fix problems on the Russian space station. “In a last-resort move to free up the InSight Mars lander’s digging probe, NASA engineers programmed the lander to thwack itself with a shovel.” | learn more
fun facts
There are no mosquitoes at Disney World
And that’s despite the fact that it’s built on swampland, Disney manages to keep the park bug-free. | learn more
fun facts
Virus, the beautify of the beast
“An interactive science video about viruses – and how humans have accidentally imitated them.” I found this via Explorable Explanations – check it out for more interactive learning, especially since you’re stuck at home for the rest of the month. | learn more
fun facts
Sovereign states default all the time
“The following list includes actual sovereign defaults and debt restructuring of independent countries from 1800 till 2012.” Fun example: Spain had a hot streak of 8 defaults during the 1800s. | learn more
fun facts
The world’s most powerful corporation
To work there, employees had to post a sizable performance bond! “The East India Company was vast and powerful, hiring thousands across the world. But what was it like to work there? And are there parallels with today’s multinationals?” | learn more
fun facts
Cargo cults – imitation without understanding
During World War II, the Japanese and Allies took turns occupying the islands of Melanesia. Both sides flew in loads of cargo–supplies and military equipment. After the war, the supplies stopped coming but charismatic cult leaders took advantage of the […]
fun facts
Marauding monkeys take over the government office block
“Troops of monkeys have raided the offices of India’s top cabinet ministers and taken over, leaving ministers too scared to make eye-contact with the animals.” | learn more