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| 100 things we didn't know last year | 100 things we didn't know last year |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| Interesting and unexpected facts from daily news stories are picked out by the Magazine for its weekly feature, 10 things we didn't know last week. Here's a selection of 2015's best. | Interesting and unexpected facts from daily news stories are picked out by the Magazine for its weekly feature, 10 things we didn't know last week. Here's a selection of 2015's best. |
| 1. It costs £300 to operate on a constipated goldfish. | 1. It costs £300 to operate on a constipated goldfish. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 2. Traditionally, police horses in England's Thames Valley force can be called Odin, Thor or Hercules, but not Brian. | 2. Traditionally, police horses in England's Thames Valley force can be called Odin, Thor or Hercules, but not Brian. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 3. Barack Obama calls David Cameron "bro". | 3. Barack Obama calls David Cameron "bro". |
| Find out more (Time) | Find out more (Time) |
| 4. The first sports bra was made from two jockstraps. | 4. The first sports bra was made from two jockstraps. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 5. One in 10 of Britain's train carriages still flush toilet waste straight on to the railway tracks. | 5. One in 10 of Britain's train carriages still flush toilet waste straight on to the railway tracks. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 6. Jamaica, Colombia and Saint Lucia are the only countries in the world where a woman is more likely to be a boss than a man. | 6. Jamaica, Colombia and Saint Lucia are the only countries in the world where a woman is more likely to be a boss than a man. |
| Find out more (Washington Post) | Find out more (Washington Post) |
| 7. You don't have to speak French to become French-language Scrabble world champion. | 7. You don't have to speak French to become French-language Scrabble world champion. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 8. Kolo Toure, the Ivory Coast and Liverpool defender, hasn't touched his own dog for seven years. | 8. Kolo Toure, the Ivory Coast and Liverpool defender, hasn't touched his own dog for seven years. |
| Find out more (Metro) | Find out more (Metro) |
| 9. An egg can be unboiled. | 9. An egg can be unboiled. |
| Find out more (Metro) | Find out more (Metro) |
| 10. There are four different ways to pronounce diplodocus, and the way children say it is probably more technically correct than the academics' preferred option. | 10. There are four different ways to pronounce diplodocus, and the way children say it is probably more technically correct than the academics' preferred option. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 11. A 51-year-old software engineer named Bryan Henderson has edited Wikipedia 47,000 times to remove the ungrammatical term "comprised of". | 11. A 51-year-old software engineer named Bryan Henderson has edited Wikipedia 47,000 times to remove the ungrammatical term "comprised of". |
| Find out more (Backchannel) | Find out more (Backchannel) |
| 12. Buzz Aldrin claimed $33.31 in travel expenses connected to his trip to the moon. | 12. Buzz Aldrin claimed $33.31 in travel expenses connected to his trip to the moon. |
| Find out more (Daily Telegraph) | Find out more (Daily Telegraph) |
| 13. Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond once played a ghost in a Bollywood soap opera. | 13. Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond once played a ghost in a Bollywood soap opera. |
| Find out more (Buzzfeed) | Find out more (Buzzfeed) |
| 14. "Let us turn ours into a country of mushrooms by making mushroom cultivation scientific, intensive and industrialised!" is an official slogan of North Korea. | 14. "Let us turn ours into a country of mushrooms by making mushroom cultivation scientific, intensive and industrialised!" is an official slogan of North Korea. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 15. Roughly 56% of average monthly earnings in Malawi are spent on mobile phone charges, compared with about 0.11% in Macau, China. | 15. Roughly 56% of average monthly earnings in Malawi are spent on mobile phone charges, compared with about 0.11% in Macau, China. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 16. Quentin Tarantino still records films from TV on VHS cassettes. | 16. Quentin Tarantino still records films from TV on VHS cassettes. |
| Find out more (Independent) | Find out more (Independent) |
| 17. Lollipop men and ladies who "high five" pedestrians may be breaching official protocol. | 17. Lollipop men and ladies who "high five" pedestrians may be breaching official protocol. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 18. Squid can fly - but they tend to do it under cover of darkness. | 18. Squid can fly - but they tend to do it under cover of darkness. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 19. It's possible to trick the brain into thinking it can hear Mariah Carey sing All I Want For Christmas Is You. | 19. It's possible to trick the brain into thinking it can hear Mariah Carey sing All I Want For Christmas Is You. |
| Find out more (New Scientist) | Find out more (New Scientist) |
| 20. King Arthur may have been Glaswegian. | 20. King Arthur may have been Glaswegian. |
| Find out more (The National) | Find out more (The National) |
| 21. A man-sized lobster lived 480 million years ago. | 21. A man-sized lobster lived 480 million years ago. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 22. At Hotel Football, run by ex-Manchester United players, Gary Neville is represented in the bathroom by blackcurrant-extract shampoo while brother Phil is a bar of soap. | 22. At Hotel Football, run by ex-Manchester United players, Gary Neville is represented in the bathroom by blackcurrant-extract shampoo while brother Phil is a bar of soap. |
| Find out more (Financial Times) | Find out more (Financial Times) |
| 23. Vicars and priests have the highest job satisfaction of all UK workers. | 23. Vicars and priests have the highest job satisfaction of all UK workers. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 24. Narwhals' long tusks - an exaggerated front tooth used for courtship - are super-sensitive. | 24. Narwhals' long tusks - an exaggerated front tooth used for courtship - are super-sensitive. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 25. There is only one concert grand piano in Gaza. | 25. There is only one concert grand piano in Gaza. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 26. Boston in Lincolnshire is one of the most neurotic places in Great Britain while Orkney is one of the least. | 26. Boston in Lincolnshire is one of the most neurotic places in Great Britain while Orkney is one of the least. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 27. Michael Jacksonmadea series of prank calls to Russell Crowe. | |
| Find out more (Guardian) | Find out more (Guardian) |
| 28. Breaking Bad is the show people most often lie about having watched. | 28. Breaking Bad is the show people most often lie about having watched. |
| Find out more (Radio Times) | Find out more (Radio Times) |
| 29. The UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not permit the wearing of colanders on heads in driving licence photos, even for religious reasons. | 29. The UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not permit the wearing of colanders on heads in driving licence photos, even for religious reasons. |
| Find out more (Daily Mirror) | Find out more (Daily Mirror) |
| 30. People who swear have larger vocabularies. | 30. People who swear have larger vocabularies. |
| Find out more (Toronto Sun) | Find out more (Toronto Sun) |
| 31. The Queen likes to have her pre-lunch gin and Dubonnet in front of BBC Two's The Daily Politics. | 31. The Queen likes to have her pre-lunch gin and Dubonnet in front of BBC Two's The Daily Politics. |
| Find out more (Daily Mail) | Find out more (Daily Mail) |
| 32. In September 1944 the New York Times explained pizza to its readers and included a rare use of its plural "pizze" - there was an earlier article but it only mentioned pizza in passing. | 32. In September 1944 the New York Times explained pizza to its readers and included a rare use of its plural "pizze" - there was an earlier article but it only mentioned pizza in passing. |
| Find out more (New York Times) | Find out more (New York Times) |
| 33. There is little international trade in onions - about 90% are consumed in their country of origin. | 33. There is little international trade in onions - about 90% are consumed in their country of origin. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 34. Chewing something can partially excise earworms - songs that stick in the mind. | 34. Chewing something can partially excise earworms - songs that stick in the mind. |
| Find out more (the Times) | Find out more (the Times) |
| 35. Former UK Liberal Democrat party leader Lord Ashdown told his successor that he used to eat hedgehogs. | 35. Former UK Liberal Democrat party leader Lord Ashdown told his successor that he used to eat hedgehogs. |
| Find out more (Evening Standard) | Find out more (Evening Standard) |
| 36. In north-eastern England, Conservative candidates used to wear red, Liberals blue and Labour green rosettes until the 1970s. | 36. In north-eastern England, Conservative candidates used to wear red, Liberals blue and Labour green rosettes until the 1970s. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 37. Larry King tweets by calling a dedicated voicemail, which is listened to by an assistant who then transcribes his thought to Twitter. | 37. Larry King tweets by calling a dedicated voicemail, which is listened to by an assistant who then transcribes his thought to Twitter. |
| Find out more (Vox) | Find out more (Vox) |
| 38. Mali has two tax rates - 3% and 30% - and you might be asked which you'd rather pay. | 38. Mali has two tax rates - 3% and 30% - and you might be asked which you'd rather pay. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 39. The world's favourite colour is blue. | 39. The world's favourite colour is blue. |
| Find out more (YouGov) | Find out more (YouGov) |
| 40. Radiohead's Thom Yorke appears on the front of an Iranian self-help book about marital and sex problems. | 40. Radiohead's Thom Yorke appears on the front of an Iranian self-help book about marital and sex problems. |
| Find out more (Daily Mirror) | Find out more (Daily Mirror) |
| 41. Tom Cruise advised Nasa on how to design their website. | 41. Tom Cruise advised Nasa on how to design their website. |
| Find out more (Daily Telegraph) | Find out more (Daily Telegraph) |
| 42. Drug dealers in Marseille offer loyalty cards. | 42. Drug dealers in Marseille offer loyalty cards. |
| Find out more (The Local) | Find out more (The Local) |
| 43. The worst times to drink coffee are between 08:00-09:00, 12:00-13:00 and 17:30-18:30. The best is about an hour after waking up, regardless of the time. | 43. The worst times to drink coffee are between 08:00-09:00, 12:00-13:00 and 17:30-18:30. The best is about an hour after waking up, regardless of the time. |
| Find out more (AsapSCIENCE) | Find out more (AsapSCIENCE) |
| 44. The chances of a successful bank robbery are higher in the morning - but it's also among the least lucrative crimes. | 44. The chances of a successful bank robbery are higher in the morning - but it's also among the least lucrative crimes. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 45. Iceland has the world's happiest gay men. | 45. Iceland has the world's happiest gay men. |
| Find out more (Planet Romeo) | Find out more (Planet Romeo) |
| 46. Chinese authorities consider the phrase "your mum" too coarse for the internet. | 46. Chinese authorities consider the phrase "your mum" too coarse for the internet. |
| Find out more (Bloomberg) | Find out more (Bloomberg) |
| 47. There are only three non-gentrifying neighbourhoods in New York City. | 47. There are only three non-gentrifying neighbourhoods in New York City. |
| Find out more (Gawker) | Find out more (Gawker) |
| 48. Reddit has a very detailed 9,000-word guide to the dos and don'ts of giving away Game of Thrones spoilers. | 48. Reddit has a very detailed 9,000-word guide to the dos and don'ts of giving away Game of Thrones spoilers. |
| Find out more (Reddit) | Find out more (Reddit) |
| 49. Oliver Cromwell supposedly called the Magna Carta the "Magna Farta" - he didn't like it. | 49. Oliver Cromwell supposedly called the Magna Carta the "Magna Farta" - he didn't like it. |
| Find out more (New Yorker) | Find out more (New Yorker) |
| 50. Most kangaroos are left-handed. | 50. Most kangaroos are left-handed. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 51. Marvel Comics stipulates that Peter Parker must be white and straight but Spiderman can be of any ethnicity or sexual orientation. | 51. Marvel Comics stipulates that Peter Parker must be white and straight but Spiderman can be of any ethnicity or sexual orientation. |
| Find out more (Washington Post) | Find out more (Washington Post) |
| 52. The word "twerk" dates back to 1820. | 52. The word "twerk" dates back to 1820. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 53. Heaven exists but hell does not, according to the theology of Sepp Blatter. | 53. Heaven exists but hell does not, according to the theology of Sepp Blatter. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 54. UK officials discussed plans to relocate the entire 5.5 million population of Hong Kong to Northern Ireland in 1983. | 54. UK officials discussed plans to relocate the entire 5.5 million population of Hong Kong to Northern Ireland in 1983. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 55. Three-times F1 world champion Niki Lauda swapped his trophies for unlimited free car washes. | 55. Three-times F1 world champion Niki Lauda swapped his trophies for unlimited free car washes. |
| Find out more (Reuters) | Find out more (Reuters) |
| 56. Playing Tetris for 12 minutes the day after a traumatic event can reduce flashbacks. | 56. Playing Tetris for 12 minutes the day after a traumatic event can reduce flashbacks. |
| Find out more (Smithsonian magazine) | Find out more (Smithsonian magazine) |
| 57. There are four main personality types into which people can be categorised when drunk: "Mary Poppins", "Hemingway", "Nutty Professor" and "Mr Hyde". | 57. There are four main personality types into which people can be categorised when drunk: "Mary Poppins", "Hemingway", "Nutty Professor" and "Mr Hyde". |
| Find out more (the Drinks Business) | Find out more (the Drinks Business) |
| 58. Minions are all male because their creator believed they were too stupid to be female. | 58. Minions are all male because their creator believed they were too stupid to be female. |
| Find out more (The Wrap) | Find out more (The Wrap) |
| 59. Nando's is one of the biggest buyers of contemporary South African art. | 59. Nando's is one of the biggest buyers of contemporary South African art. |
| Find out more (FT) | Find out more (FT) |
| 60. In Ohio, it's illegal to disrobe in front of a man's portrait. | 60. In Ohio, it's illegal to disrobe in front of a man's portrait. |
| Find out more (Slate) | Find out more (Slate) |
| 61. A UK court can determine how short your shorts should be. | 61. A UK court can determine how short your shorts should be. |
| Find out more (Caerphilly, Ystrad Mynach and Bargoed Campaign) | Find out more (Caerphilly, Ystrad Mynach and Bargoed Campaign) |
| 62. Butt-dials aren't considered private conversations in the US. | |
| Find out more (Slate) | Find out more (Slate) |
| 63. A baby is born on its predicted due date just 4% of the time. | 63. A baby is born on its predicted due date just 4% of the time. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 64. For three months, Leicestershire police didn't investigate attempted burglaries if they occurred at odd-numbered properties. | 64. For three months, Leicestershire police didn't investigate attempted burglaries if they occurred at odd-numbered properties. |
| Find out more (The Times) | Find out more (The Times) |
| 65. Reindeer migration is a major live television event in Norway. | 65. Reindeer migration is a major live television event in Norway. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 66. Real Paleolithic people, contrary to some of the followers of the fashionable modern diet named after them, appear to have eaten plenty of carbohydrates. | 66. Real Paleolithic people, contrary to some of the followers of the fashionable modern diet named after them, appear to have eaten plenty of carbohydrates. |
| Find out more (Quartz) | Find out more (Quartz) |
| 67. MI5 erroneously suspected novelist Doris Lessing of running a brothel. | 67. MI5 erroneously suspected novelist Doris Lessing of running a brothel. |
| Find out more (Independent) | Find out more (Independent) |
| 68. US Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders released a spoken-word folk album in 1987. | 68. US Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders released a spoken-word folk album in 1987. |
| Find out more (Dangerous Minds) | Find out more (Dangerous Minds) |
| 69. It is possible to have orgasms in your left foot. | 69. It is possible to have orgasms in your left foot. |
| Find out more (New York magazine) | Find out more (New York magazine) |
| 70. The formula for the perfect poohstick is PP = A x I x Cd. | 70. The formula for the perfect poohstick is PP = A x I x Cd. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 71. Silk can be made from the solidified saliva of a clam. | 71. Silk can be made from the solidified saliva of a clam. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 72. Gorillas have individual tastes in music. | 72. Gorillas have individual tastes in music. |
| Find out more (Discover Magazine Blogs) | Find out more (Discover Magazine Blogs) |
| 73. The simpler and more repetitive a song's lyrics, the more likely it is to reach number one in the Billboard Hot 100, debut in the top 40 and climb the chart more rapidly. | 73. The simpler and more repetitive a song's lyrics, the more likely it is to reach number one in the Billboard Hot 100, debut in the top 40 and climb the chart more rapidly. |
| Find out more (Psychology Today) | Find out more (Psychology Today) |
| 74. The producer who was Gordon the Gopher's puppeteer ended up as the BBC's head of editorial standards. | 74. The producer who was Gordon the Gopher's puppeteer ended up as the BBC's head of editorial standards. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 75. Bill Cosby was the first choice to play Sam Malone in Cheers, ahead of Ted Danson. | 75. Bill Cosby was the first choice to play Sam Malone in Cheers, ahead of Ted Danson. |
| Find out more (Hollywood Reporter) | Find out more (Hollywood Reporter) |
| 76. In their spare time, US fighter pilots play a mash-up of pool and rugby called crud. | 76. In their spare time, US fighter pilots play a mash-up of pool and rugby called crud. |
| Find out more (New York Times) | Find out more (New York Times) |
| 77. Scots have 421 words for snow. | 77. Scots have 421 words for snow. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 78. Lies are more convincing when the person telling them needs to urinate. | 78. Lies are more convincing when the person telling them needs to urinate. |
| Find out more (Daily Telegraph) | Find out more (Daily Telegraph) |
| 79. Spotify's shuffle is not truly random but sprinkles different genres evenly across a playlist and alternates songs by the same artist. | 79. Spotify's shuffle is not truly random but sprinkles different genres evenly across a playlist and alternates songs by the same artist. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 80. The English composer Benjamin Britten wrote a national anthem for Malaysia, only for it to be rejected in favour of a cabaret tune. | 80. The English composer Benjamin Britten wrote a national anthem for Malaysia, only for it to be rejected in favour of a cabaret tune. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 81. Elephants almost never get cancer. | 81. Elephants almost never get cancer. |
| Find out more (Nature News) | Find out more (Nature News) |
| 82. Actor Brian Blessed says that he delivered a baby in a park, bit through the umbilical cord and then licked the infant's face clean. | 82. Actor Brian Blessed says that he delivered a baby in a park, bit through the umbilical cord and then licked the infant's face clean. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 83. People who like their coffee black are more likely to be psychopaths. | 83. People who like their coffee black are more likely to be psychopaths. |
| Find out more (Huffington Post) | Find out more (Huffington Post) |
| 84. American toddlers shoot one person a week on average. | 84. American toddlers shoot one person a week on average. |
| Find out more (Washington Post) | Find out more (Washington Post) |
| 85. Biff Tannen's older self, as portrayed in Back to the Future Part II, was based on Donald Trump. | 85. Biff Tannen's older self, as portrayed in Back to the Future Part II, was based on Donald Trump. |
| Find out more (Daily Beast) | Find out more (Daily Beast) |
| 86. The US used to relocate beavers by parachuting them out of planes. | 86. The US used to relocate beavers by parachuting them out of planes. |
| Find out more (Mashable) | Find out more (Mashable) |
| 87. Dancing to Gangnam Style could raise people's pain thresholds. | 87. Dancing to Gangnam Style could raise people's pain thresholds. |
| Find out more (Wired) | Find out more (Wired) |
| 88. Pregnancies conceived in December have the best chance of success. | 88. Pregnancies conceived in December have the best chance of success. |
| Find out more (Netmums) | Find out more (Netmums) |
| 89. Men with beards have a greater tendency to hold sexist attitudes than their clean-shaven counterparts. | 89. Men with beards have a greater tendency to hold sexist attitudes than their clean-shaven counterparts. |
| Find out more (Mental Floss) | Find out more (Mental Floss) |
| 90. Footballers have worse teeth than the general population. | 90. Footballers have worse teeth than the general population. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 91. It's possible to hallucinate a foreign accent. | 91. It's possible to hallucinate a foreign accent. |
| Find out more (Brain Decoder) | Find out more (Brain Decoder) |
| 92. Victoria's Secret Bombshell perfume is almost as good at repelling mosquitoes as commercial insect sprays containing Deet. | 92. Victoria's Secret Bombshell perfume is almost as good at repelling mosquitoes as commercial insect sprays containing Deet. |
| Find out more (Daily Beast) | Find out more (Daily Beast) |
| 93. Germaine Greer wrote a 30,000-word love letter to Martin Amis in 1976. | 93. Germaine Greer wrote a 30,000-word love letter to Martin Amis in 1976. |
| Find out more (the Guardian) | Find out more (the Guardian) |
| 94. You're So Vain definitely is about Warren Beatty (and two other men). | 94. You're So Vain definitely is about Warren Beatty (and two other men). |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 95. A 17th Century scientist planned to paint the bubonic plague on to hats to create a biological weapon. | 95. A 17th Century scientist planned to paint the bubonic plague on to hats to create a biological weapon. |
| Find out more (New Scientist) | Find out more (New Scientist) |
| 96. The Churchill household spent around £1,160 each year on wine, £104,400 in today's money. | 96. The Churchill household spent around £1,160 each year on wine, £104,400 in today's money. |
| Find out more (the Economist) | Find out more (the Economist) |
| 97. A cow's flatulence could fill a 55-gallon (250-litre) bag with methane in one day. | 97. A cow's flatulence could fill a 55-gallon (250-litre) bag with methane in one day. |
| Find out more (Grist) | Find out more (Grist) |
| 98. It would cost £11,602.25 to send a letter to Mars from the UK. | 98. It would cost £11,602.25 to send a letter to Mars from the UK. |
| Find out more (Daily Mirror) | Find out more (Daily Mirror) |
| 99. Text messages that end with a full stop are seen to be less sincere than those that don't. | 99. Text messages that end with a full stop are seen to be less sincere than those that don't. |
| Find out more (Wired UK) | Find out more (Wired UK) |
| 100. Employees who say they love following the rules are the ones who are most likely to be fired for breaking them. | 100. Employees who say they love following the rules are the ones who are most likely to be fired for breaking them. |
| Find out more (New York Magazine) | Find out more (New York Magazine) |
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