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| 100 things we didn't know last year | 100 things we didn't know last year |
| (3 days later) | |
| Interesting and unexpected facts can emerge from daily news stories and the Magazine picks out such snippets for its weekly feature, 10 things we didn't know last week. Here's an almanac of the best of 2014. | Interesting and unexpected facts can emerge from daily news stories and the Magazine picks out such snippets for its weekly feature, 10 things we didn't know last week. Here's an almanac of the best of 2014. |
| 1. The Pentagon has a plan for combating a zombie apocalypse. | 1. The Pentagon has a plan for combating a zombie apocalypse. |
| Find out more (Foreign Policy) | Find out more (Foreign Policy) |
| 2. Seals like to have sex with penguins. | 2. Seals like to have sex with penguins. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 3. Hello Kitty is not a cat - she's a little girl. | 3. Hello Kitty is not a cat - she's a little girl. |
| Find out more (Jezebel) | Find out more (Jezebel) |
| 4. It's quicker - by about three hours - to read the Hobbit than watch Peter Jackson's movie trilogy. | 4. It's quicker - by about three hours - to read the Hobbit than watch Peter Jackson's movie trilogy. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 5. There have been lions in London since the 13th Century - arriving either in 1210 or 1235 - although they may have died out briefly under Henry VI in 1436. | 5. There have been lions in London since the 13th Century - arriving either in 1210 or 1235 - although they may have died out briefly under Henry VI in 1436. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 6. Age renders you less certain as to whether a badger or a baboon would win in a fight. | 6. Age renders you less certain as to whether a badger or a baboon would win in a fight. |
| Find out more (Independent) | Find out more (Independent) |
| 7. Dreams get weirder as the night wears on. | 7. Dreams get weirder as the night wears on. |
| Find out more (Smithsonian) | Find out more (Smithsonian) |
| 8. Gladiators were mostly vegetarian. | 8. Gladiators were mostly vegetarian. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 9. The release of a track by Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson was delayed more than 30 years because Mercury objected to the presence of Bubbles the chimp at its recording. | 9. The release of a track by Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson was delayed more than 30 years because Mercury objected to the presence of Bubbles the chimp at its recording. |
| Find out more (Daily Mail) | Find out more (Daily Mail) |
| 10. It's possible to charge a Nokia Lumia 930 using 800 apples and potatoes connected with copper wire and nails. | 10. It's possible to charge a Nokia Lumia 930 using 800 apples and potatoes connected with copper wire and nails. |
| Find out more (Daily Telegraph) | Find out more (Daily Telegraph) |
| 11. Watching action films makes you eat more. | 11. Watching action films makes you eat more. |
| Find out more (Daily Telegraph) | Find out more (Daily Telegraph) |
| 12. Sir John Gielgud wrote the script for a gay porn film. | 12. Sir John Gielgud wrote the script for a gay porn film. |
| Find out more (Guardian) | Find out more (Guardian) |
| 13. It's against the law in England and Wales to swallow and regurgitate goldfish, even if they survive, but it may be legal to do the same with an octopus. | 13. It's against the law in England and Wales to swallow and regurgitate goldfish, even if they survive, but it may be legal to do the same with an octopus. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 14. American teachers are allowed to whack children with a paddle (a wooden bat a little shorter and thinner than a cricket bat) in 19 states. | 14. American teachers are allowed to whack children with a paddle (a wooden bat a little shorter and thinner than a cricket bat) in 19 states. |
| Find out more (Economist) | Find out more (Economist) |
| 15. There is a "right" way to eat chocolate - you pop a piece in your mouth, let it melt between the tongue and the palate, and then breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. | 15. There is a "right" way to eat chocolate - you pop a piece in your mouth, let it melt between the tongue and the palate, and then breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. |
| Find out more (Financial Times) | Find out more (Financial Times) |
| 16. It's actually fairly easy to weigh an ant. | 16. It's actually fairly easy to weigh an ant. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 17. At least three Google employees have lived for months in their vehicles on the firm's California campus, eating in the staff cafeteria and showering in gyms. | 17. At least three Google employees have lived for months in their vehicles on the firm's California campus, eating in the staff cafeteria and showering in gyms. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 18. The bass line of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side cost £17. | 18. The bass line of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side cost £17. |
| Find out more (Guardian) | Find out more (Guardian) |
| 19. Dollar squiggles on the pavement denote electric cables below. | 19. Dollar squiggles on the pavement denote electric cables below. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 20. The most effective office regime is to work for 52 consecutive minutes and then have a 17-minute break. | 20. The most effective office regime is to work for 52 consecutive minutes and then have a 17-minute break. |
| Find out more (The Atlantic) | Find out more (The Atlantic) |
| 21. Ukraine's navy is equipped with combat sea lions. | 21. Ukraine's navy is equipped with combat sea lions. |
| Find out more (CNN) | Find out more (CNN) |
| 22. A porcupine can fight off a pride of lions. | 22. A porcupine can fight off a pride of lions. |
| Find out more (Science Alert) | Find out more (Science Alert) |
| 23. Two per cent of Anglican clergy are not sure whether God is "more than a human construct". | 23. Two per cent of Anglican clergy are not sure whether God is "more than a human construct". |
| Find out more (The Times) | Find out more (The Times) |
| 24. Los Angeles prison inmates have to pass a "gay-dar" test to stay in the safest wing. | 24. Los Angeles prison inmates have to pass a "gay-dar" test to stay in the safest wing. |
| Find out more (LA Weekly) | Find out more (LA Weekly) |
| 25. Over 88% of individual winners at the Darwin Awards are men. | 25. Over 88% of individual winners at the Darwin Awards are men. |
| Find out more (BMJ) | Find out more (BMJ) |
| 26. At the Starbucks outlet in the CIA's Langley headquarters, baristas aren't allowed to write customers' names on their cups. | 26. At the Starbucks outlet in the CIA's Langley headquarters, baristas aren't allowed to write customers' names on their cups. |
| Find out more (Independent) | Find out more (Independent) |
| 27. When a person's age ends with a nine they are more likely to seek extramarital affairs, sign up for their first marathon, and run marathons faster than when they were slightly older or slightly younger. | 27. When a person's age ends with a nine they are more likely to seek extramarital affairs, sign up for their first marathon, and run marathons faster than when they were slightly older or slightly younger. |
| Find out more (Guardian) | Find out more (Guardian) |
| 28. Popping a criminal's phone in a microwave and closing the door (but not switching it on) stops said criminal wiping it remotely. | 28. Popping a criminal's phone in a microwave and closing the door (but not switching it on) stops said criminal wiping it remotely. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 29. In China, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are known as Curly Fu and Peanut. | 29. In China, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are known as Curly Fu and Peanut. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 30. The most expensive pies of any English league football club are to be found at Brighton & Hove Albion - Rochdale's are the cheapest. | 30. The most expensive pies of any English league football club are to be found at Brighton & Hove Albion - Rochdale's are the cheapest. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 31. It is almost impossible to take a German-registered car into Japan. | 31. It is almost impossible to take a German-registered car into Japan. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 32. Olive oil and baking powder are rubbed onto parts of the Sydney Opera House in order to maintain it. | 32. Olive oil and baking powder are rubbed onto parts of the Sydney Opera House in order to maintain it. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 33. Tall men get married earlier but short men stay married longer. | 33. Tall men get married earlier but short men stay married longer. |
| Find out more (Daily Telegraph) | Find out more (Daily Telegraph) |
| 34. Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the most expensive Major League Baseball ground in which to propose marriage. | 34. Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the most expensive Major League Baseball ground in which to propose marriage. |
| Find out more (Swimmingly) | Find out more (Swimmingly) |
| 35. There are more bicycles in Copenhagen than people. | 35. There are more bicycles in Copenhagen than people. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 36. Lawrence of Arabia was offered a job as a nightwatchman at the Bank of England. He turned it down. | 36. Lawrence of Arabia was offered a job as a nightwatchman at the Bank of England. He turned it down. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 37. The Indian record for staff absenteeism is thought to have been set by a biology teacher who did not turn up for work for 23 years. | 37. The Indian record for staff absenteeism is thought to have been set by a biology teacher who did not turn up for work for 23 years. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 38. Senior technology gurus at the White House don't have to tuck their shirts in. | 38. Senior technology gurus at the White House don't have to tuck their shirts in. |
| Find out more (The Hill) | Find out more (The Hill) |
| 39. Elephants can differentiate between men and women, and between different ethnicities, when they hear a voice. | 39. Elephants can differentiate between men and women, and between different ethnicities, when they hear a voice. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 40. There is a brown bear living at the Chernobyl site. | 40. There is a brown bear living at the Chernobyl site. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 41. The average length of a Best Picture Academy Award-winning film is two hours and 20 minutes. | 41. The average length of a Best Picture Academy Award-winning film is two hours and 20 minutes. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 42. The best way to prevent your headphones from tangling in your bag is to join the ends together. | 42. The best way to prevent your headphones from tangling in your bag is to join the ends together. |
| Find out more (The Times) | Find out more (The Times) |
| 43. It is illegal to race rubber ducks in some US states. | 43. It is illegal to race rubber ducks in some US states. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 44. A salmon cannon fires 40 fish a minute. | 44. A salmon cannon fires 40 fish a minute. |
| Find out more (Wired) | Find out more (Wired) |
| 45. Simon Cowell has a saying for people editing shots of him on X Factor: Two words - happy and handsome. | 45. Simon Cowell has a saying for people editing shots of him on X Factor: Two words - happy and handsome. |
| Find out more (Financial Times) | Find out more (Financial Times) |
| 46. When making a decision, former England and Derbyshire fast bowler Devon Malcolm asks himself: "What would Margaret Beckett do?" | 46. When making a decision, former England and Derbyshire fast bowler Devon Malcolm asks himself: "What would Margaret Beckett do?" |
| Find out more (All Out Cricket) | Find out more (All Out Cricket) |
| 47. Yorkshire and Humberside are as red-headed as Ireland. | 47. Yorkshire and Humberside are as red-headed as Ireland. |
| Find out more (Daily Mail) | Find out more (Daily Mail) |
| 48. There is a symphonic Finnish prog-rock concept album about Scrooge McDuck. | 48. There is a symphonic Finnish prog-rock concept album about Scrooge McDuck. |
| Find out more (AV Club) | Find out more (AV Club) |
| 49. In Somalia, the word for president also means "big head". | 49. In Somalia, the word for president also means "big head". |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 50. When Richard III was killed he suffered at least 11 injuries, although some of them might have been inflicted after death. | 50. When Richard III was killed he suffered at least 11 injuries, although some of them might have been inflicted after death. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 51. According to OED, Cornish and Welsh have had less influence on the English language than Hawaiian, Swahili or Zulu. | 51. According to OED, Cornish and Welsh have had less influence on the English language than Hawaiian, Swahili or Zulu. |
| Find out more (Daily Mirror) | Find out more (Daily Mirror) |
| 52. The US National Security Agency used to have a Clown Club for staff members. | 52. The US National Security Agency used to have a Clown Club for staff members. |
| Find out more (Slashgear) | Find out more (Slashgear) |
| 53. Kenny G's Going Home is used in public spaces in China to tell people to go home. | 53. Kenny G's Going Home is used in public spaces in China to tell people to go home. |
| Find out more (New York Times) | Find out more (New York Times) |
| 54. Czech deer still avoid the Iron Curtain. | 54. Czech deer still avoid the Iron Curtain. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 55. Sir Bradley Wiggins is a fan of the Archers. | 55. Sir Bradley Wiggins is a fan of the Archers. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 56. The largest hunting dinosaur probably ate whole sharks. | 56. The largest hunting dinosaur probably ate whole sharks. |
| Find out more (New Scientist) | Find out more (New Scientist) |
| 57. In Oklahoma, the average marijuana joint costs the same as 2.41 bottles of Bud Light. | 57. In Oklahoma, the average marijuana joint costs the same as 2.41 bottles of Bud Light. |
| Find out more (Washington Post) | Find out more (Washington Post) |
| 58. Group jogging is a crime in Burundi. | 58. Group jogging is a crime in Burundi. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 59. It would cost £12.6 billion to issue every man, woman and child in the UK with an owl (and £69.3 billion if each was to get its own aviary). | 59. It would cost £12.6 billion to issue every man, woman and child in the UK with an owl (and £69.3 billion if each was to get its own aviary). |
| Find out more (Ampp3d) | Find out more (Ampp3d) |
| 60. Some nurses in the UK wear fat suits as part of their training for dealing with morbidly obese patients. | 60. Some nurses in the UK wear fat suits as part of their training for dealing with morbidly obese patients. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 61. People are more likely to catch yawns from people of their own ethnicity. | 61. People are more likely to catch yawns from people of their own ethnicity. |
| Find out more (New Yorker) | Find out more (New Yorker) |
| 62. Putting broken pottery in plant pots doesn't aid drainage. | 62. Putting broken pottery in plant pots doesn't aid drainage. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 63. When given a date far in the future, William Hague can tell you off the top of his head which day of the week it will be. | 63. When given a date far in the future, William Hague can tell you off the top of his head which day of the week it will be. |
| Find out more (the Times) | Find out more (the Times) |
| 64. Detainees at Guantanamo are allowed to watch the World Cup but don't see it live - it is made available a day later to ensure nothing subversive can be conveyed. | 64. Detainees at Guantanamo are allowed to watch the World Cup but don't see it live - it is made available a day later to ensure nothing subversive can be conveyed. |
| Find out more (Financial Times) | Find out more (Financial Times) |
| 65. Guinness in 1982 came close to re-launching the brand as an English beer brewed in west London. | 65. Guinness in 1982 came close to re-launching the brand as an English beer brewed in west London. |
| Find out more (Economist) | Find out more (Economist) |
| 66. Prince is very good at ping pong. | 66. Prince is very good at ping pong. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 67. When crows drop stones into water to make food more accessible, they display the reasoning skills of children aged 5-7. | 67. When crows drop stones into water to make food more accessible, they display the reasoning skills of children aged 5-7. |
| Find out more (New Scientist) | Find out more (New Scientist) |
| 68. People called Eleanor are disproportionately likely to get into Oxford University. | 68. People called Eleanor are disproportionately likely to get into Oxford University. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 69. Hillary Clinton hasn't driven a car since 1996. | 69. Hillary Clinton hasn't driven a car since 1996. |
| Find out more (the Atlantic) | Find out more (the Atlantic) |
| 70. Man-eating sharks are nine times more likely to kill men than women. | 70. Man-eating sharks are nine times more likely to kill men than women. |
| Find out more (The Wire) | Find out more (The Wire) |
| 71. Cate Blanchett and her husband share an email account. | 71. Cate Blanchett and her husband share an email account. |
| Find out more (Sydney Morning Herald) | Find out more (Sydney Morning Herald) |
| 72. Men whose dating profile pictures are taken outdoors on a sunny day with trees in the background are most popular. | 72. Men whose dating profile pictures are taken outdoors on a sunny day with trees in the background are most popular. |
| Find out more (The Times) | Find out more (The Times) |
| 73. Main characters are more likely to die in children's cartoons than in films for adults. | 73. Main characters are more likely to die in children's cartoons than in films for adults. |
| Find out more (BMJ) | Find out more (BMJ) |
| 74. The authorities in Oregon, USA, are very, very particular about getting urine in their reservoirs. | 74. The authorities in Oregon, USA, are very, very particular about getting urine in their reservoirs. |
| Find out more (Oregon Live) | Find out more (Oregon Live) |
| 75. It's possible for a bat in the UK to fly across the sea to continental Europe. | 75. It's possible for a bat in the UK to fly across the sea to continental Europe. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 76. Richard Nixon was interested in the mating habits of pandas. | 76. Richard Nixon was interested in the mating habits of pandas. |
| Find out more (Time) | Find out more (Time) |
| 77. The code A113 is implanted in every Pixar movie. | 77. The code A113 is implanted in every Pixar movie. |
| Find out more (Huffington Post) | Find out more (Huffington Post) |
| 78. The coat of a dead dog called London Jack, whose stuffed remains were used to collect charity donations at railway stations, changed colour twice. | 78. The coat of a dead dog called London Jack, whose stuffed remains were used to collect charity donations at railway stations, changed colour twice. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 79. French trains are fatter than 50 years ago. | 79. French trains are fatter than 50 years ago. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 80. In primates there is a correlation between female infidelity and males having large testicles. | 80. In primates there is a correlation between female infidelity and males having large testicles. |
| Find out more (Huffington Post) | Find out more (Huffington Post) |
| 81. The last British Prime Minister to regularly wear a wedding ring in public was Lady Thatcher. | 81. The last British Prime Minister to regularly wear a wedding ring in public was Lady Thatcher. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 82. Kladdkaka, a flat gooey chocolate cake, is the most googled food in Sweden. | 82. Kladdkaka, a flat gooey chocolate cake, is the most googled food in Sweden. |
| Find out more (The Local) | Find out more (The Local) |
| 83. The faces of the fastest riders in the Tour de France are 25% more attractive to women than the slowest 10% of riders, although women on the pill had a reduced preference for quicker riders. | 83. The faces of the fastest riders in the Tour de France are 25% more attractive to women than the slowest 10% of riders, although women on the pill had a reduced preference for quicker riders. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 84. Early risers are more unethical at night and night owls more immoral in the morning. | 84. Early risers are more unethical at night and night owls more immoral in the morning. |
| Find out more (Harvard Business Review) | Find out more (Harvard Business Review) |
| 85. St Mary's Church is the most ambiguous term on Wikipedia. | 85. St Mary's Church is the most ambiguous term on Wikipedia. |
| Find out more (Slate) | Find out more (Slate) |
| 86. Researchers at Michigan Technical University have been looking for the existence of time travellers on the internet. | 86. Researchers at Michigan Technical University have been looking for the existence of time travellers on the internet. |
| Find out more (The Register) | Find out more (The Register) |
| 87. The sound of a ticking clock can make women keener to have babies younger. | 87. The sound of a ticking clock can make women keener to have babies younger. |
| Find out more (New York magazine) | Find out more (New York magazine) |
| 88. Dead passengers on British Airways flights used to be given sunglasses, a vodka and tonic and a copy of the Daily Mail to disguise them from other passengers. | 88. Dead passengers on British Airways flights used to be given sunglasses, a vodka and tonic and a copy of the Daily Mail to disguise them from other passengers. |
| Find out more (Daily Mirror) | Find out more (Daily Mirror) |
| 89. The Black Death improved public health in subsequent centuries, although no-one knows the exact reason. | 89. The Black Death improved public health in subsequent centuries, although no-one knows the exact reason. |
| Find out more (Smithsonian) | Find out more (Smithsonian) |
| 90. There are at least three different approved ways of saying Hyundai, depending on whether you're in South Korea, the UK or US. | 90. There are at least three different approved ways of saying Hyundai, depending on whether you're in South Korea, the UK or US. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 91. England manager Roy Hodgson and player Leighton Baines share a passion for the novelist Haruki Murakami. | 91. England manager Roy Hodgson and player Leighton Baines share a passion for the novelist Haruki Murakami. |
| Find out more (Daily Telegraph) | Find out more (Daily Telegraph) |
| 92. The Star Wars character Han Solo was partly based on Francis Ford Coppola. | 92. The Star Wars character Han Solo was partly based on Francis Ford Coppola. |
| Find out more (New Yorker) | Find out more (New Yorker) |
| 93. The first bar code on a commercial product was on a packet of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum. | 93. The first bar code on a commercial product was on a packet of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum. |
| Find out more (Economist) | Find out more (Economist) |
| 94. Pennsylvania is the most linguistically rich US state - it has five dialects, compared with the typical two or three. | 94. Pennsylvania is the most linguistically rich US state - it has five dialects, compared with the typical two or three. |
| Find out more (Slate) | Find out more (Slate) |
| 95. There is a once-a-year a bus service from Salisbury Plain to Imber. | 95. There is a once-a-year a bus service from Salisbury Plain to Imber. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 96. Comedian Les Dawson wrote a secret romantic thriller under the nom de plume Maria Brett-Cooper. | 96. Comedian Les Dawson wrote a secret romantic thriller under the nom de plume Maria Brett-Cooper. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 97. Congo-Brazzaville has a peat bog the size of England. | 97. Congo-Brazzaville has a peat bog the size of England. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 98. Snakes squeeze tree trunks far harder than necessary. | 98. Snakes squeeze tree trunks far harder than necessary. |
| Find out more | Find out more |
| 99. Pope Paul VI believed that animals go to heaven. | 99. Pope Paul VI believed that animals go to heaven. |
| Find out more (Daily Beast) | |
| 100. The dark side of the Moon is actually turquoise. | 100. The dark side of the Moon is actually turquoise. |
| Find out more (Guardian) | Find out more (Guardian) |
| Seen a thing? Tell the Magazine on Twitter using the hashtag #thingIdidntknowlastweek | Seen a thing? Tell the Magazine on Twitter using the hashtag #thingIdidntknowlastweek |
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