Facts You Probably don’t Need
- The U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps are individually four of the top five military air powers in the world. The fifth is the Russian Air Force which ranks third.
- “Hello” didn’t become a common greeting until the telephone arrived.
- Until the early 19th century, Australia was known as New Holland.
- In North Korea, it is year 111, not 2023. This is because their calendar is based around the birth of Kim II-Sung who was the founder of North Korea.
- The U-bend used in toilets and sinks to prevent sewage gasses from entering the house was invented by a man named Thomas Crapper.
- Areas where it is common for people to live over 100 years are known as “Blue Zones.” There are five on Earth: Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; and Icaria, Greece.
- Ching Ling Foo and Chung Ling Soo were two magicians from the early 20th century who were bitter rivals. While Ching Ling Foo was genuinely Chinese, Chung Ling Soo was actually a New Yorker named William Robinson.
Facts by Sean McVeigh, factologist.
