1323 facts
Every year around June 1st, the southwest monsoon hits Kerala with remarkable precision. Driven by the temperature difference between the Indian landmass and the ocean, this predic...
During the monsoon season from June to September, Mumbai averages about 2,300 mm (90 inches) of rain. This four-month deluge far exceeds the yearly totals of cities like Seattle, w...
For centuries, people chewed natural resins like birch bark and spruce sap. In the 1800s, Mexican chicle became the standard base for commercial gum because it was smoother and hel...
Cocoa butter melts between 34°C and 38°C (93°F to 100°F). Since the average human body temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), chocolate transforms from a solid to a smooth liquid the moment...
Sour candies contain acids like citric and malic acid that can erode tooth enamel. When you eat them, your brain signals your salivary glands to produce extra saliva. This natural...
Since 1949, the LEGO Group has produced over 600 billion elements. With a global population of 8 billion, every person could have a collection of roughly 80 to 100 bricks. The comp...
This full-scale replica was assembled without a single drop of glue. Powered by 2,304 LEGO motors, the car reaches a top speed of 12 mph and features working lights, a speedometer,...
LEGO is a brand name and an adjective, not a noun. To protect its trademark, the company asks fans to say 'LEGO bricks' or 'LEGO sets' instead of the plural 'Legos.'
Before 1978, LEGO figures were simple blocks without moving limbs. Designer Jens Nygaard Knudsen spent three years perfecting the modern version with movable arms, legs, and the ic...
When the first modern minifigures debuted in 1978, LEGO chose yellow to avoid favoring any specific race. This neutral color allows children worldwide to project their own identiti...
Launched in 2011, these figures depict the Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno, and the astronomer Galileo Galilei. They were crafted from space-grade aluminum to withstand the extrem...
These specialized bricks feature studs that match Braille letters and numbers. Each brick also includes printed characters so sighted teachers and peers can play along. This system...
The company nearly collapsed after over-expanding into video games and clothing while using too many expensive, unique parts. LEGO saved itself by returning to its core building se...
While six bricks seem simple, mathematical analysis reveals nearly a billion unique combinations. Early estimates from the 1970s suggested only 102 million possibilities, but moder...
Located in Billund, this climate-controlled archive holds over 8,000 unique LEGO sets in their original boxes. It preserves the company's entire design history, protecting rare bri...
This safety feature allows air to pass through if a child accidentally swallows the piece. The opening helps keep the airway clear until medical help arrives.
LEGO produces over 300 million tires every year, more than major brands like Michelin or Bridgestone. Since launching its first wheel set in 1962, the company has scaled production...
LEGO molds are accurate to within 0.002 millimeters, which is 50 times thinner than a human hair. This precision ensures that a brick made today fits perfectly with one manufacture...
The design was created by the British company Kiddicraft. In 1947, LEGO founder Ole Kirk Christiansen discovered Kiddicraft's 'Self-Locking Building Bricks' while testing a plastic...
In 1934, founder Ole Kirk Christiansen held a contest to name his company. The prize was a bottle of homemade wine. Christiansen ended up winning his own contest by combining the f...
In 1932, Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen pivoted from furniture to toys during the Great Depression. After a fire burned down his shop, he began crafting wooden ducks and tr...
During deep sleep, brain cells shrink to let cerebrospinal fluid wash away toxic waste. This process, called the glymphatic system, clears out proteins like beta-amyloid that build...
Air is a poor conductor of heat. Increasing the distance between the food and the coals causes the heat intensity to drop significantly. This small gap forces heat to travel throug...
Growing vanilla is incredibly labor-intensive because each orchid flower blooms for only one day and must be hand-pollinated. After harvesting, the beans undergo a curing process l...
At high altitudes, lower air pressure causes water to boil at lower temperatures. Since boiling water on Everest never reaches the standard 212°F (100°C), it lacks the heat necessa...
When the sun is low on the horizon, its light passes through a thicker layer of air. This extra distance scatters away blue and violet light, leaving only longer wavelengths like r...
Even though individual gas molecules move fast enough to register extreme heat, they are too far apart to transfer warmth. Because the air is nearly a vacuum, your body heat would...
Marine organisms like phytoplankton produce between 50% and 80% of the world's oxygen. These microscopic organisms use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into energy, releasing oxy...
Located in the stratosphere, the ozone layer consists of molecules with three oxygen atoms. This layer blocks high-energy UV rays that can damage DNA and cause skin cancer. After s...
The edge of outer space is only 62 miles (100 kilometers) above sea level. If you drove a car at 62 mph (100 km/h) vertically, you would reach the Kármán line in exactly 60 minutes...
For decades, scientists believed adults were born with a fixed number of brain cells. We now know the brain can generate new neurons through neurogenesis. Activities like exercise...
Chipmunks have stretchy cheek pouches that can expand to the size of their entire head. This allows them to transport huge amounts of nuts and seeds in a single trip, reducing the...
To survive at high altitudes, a yak's heart is roughly three times larger than a cow's. This massive organ pumps oxygen-rich blood efficiently, allowing the yak to thrive in thin a...
Triggered by underwater earthquakes, tsunamis move massive amounts of energy through deep water with very little friction. While they appear as harmless swells in the open ocean, t...
These 'magnetic mountains' formed when iron-rich lava cooled and aligned with Earth's magnetic field. This process turned the rock into a massive natural magnet. Historically, sail...
The Himalayas rise at roughly the same speed as human fingernails grow. This happens because the Indian tectonic plate is constantly crashing into the Eurasian plate, forcing the E...
When wind hits a vertical rock face, it is forced upward to create an updraft. Large birds like eagles and condors ride these currents to stay airborne for hours, conserving vital...
Rock layers, or strata, serve as a geological timeline. In the Grand Canyon, the deepest layers are nearly 2 billion years old. Different colors reveal ancient climates: red often...
This phenomenon, known as columnar jointing, occurs when thick lava flows cool and contract. As the rock shrinks, it cracks into geometric shapes, most commonly hexagons. A famous...
These iconic cliffs are composed of chalk formed from the calcium carbonate shells of coccolithophores. These microscopic algae lived 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous pe...
Introduced in 1793, the French Republican Calendar removed religious influence by replacing the seven-day week with a ten-day cycle. Months were renamed after seasonal weather patt...
Wolves possess specialized brain cells that create a mental map of their environment. This allows them to navigate complex forests and rivers even in total darkness. By using spati...
These sensitive hairs, called vibrissae, detect tiny changes in water pressure and currents. While most mammals only have whiskers on their faces, manatees are covered in them. Thi...
The number of potential chess variations grows exponentially with every turn. By move 40, the possible positions reach approximately 10 to the power of 120, known as the Shannon Nu...
Music psychology shows that human attention peaks during the first minute of a song. After 70 seconds, listeners often lose focus and the emotional power of the music begins to fad...
Healing starts with hemostasis to stop the bleeding. Inflammation then clears out bacteria while proliferation builds new tissue and blood vessels. Finally, remodeling strengthens...
Special proteins in their eyes called cryptochromes react to blue light and magnetic fields. This allows birds to see magnetic field lines as visual patterns, helping them navigate...
Deep inside Earth, the liquid outer core flows like a giant electric generator. This movement creates the geodynamo, a magnetic shield that protects our planet from deadly solar ra...
Massive energy bursts from the Sun send charged particles toward Earth, triggering geomagnetic storms. These storms shake the planet's magnetic field, causing compass needles to sw...
On Earth, compasses align with the magnetic field generated by our planet's molten core. Mars cooled down billions of years ago, causing its internal dynamo to stop. Without a cons...