1.The word “sneeze” came about through a misspelling of the original word “fneze” or “fnese.”
“Sneeze” is definitely a silly-sounding word. But it’s not quite as silly-sounding as “fneze” or “fnese,” which is how this bodily function was once spelled. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “sneeze” originates from the Middle English word “fnese” and came about due to a “misreading or misprinting” of the original term. The dictionary writes that despite that, the word sneeze was “later adopted because it sounded appropriate.”
2.Benjamin Franklin only received two years of formal education.
After spending just two years at the Boston Latin School as well as a private academy while he was young, Benjamin Franklin left formal education behind to work at his family’s candle and soap-making business before becoming an apprentice at his brother’s printing shop.
However, Franklin continued his education independently by reading whatever books, essays, and articles he could get his hands on. His studious ways not only helped him become a revered writer, politician, and inventor, but also allowed him to earn honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Oxford, the College of William and Mary, and the University of St. Andrews.
3.Whether or not you dream in black and white depends on whether you watched black-and-white television.
If your dreams look more vintage than HD, there’s a high chance you grew up watching black-and-white television. According to one 2008 study published in the journal Conscious Cognition, most people born after the year 1983 said they almost never dream in black and white, whereas people born in the year 1953 and earlier said they dream in black and white about a quarter of the time. Overall, 12 percent of people dream entirely in black and white, leading the researchers to suggest that “true greyscale dreams occur only in people with black and white media experience.”
“Sneeze” is definitely a silly-sounding word. But it’s not quite as silly-sounding as “fneze” or “fnese,” which is how this bodily function was once spelled. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “sneeze” originates from the Middle English word “fnese” and came about due to a “misreading or misprinting” of the original term. The dictionary writes that despite that, the word sneeze was “later adopted because it sounded appropriate.”
2.Benjamin Franklin only received two years of formal education.
After spending just two years at the Boston Latin School as well as a private academy while he was young, Benjamin Franklin left formal education behind to work at his family’s candle and soap-making business before becoming an apprentice at his brother’s printing shop.
However, Franklin continued his education independently by reading whatever books, essays, and articles he could get his hands on. His studious ways not only helped him become a revered writer, politician, and inventor, but also allowed him to earn honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Oxford, the College of William and Mary, and the University of St. Andrews.
If your dreams look more vintage than HD, there’s a high chance you grew up watching black-and-white television. According to one 2008 study published in the journal Conscious Cognition, most people born after the year 1983 said they almost never dream in black and white, whereas people born in the year 1953 and earlier said they dream in black and white about a quarter of the time. Overall, 12 percent of people dream entirely in black and white, leading the researchers to suggest that “true greyscale dreams occur only in people with black and white media experience.”
4
The word “unfriend” was first used in 1659.
When you disconnect with someone on social media, you might say that you’ve “unfriended” them. The now-common word was even the New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year in 2009. But it turns out that “unfriend” is much older than you might expect. According to The Globe and Mail, the word “unbefriended” is cited several times in the Oxford English Dictionary beginning in 1629. But it wasn’t until 1659 that Thomas Fuller used the word as we know it today. In his book The Appeal of Injured Innocence, Fuller wrote, “I hope, sir, that we are not mutually Unfriended by this Difference which hath happened betwixt us
When you disconnect with someone on social media, you might say that you’ve “unfriended” them. The now-common word was even the New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year in 2009. But it turns out that “unfriend” is much older than you might expect. According to The Globe and Mail, the word “unbefriended” is cited several times in the Oxford English Dictionary beginning in 1629. But it wasn’t until 1659 that Thomas Fuller used the word as we know it today. In his book The Appeal of Injured Innocence, Fuller wrote, “I hope, sir, that we are not mutually Unfriended by this Difference which hath happened betwixt us
5
It’s against the law to die in the town of Longyearbyen, Norway.
According to IFL Science, “Even if you’ve lived [in Longyearbyen, Norway] all your life, if you are terminally ill, you will be flown off the island to live out the rest of your days. If you do happen to die suddenly in Longyearbyen, your body will be buried elsewhere.”
That’s because, in 1950, it was discovered that bodies in the local cemetery in Longyearbyen were not decomposing as usual because there was so much permafrost in the area. That meant that viruses could survive in the human remains and eventually infect those living nearby when the ground thawed each year.
According to IFL Science, “Even if you’ve lived [in Longyearbyen, Norway] all your life, if you are terminally ill, you will be flown off the island to live out the rest of your days. If you do happen to die suddenly in Longyearbyen, your body will be buried elsewhere.”
That’s because, in 1950, it was discovered that bodies in the local cemetery in Longyearbyen were not decomposing as usual because there was so much permafrost in the area. That meant that viruses could survive in the human remains and eventually infect those living nearby when the ground thawed each year.
6
There are a ton of misspellings on the Stanley Cup.
Winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal for anyone in the National Hockey League. And if you do win it, you’ll have your name etched onto the trophy itself. Unfortunately, whoever is responsible for that task has committed plenty of errors over the years, including accidentally spelling the Toronto Maple Leafs as “TORONTO MAPLE LEAES” and the Boston Bruins as “BQSTQN BRUINS.” Hall of Fame goaltender Jacques Plante won the Stanley Cup for five consecutive years and his name is spelled differently each time, according to the NHL.
Winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal for anyone in the National Hockey League. And if you do win it, you’ll have your name etched onto the trophy itself. Unfortunately, whoever is responsible for that task has committed plenty of errors over the years, including accidentally spelling the Toronto Maple Leafs as “TORONTO MAPLE LEAES” and the Boston Bruins as “BQSTQN BRUINS.” Hall of Fame goaltender Jacques Plante won the Stanley Cup for five consecutive years and his name is spelled differently each time, according to the NHL.
7
NASA thinks it’s detected the first “marsquake.”
Earthquakes are expected in many places on Earth, but it turns out they can happen on other planets as well—although they’re obviously not called “earthquakes.” On April 6, 2019, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory recorded a tremor that they believe was a “marsquake,” making it the first quake recorded outside of either the Earth or the Moon.
Earthquakes are expected in many places on Earth, but it turns out they can happen on other planets as well—although they’re obviously not called “earthquakes.” On April 6, 2019, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory recorded a tremor that they believe was a “marsquake,” making it the first quake recorded outside of either the Earth or the Moon.
8
If you were to write out every number (one, two, three, etc.), you wouldn’t use the letter “b” until you reached one billion.
You’ll have to trust us on this one: If you spelled out every number, you’d get all the way to one billion before you’d need the second letter in the alphabet.
9
Casu Marzu cheese is purposely infested with maggots.
If you ever come across maggot-infested food (yuck!), the best course of action is usually to throw the item into the trash as quickly as possible. However, those who make Casu Marzu cheese welcome the fly larva. With a name that literally translates to “rotten cheese,” the Sardinian delicacy starts as Pecorino Sardo. But, instead of being soaked in brine, it’s left out so that Piophila casei cheese flies can lay their eggs inside of it. The larva eventually hatches from the eggs and eats the cheese, which produces enzymes that lead to fermentation and decomposition in what will become the Casu Marzu.
I Love Cheese describes it by saying that it’s a “highly pungent, super soft cheese that oozes tears (‘lagrima’), and fittingly so, as it tends to burn on the tongue.”
If you ever come across maggot-infested food (yuck!), the best course of action is usually to throw the item into the trash as quickly as possible. However, those who make Casu Marzu cheese welcome the fly larva. With a name that literally translates to “rotten cheese,” the Sardinian delicacy starts as Pecorino Sardo. But, instead of being soaked in brine, it’s left out so that Piophila casei cheese flies can lay their eggs inside of it. The larva eventually hatches from the eggs and eats the cheese, which produces enzymes that lead to fermentation and decomposition in what will become the Casu Marzu.
I Love Cheese describes it by saying that it’s a “highly pungent, super soft cheese that oozes tears (‘lagrima’), and fittingly so, as it tends to burn on the tongue.”
10
Queen Elizabeth II invented a new breed of dog.
Shutterstock
It’s a well-known fact that Queen Elizabeth II is a fan of dogs, particularly one breed: corgis. She got her first corgi when she was seven years old after meeting those that belonged to the children of the Marquess of Bath. She’s also credited with the introduction of the “dorgi,” a corgi-dachshund cross.
Over her lifetime, the royal has had more than 30 pet corgis, all of whom were descendants of a dog named Susan, who the then-princess received as a gift for her 18th birthday in 1944. Sadly, Willow, the Queen’s last corgi, passed away in 2018 and the aging monarch will not be getting any new dogs because she doesn’t want to leave any behind when she passes away.
Shutterstock
It’s a well-known fact that Queen Elizabeth II is a fan of dogs, particularly one breed: corgis. She got her first corgi when she was seven years old after meeting those that belonged to the children of the Marquess of Bath. She’s also credited with the introduction of the “dorgi,” a corgi-dachshund cross.
Over her lifetime, the royal has had more than 30 pet corgis, all of whom were descendants of a dog named Susan, who the then-princess received as a gift for her 18th birthday in 1944. Sadly, Willow, the Queen’s last corgi, passed away in 2018 and the aging monarch will not be getting any new dogs because she doesn’t want to leave any behind when she passes away.
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