Amazing facts that will blow your mind

 

hand holding a representation of a tiny bat between index finger and thumbRD.COM, GETTY IMAGES (2)

Fact: The bumblebee bat is the world’s smallest mammal

Weighing in at 0.05 to 0.07 ounces, with a head-to-body length of 1.14 to 1.29 inches and a wingspan of 5.1 to 5.7 inches, the bumblebee bat—also known as Kitti’s hog-nosed bat—is the smallest mammal in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. To see this tiny bat for yourself, you’d have to visit one of a select few limestone caves on the Khwae Noi River in Kanchanaburi Province of southwest Thailand. Here are more of Earth’s tiniest creatures that play a big role in the environment.

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Fact: The circulatory system is more than 60,000 miles long

If a child’s entire circulatory system—we’re talking veins, arteries, and capillaries—were laid out flat, it would stretch for more than 60,000 miles, according to the Franklin Institute. By the time we reach adulthood, our bodies have become home to approximately 100,000 miles of blood vessels. That’s just one of the mind-blowing facts that sound made up (but aren’t).

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Fact: There are parts of Africa in all four hemispheres

For people whose education was largely focused on the Western world, it may be surprising to find out exactly how huge the continent of Africa is. For instance, it spans all four hemispheres and covers nearly 12 million square miles. Here’s another interesting fact: Do you know the only city that straddles two continents?

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Fact: The cornea is one of only two parts of the human body without blood vessels

The cornea is the clear part of the eye that covers the pupil and other parts of the eye. Cartilage and the cornea are the only types tissue in the human body that do not contain blood vessels, according to scientists at the Harvard Department of Ophthalmology’s Schepens Eye Research Institute. Your eye also has some other bizarre features you probably didn’t know about. Next, find out which is the rarest eye color in the world.

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Fact: The world’s first animated feature film was made in Argentina

Even if you know a lot of Disney trivia, you might assume that the honor of first animated feature film belongs to Walt Disney’s 1937 movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. But 20 years earlier, a full-length animated feature film was made in Argentina. It was a political satire called El ApĆ³stol made up of 58,000 drawings and had a running time of 70 minutes, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Split Screen Of Texas State Flag And Chocolate Cake SliceRD.COM, GETTY IMAGES (2)

Fact: German chocolate cake was invented in Texas

The “German” part of German chocolate cake comes from an American man—not a European country. Specifically, it’s named after Sam German, who in 1852 created the formula for a mild dark baking chocolate bar for Baker’s Chocolate Company, which was subsequently named Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate. Fast-forward to June 13, 1957. The Dallas Morning Star published the recipe for the cake, invented and submitted by a reader identified as Mrs. George Clay, according to What’s Cooking America.

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Fact: Marla Gibbs continued to work as a flight attendant for two years after being cast on a hit TV show

Prior to taking her place on the stoop of 227, Marla Gibbs played the housekeeper Florence on The Jeffersons (a spin-off of All in the Family). In a 2015 interview, Gibbs told the Washington Post that despite it appearing as though she had gotten her big break, she kept her job as a flight attendant for American Airlines for two more years—just to be safe.

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Phillipines flag collaged with pins connected with colorful stringRD.COM, GETTY IMAGES (2)

Fact: The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands

The Philippines is an archipelago, which means it’s made up of a group of islands—7,641 islands, to be exact. That figure does not include the thousands of sandbars and other landforms that emerge during low tide.

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Fact: A one-way trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway involves crossing 3,901 bridges

Not only is the Trans-Siberian Railway the longest railroad in Russia, but it’s also the longest one in the world. The journey takes seven days, during which time passengers pass through eight different time zones and cross 3,901 bridges.

golden girl betty white collaged with bette midler


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