information junkie

Learning something new every day.

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07 November 2016

The world records for 5000m are both held by Ethiopians. The men's record is 12:37.35 (by Kenenisa Bekele) and the women's record is 14:11.16 (by Tirunesh Dibaba).

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26 February 2016

Bravura: (n) great technical skill and brilliance shown in a performance or activity; a great display of daring

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28 January 2016

The fifth small pocket (usually housed within the front right pocket) in jeans was originally created to house pocket watches. Its purpose has since evolved to store other things such as condoms and coins.

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25 August 2015

The average honey bee produces 1/12 teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

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20 August 2015

The game Jenga's name is a Swahili word that means "to build".

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06 November 2014

Anatine: (adj) of or relating to ducks (specifically of the surface-feeding Anas or closely related genera)

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01 November 2014

Mosquitoes can detect potential targets from as far as 50 metres away, which is why mosquito traps that emit carbon dioxide (as well as heat, moisture, and other mosquito-friendly products) to lure female mosquitoes before trapping and/or killing them are some of the most effective ways to avoid getting bitten.

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30 October 2014

Benedict Cumberbatch can't pronounce the word penguins.

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27 October 2014

Mustard increases one's rate of salivation by as much as 8 times. This can help to stimulate your appetite, and also increases your perception of how juicy the food you are eating it with is.

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08 October 2014

Nostalgia was first coined in 1688 by a medical student to address the anxieties displayed by Swiss soldiers, which were described as: 'Manic, with longing; similar to melancholy, except specific to an object or place."

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28 September 2014

There is a Ukrainian wedding tradition of stealing the bride's shoe. If stolen, the guests will throw said shoe around, and the groom (or one of the wedding party) may be made to drink a shoe-full of vodka in order to win the shoe back for the bride.

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18 September 2014

When compared with other blood types, individuals with blood type AB are potentially 82% more likely to experience cognitive impairment (or problems with memory, language and attention with age).

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12 September 2014

The average maximum force a 2x2 lego brick can withstand a maximum force of 4,240N, which is equivalent to a mass of 432kg. Divided by the mass of a single brick (1.152g), a single lego brick could theoretically support a whopping 375,000 lego bricks, which translates to a 3.5km high tower of Lego bricks. Unfortunately, it would not be possible to build a Lego tower that high in reality as the tower would likely become structurally unsound by the time it reached a height of three to four metres.

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11 September 2014

The term couch potato was introduced as a pun on calling someone who sits in front of the boob tube for excessive periods of time a boob tuber. (LOVE IT.)

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07 September 2014

Goofy's full name is Goofus D. Dawg.

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04 September 2014

儿童鸳鸯 (cantonese: yee tong yin yeung) or children's yin yeung is a cha chaan teng (HK coffee shop) drink made of half Horlicks and half Ovaltine. It is also sometimes known as a black and white yuan yang.

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02 September 2014

Tortoiseshell in French is écaille de tortue, which is literally translated to tortoise scale.