Useless Facts

The human body literally glows.​

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It might be hard to see with your naked eye, but everyone you pass by every day is literally glowing. The human body emits a small quantity of visible light ("visible" in the technical sense—the illumination is about 1,000 times less intense than levels of light that we would actually be able to see). Researchers in Japan used a special camera to track this glow and found that it fluctuates throughout the day, with the body emitting its lowest levels of light around 10 a.m. and highest at around 4 p.m., a rhythm the scientists attribute to the changes in one's metabolism.
 

Copper door knobs are self-disinfecting.​

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Copper and its alloys, such as brass, have long been popular materials for manufacturing door knobs. It turns out, this may not just because the metal's hue makes it look nice. In fact, the material has been found to kill bacteria. According to one study from the National College of Kathmandu in Nepal, "the metal ions denature protein of the target cells by binding to reactive groups resulting in their precipitation and inactivation. The high affinity of cellular proteins for the metallic ions results in the death of the cells due to cumulative effects of the ion within the cells." In other words, brass sterilizes the bacteria that can build up from all those (potentially unwashed) hands that grip it.
 

Cotton candy was invented by a dentist.​

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It is not known whether William Morrison had an ulterior motive for inventing the soft confection, but the dentist no doubt helped ensure others in his profession continued drawing in plenty of customers. In 1897, he partnered with candy-maker John C. Wharton to develop the cotton candy machine (which at the time was known as "Fairy Floss"), and it's been bringing kids cavities ever since.
 

Marie Curie is the only person to earn a Nobel prize in two different sciences.​

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The pioneering researcher won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 (shared with her husband) for her study of spontaneous radiation, and then won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her work in radioactivity. That makes her one of just six recipients to receive multiple Nobel prizes, and the only person to receive it in two different sciences. (Chemical engineer Linus Paulding earned a Nobel Chemistry Prize and Nobel Peace Prize, but all other multiple winners received theirs in the same category).
 

Fingernails don't grow after you die.​

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Despite what you may have seen on other lists of random trivia, your fingernails and hair do not, in fact, continue to grow after you die. To grow, these must have a steady supply of glucose, which is cut off after the heart stops beating, preventing any further growth. In fact, the skin around the hair follicles and nails dehydrates after death and partly retracts, which can make them appear longer.
 

Creedence Clearwater Revival has the most No. 2 Billboard hits—without ever hitting No. 1.​

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John Fogerty's swamp rock band has the odd distinction of having seen more of its singles hit No. 2 on the charts, without ever hitting No. 1, than any other musical act. Between March 1969 and Oct. 1970, the band scored five No. 2 singles on the Billboard Top 100—"Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Travelin' Band," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door"—but never saw one of its songs get to the top spot. No other act has topped this dubious honor since.
 

The U.S. wastes 160 billion pounds of food per year​

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Think twice before you get rid of that carton of milk, because, according to a Los Angeles Times report, that sell-by date isn't as accurate as you may think. The sell-by date is actually not intended to convey safety information but rather communicate the manufacturer's estimate of how long the food will taste best. Who knew?

Well, apparently not many people: the U.S. alone wastes 160 billion pounds of food, or nearly 40 percent of food produced in this country, per year. All in all, more than 90 percent of individual consumers have tossed out food that's totally fine because of a mostly arbitrary date. Yikes.
 

Divorce Rates Double Over Christmas, Peaking in January​

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According to out of the United Kingdom, divorce rates spike over the Christmas period. So, what gives? According to Wilson Nesbitt, the surge in separations could be the result of the intense two- to three-week period that makes up the holidays, which can bring about financial stresses, too much time with in-laws, and more, all of which would test any couple—let alone a pair that are struggling.
 

One Time, Pizza Hut Delivered to the International Space Station​


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Well, this delivery probably took a little longer than 30 minutes… In 2001, Pizza Hut became the first restaurant chain to deliver to space. This was mostly a publicity stunt by the company—a more than $1 million publicity stunt. The pizza was delivered via a resupply rocket to Russian astronaut Yuri Usachov.
 

There Used to be Hundreds of Elephant Species​

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At one point on earth, there were more than 350 different species of elephants in the world. Today, there are only two: African elephants and Asian elephants. The African elephant is the larger of the two, and both female and male African elephants grow tusks. Of the Asian elephants, only the males grow tusks.
 

Facial Hair Is Responsible for a lot of Wasted Guinness​

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According to a report in the Guardian, Guinness drinkers who have mustaches are wasting an estimated 162,719 pints, collectively, every single year because the drink gets trapped in upper-lip facial hair. (Maybe they're "shaving" it for later.)
 

Twister, the Game, was Once Accused of Being Too Sexy​

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Talk about twisted. But it's true! The Milton-Bradley game first hit the shelves in 1966 and was deemed "sex in a box" by a competitor. But, on May 3, 1966, during an episode of the Tonight Show, Carson took a minute to highlight the new game. It went on to sell more than 3 million copies over the next year.
 

Australian Sportswoman of the Year was Once Awarded to a Horse​

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In 2012, Sally Pearson, the gold medal winner of the 100m hurdles in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, in what might have been the greatest moment of the '12 Games, was totally snubbed. Phil Rothfield and Darren Hadland, sportswriters at the Daily Telegraph, in Sydney, named Black Caviar—a horse who's won every race she's been part of—as the Sportswoman of the Year. And no, they weren't horsing around. Despite receiving a whole lot of backlash (the decision was roundly ridiculed as sexist on social media), they doubled down. As for who won sportsman that year? Michael Clarke, the cricket player.
 

Nintendo Once Tried to Compete With LEGO​

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You'd think the company would have had enough what with dominating the video game market. But Nintendo once tried to take on plastic toys, too, going after LEGO back in 1960s Japan. the company created a series of construction sets with colorful plastic blocks, which it called Nintendo N&B Blocks. The studs were identical to LEGOs, allowing the two brands to be mixed and matched. They sold briskly for a few years before legal pressure led the company to shelve their product.
 

The Indian Constitution Is the Longest Written Constitution In the World​

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This document, running 145,000 words spread over 22 parts and 395 articles, making it far and away the longest of its type. (For comparison, the U.S. Constitution is about 4,500 words.) It was first adopted by the state on November 26th, 1949, and came into practice on January 26th, 1950.
 

In 1989, Queen Elizabeth II was the Richest Person In England​

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In 1989, the Sunday Times started the Rich List, a compilation of the 300 wealthiest people in the United Kingdom. That year, Queen Elizabeth II was at the top of the list. In 2015, however, she didn't make the list at all, coming in at 302 with a wealth of £340 million (she was at 285 the year before).
 

The IRS Taxes Ill-Gotten Gains, Too​

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Yes, the IRS wants to tax your illegal income, too. According to CNN, "Income from illegal activities, such as money from dealing illegal drugs, must be included in your income on Form 1040, line 21, or on Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ (Form 1040) if from your self-employment activity."
 

You Can Teach Your Dog to Read​

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"Read" might be a bit generous, but Fido is nonetheless probably smarter than you're giving him credit for. You can actually teach your dog to recognize written words as cues, such as "sit," "stay," "shake," all that jazz. So, no, he can't necessarily give you a book report on Atlas Shrugged, but still pretty cool, no?
 

Exercise Doesn't Really Help You Lose Weight​

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You can't outrun a bad diet. Recently, study after study has shown that, in order to lose weight, you need to watch what you're eating—and eat less—rather than try and run it all off at the gym. Weight loss is all about calories: how many you take in, how many you burn. To lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. That's it. Full stop. What you're eating is far more important that what you're doing, since even the most arduous workouts will only burn about 500 calories per hour.
 
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