Tag Archives: quick facts

Bananas, Potatoes, Sunflower Seeds, Brazil Nuts, and Kidney Beans are All Naturally Radioactive

Common foods that are naturally radioactive include potatoes, bananas, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, and kidney beans, among others.  Brazil nuts are the most radioactive by far at 6600 picocuries per kg or about 1.875 BED (banana equivalent dose). The radium in Brazil nuts does not come from especially high levels of radium in the soil where the trees grow, but […]

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Ellen Martin and 14 Other Women Managed to Legally Vote in Illinois in 1891, Even Though Illinois Law Didn’t Allow Women to Vote

In 1891, Ellen Martin was the first woman to be able to vote in Lombard, Illinois.  She noticed that the Lombard charter on who could vote didn’t mention gender.  This charter superseded Illinois law and, thus, she was legally allowed to vote.  She and 14 other women voted in the 1891 elections before the charter was promptly amended. Reference

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Camels Have Three Eyelids

Camels have three eyelids.  Two of the eyelids have eye lashes which help protect their eyes from sand.  The third is a very thin lid which works as a sort of “windshield wiper” to clean off their eyes.  It closes/opens from side to side rather than up and down.  It is also thin enough that the Camels can see through […]

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Swiss Army Knives were Renamed Such in English as U.S. Soldiers in WWII Found the Original Name “Schweizer Offiziersmesser” Difficult to Pronounce

The term “Swiss Army Knife” was coined by United States soldiers after WWII.  The soldiers had trouble pronouncing the original name of “Schweizer Offiziersmesser” (Swiss Officer’s Knife) and thus began calling the multi-tool a “Swiss Army Knife”. The company that makes Swiss Army Knives is Victorinox, named after the founder, Karl Elsener’s, deceased mother, Victoria. The “nox” part comes from […]

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Thomas Jefferson Created a Version of the Bible that Cut Out All the Parts He Didn’t Like

Thomas Jefferson Facts

Thomas Jefferson didn’t just write the Declaration of Independence, he also re-wrote the Bible to his liking.  Jefferson didn’t hold with the supernatural elements of the Bible.  He thus set about making his own Jeffersonian translation that basically excluded every part he didn’t agree with.  In his view, separating the wheat from the chaff. Reference

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Redheads are Harder to Sedate Than Any Other Group

redhead facts

Redheads are harder to sedate than any other group. Using most common anesthetics, they require on average about 20% more anesthesia.  They also have a higher tolerance for pain than ‘normal’ people. This is because the Melancortin 1 Receptor mutation that gives them red hair also triggers the excess release of Pheomelanin, which among other things stimulates a brain receptor […]

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The Term ‘Retarded’ Replaced the Psychological Terms ‘Idiot’, ‘Moron’, and ‘Imbecile’ Because These Terms Gradually Became Considered Derogatory

Etymology of Retarded

Funny enough, the term ‘retarded’ was used to replace the terms ‘idiot’, ‘moron’, and ‘imbecile’ due to the fact that these terms gradually became thought of as derogatory. This obviously only worked for a while and now ‘retarded’ is itself considered not politically correct.  It seems any word that basically means ‘low intelligence’ is fated to be thought of as […]

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