World – Intriguing Facts

The country where every citizen is technically a millionaire

Arvyn Braich — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:05:04 +0000

Pulling out a one-million-dollar bill to pay for a loaf of bread sounds like a joke. But it was a reality for people living in Zimbabwe during the late 2000s. It was a time when people living in that country could say they were a millionaire, although it wasn’t necessarily something to be proud of. Why? Let’s find out.

Key takeaways

You’ll learn about:

What everyday was like for Zimbabweans
Why they had a million-dollar bill
How the nation’s money lost value so quickly
How the financial crisis ended

Where this happened, and the time window

The problems began in Zimbabwe. The country is in southern Africa and it’s between South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia & Botswana. Things really started to go bad there in 2007. Inflation spun out of control, causing prices to skyrocket.

How did this happen?

Budget gaps & central bank stopgaps

Like with most issues, it took a while for these problems to first emerge. The nation’s government was desperately running out of cash during the mid-2000s. Spending was more than what they could cover. But they chose not to cut back & the bank instead chose to foot the bill for many public programs, including farm support and bailouts.

It then decided to print more money to fill the financial hole as an initial temporary measure. Unfortunately, the bank never stopped. Prices continued to climb while the value of money stopped stretching as far, so inflation went out of control.

Shrinking output and fewer dollars coming in

More money hit the streets, but companies produced less stuff for people to buy. Years of disruption had already caused issues for farming. Now, harvest numbers continued to fall, so Zimbabwe’s export numbers also fell. There were fewer American dollars coming into the country.

The lack of exports caused the trade gap to widen. Shops couldn’t stock fast enough & factories struggled to find imported parts, so everything that relied on foreign currency was now more expensive. As for the economy, it shrank overall. That only made the financial issues worse.

How fast prices moved

Prices began doubling at a rate that people couldn’t keep up with, sometimes changing multiple times in a day. Monthly inflation was at a percentage rate in the billions, so the money people received on payday was practically useless a few days later.

Zimbabweans could go to the market in the morning, only to find out that prices were double at dinner time. People feared that prices would increase & they would buy whatever they could the moment they got paid. It was a time when saving cash had no benefits.

When “millionaire” became normal

The first real million note hit circulation in Zimbabwe in January 2008. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe released a Z$1,000,000 bearer cheque, simply because it needed to keep up with rising prices. Such a note was something that normal people needed, rather than collectors. Regular bills couldn’t buy them much.

It actually got so bad that people couldn’t buy something as simple as a bus fare without a huge amount of cash. Teachers & shopkeepers began carrying these hefty bills in their pockets practically overnight.

The notes people actually carried

During this time, the central bank continued to print money. They began with millions. They moved on to billions. But even that wasn’t enough, so they started printing a 100-trillion-dollar bill in 2009, although it was only worth a few U.S. dollars. Many people put their value into physical goods like fuel & soap. They simply needed something that would hold its price for a week.

People were forced to use this money to buy groceries & pay for rent. They also bought bus fares this way. While the notes did look rather impressive, their buying power was practically gone.

A single loaf of bread could cost someone Z$2 million, while a taxi ride across town would likely be several million more. Several workers were paid daily instead of monthly. Why? Because prices were changing too quickly for salaries to keep up.

Shops rewrote price tags constantly, and people started using calculators at the checkout to figure out how many zeroes they needed to count. Cash ran short, and even basic goods became a math problem.

What ended the “millionaire” moment

Finally, in April 2009, the Zimbabwean government decided they had had enough & chose to stop printing the national dollar. They used other currencies instead. These were mostly U.S. dollars & the South African rand, but they also tried using other currencies, as long as they were stable.

Switching the currency stopped the price from spiraling and ended the nation’s inflation issues. Shops now began to price things normally again. However, the economic consequences continued to affect the country for many years.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

Empire State Building’s secret hidden floors

Arvyn Braich — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 19:05:02 +0000

New Yorkers pass it every day. And yet hardly anyone knows what’s actually above the Empire State Building’s famous observatory, as there’s a lot more going on than the 102 floors you see on brochures.

Let’s find out about the hidden floors on this iconic American building.

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Key takeaways

Here’s what you’ll find out:

The hidden floor above the observatory & who actually gets to see it
Why the mast adds more floors than the public realizes
What’s inside the spire that keeps it running

What “hidden floors” really means

When people say the Empire State Building has “secret” floors, they’re usually talking about the ones tucked up inside the spire. Technically, the building ends at the 102nd floor. But there’s a small area right above it. It’s an extra level used by maintenance crews & engineers. Sadly, most visitors never get to see it, even though it’s been there since the 1930s, because it’s entirely closed off to the public.

Where that extra level actually sits

It’s a short climb above the glassed-in 102nd-floor observatory to the 103rd floor. It’s tiny. The balcony up there wraps around the spire & has a waist-high railing, so it’s definitely not a tourist spot. Even celebrities or special guests who’ve visited that level need safety harnesses just to step outside. Do you really want to risk falling from somewhere as high up as this place?

The original plan

Interestingly, the whole top of the building wasn’t supposed to end with radio antennas. When it was first drawn up in 1930, the designers imagined blimps would dock right at the crown. They thought passengers could disembark straight into the skyscraper. However, it didn’t last long due to the updrafts & crosswinds.

How tall the mast really is

The crown is a 14-story steel mast stacked on top of the tower’s roof. While you can’t see the floors individually from outside, they’re built into the structure. They’re what give the building its unmistakable silhouette.

After the Empire State was completed in 1931, that mast helped it hit a total height of 1,250 feet and become the tallest building in the world at the time.

What’s hiding inside the spire

You won’t find marble or chandeliers inside the mast. It’s simply made of narrow service corridors & cables, which maintenance workers still use to check antennas & wiring. Sure, these areas aren’t for show. But they’re absolutely essential to keeping the building running.

Why the floor count seems confusing

Different records list the Empire State Building as having 102 floors. And that’s true for the main tower. The extra floor tucked into the mast isn’t counted in that number because it tends to be more of a service level than a regular story.

Yet adding those 14 mast levels on top means you could argue the building has well over a hundred floors.

How people move

The Empire State Building runs a huge elevator network with 73 cars in total. And they don’t all do the same job. Some move tourists to the observatories & others haul freight, while the rest handle office traffic.

The system’s changed a lot since 1931. The original 64 elevators were hand-operated, but modern ones run automatically and recycle energy when they slow down.

LED system & scheduling

The lights that cover the top of the building come from a computer-controlled LED setup that went live in 2012. Staff run everything from a control room with software that lets them plan light shows weeks ahead. They can change colors & dim sections in seconds. They’re even able to switch to a full pattern.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

13 lakes and rivers that hide ghost towns underwater

Arvyn Braich — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 16:25:04 +0000

Across the country, whole towns sit at the bottom of lakes. Literally. Big dams were built & rivers were rerouted, causing homes to be left behind or even swallowed up. It’s honestly quite strange to think that boats now float where main streets once stood. Here are thirteen of these underwater ghost towns. Which do you want to visit?

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

St. Thomas under Lake Mead, Nevada

St. Thomas was once a small farming town started by Mormon settlers in the 1860s. It didn’t stand a chance when the Hoover Dam went up & the government bought every home.

By 1938, the last resident rowed away before the water reached his doorstep. You can still walk the cracked remains of its old foundations when Lake Mead drops.

Kennett beneath Shasta Lake, California

Kennett was a copper boomtown in the early 1900s, featuring saloons & a railroad stop. Then the 1940s rolled in with the Shasta Dam. Everyone had to pack up.

The dam’s floodwaters buried the entire valley, but during dry summers, bits of brick & concrete peek through the shallow water.

Mormon Island in Folsom Lake, California

Mormon Island was a Gold Rush town. But after a massive fire in 1856, the place never recovered, and when Folsom Dam was built almost a century later, the ruins received a permanent burial under the new reservoir.

Droughts pull the curtain back every now & then. They show the cellar walls & old bottles like time forgot.

Hite at the head of Lake Powell, Utah

Hite was a quiet desert crossing with a ferry that shuttled cars across the Colorado River. When Glen Canyon Dam started filling up in the ’60s, it erased the whole town, and the town’s now under the north end of Lake Powell.

Sometimes, when water levels drop, you can almost trace where the main road once ran down to the ferry landing. It’s truly quite haunting to think about all of the history and all the memories lying beneath the water.

Flagstaff & Dead River in Flagstaff Lake, Maine

Two small Maine towns, Flagstaff & Dead River, were cleared out for a new dam in the late 1940s. Crews torched empty houses and moved cemeteries. They also watched the water rise.

To this day, locals say you can still see bits of fence & stone foundation when you kayak in the shallows. The valley’s gone, sure, but its outline still haunts the lake in a way that has to be seen to be believed.

Dana, Enfield, Greenwich & Prescott in Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts

Four entire towns vanished here in the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1930s so Boston could have clean water. People packed up their lives and left everything behind. Everything went under when the reservoir filled, and the old stone cellars & roadbeds are now hidden.

They’re beneath one of New England’s largest drinking-water supplies, although most of the people here have no idea about that.

Jerusalem under Candlewood Lake, Connecticut

Candlewood Lake looks peaceful now. But back in the 1920s, it covered a farming village called Jerusalem, until the land was bought up for a hydro project that flooded the valley.

Barns & mills were taken apart piece by piece. However, stories say a few foundations are still down there, and local divers have even spotted remnants of old stone walls.

Bluffton below Lake Buchanan, Texas

The Colorado River once ran through the middle of old Bluffton, Texas. That is, until engineers built Buchanan Dam in the 1930s & everyone had to move uphill before the water came.

Sometimes when the lake’s really low, you can see what’s left. These include a few stone buildings and sidewalks, even the church steps. The “new” Bluffton still sits safely nearby.

Petersburg in J. Strom Thurmond (Clarks Hill) Lake, Georgia–South Carolina

In the late 1700s, Petersburg was a thriving riverside town, busy with traders & riverboats, but then progress came calling. The Clarks Hill Dam was built in the 1950s.

With it, the townsite disappeared under the new reservoir that straddles Georgia & South Carolina. Locals claim the spot is now a favorite fishing hole, just as long as you know where to look on the map.

Willow Grove in Dale Hollow Lake, Tennessee–Kentucky

Before the water came, Willow Grove was the kind of place where you waved to every car that passed. People had farms & the school sat by the road. Then came the 1940s and a government project that changed everything.

When Dale Hollow Lake filled up, so did the old valley, so families moved uphill & their barns are what stayed behind.

Loyston under Norris Lake, Tennessee

Loyston didn’t vanish all at once. The Tennessee Valley Authority started flooding the Clinch River in the 1930s, promising jobs & power, so locals packed wagons. They grabbed what they could.

Sadly, they watched as water slowly swallowed their town. You can still make out the ghost of a chimney or two poking through the green water when the lake’s low.

Old Kernville (Whiskey Flat) in Lake Isabella, California

Kernville had grit. It started as Whiskey Flat back in gold-mining days, featuring saloons & stories you’d only half believe, but a century later, progress caught up. The Isabella Dam was built in the 1950s & the river rose. The town sank.

As a result, people simply built a “New Kernville” up the road, and you’re able to still walk the dried bed and find bits of the past today.

Sacandaga Valley communities in Great Sacandaga Lake, New York

In the late 1920s, people living in the Sacandaga Valley had no idea they’d soon need boats to visit their old homes. A massive flood-control plan put the entire valley underwater.

These days, the Great Sacandaga Lake is simply calm water & fishing docks. But there are whole towns sitting in the dark under the surface that most people have absolutely no idea about.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

The people behind 8 well-known brand icons

Hasthi Wand — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:30:06 +0000

Logos are practically everywhere in the world. But have you ever asked yourself who actually came up with them? Some of these faces & figures are connected to real people or weird moments in history. Here are the people behind eight well-known brand icons. Do you know any other odd brand stories?

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Aunt Jemima

In 1893, flour mill owners hired Nancy Green to flip pancakes at Chicago’s World’s Fair. She also had to play the live version of “Aunt Jemima.” This was a character that came from a minstrel tune. She kept doing appearances long after the fair, and turned the song lyric into a living, breathing brand.

Colonel Sanders

Harland Sanders created fried chicken. But he also did so much more than that, as he became the walking ad for the brand. Sanders wore that white suit & black string tie everywhere. He shook hands & posed for photos, even after selling the business in the 1960s. Sanders visited franchise openings just to keep the image alive.

The Michelin Man

It sounds strange, but a French illustrator named O’Galop sketched the Michelin Man way back in 1898. The first version looked like a stack of bicycle tires raising a glass of nails. It had the Latin phrase “Nunc est bibendum” next to it. The phrase means “Now is the time for drinking,” and it’s thanks to this that people started calling the Michelin Man “Bibendum.”

Jolly Green Giant

The Jolly Green Giant wasn’t actually born green. He started as a grumpy caveman character who was meant to sell peas in the 1920s. It wasn’t until the 1930s that he became the taller & greener character that we all know. He was also a lot friendlier. By the 1950s, the Minnesota Valley Canning Company leaned into the brand by renaming themselves after him.

Miss Chiquita

Bananas weren’t common in American kitchens during World War II. As such, United Fruit invented a character to explain how to ripen & eat them. The character’s name was Miss Chiquita & she was a cartoon banana with a Carmen Miranda-style fruit hat. She sang on the radio before ever appearing in print ads.

The Marlboro Man

It’s hard to believe, but people didn’t see filtered cigarettes as masculine in the 1950s. The fix was to put a cowboy on the box. Starting in 1955, Marlboro began photographing Marlboro Man on horseback in a ranch, cigarette in hand. The cowboy idea worked pretty well. So much so that the rugged imagery lasted for decades.

Mickey Mouse

Walt Disney was the one with the big-picture idea. Yet it was his animator, Ub Iwerks, who was the one who created thousands of drawings to bring Mickey Mouse to life. Their first big break was “Steamboat Willie” in 1928. They managed to sync the cartoon to sound & make Mickey a star practically overnight.

Mr. Peanut

Planters ran a contest asking kids to design a mascot. The winner was a 14-year-old named Antonio Gentile, who doodled a peanut with arms & legs. A different artist later added the top hat, monocle & cane. It was thanks to Gentile’s little drawing that we have one of the longest-running food mascots around.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

10 interesting facts about the world’s population

Arvyn Braich — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 20:13:07 +0000

People talk about the world like it’s one big number. However, the statistics about population include some interesting details you don’t hear every day. These go beyond simply who’s living where. Here are ten interesting facts about the world’s population. Which of these surprised you most?

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

The world hit 8 billion on November 15, 2022

Tuesday, November 15th, 2022, was a special date. It was when the UN’s official estimate finally reached over 8 billion people, although they didn’t count heads one by one. This number came from decades of birth & death records blended with census data. It’s more of a symbolic date than a “true” count. But it was still an important moment in history.

India is the most populous country

China had the most people for many years. But in 2023, India pulled ahead, with a gap of around two million people, which sounds small, but it was enough for the UN to call it. India had about 1.428 billion & China slightly less at 1.426 billion. It was a real passing of the crown. And it’s all thanks to the slowing birth rates in China and steady growth in India.

Global births peaked in 2012

More babies were born in 2012 than in any other year so far, at roughly 146 million. That number has decreased slightly since then. Demographers have tracked this figure with fertility rates, but the big picture is that the world’s “baby boom” year already came & went. Who knows when the next one will happen?

The growth rate fell below 1%

2020 sure was a record-breaking year. It was the first time since the 1950s that the global growth rate slipped under 1% a year. The headcount did rise afterwards, but it’s climbing more slowly than before. Fewer than one extra person per hundred has been added each year worldwide.

Eight countries drive over half of growth

Population growth isn’t spread evenly. According to the UN, just eight countries will account for more than half the world’s increase through 2050. These are Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines & Tanzania. The majority of other countries? They’re suffering from low birth rates.

Urban living will reach about 68% by 2050

Anyone who lives in a city will know how packed they feel now. But try imagining nearly 7 out of 10 people worldwide living in one. That’s the UN’s forecast for 2050, and in 2018, the number was closer to 55%. They used data from tracking settlements & standardizing to create this figure. Let’s hope it doesn’t get that bad.

Older adults surpassed under-fives in 2018

In 2018, the worldwide demographic flipped. The number of people aged 65+ outnumbered kids under five for the very first time in history. Looking forward, the UN projects that about one in six people will be 65 or older by 2050. This figure means that the age pyramid will look more like a rectangle in the future.

Japan has the highest share of people over 65

Almost three out of every ten people are now over 65 in Japan. That’s roughly 29% of the population in 2023. It’s a higher figure than anywhere else in the world, even in countries like Italy & Finland. These also have large older populations. But Japan has a high number of older people, yet also a low number of young people.

38% of people live close to coasts

A huge chunk of the world prefers to stay near the water. One 2018 study showed that about 38% of people live within 100 kilometers of a coast, for one reason or another. That’s nearly four out of every ten humans choosing spots that aren’t far from shorelines. It makes sense, though. Coastal zones often mean easier access to trade, food & transportation.

The world will have 43 megacities by 2030

A megacity is defined as 10 million people or more. And the UN expects there will be 43 of them by 2030, although back in 2018, there were only 33. The biggest growth is happening in Asia & Africa. Urban areas are expanding there faster than anywhere else, with cities like Lagos & Kinshasa being on track to join or climb higher on the list.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

7 notable facts about ancient pyramids

Hasthi Wand — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:34:07 +0000

Pyramids have been around for thousands of years. Yet there are still details about them that most people never hear, including some bizarre measurements & purposes. Here are seven interesting facts about ancient pyramids that are backed by science. What other cool things do you know about them?

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

The Great Pyramid’s north alignment

Everyone knows how great the Great Pyramid of Egypt is. But there’s so much more to it than its size. The Great Pyramid’s sides miss true north by just a hair, less than three arcminutes. Evidence suggests builders watched a pair of circumpolar stars line up to get that accuracy. That’s right. No compasses, just star-spotting.

Muon scans mapped a hidden void and a separate corridor

When physicists aimed cosmic-ray detectors at Khufu’s pyramid, they caught something unexpected. They saw a long, empty cavity that they called the “Big Void.” It stretches over 100 feet above the Grand Gallery. Years later, the same method turned up a smaller passage tucked behind chevron blocks on the north face. How incredible is that?

Meroë’s royal cemeteries contain over two hundred pyramids

Egypt isn’t the only place with pyramids. In the south of Sudan, the site of Meroë is like a much more crowded version of the Egyptian ones, with over two hundred pyramids in its cemeteries. They’re smaller & much steeper than Giza’s. They were built roughly 800 BCE & 350 CE, and standing there, you can see the pyramids in all their greatness.

A handclap at Kukulkán’s pyramid

Anyone who visits Chichén Itzá should try this. Clap once at the base of Kukulkán’s pyramid, and instead of a plain echo, you hear a sharp chirp that drops in pitch. Studies show the stone steps scatter sound waves in a way that sounds like a birdcall. The effect works best if you’re facing the staircase head-on.

Mayan pyramids were used as observatories

Some Mayan sites have pyramids that aren’t just places for ceremonies. They were built with angles that matched up with the movements of the sun & stars. This includes the Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal, which has a layout that helped priests follow solar cycles & seasonal changes. That kind of tracking was important for their farming schedule.

The Pyramid of the Moon held sacrificial burials

At Teotihuacan’s Pyramid of the Moon, archeologists uncovered some grim things. They found burials of people with tied hands next to animals like jaguars & eagles. They also found obsidian blades and other offerings placed with them. But that’s not all. These were sealed into the structure during different construction stages, meaning ritual sacrifice was built into the process.

Nubian pyramids often included decorated chapels

The cemeteries of ancient Nubia include pyramids with chapels in the front. These weren’t empty spaces, as they had walls with colorful reliefs & inscriptions that described offerings to the dead. Families could visit and leave food or ritual items there. It helps them keep a connection with the buried.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

10 remarkable facts about the moon

Hasthi Wand — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:13:07 +0000

Everybody’s seen the Moon hanging up there. But it’s a lot stranger than a simple, pale ball of rock. The more scientists poke at it, the weirder it gets, and here are ten remarkable facts about the Moon, backed by science (see the end). Which one of these surprises you the most?

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

The Moon’s core is shaped like Earth’s, but much smaller

To start with, the Moon isn’t simply a solid hunk of rock. It has a tiny inner core that’s made of dense iron-like material. It’s only a few hundred miles wide & is wrapped in a liquid layer. Essentially, you can think about it as being like Earth’s core. But it’s shrunk down by quite a bit. How cool is that?

Some lunar spots are colder than Pluto

Most people know that Pluto’s freezing. But it turns out that parts of the Moon are even colder, as the bottoms of certain lunar craters barely creep above minus 390°F. That’s colder than some parts of deep space. These holes trap ice, and they don’t get a single ray of sunlight. Ever.

The Moon has a 500,000-mile-long sodium tail

The Moon has its own faint orange tail made of sodium atoms, which stretches about half a million miles into space. We can’t see it with our eyes. However, astronomers have cameras that catch the glow around the same time of the new moon. It’s a pretty incredible sight to behold.

Moonquakes can last nearly an hour

You probably know that the Moon doesn’t have earthquakes because, well, it’s not Earth. It has moonquakes instead. The seismometers on Apollo spacecraft have measured these quakes, and some of have gone on for almost an hour. This is because the Moon’s dry crust doesn’t dampen vibrations like Earth’s. As such, the tremors just bounce around for a long time.

Gravity on the Moon is lumpy and weird

Gravity works differently on different parts of the Moon. That means that spacecraft flying over certain spots will be tugged down harder than expected, and those spots are called “mascons.” This is short for mass concentrations. Essentially, they’re hidden gravity potholes & they came from giant asteroid impacts. These left behind heavy, dense layers underground.

The far side is built like a fortress

The far side of the Moon is the one we never see from Earth. It has a crust that’s much thicker than the side we know, and the difference between the two is like the difference between a paper plate & a brick wall. This is one of the main reasons why that side has a lot of rugged mountains, instead of smooth lava plains.

Lava erupted just two billion years ago

Not all Moon lava is as ancient as you might think. In 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 mission scooped up volcanic rock that turned out to be only 1.96 billion years old. That’s practically yesterday from a geologic timeframe. Somehow, the Moon was spewing out lava while dinosaurs were just starting to stir on Earth. That really puts stuff into perspective, doesn’t it?

The Moon once had a magnetic field stronger than Earth’s

The Moon’s surface is relatively quiet today. But long ago, the Moon had a magnetic field that was even stronger than Earth’s. Rocks brought back from Apollo missions show that the field may have been twice as strong as Earth’s. That field lasted for billions of years. It’s quite surprising, given how small the Moon is.

We actually see 59% of the surface

The idea that we only ever see half the Moon isn’t strictly true. The Moon wobbles a little as it orbits, meaning that we get sneak peeks around the edges. Eventually, we see around 59% of the whole lunar surface. It’s not a lot more than half. But it’s enough.

The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth

Scientists have conducted numerous experiments & found out that the Moon isn’t staying put. It drifts a tiny bit farther from Earth each year. It’s not a lot, just over an inch, but it confirms that our lunar neighbor is slowly slipping out of reach. Astronauts left mirrors up on the Moon. On Earth, we bounce lasers off them to measure the distance.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

8 fun (and some gross) facts about fast food

Radha Perera — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 14:45:30 +0000

Fast food’s everywhere. It’s cheap & fast, and also quite interesting when you look past the drive-thru window. Behind every burger combo, there are decades of shortcuts and weird little surprises most people never think about. Here are eight quick bites about fast food. Which one of these facts surprised you the most, and why?

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

The first McDonald’s drive-thru was built for soldiers

Yes, you read that right. The very first McDonald’s drive-thru was built in 1975 in Arizona, near a military base. Soldiers couldn’t step out of their cars while in uniform, so the restaurant decided to cut a hole in the wall & build a window. They passed food through it, and with it, drive-thru culture as we know it took off.

A 20-year burger stayed almost unchanged

In 1999, David Whipple bought a hamburger from McDonald’s, then threw it in his coat pocket & forgot about it. He found the coat again 20 years later. The burger looked essentially the same, including the bun and the patty, and there was no sign of any rot. How did this happen? It’s because the bread & beef had dried out enough that bacteria couldn’t survive on it.

Fast food logos are designed to trigger hunger

Any red & yellow color combinations you see on fast food logos aren’t random. Companies choose them because they literally get your brain moving, as the colors catch your eye and make you feel hungry. This encourages you to order quickly. As a result, many chains use the same shades as a kind of psychological bait.

McDonald’s once tried a bubblegum-flavored broccoli

There was a time in 2014 when McDonald’s decided to make their vegetables taste more fun. So they made bubblegum broccoli. However, the problem was that kids didn’t know what to make of it, since the mix of sweet & savory was confusing. The product never made it onto shelves and was cancelled during testing.

The smell of fried food spreads faster than most cooking odors

Anytime you smell fried food from way down the street, you’re not imagining it. Hot oil kicks tiny aroma-packed droplets into the air, which float around longer than steam from soup or baked bread. As such, that’s why a fryer can make a whole parking lot smell like lunch, even with no food in sight. The smell really is that strong.

Soda fountain ice can be dirtier than toilet water

Time for a gross fact. Tests on ice from drink machines have found quite a bit of bacteria, although it’s usually in the machine instead of the water. When workers don’t clean the inside properly, slime builds up & that’s where the nasty stuff hides. Then it ends up right in your cup. In some cases, the ice has been found to be dirtier and more bacteria-ridden than toilet water.

Fast food salads sometimes have more calories than burgers

Salads sound healthy, but those dressing packets & fried toppings, as well as piles of cheese, make it anything but. Some of the “healthy” options at big chains have more than 800 calories. That’s more than a lot of burgers on the same menu, even though people think lettuce makes food low-calorie. But it’s really just dressing with leaves underneath.

Some burgers contain DNA from unexpected animals

Not every burger is exactly what you think it is. ClearLabs ran DNA tests on fast food patties and picked up traces from animals that weren’t supposed to be there. Thankfully, these were tiny amounts, stuff you’d never notice, but they included chicken & even rat in a few cases. It’s usually down to how everything’s processed on massive shared equipment.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

12 things you may not know about Queen Elizabeth II

Arvyn Braich — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 14:45:28 +0000

Most people think they’ve heard everything about Queen Elizabeth II. You know the stuff, like corgis & hats, as well as waving from balconies. But there were quite a few interesting details about her life story that rarely make the rounds. Here are things you probably didn’t know about Queen Elizabeth II. Which one do you think is the most interesting?

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

She opened the UK’s early internet link in 1976

During a time when computers were the size of fridges and they didn’t have fancy screens, Queen Elizabeth II actually launched Britain’s ARPANET node. This was a very early internet link for the UK. Her ceremonial “login” was tied to the same network, which eventually turned into the internet.

Her goodwill message is literally on the Moon

There’s a tiny silicon disk sitting near the Apollo 11 landing site that is engraved with messages from dozens of leaders. This includes Elizabeth II. Of course, the Queen herself never went to the Moon, but her words made the trip with the astronauts & were left behind on the lunar surface for good.

She was the first reigning monarch to visit Australia

It might sound strange, but in 1954, Queen Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to ever visit Australia. Other members of the royal family had visited before her, but never a reigning King or Queen. She traveled around the country meeting crowds & millions turned out, with the visit becoming a massive national event that people still remember now.

She carried only cash on Sundays for church

Normally, Queen Elizabeth II didn’t bother with money at all. But Sundays were different. She used to keep a bill in her handbag so she could drop it into the collection plate at church, and it was either a £5 or £10 note, depending on the week. It was part of her weekly routine.

Her birthplace is now a Cantonese restaurant

The London townhouse where the Queen was born was at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair. Except now, it doesn’t look regal anymore because it is home to a fancy Cantonese restaurant. That’s right. People eat dim sum where a future queen once lived because London doesn’t waste prime real estate.

She owned all dolphins, sturgeons & whales in the UK

The old rules about monarchs in the UK meant that any unmarked dolphins, whales, or sturgeons found in British waters technically belonged to her. In fact, they even had a name for them, which was “fishes royal.” But she didn’t exactly go around tagging sea creatures, although they legally were hers.

She used a single nail polish color for decades

For more than thirty years, the Queen’s nails stayed the same shade of pale pink, which was called “Ballet Slippers” by the nail brand Essie. She wasn’t someone who went for trendy colors. Instead, she went for that same bottle again & again, with her staff actually restocking before it ran out.

She could do a dead-on Concorde jet impression

The Queen apparently had a weird party trick. She could mimic the sound of a Concorde jet landing, and it wasn’t a delicate hum either, but rather a complete & accurate impression. It was something that she mostly did in private, of course.

She never held a passport

As a head of state, the Queen never needed a passport, and she didn’t require paperwork to travel abroad. The Queen was essentially the issuing authority for passports in the UK. It was the same deal for driver’s licenses, as she legally didn’t have to carry one. Her car didn’t even need license plates.

She once partied incognito on V-Day

The Queen slipped out of the palace with Princess Margaret at the end of World War II, simply to join the massive street celebrations. They blended into the crowd & danced the conga with them, while also roaming through London all night. Hardly anyone realized the future queen was in the middle of it all. She claimed it was “one of the most memorable nights of my life.”

Her wedding tiara snapped on the big day

Right before her wedding ceremony, the diamond tiara she planned to wear suddenly broke. It completely snapped. As such, palace officials rushed Garrard’s jewellers in to fix it on the spot & they managed to repair it just in time. She walked down the aisle wearing it like nothing happened.

She had a personal bagpiper as a morning alarm

There was an official role called the Piper to the Sovereign. On mornings when she was in residence, the piper played for 15 minutes at 9 AM under her window, with the position dating back to Queen Victoria & continuing through Elizabeth II’s reign. Pipe Major Paul Burns was the last person to play for her, and he also played at her funeral.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article:

8 tactics grocery stores use to shape your choices

Arvyn Braich — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 17:49:58 +0000

You’re not the one calling the shots in the grocery store. Behind the shelves & signs is a system steering every single one of your choices, whether it’s the snacks you get or the route you take. Here are eight tactics grocery stores use to shape your choices. Which one have you actually seen in real life?

Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Bigger carts quietly nudge bigger hauls

You may have noticed that carts seem absolutely huge now, and that’s not by accident. When the basket’s deeper, your brain changes what it sees as “normal.” This means that throwing in a few extra boxes or items doesn’t feel like much. And once you add cushy handles & smooth wheels, suddenly, a half-full cart looks rather empty.

Right-hand paths and the racetrack route

Most stores are designed like a loop where you end up walking it clockwise. The perimeter has milk, eggs, bread & produce, all the stuff you actually came for, but between those staples are some strategic detours. A well-placed display or sign right on that loop will pull you into aisles you didn’t plan to visit. But the grocery store wanted you to.

Slow background music changes your pace

The playlist isn’t there for ambiance. When the music goes a little slower, you do as well, and you’ll spend more time wandering with slower steps. Somehow, you end up browsing things you normally breeze past. Fast music has the opposite effect. As such, grocery stores rarely use this kind of music.

Shelf facings and top shelves boost attention

The way products are lined up matters way more than people think. For example, a cereal box with four facings is more likely to catch people’s eyes than one crammed in the corner. The top shelves are also prime territory because your eyes naturally land there first, so brands fight hard for that real estate.

Endcaps at the back pull you into aisles

Sure, the flashy endcaps up front are obvious, but the really powerful ones are the ones at the back. Those displays sit at the end of quieter aisles to pull people in. Whenever you walk by, you’ll see a glimpse of chips or new coffee flavors, which will encourage you to go down an aisle you weren’t planning to enter.

Ambient scents & front-of-store aromas

The first few steps into a grocery store usually smell much better than they have any right to. And it’s not just luck. Grocery stores deliberately place bakeries & coffee stations, even flowers, right near the entrance because the smell hits you quickly. It wakes up your appetite and puts your brain in “buying” mode before you’ve got a cart.

Lighting changes depending on the section

You should pay attention to the lights in the grocery store because they’re not the same everywhere. In the produce section, there’s bright, crisp lighting so everything looks extra fresh, while in wine or specialty sections, the lighting softens a bit so people slow down. Packaged aisles usually sit somewhere between the two.

Eye-catching floor patterns slow you down

The flooring may not seem like it’d matter, yet it does. Some sections have tiles that suddenly get smaller or have busier patterns, which makes you naturally ease up your pace. In that extra moment when you stop, those nearby displays get a better shot at grabbing your attention. It’s quite smart.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article: