Mind-blowing fun facts: From tearful clues to speedy wars

DID you miss last week’s surprising facts? Don’t worry, we have got another round to tantalise your brain! This week, we will explore the science behind crying, discover the world’s shortest war (spoiler alert: it’s shockingly brief!), and delve into the surprising world of trees and sliced bread.
Prepare to have your mind blown!

Tears talk: Unveiling the reason behind the drops
Scientists can apparently tell why you are crying just by looking at which eye sheds the first tear! A tear from the right eye signifies joy, while a tear from the left indicates sadness.

Mighty Nile: The world’s longest river
The Nile River reigns supreme, stretching a whopping 6 853 kilometres. This vital waterway nourishes a staggering 11 different countries.

Tree talk: The secret language of the forest
Move over, talking animals! Acacia trees in Africa have their own communication network. They release gasses to warn their fellow trees about hungry herbivores, prompting them to produce a protective toxin.

Aloha in 13 Letters: The compact Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language boasts a streamlined alphabet with just 13 letters, including the unique ‘okina (‘) for a glottal stop sound.

CNN: 24/7 news takes the stage
Fast forward to 1980: Cable News Network (CNN) launched its 24-hour news service, forever changing the way we consume news. Their around-the-clock coverage of the Persian Gulf War in 1991 solidified their global presence.

The shortest war ever: A 38-minute whirlwind
History buffs, take note! The Anglo-Zanzibar War, fought in 1896, holds the record for the shortest war ever, lasting a mere 38 minutes!

The printing press: Revolutionising information sharing
Invented by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440, the printing press transformed how knowledge spread, paving the way for our modern information age.

Google’s powerhouse: Finding answers in a flash
Did you know that a thousand computers work together to answer your Google queries in a lightning-fast 0.2 seconds?

Your nose knows: A super smeller
Your amazing nose boasts 400 scent receptors, capable of detecting a trillion different odours! Paired with your brain, it can remember a staggering 50 000 scents.

Sliced bread: A loaf-changer
Say goodbye to uneven slices! The first commercially available sliced bread hit shelves in Chillicothe, Missouri, in 1928, thanks to Otto Frederick Rohwedder’s ingenious slicing machine.

There’s more! Keep reading for even more mind-blowing facts:
l Elephants are the only mammals that can’t jump.
l Canned baked beans are actually stewed, not baked.
l We don’t sneeze in our sleep because our brains shut down the reflex.
l The ocean produces half the world’s oxygen, not rainforests.
l There are more trees on Earth than stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
l The letter “J” is missing from the periodic table.
l Spinning a ball as you drop it makes it fly due to the Magnus effect.
l Babies have more bones than adults (300 vs 206) for easier birth and growth.
l Light takes eight minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth.