Curious Mind Blowing Facts - 52

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~ happiness is a choice.

**Warning: You may want to eat breakfast before reading this next CMBF:
A recent fatberg has forced the cancellation of a Bryan Adams concert in Perth, Australia on public health grounds.
A fatberg is a solid mass of fat, grease, oil, and non-biodegradable waste that builds up in sewer systems. Fatbergs can block sewers and cause raw sewage to spill into streets and homes.

What causes fatbergs?

• Fats, oils, and grease: Cooking oils, grease, and fats poured down drains

• Non-biodegradable items: Wet wipes, paper towels, tissues, feminine hygiene products, dental floss, cotton swabs, food scraps, and coffee grounds

How do fatbergs form?

• Fatbergs form in the slower moving parts of the sewer network.
  The materials stick together, harden, and form massive blockages

How are fatbergs removed?

• Sanitation workers use high-powered pressure washers, saws, and pick-axes to break fatbergs apart.

• The smaller chunks can then be removed from the sewer by hand or using an industrial vacuum

Why are fatbergs a problem?

• Fatbergs can cause public health problems by allowing raw sewage to spill into streets and homes.
  

• Fatbergs can also end up in lakes, rivers, and oceans, posing a threat to marine wildlife

Last year, a fatberg weighing roughly the same as three double-decker buses was cleared from an east London sewer. And New York, Denver, Melbourne and Valencia have all found giant fatbergs blocking their waterways in recent years.

Not to be confused with Fatburger, a North American fast food chain:

Almost every city in China has an unauthorized Apple Store that's branded with the Apple logo and proclaims itself an Apple experience store, flagship store or exclusive stores. The products sold in these stores may be real, but the stores are not endorsed by Apple.

TMI About Porcupines:

Breeding happens in the fall, usually September in Alaska. Males looking for mates roam up to five times their usual range. If two males want the same female, they fight. They use their teeth and quills, and the biggest, strongest male usually wins.

The winner sprays the female with urine. If she’s not ready, she shakes it off and leaves. If she is, she stays. Mating happens with the female in front and the male behind. She curls her tail over her back to cover most of her quills.

Males are ready to breed at 24 months. Females at 12.

They don’t build them like they used to. Frank Lloyd Wright's Chicago Midway Gardens complex, which only lasted from 1914 to 1929, "was so solidly constructed that tearing it down sent the wrecking company into bankruptcy."

from the internet

Rainbows happen when sunlight hits raindrops and bends, bouncing inside before shooting back out in a spectrum of colors. The angle has to be just right—about 42 degrees—to see the full arc.
Hawaii is the rainbow capital of the world because of its unique weather. The islands get lots of sun and frequent light rain, often at the same time. Trade winds push moisture up the mountains, creating quick showers followed by sunshine. Plus, Hawaii’s clean air helps colors pop.
Whether you're in Honolulu or up in the hills, rainbows are everywhere—sometimes even double ones.

Do you remember the “Double Rainbow” guy? :

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Not so fast…

Before the Super Bowl, the NFL produces championship merchandise for both competing teams to ensure immediate availability for the winners. After the game, the league donates the losing team's pre-printed merchandise to international charities, a practice adopted in 1997 to prevent waste and support communities in need.
Initially partnering with World Vision, the NFL now collaborates with Good360, which collects and distributes the unused gear to areas outside the United States. This process ensures that the merchandise benefits those in need while preventing it from entering the U.S. market.
In addition to apparel, the NFL prepares celebratory confetti in both teams' colors. After the game, the unused confetti designated for the losing team is returned to the manufacturer for recycling and reuse. These measures reflect the NFL's commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, ensuring that all pre-produced materials are used beneficially and do not go to waste.

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More music is being released today (in a single day) than was released in the calendar year of 1989.

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Speaking of tariffs -

Tesla buys aluminum from Rusal, a Russian metals company. They need aluminum to cast parts and make body shells for cars like the Model Y.

Why not buy from the U.S.? Well, two major aluminum smelters in the U.S. shut down after a government policy (Proclamation 9704). Since 2020, U.S. aluminum production dropped by 30%, and in 2024, smelters were running at only 52% capacity. The U.S. actually gets most of its aluminum—almost 3 million metric tonnes—from Canada.

As for the Cybertruck, it’s made of stainless steel. But “stainless” doesn’t mean it never stains—just that it stains less. In fact it rusts as recent articles have shown. Tesla says it uses a special kind of stainless steel, from a Finnish company with a plant in Alabama.

Funny how people talk big about keeping things local… but money talks louder.

From Guinness World Records:

In just one day, Aaryan Shukla, a 14-year-old prodigy from India, broke an impressive total of six records:

• Fastest time to mentally add 100 four-digit numbers - 30.9 sec

• Fastest time to mentally add 200 four-digit numbers - 1 min 9.68 sec

• Fastest time to mentally add 50 five-digit numbers - 18.71 sec

• Fastest time to mentally divide a 20-digit number by a ten-digit number (set of ten) - 5 min 42 sec

• Fastest time to mentally multiply two five-digit numbers (set of ten) - 51.69 sec

• Fastest time to mentally multiply two eight-digit numbers (set of ten) - 2 min 35.41 sec

OnlyFans creators received a stunning $5.3B in payouts which was more than the total NBA salaries of $4.9B for the 2023-24 season. https://x.com/TrungTPhan

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The top 5 bands of all time (certified units sold)

• #5 Rolling Stones - 103.2 million units sold

• #4 Pink Floyd - 124 million units sold

• #3 Led Zeppelin - 142.9 million units sold

• #2 Queen - 186 million units sold

• #1 The Beatles - 293 million units sold

Ever looked at your whole life as a webpage? Check out every week of Gina Trapani’s life…

https://weeks.ginatrapani.org/

How could you modify and personalize this? Maybe have a link to all of your posts on your journey through Substack?

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The best available evidence suggests that marriage is about 4,350 years old. More - https://theweek.com/articles/528746/origins-marriage

In October 2024, Elon offered to donate $1 billion to Wikipedia to change the name to "Dickipedia.

Pistachios aren’t nuts—they’re seeds. And they’re a superfood, packed with healthy fats, fibre, and antioxidants. They’re even considered a complete protein.

Originally from the Middle East, pistachios made their way to the U.S., where California now grows more than anywhere else in the world.

But back in Iran, Turkey, and Syria, where most Eastern varieties are grown, these little green gems are serious business.

In Turkey, pistachio orchards are so valuable they’re guarded. There’s even a Pistachio Mafia—because, apparently, stealing these seeds is worth the risk.
More:

A couple of Videos

World First: Skydiver Hooks Onto a Plane Mid-Air!

Charlie bit his brother’s finger, again:

No more Chuck Norris jokes (🤔). His office called, and well, his secretary said “Chuck may be ‘paying you a visit’.” Yikes!

So I have this joke for you instead:

When Miley Cyrus licks a sledgehammer, she's "sexy" and "an artist."
When I do it, I'm "disturbing" and get "banned from Home Depot."
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My editor, Mrs. Pau1 thinks these CMBF’s are getting a bit long. So I am going to cut the length back to about 3/4 of the previous word count. Let me know if this is a good idea, and which fact was your favorite. Thanks for reading!