Curious Mind Blowing Facts - 72
Concrete Fact: Concrete is the second most widely used substance on Earth, after water.
The average number of hours the average American works in a lifetime is 90,000 hours. A standard 40-hour workweek, with 52 weeks in a year, would result in 2,080 hours annually. You can countdown your hours left until retirement with this little countdown timer I made just for you: https://1app.ca/countdown.html
An album by the group The Mamas and The Papas was pulled from shelves for indecency because the cover had a toilet in the corner of the shot. In keeping with Substack’s decency rules the cover is shown below with an obscured version of the toilet:
Bonus - The correct name of the group is The Mamas & the Papas. While some may have mistakenly written it as "Mama's and the Papa's" with apostrophes, the official name does not include them. The name was inspired by the Hells Angels referring to women as "mamas".
But, misteakes happen! During the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which officially ended World War II, the Canadian representative, Colonel Lawrence Cosgrave, signed in the space designated for France. This error caused the representatives of France, New Zealand, and the Netherlands to sign on the lines intended for the countries behind them. The mistake was later rectified by having the names of the affected countries crossed out and rewritten in the correct order, with initials added to acknowledge the changes.
James Rothschild is one lucky guy!
While his individual net worth is substantial, it's worth noting that the broader Rothschild family's wealth is estimated to be in the trillions. James Rothschild's wealth is a significant portion of this, but it's not the entirety of the family's overall fortune.
Plus he is married to Nicky Hilton, whose family is also kinda rich. The Hilton family's net worth is estimated to be over $14.2 billion.
Plus James is also an heir to his mom’s family, who is a member of the Guinness family, known for brewing.
But is he happy?
An unlucky guy is Walter Summerford. He was struck by lightning multiple times in his life, and even after his death, his grave was struck again.
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And why is James plural. Shouldn’t the name be Jame?
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Have you ever wondered why subways use tiles instead of other wall coverings? Me either, but here’s why…
Tiles reflect light, making the subway tunnels brighter and more inviting. The reflections also create the illusion of a larger space, which is always a plus when you’re stuck in a tube for hours.
Subway tunnels are dirty from brake dust, oil, moisture, and soot. Tiles don’t degrade easily and are much easier to clean than other wall coverings. Plus, if a tile gets damaged, you can replace it individually without causing too much disruption.
Aesthetics. Tiles come in a variety of colours and patterns, which can help define different areas and create signage. This makes it easier for people to navigate around the subway and find their way to their destinations.
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If you had bought Bitcoin in June of 2010, instead of an iPhone 4, that Bitcoin would be worth more than $1 Billion dollars today.
BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF:
The World's largest asset manager BlackRock's 18 month old Bitcoin ETF drives more revenue than its S&P 500 fund — Bloomberg
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A Feelgooder - Chimp’s heartfelt reaction on seeing the careraker who rescued him years ago:
https://v.redd.it/2r775te6pv9f1/DASH_1080.mp4
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Elmer, the mascot for Elmer's Glue, and Elsie, the Borden's Milk mascot, are depicted as a married couple. Elmer the Bull is Elsie's fictional husband. They even have children, Beulah and Beauregard, in the fictional world of Borden's advertising.
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2025 reported that computing is on track to outpace different forms of temperature regulation (HVAC) as the highest commercial energy consumers, sucking up nearly 350 billion kilowatt-hours by 2050.
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🐝🍯
Honey lasts practically forever without spoiling because of three special natural features:
1. Super Low Water Content
Honey is about 80% sugar and only 17% water – too "dry" for bacteria or mold to grow (they need lots of water to survive). The sugar molecules literally suck moisture out of any microbes that land in it.
2. It’s Naturally Acidic
Honey has a pH between 3 and 4.5 (similar to orange juice or vinegar). Most bacteria and fungi can't handle this acidic environment.
3. Bees Add a Natural Preservative
Bees add an enzyme to nectar that makes tiny amounts of hydrogen peroxide (the same antiseptic in your medicine cabinet) as the honey ripens. This fights germs.
Bonus Facts:
- If honey crystallizes (gets gritty), it’s still safe! Just warm it up.
- Archaeologists found edible 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs!
- *Keep it sealed* though – if water gets in (like from a wet spoon), it can spoil over time.
Honey is a natural germ-fighting superfood! 🐝🍯
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I have no idea what this is supposed to be, but I have to agree with the author of the story on Kottke (https://kottke.org/25/06/large-hadron-couture-collider) that it may be the most sci-fi looking thing on Earth:
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Ferrari is building a 100-foot yacht that can fly without an engine. It will be the first of its size in the world to be entirely energy self-sufficient. Premiering in 2026. https://interestingengineering.com/transportation/ferrari-unveils-hypersail-yacht-without-engine
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I used to be a college radio Disk Jockey in the late ’70’s. I would have weird ideas. A few times I played this song on both turntables at once just a half a second apart. I thought I was edgy.
The band had only one album, and featured drummer Bobby Caldwell from the Johnny Winter Band, Vocalist and Harmonica player Keith Relf (of the Yardbirds and Renaissance), guitarist Martin Pugh (of Steamhammer), and bassist Louis Cennamo (also played in Renaissance and Steamhammer with Pugh). I sure like the name “Steamhammer“ for a hard rock band.
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The longest Major League Baseball game by innings was 26 innings, played between the Brooklyn Robins (now the Los Angeles Dodgers) and the Boston Braves (now the Atlanta Braves) on May 1, 1920. The game ended in a 1-1 tie due to darkness.
There’s a bacterium nicknamed “Conan the Bacterium” that is nearly a billion years old. Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human - and every other organism.
Stephen King played the Lou Bega song “Mambo No. 5” so much his wife threatened to divorce him.
Geoff Peterson, the animatronic human skeleton who served as the sidekick on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, was designed and built by MythBusters' Grant Imahara.
Jimi Hendrix was not encouraged to play music as a child. He got his first guitar at the age of fifteen, and his first electric guitar a year later.
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The Professor Tolkien Reads Poems and Songs of Middle Earth -
https://www.youtube.com/@theprofessortolkienreads5027/playlists
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The fastest Mercedes ever made was called the W125 Rekordwagen, and was built nearly 90 years ago. In 1937! As written in a hotcars.com article, “it managed to hit an astonishing 268.9 mph over a flying kilometer on a public road! That record was set by Rudolf Caracciola, a prominent racing driver of the day who drove for Mercedes-Benz during their incredibly dominant "Silver Arrow" years.”
It was a one off vehicle, built specifically for one purpose. To go as fast as possible.
https://www.hotcars.com/fastest-mercedes-benz-cars-ever-made/
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The Empress of Ireland:
The sinking of the Empress of Ireland in 1914 remains Canada's worst maritime disaster, yet is far less known than the Titanic. Shockingly, it claimed more passenger lives (836) than the Titanic (832) despite being equipped with modern safety features. The ship sank in just 14 minutes after being rammed by a coal carrier in the St. Lawrence River, leaving no time for orderly evacuation.
One enduring mystery involved survivor Gordon Davidson, a UBC professor long believed to have swum 6.5 km to shore in freezing water. A century later, research revealed this was a myth: A Vancouver newspaper had speculated about his swimming ability, and the story spread. In reality, Davidson was rescued by a lifeboat like other survivors. The disaster faded from memory partly because its working-class victims lacked Titanic's celebrity passengers, and World War I erupted weeks later.
There are many types of specialized single topic newsletters out there. Another segment I’m exploring is Local Newsletters. Specific towns or city news. Local grocery, events, real estate, vehicle deals with a focus on a particular market area. Examples:
https://naptownscoop.beehiiv.com/
Check out my buddy Chuck’s website.
Chuck Norris can tie his shoe while running.
Thanks for looking, and such!
I had to laugh when I saw the '100-foot yacht that can fly without an engine ' - with desert camouflage? Oh wait - maybe they were going to fly across the water so they could go fight a war in a desert? (snort)
The flu has to get Chuck Norris shots every year.
I never knew my birth name -- James -- was plural. Perhaps my sister was correct when she called me Jame (Jam-ie).