DISCOVERING FASCINATING TIDBITS

By Beki Hafsoh

 

Knock knock knock! It's me again, bringing fun and facts to your doorstep. Sit down or keep standing and be awed by these facts. Just make sure to close your mouth because flies are buzzing around in excitement at this moment. Here are fun facts that fascinate you and make your brain freestyle the Pluto Dance.

 

· Did you know that the fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia? Imagine telling your therapist that you're scared of long words, only for them to diagnose you with this tongue-twister of a term! Ironically, I can't even pronounce it myself.

Are you still trying to pronounce the word? Come on, guys, let's move on.

 

· Let's talk fandoms. BTS and Swifties are known for their passionate followings, but did you know a fan once spent $3000 on a lock of Neil Armstrong's hair in 2004? That amount would equate to about 4.8 million Nigerian Naira today! It's a staggering sum for a memento, even if you're the biggest fan.

 

· Here's a geographic oddity: Australia is wider than the moon! While the moon's diameter measures 3400 km, Australia spans almost 4000 km from east to west. It's not just wide—it is the largest island, the sixth-largest country, and the smallest continent.

 

· Social media has made hashtags ubiquitous, but did you know their original name is Octothorpe? Next time you reach for the # key, remember to call it by its classy alter ego, octothorpe. Unless you enjoy being the odd one out, of course!

 

· Ever noticed that none of the words spelling out numbers 1 to 999 contain the letter 'A'? It's an odd linguistic quirk that emerges when you least expect it.

 

· The first animal to travel out of space was fruit flies. If they can make the journey, what's stopping you?

· In a humorous anecdote, during Big Brother Naija 2019, a housemate compared another to a Chihuahua. Chihuahuas are the smallest dog breed, but their personalities pack a punch—clearly, size wasn't the point!

 

· Back in the 1830s, tomato ketchup was sold as medicine! People believed it could cure everything from diarrhoea to indigestion. It was even quite alcoholic in its early days due to the medicinal properties thought to be in tomatoes.

 

· Did you know bees can fly higher than Mount Everest? So next time you sing Labrinth's "Mount Everest ain't got shit on me," remember Mount Everest ain't got nothing on those bees.

 

And with that, we've come to the end of this week's fun facts. See you next time!