Áudio: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kt5UZdyephpAZ6xUsWq5B?si=NuFZ6VnzTAmIwO40Hdj4Yw
- The Great Wall of China is not visible from space with the naked eye: Despite popular belief, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space without aid. It’s still an impressive structure, but you need a telescope or binoculars to spot it from the Earth’s orbit.
- The shortest war in history: The Anglo-Zanzibar War, which took place on August 27, 1896, lasted for only 38 minutes. It occurred between the United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Zanzibar and resulted in a swift victory for the British.
- Cleopatra lived closer to the time of the first Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid: Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, lived around 30 BCE, while the Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed around 2560 BCE. The Apollo 11 Moon landing happened in 1969 CE.
- The Eiffel Tower can grow taller in the summer: Due to thermal expansion, the iron structure of the Eiffel Tower can expand in the heat of summer, making it grow approximately 6 inches taller during warmer months.
- Ancient Romans used urine as a mouthwash: In ancient times, Romans believed that urine had antiseptic properties, so they used it as a mouthwash for dental hygiene.
- The world’s oldest known customer complaint: A customer complaint was found inscribed on a clay tablet from ancient Mesopotamia (around 1750 BCE). It complained about the poor quality of copper ingots received.
- Napoleon Bonaparte was once attacked by a horde of rabbits: During a hunting trip in 1807, a group of rabbits startled Napoleon’s horse, causing him to fall off and leading to a humorous encounter with the small creatures.
- Coca-Cola was originally green: The iconic soft drink Coca-Cola was originally green due to the color of the coca leaves used in its original formula.
- The first recorded joke dates back to 1900 BCE: A Sumerian proverb from ancient Mesopotamia is recognized as the earliest known joke: “Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.”
- The world’s oldest known recipe: The oldest recorded recipe is an ancient Sumerian recipe for beer, dating back to around 3,900 BCE.
- The shortest reigning monarch: Louis XIX of France holds the record for the shortest reign in history, serving as the French king for just 20 minutes in 1830 before abdicating the throne.
- The longest wedding veil: The longest wedding veil ever recorded was worn by Maria Paraskeva of Cyprus in 2018. It measured an astonishing 22,843 feet (almost 7 kilometers) long.
- The invention of the sandwich: The sandwich was named after John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who was an avid gambler. He requested his food to be served between two slices of bread so that he could continue playing cards without interruption.
- The dancing plague of 1518: In Strasbourg, France, in 1518, a mysterious phenomenon occurred where hundreds of people danced uncontrollably for days on end, leading to exhaustion, injury, and even death. The cause remains unclear to this day.
- The first computer programmer: Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician, and writer, is considered the first computer programmer. In the mid-19th century, she wrote the world’s first algorithm for Charles Babbage’s analytical engine, a precursor to modern computers.
- The accidental discovery of the microwave oven: The microwave oven was invented in 1945 when engineer Percy Spencer noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket melted while he was testing a magnetron tube used in radar technology.
- The Great Emu War: In 1932 Australia experienced an unusual “war” against emus. Farmers requested military support to deal with an emu overpopulation problem, leading to a humorous and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to control the emu population.
- The longest-serving ruler: Pepi II Neferkare, a pharaoh of ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom, is believed to have reigned for approximately 94 years, making him one of the longest-serving rulers in history.
- The origin of the fortune cookie: Contrary to popular belief, fortune cookies were not originally from China but were first created in California, USA, in the early 20th century.
- The shortest war between two sovereign states: The war between Britain and the Sultanate of Quedah in 1894, known as the “Anglo-Quedah War,” lasted for just 15 minutes, with the British warship quickly overpowering the opposing forces.