11/08/2023
Amazed young girl in white shirt with hands on cheeks looking shocked, childlike wonder facts
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If there's one thing most kids have in abundance, it's a sense of awe. Everything is new and exciting when you're a child—but often that wide-eyed curiosity starts to fade over time, which surely shouldn't always have to be the case. And with that in mind, we've rounded up 100 bits of fun trivia that will make your day and restore that childlike sense of wonder. So park your cynicism at the door and read on to be reminded how awe-inspiring the world really is.
100 Days To Live
1A reservoir in space holds 140 trillion times the amount of water in Earth's oceans.
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NASA has found some pretty incredible things in space, and that includes a floating reservoir of water that holds the equivalent of 140 trillion times all the water that's in Earth's oceans. What makes it even more amazing is the fact that the reservoir surrounds a giant black hole.
More than 12 billion light-years away from Earth, the reservoir is more proof "that water is pervasive throughout the universe," says Matt Bradford, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
2The word "muscle" comes from a Latin term meaning "little mouse."
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Bend your arm at the elbow and flex. What do you see when you look at your bicep? The ancient Romans apparently saw the resemblance of a tiny rodent, which is why it's called a "muscle," a word derived from the Latin term musculus—meaning "little mouse," according to Merriam-Webster.
3Tic Tac mints are named after the sound their container makes.
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In 1970, Ferrero was looking to replace "Refreshing Mints" as the name of its now iconic mini mouth fresheners. Instead of going with a similarly straightforward approach, the brand says the name we all know now was inspired by the tic and the tac sounds heard when you open and close the little plastic container the mints come in.
4Dr. Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham as part of a bet.
green eggs and ham
Random House
The Cat in the Hat was published in 1957 and used a mere 236 words to tell the quirky feline's fantastical story. However, the book's author, Dr. Seuss, topped that feat with even fewer words when his publisher, Bennett Cerf, bet him that he couldn't write a book using 50 words or less. Green Eggs and Ham hit bookstores three years later and uses exactly 50 words.
5Peanuts can be used to make dynamite.
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Obviously, peanuts are a tasty snack—as long as you're not allergic to them, that is. But did you know they can also be used to make dynamite? When extracted, peanut oil can be turned into glycerol, which can then make nitroglycerine, an unstable explosive substance used in dynamite. In a safer state, glycerol is also used for soaps, creams, and various food products.
6The largest volcano in the solar system is three times taller than Mount Everest.
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Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on earth, reaching 5.5 miles into the sky. However, you'd need to stack three Everests on top of each other in order to create something as massive as Mars' Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system. The enormous volcano is 16 miles tall and stretches 374 miles wide—approximately the same size as the state of Arizona, according to NASA.
7An 11-year-old is responsible for naming Pluto.
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In 1930, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) was struggling to come up with a name for a newly-discovered planet. They considered Minerva, Zeus, Atlas, and Persephone—but it was 11-year-old Venetia Burney Phair who suggested Pluto, inspired by the god of the underworld. When the idea eventually reached RAS with the help of the girl's connected family—her librarian grandfather knew many astronomers—they loved it and ultimately decided to use the suggestion.
8Armadillos swallow air to become buoyant when they swim.
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When armadillos go swimming, they don't need a flotation device to keep them from sinking—they are the flotation device. To stay afloat, the creatures swallow air to make themselves buoyant, according to the Library of Congress. However, they also have another option, which involves expelling air so they can sink and walk across the bottom of a body of water. Stunningly, armadillos can hold their breath for six minutes or more.
9People write love letters to trees in Australia via email.
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The city of Melbourne, Australia, wants to take care of its trees—so much so that in 2013, they assigned each one an email address so that the public could report any problems—like dangerous branches—that they noticed.
However, instead of sending messages about issues, people began writing love letters to the trees. "My dearest Ulmus," one note began, according to The Atlantic. "As I was leaving St. Mary's College today I was struck, not by a branch, but by your radiant beauty. You must get these messages all the time. You're such an attractive tree."
10Where the Wild Things Are was supposed to have been about horses—but the illustrator couldn't draw them.
Where the Wild Things Are
HarperCollins Publishers
Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are is a beloved children's book from 1963 that was inspired by the author's own childhood. But it wasn't always about the so-called "wild things." The book was originally going to be about a young boy who finds himself in a land filled with wild horses. Although Sendak's editor loved the idea, there was one problem: Sendak, who was also the book's illustrator, couldn't draw horses. However, he was able to draw "wild things"—and so the entire premise of the book changed.
