Hard to believe but in the 1830s, tomato ketchup was sold as a medicine, claiming to cure ailments like diarrhea, indigestion, and jaundice. The idea was proposed by Dr. John Cook Bennett, who later sold the recipe in the form of ‘tomato pills’. As numerous people began to sell ketchup as a medicine, the market reportedly collapsed in the 1850s.

There have been a few studies around this and it turns out that just like us, dogs have a preferred hand (well, paw) to lead with. You can find out whether your dog is left or right-pawed by giving them their favorite toy or interactive game and seeing which paw they use to help them first.

Umbrellas were the ancient equivalent of donning a pair of high heels—only women would use them, and they were a blatant symbol of femininity. In fact, in many ancient cultures, men brandishing umbrellas was a sign of effeminacy.

Because they need to periodically come up for air and keep an eye out for potential predators, dolphins can’t curl up and zonk out at night as land mammals can. So they must stay somewhat conscious and sleep with the proverbial one eye open.

On average, your brain generates about 10 to 23 watts of power, which may not seem like much, but it’s enough to power a light bulb. Upon awakening, it can produce up to 30 to 35 watts.

Although it is a holiday brought to Korea from Western countries, Korean Valentine’s day (February 14th) is celebrated a bit differently. In Korea, women give gifts to men. The customary gift is chocolate. Traditionally, men that receive these gifts will give a gift in return the following month on White Day. This has been changing in recent years, as retailers have begun targeting Men and Women on both days.

Technically, white chocolate is not chocolate. In order to qualify as chocolate, a product must contain cocoa solids. And white chocolate does no such thing. Instead, it’s usually made from a combination of cocoa butter, lecithin (a fatty emulsifier), milk products, sugar, and vanilla.

There are more than 70 varieties of mushrooms that can glow in the dark. One of these includes the Panellus stipticus (also known as the bitter oyster), which is one of the brightest-glowing examples of bioluminescent fungi. This mushroom is found throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. These flat mushrooms grow on tree branches creating a mesmerizing effect as soon as the sun goes down.

The name “hamburger” comes from the seaport town of Hamburg, Germany, where it is thought that 19th-century sailors brought back the idea of raw shredded beef (known today as beef tartare) after trading with the Baltic provinces of Russia. During WWII, hamburgers in the U.S. were renamed “liberty steaks” to avoid their German-sounding name.

Where should a mosquito-hater live? Well, there are only two places in the world that are completely and utterly mosquito-free: Antarctica and Iceland.

Everyone is literally made of stardust. Hydrogen and Helium (what stars are made of) are fused in the cores of stars and form all the heavier elements. When stars explode their contents are scattered across the universe and those scraps became everything and everyone.

It only takes 17 muscles to break out into a smile, but a whopping 43 muscles to frown. 😃 🙇🏽

When a rabbit gets excited and begins hopping around, it’s called a binky. When describing a large number of bunnies, it is called a fluffle.

The anatomy of a pig’s neck muscles and spine limits the movement of their head and restricts them to look totally upwards. But don’t despair, all is not lost, pigs can lie on their backs and see the sky.

Former US President Richard Nixon once smuggled a suitcase full of weed through the airport for Louis Armstrong. In 1958, then-veep Nixon spotted a nervous-looking Armstrong in the customs line. Seeing an opportunity to help a legend Nixon grabbed Armstrong’s suitcase, unaware that it contained 3 pounds of weed, and safely walked with it through customs.

The mustache cup is a drinking cup with a semicircular ledge inside. The ledge has a half-moon-shaped opening to allow the passage of liquids and serves as a guard to keep mustaches dry. It is generally acknowledged to have been invented in the 1860s by British potter Harvey Adams (born 1835).

Classical music therapy increases the milk yield of cows by five percent, a breeder has found. Another study in 2001 A study determined songs like “Everybody Hurts,” by R.E.M caused cows to produce more milk.

Einstein wasn’t a citizen of Israel. However, he was Jewish. The German-born physicist was offered the position but turned it down in 1952 because he didn’t think he was a great people person and did not have the experience required for the job. While Einstein’s legacy was mostly depoliticized, he opposed the occupation of Palestine.

The Mayan people believed turkeys were the vessels of the Gods and honored them with worship. These early birds were owned almost exclusively by the rich and powerful. They were even domesticated to have roles in religious rites!

The main reason being that it was much easier to stitch a lungi, saree, skirt, dhoti than a shirt and trouser. This made life simple, cheap, convenient. In fact, the Ancient Greeks viewed trousers as effeminate and would mock any men who wore them.

When a human or animal loses an eye it’s nothing short of disastrous, but when a snail loses an eye it’s no big deal, they’ll just grow a new one. Within a few weeks (usually about 1 or 2 weeks) these cells become fused with calcium and harden the outer coat of the shell. In an urgent situation, when snails do not have enough calcium in their tissue, they may absorb calcium from the rest of the shell.

Although it is the national dog of France, the Poodle actually originated in Germany. The breed name comes from the German word, “pudel” or “pudelin,” which means “to splash in the water.” In fact, the term “French Poodle” is a misnomer. In France, the breed is called Caniche, French for “duck dog.”

The Four Penny Coffin or coffin house was one of the first homeless shelters created for the people of central London. The Salvation Army’s answer to the homeless question was one of the first-ever homeless shelters ever created. This facility offered homeless people the chance to pay four pennies and sleep in a coffin-shaped wooden bed laid down with a tarp for cover.

Most department stores tend to play slower music to slow down customers and keep them shopping longer. Conversely, a retailer may decide to play fast tempo, louder music when it’s close to closing time to encourage customers to speed through the store.

Eve is an English given name for a female, derived from the Latin name Eva, in turn originating with the Hebrew חַוָּה (Chavah/Havah – chavah, to breathe, and chayah, to live, or to give life). The traditional meaning of Eve is life or “living”. It can also mean full of life and mother of life

When the city was being rapidly built, city officials realized that, due to the premium value of house frontage on the canals and streets, they should tax house size on the width of the front or façade. So the more expansive facade, the more tax you pay. Despite that, Amsterdam houses are quite deep.

A 2008 study by the American Psychological Association found that men rated women wearing red as more attractive, associating the color with sex. A separate 2010 study by the same association found women associate the color red with power and status.

At a time it was considered inappropriate to show a toilet being flushed on screen, Alfred Hitchcock saw an opportunity to add some extra shock to his already shocking film—presenting a scrap of paper, which proves an important clue, failing to flush in a toilet.

They also only see silhouettes, shades of gray and are unable to focus on items just after their birth. This is because their retinal nerve cells aren’t fully established yet and they lack the capability to process visual information.

Known as Ambergris, this waxy secretion belched out by Sperm Whales is a core component to making any perfumes due to its pleasant smell and is often found floating in tropical seas.

This was discovered from bones found at Seymour Island dating back to 37 – 40 million years ago. These gigantic penguins were as tall as 6ft 6in and would weigh up to 250 pounds!

The average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, and the “super dogs” (those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence) can learn 250 words.

Zoning out is relatively common and means that your brain has checked out and switched over to autopilot in layman’s terms. According to a 2005 study, this figure can increase to 26% when you’re intoxicated!

Scientific analysis of all the shark tissue indicates that the lifespan of a Greenland shark ranges between 252 and 512 years, with 390 the likeliest average.

Alpine bumblebees have the ability to fly at elevations greater than Mt. Everest, scientists have found. All of the bees were capable of flying in conditions equivalent to 13,000 feet (4,000 m), and some even made it past 30,000 feet (9,000 m) — the height of the peak of Mount Everest.

Bowler Hats were designed by London hatters Thomas and William Bowler (hence the name) in 1849. The hat was invented to keep horse riders’ heads safe from branches and other obstacles. They later became popular among the working classes in the 19th century, but from the early 20th-century bowler hats were more commonly associated with businessmen working in the financial districts, also known as “City Gents”.

The earliest known example of high heels comes from ancient Iran in the 10th century CE. At that time, Iran was known as Persia. And it was the Persian army that had the honor of wearing the first high heels. Modern high heels were brought to Europe by Persian emissaries of Abbas the Great in the early 17th century. Men wore them to imply their upper-class status; only someone who did not have to work could afford, both financially and practically, to wear such extravagant shoes.

Broccoli only came about after years and years of selective breeding between wild cabbage plants that started around the 6^th century BC. The word “broccoli” comes from the Italian word for “the flowering crest of a cabbage.”

There’s a part of the brain that deals with handling sensory information called the Parietal lobe; Einstein’s was a whopping 15% larger than normal.

500 years before Christopher Columbus “found” the shores of America, the Vikings landed on what is now Canada around 1000 AD and established the first European settlement, on the northern coast of Newfoundland.

Armadillos were named by Spanish explorers – the name literally means “little armored one” and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd-looking creatures

The Anglo-Saxons’ name for October was Winterfylleth, with its name containing the words for winter and full moon respectively. It was named this because winter was said to begin from the first full moon of the month.

Bamboo is a very fast-growing and giant grass; pandas feed of this and grow to become big pandas! Bamboo grows in a short but strong growth spurt during summer and then remains near dormant over winter.

While the negative effects of beef are from the production in its entirety, even just their farts are deadly. According to the United Nations, the combination between cow’s burps and farts account for at least four percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Back in the 19^th Century, it was common practice for British aristocracy to marry US heiresses. One such marriage like this took place between one Lord Randolph Churchill and Brooklyn heiress Jennie Jerome. Jennie and Lord Randy had two children, Winston in 1874 and Jack in 1880, with both children being born at Blenheim Palace on their Oxfordshire estate.

A study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers in Texas found that Brazilian free-tailed bats have distinguishable syllables and phrases that they use as love songs to attract suitors.

The connections between humans and cats can be traced back to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, most notably, ancient Egypt, where cats were considered divine symbols. In most Western cultures, black cats have typically been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the familiars of witches, or actually shape-shifting witches themselves.

A 2011 study by the American Psychological Association involving 94 participants from 18 to 69 years of age found that the participating males were more than twice as likely as females to confess their love to their partner.

After making an early profit of about £20 000 in the early stages of the bubble, Isaac Newton put nearly all his money into the doomed venture South Sea Company. By mid-1721, his net worth was down to about £20 000; he had lost all his early profits and a good bit more from other investments.

Andrew Francis and Hugo Mialon of Emory University conducted a 2014 study involving 3,151 people. They found that couples who had dated for three or more years before proposing were almost 40% less likely to divorce than those who had dated for less than one year.