Daily Facts

Meteorites are most easily found in deserts including Antartica. On the Antartic Ice fields there's no natural rocks, any stone sitting on the surface came from space. The movement of ice, winds and water also tend to gather them near the coast or up against mountains. In sand desserts the same thing happens, but for different reason. Before 1970 an estimated of 2000 meteorites were catalogued. Since then we've past 80,000.

In 4 billion years Andromeda and the Milkyway will merge. In 5 billion years, the Sun swells into a red giant swallowing Mercury and Venus, and likely Earth. In 100 billion years, expansion of the universe between us and other galaxies will turn the night sky black as stars disappear from sight. 100 trillion years, the last red dwarfs burn out. Over 10⁴⁰ years white dwarfs cool to black dwarfs. Neutron stars, brown dwarfs, dead planets and black holes drifting in dark. Finally in 10¹⁰⁰ years blackholes will be all that remain for the next 10¹⁰⁰ years. After that, nothing but void.

Until 2019 the kilogram was officially defined by a specific metal cylinder in a vault near Paris. It had been drifting in mass relative to its official copies for reasons that still aren't fully known.

A local government in Western Australia fined NASA $400 for littering in 1979 after the US first space station came down over the region. The fine went unpaid for thirty years.

Diablo was originally developed as a turn-based game. After proposing to make it real-time, the developer said it could take weeks to months. It turned out to be a few lines of code and took a few hours.

Modern military aircraft designs can be extremely unstable, requiring computer based corrections so pilots can fly them.

The SR-71 Blackbird intentionally leaked fuel while on the ground by design. Once in the air, panels would heat up and expand, sealing the gaps.

PC Games can be much more difficult to make than console games due to the wide range of drivers, software versions, different peripherals and hardware combinations.

Read Dead Redemption 2 simulates horse anatomy movement with surprising realism.

Kerbal Space Program uses real orbital physics despite being simplified. However, scientific methods used in the real world apply to the game.

Debug builds of programs/games that developers use can behave different to release builds of programs/games. Bugs/issues related only to the release build can be much harder to fix.

Games run logic tied directly to frame rate, causing bugs at higher FPS. Developers use Delta Time, the time between two frames, to compensate for this.

The term “Easter egg” in games originated from Atari in 1980.

Sunsets on Mars appear blue instead of red due to the fine dust in the thin atmosphere.

There are more possible chess games than atoms in the observable universe.

The Sun appears white from Space, not yellow. That's caused by our atmosphere.

AI Models don't "Understand" things the same way humans do, they statistically predict patterns. Essentially an expensive and advanced auto-complete.

Computer encryption relies on difficult to solve math problems, some problems take decades to centuries to solve on a typical computer. Quantum Computing will likely render many encryptions used globally useless with earliest threat estimates expected around 2030-2035.

First ever website created by CERN in the 1990s is still online.

Majority of planets rotate counter-clockwise, the same direction they orbit the sun. Except Venus and Uranus. Venus rotates clockwise while Uranus spins on it's side.

Modern Aircraft Carriers use enough electricity to power small cities.

During WWII, torpedo's could malfunction and in some cases circled around to hit the boat that fired them.

The routing system that connects the internet world-wide has surprisingly little built-in security.

Submarines create majority of their oxygen from Sea Water. However, when the levels get low they light an oxygen candle. A candle that literally creates oxygen.

The first ever computer bug was a literal bug. Back in September 9 1947, a moth got stuck in a relay causing issues. Coining the term "Debugging"

The One'O'Clock gun is a timing signal fired every day at precisely 1pm from Edinburgh Castle, excluding Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas Day. Used during the 1800s for ships in the harbour to sync their clocks to. Over the years its changed from a 18lbs muzzle loading cannon, to a 32lbs breech loader, 25lbs Howitzer to the current L118 Light Gun. On 2 April 1916 it is reported the 32lbs breech loader was fired at a German Zeppelin during an Air Raid. The guns only use in war.

Castle walls were primarily defeated by tunnelling / mining underneath. Propping up the ground above with wooden supports before lighting all the wood on fire, causing the ground and walls to collapse. At St Andrews defenders dug a countermine to intercept the attackers mine. Moats played apart in preventing tunnelling, majority of moats did not contain water.

Mons Meg is a medieval bombard that was gifted to the King of Scots by the French in 1457. A 20 inch barrel firing 175kg (386lbs) cannon balls making it one of the largest in the world by calibre. A cannon ball fired was once found 2 miles (3km) away. In 1681 it blew its self apart while firing a salute.

Anyone born after November 2000 has never lived through a moment when all humans were on Earth. This is due to the ISS being continuously crewed since.

Neptune was actually founded by mathematics before being sighted in a telescope. Le Verrier calculated where a planet should be based on the irregular orbit of surrounding planets. Berlins observatory spotted it within a degree of the prediction on the first night of looking.

The biggest issue Astronauts faced on the moon was lunar regolith, a fine layer of pulverzed rock. It was sharp, electrostatically charged and abrassive. It ruins seals, scratches visors, wears down spacesuits, causes lung irritation and scaring.

Sergei Krikalev was a Soviet Cosmonaut who launched to Mir in May 1991, a space station operated in LEO by the Soviet Union. Months later the Soviet Union dissolved. Nearly a year later on the 25th March 1992 when he landed back on Earth, the Soviet Union no longer existed. He went on to work with NASA in US-Russia joint space missions.

Vostok 1 was a Soviet spacecraft with the mission to carry the first human into space and back. Yuri Gagarin ejected from the capsule and landed using a parachute. The Soviets kept this classified, as it would void the rules for an official altitude record which required the pilot to land with the aircraft.

Project Habakkuk was a plan by the British to build a floating ice aircraft carrier. It would've been almost twice the length of the Gerald R. Ford (Largest in history). Pykrete was invented inorder to test the idea, water with sawdust or wood pulp frozen to create a stronger and slower melting form of ice that could be repaired with sea water. Experimental projects in Canada failed due to expense, time and other priorities.

USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) is the second oldest commissioned Naval Vessel in the world. However, it is the oldest active-duty warship that is still afloat and capable of sailing under it's own power.

HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world, famously serving as Lord nelsons flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Lord Nelson passed away at the battle, only after learning of his impossible Victory.

Purple die used to be made from the mucus of the Murex Snail that lived at the bottom of the ocean. "Royal Blue" was another popular dye also made from a related marine snail. Tens of thousands were required to produce just over a gram of the dye.

Historically purple dye was more expensive than gold. During the roman period Tyrian Purple was three times the price of gold. In ancient Rome and the Byzantine Empire it was illegal to use purple unless you were a high magistrate, senator or emperor. Even 1500 years later royal families used purple as a status symbol of wealth and power, the "royal colour".

Tutankamun was buried with a dagger made of iron from a meteor, 150 years before wide-spread iron smelting.

Sudan has around twice the number of Pyramids as Egypt.

Between 1900-1920, Tug of war was officially an Olympic sport.

Corporal Wojtek was a Syrian Bear attached to the Polish 22nd Artillery Supply Company. He was given a serial number, paybook and rank as a loophole to board British Ships. After serving in battle supplying artilery units, he was promoted to Corporal before retiring to Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland.

The British-Zanzibar war in 1896 lasted 38 minutes, shortest war in history.

The last execution by guillotine in France was in the same year Star Wars came out, 1977.

The University of Oxford (Est. 1096) ~230 years older than the Aztec Empire (Est. 1325).

Cleopatra lived closer to the moon landing than to the building of the great pyramid

QWERTY keyboard layout was designed in 1970s to intentionally spread common combinations of letters away from each other, slowing typists down. It was to stop internal mechanisms clashing on typewriters.

The Silk Road was one of the earliest international trade networks, spanning over 4,000 miles.

Nicotine is named after Jean Nicot, who introduced tobacco to the French court in 1560.

The first recorded trade embargo was imposed by Athens against Megara in 432 BC.

Coca-Cola originally contained approximately 9 milligrams of cocaine per glass.

Coffee was originally chewed, not brewed — Ethiopian tribes mixed coffee berries with animal fat for energy.

The term 'cartel' originally referred to a written agreement between warring nations.

The word 'salary' comes from the Latin 'salarium' — Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt.

The spice trade was one of the primary motivations for European exploration in the 15th century.

The first paper money was invented in China during the Tang Dynasty around 618 AD.

The first vending machine was invented in ancient Egypt — it dispensed holy water

Opium poppies were first cultivated in lower Mesopotamia around 3400 BC.

A jellyfish known as Turritopsis Dohrnii can quite literally reverse it's life cycle, dissolving back into a juvenile polyp before beginning it's life again. Nicknamed the immortal jellyfish, the only life known to cheat death.

1.7 Billion years ago a Uranium deposit in Gabon, Africa went critical which resulted in a natural nuclear reactor. French scientists noticed the ore had already been partly used.

Trees evolved before anything (Bacteria) could digest wood. It would pile up for millions of years without rotting and compress into coal. Now, wood will rot away before this happens which makes coal a finite resource.

Mercury was once used as a medicine — it was prescribed for everything from syphilis to constipation.

Phosphorus was accidentally discovered by an alchemist trying to turn lead into gold in 1669.

Lithium, used in batteries and medicine, was discovered in a Swedish mine in 1817.

Potassium hydroxide (lye) has been used in soap-making for over 5,000 years.

The word 'pharmacy' comes from the Greek 'pharmakon,' meaning both remedy and poison.

Aspirin was originally derived from willow bark, which contains salicylic acid.

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) can be used to extinguish small fires by releasing CO2.

Activated charcoal is used in hospitals to treat certain types of poisoning.

Charcoal has been used as a water purification method for over 4,000 years.

Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide and sublimates directly from solid to gas at -78.5°C.

Acetone is naturally produced by trees and is found in volcanic gases.

Penicillin was discovered by accident when Alexander Fleming left a petri dish uncovered in 1928.

Sulfuric acid is the most widely produced chemical in the world — over 260 million tons per year.

Ethanol (drinking alcohol) has been produced by humans for over 9,000 years.

Cannabis sativa plants can grow up to 20 feet tall in optimal conditions.

Bioluminescent fungi exist — some mushroom species glow in the dark.

Hydroponic growing was used by the Aztecs as floating gardens called 'chinampas.'

Capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers hot, is used in medical pain relief patches.

Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, after saffron.

Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth, capable of growing up to 35 inches per day.

Chlorophyll, the pigment that makes plants green, is structurally similar to hemoglobin in human blood.

Grafting fruit trees — joining two plant species — has been practiced for over 4,000 years.

There are over 700 species of eucalyptus, and almost all are native to Australia.

Indoor LED grow lights can produce up to 3x the yield of traditional lighting methods.

The word 'monopoly' comes from Greek: 'monos' (single) + 'polein' (to sell).

The underground economy accounts for an estimated 15-20% of global GDP.

The concept of supply and demand was first described by Ibn Khaldun in the 14th century.

The Dutch East India Company was the first publicly traded company in history (1602).

The first recorded insurance contract was written in Genoa, Italy, in 1347.

The GDP per capita of Luxembourg is over $120,000 — the highest in the world.

Compound interest was called the 'eighth wonder of the world' by Albert Einstein.

The world's most expensive coffee, Kopi Luwak, costs up to $600 per pound.

The black market for counterfeit goods is estimated at $500 billion per year globally.

The GDP of the global pharmaceutical industry exceeds $1.4 trillion annually.

The Amazon rainforest produces about 20% of the world's oxygen supply.

Bolivia has over 17,000 plant species, making it one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth.

Colombia produces about 60% of the world's emeralds.

The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage and also pioneered modern tulip economics.

Madagascar is the world's largest producer of vanilla, growing about 80% of the global supply.