|
We all grow up knowing a bunch of facts and
statistics about the world, and these things shape our outlook. For
example, we know that Canada is north of the United States. And we know
that New York City is also really far north, but Rome on the other hand
is right down there near Africa. We also know that deserts are made of
sand and that third world countries are those poor places in Africa.
Well, here are a few shockers for you: more than half the states reach
farther north than the southern tip of Canada; Rome is actually farther
north than New York City; Antarctica is the largest desert on Earth,
and…get ready for this…the Arctic Ocean is actually a desert as well.
And the third world? While it may refer to poor countries today, the
third world originally referred to countries that were neutral during
the Cold War. Although many of these countries were in South America and
Africa, Switzerland and Austria were also third world countries.
The world isn’t as simple as you thought it was, is it? Well, get read
for some more, because these are some Facts And Statistics That Seem
Terribly Wrong But Actually Aren’t!
|
|
|
The United States Navy is the second largest air force in the world.
|
|
|
|
Saudi Arabia imports sand and camels from
Australia.
|
|
|
Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria is/were third world countries. This is
because the actual definition of "third world country" referred to any
nation that wasn't allied with the US (first world), or the USSR (second
world).
|
|
|
|
Helmets on the battlefield led to an increase in the number of injured
soldiers. Before helmets, head injuries usually meant certain death. |
|
|
Sharks have been around longer than trees. Sharks have been around for
400 million years; trees for 350 million years.
|
|
|
The Arctic is both an ocean and a desert.
|
|
|
There are more trees on Earth (3 trillion) than there are stars in the
Milky Way (100 billion).
|
|
|
More people in deserts die of drowning than die of dehydration. The
reason is flash flooding. Also, if people die of dehydration, it is
usually only one or two people. When people die in flash floods, it's
usually the whole village.
|
|
|
|
The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn. For
several thousand years, unicorns were thought to be real. They were
associated with nobility and purity, and their natural enemy was thought
to be the lion, a symbol embraced by English royals.
|
|
|
|
Mushrooms are more closely related to humans
genetically than to plants.
|
|
|
|
The London Tube (subway) was opened during the
American Civil War.
|
|
|
The last execution by guillotine in France was in 1977.
|