Amalia Facts

25/06/2022

25/06/2022

Instead of saying "cheese" before taking a picture, Victorians said "prunes."

We say "cheese" because the word leaves us with a big smile on our faces, but if Victorian-era folk were to see our gleeful expressions, they'd scoff. Once upon a time, smiling in photos was considered undignified and reserved for the poor and the drunk. To retain a more serious look in their photos, they would say "prunes," a word so dull, the chances of it inciting a smile were slim to none.

23/06/2022

One in three divorce filings include the word "Facebook."

That was the case in 2011, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, though that number has likely risen since. "We've had instances where they pull up Facebook in the course of a deposition," divorce lawyer Marian Rosen told ABC News. "Once it's out there for the world, it's very difficult … to erase from the past. There are going to be trails that can be followed."

23/06/2022

Marie Curie's notebooks are still radioactive.

The mother of modern physics was known for her work with radioactive materials and the discovery of elements like polonium and radium. Unfortunately, her research took a hefty toll on her health, leading to aplastic anemia, which caused her death. The exposure to radioactivity didn't just affect her, it also affected most of her belongings, including her clothes, furniture, and books. Now, more than a century later, Marie Curie's notebooks have to be stored in a lead box, as they are still radioactive (and will be for another 1,500 years!).

21/06/2022

The inventor of the frisbee was turned into a frisbee after he died.

"Steady Ed" Headrick invented the frisbee in the 1950s, then went on to create the sport of disc golf in the 1970s. When he died in 2002, his final wish was to have his ashes turned into—what else?—a frisbee. His son said it was his father's dream that they play with him after death and that he might even accidentally end up on someone's roof.

21/06/2022

There's a Manhattan-specific ant.

On Broadway medians between 63rd and 76th streets, biologists discovered a new species of ant. They named it ManhattAnt, naturally. Hey, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

19/06/2022

A bolt of lightning contains enough energy to toast 100,000 slices of bread.

If you consider that each bolt of lightning contains more than 5 billion Joules of energy, then the average 1,000-watt, two-slice toaster could be powered for 84,000 minutes with just one strike. That's just enough time to toast about 100,000 slices of bread, bagels, English muffins—whatever you prefer.

16/06/2022

The original name for the search engine Google was Backrub. It was renamed Google after the googol, which is the number one followed by 100 zeros.

16/06/2022

The Four Corners is the only spot in the US where you can stand in four states at once: Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.