13 Interesting Things In Our World You Might Not Know

What You Might Not Know

Do you know the most popular thing you use but don’t understand its meaning? Or, are you one of the knowledgeable? Many interesting facts about our lives and world that aren't well known.

Today, let’s examine some things people don’t know that are common. You might be surprised!

1. A.M. and P.M.: Used daily by vast numbers of people but not everybody knows what they mean. A.M. means ante meridiem or translated into English, before midday. If you haven’t guessed, P.M. is post meridiem, or after midday.
2. Where do the Olympic flag colors come from: If you haven’t noticed the colors on the Olympic flag, they are black, red, green, blue, and yellow. Why is that? At least one of those colors is present on the flags of every nation on Earth.
3. A.D. and B.C.: Most of the world likely knows that B.C. stands for ‘Before Christ.’ But, what about the correct meaning of A.D.? A.D. is confused as meaning after death, or being used to annotate the death of Christ. Its actual meaning is ‘Anno Domini,’ which in Latin means in the year of our Lord.
4. Our Moon: Scientists believe the moon was once much closer than the currently measured distance. Based on measurements of its movement away from the planet, it’s possible the moon was orbiting Earth just feet from the surface.
5. Yellowstone’s Train Station: The train station made popular by the hit show Yellowstone is based on a real place. It’s based on a 50 square mile part of Yellowstone Park in Idaho. There are no people, so an offense was theorized to be untriable before a jury of your peers. However, Yellowstone National Park falls under Federal Jurisdiction.
6. According to Genesis: the chicken did come before the egg.
7. The Electric Chair: The Electric Chair was created by a Dentist named Alfred P. Southwick. He was also a steamboat engineer and inventor. Talk about a Renaissance man.
8. Snail Naps: Some species of snail can sleep for three years! Are you jealous?
9. Vegetables that don’t need replanting: Mom always said “Eat your vegetables.” Admittedly, Rhurbarb and Asparagus weren’t my favorite. But, for sustainability, they can both live and produce on their own for several years.
10. Turtles and Breathing: Turtles can absorb oxygen through their cloacas, an organ for sexual reproduction, egg laying, and expelling waste. Wow!
11. Why roller coasters exist: A hosiery businessman named LaMarcus Thompson didn't like that Americans were tempted by sin. So, he built the ultimate distraction at Coney Island to straighten up one of the most immoral places he could think of.
12. The worst nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize: Other winners have raised an eyebrow or two, but one of the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize was the worst in the history of the prize. Ironically, the leader of the country had banned his people from accepting the prize for years before he was nominated, also ironically. In 1939, a Swedish politician wrote a letter to the committee nominating Adolf Hitler. Those Swedish people and their sense of humor!
13. Where to Hold The World's Largest Pool Party: If you're thinking of the one in Chile, you're wrong. According to the record, Citystars Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt boasts an incredible 23.83 acres in size. It's a manmade lagoon off of the Red Sea. You could throw a party there and not even know who attended.

There are ten interesting things that we experience in our everyday lives. We’ve heard about electrocutions in the criminal justice system. Who would have thought a dentist had a hand in that? We’ve all had vegetables. Everybody’s seen a turtle and probably didn’t know they can breathe through their butt!

If you’re not well versed in bible passages, the question of what came first, the chicken or the egg, is now solved. And, for those of us who never thought about it until now, you can now surprise people by knowing what the abbreviations behind the time of day mean.

There are tons of interesting that few people know off the top of their heads, and many others haven’t a clue about. What’s your favorite factoid?