Harold Gillies established the field of plastic surgery, pioneering the first attempts at facial reconstruction, inspired by the sight of soldiers' faces ravaged by shrapnel, many of which remained covered by masks. In addition, blood transfusions became commonplace in order to save soldiers, with the first blood bank established on the front lines in 1917.

It was HIGHLY SECRET work! Even the factory workers who put the vehicles together were kept in the dark. They were informed that they were developing mobile water tanks for desert warfare. Tanks were originally referred to as "landships," but this was changed to "tanks" in order to confuse the enemy.

On January 28, 1887, two years before Montana became a state, U.S. Army troops observed an unusual sight: a frisbee-sized snowflake descending from the sky near what is now Keogh, Montana. Snowflakes can occasionally clump together before hitting the ground, resulting in enormous, thick snowflakes. It is still the Guinness World Record holder for the biggest snowflake ever.

During International War I, Europe was at war, and world powers like Britain were organizing their armies. By 1917, one renowned British admiral of the Royal Navy had retired and wrote to Winston Churchill to express his thoughts on the day's headlines, some of which were so thrilling that he wrote, "O.M.G. (Oh! My! God!)." How could he have realized that the acronym he created would go on to become one of the world's most-used phrases?

The original Beauty and the Beast fable was written in 1740 by French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, and the beast was a horrible mix of an elephant and a fish. The story was designed to persuade girls to accept arranged marriages, "for an alliance that entailed effacing their own wants and surrendering to the will of a monster," according to children's literature expert Maria Tatar.

Social media and digital consumption have grown so pervasive in most areas of the world that it's easy to forget that reading is still a major form of pleasure for some individuals. A 2017 survey found that the average Indian spends 10 hours and 42 minutes per week reading. In comparison, Americans work five hours and 42 minutes each week. Thailand, China, the Philippines, and Egypt round out the top five nations.

Though pig includes some sodium naturally (as does all meat), the saltiness we appreciate in ham, bacon, and a variety of other pork products is really the result of curing and brining procedures. After soaking in salt or salt water, fresh meat gets dehydrated, seasoned, and preserved. This is also the method used to make salami, pepperoni, and other cured meats.

Officials in the Netherlands erected a rodent-only bridge to ensure safe passage for squirrels attempting to cross the N44 highway. While it was a generous gesture, it may not have been the most cost-effective: the bridge cost £120,000 and was utilized by only five squirrels over a two-year period. "Three squirrels were observed on the bridge in 2014, and two squirrels were spotted in 2015," the ministry stated in a statement.

She was regarded as the "Mother of Modern Physics" for her work with radioactive materials and the discovery of elements such as polonium and radium. Unfortunately, her study took a heavy toll on her health, eventually leading to aplastic anemia, which led to her death. The radioactivity not only damaged her, but it also impacted the majority of her things, including her clothes, furniture, and books. Marie Curie's notes must now be preserved in a lead box more than a century later since they are still radioactive (and will be for another 1,500 years!).

A volunteer for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence received a 72-second transmission from a distant star system 120 light years away in 1977. Because it was loud and came from an area that no one had ever visited, the gentleman who got it scribbled "Wow!" next to the original printout of the signal. It is still known as the "Wow! Signal." The noise, according to researchers, was picked up by a passing comet.

The humoruos bone, which links the shoulder to the elbow, is known as the "funny bone." However, that is not the cause of the tingling feeling you get when you accidentally bump your elbow. It's caused by the humerus bone colliding with the ulnar nerve, which sends signals to the brain regarding sensations in the ring and pinky fingers.

At the very least, they may have a common ancestor. Danish researchers discovered that blue-eyed people from Scandinavia, Turkey, Jordan, and India all have same gene sequences for eye color after examining the DNA of blue-eyed people from those countries. They believe this characteristic originated with a single individual known as the "founder," whose DNA altered between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. Previously, everyone had different hues of brown eyes.

The blue whale is the world's biggest mammal, weighing up to 150 tons and reaching up to 90 feet long. A large animal would, of course, have a massive heart. The heart of a blue whale is approximately the size of a small vehicle and weighs about 1,300 pounds. Its heart beats so fast to pump blood through its massive body and arteries that you can hear it from two kilometres distant. You could miss it, though, because its heart beats only eight to ten times each minute.

If you want to leave a lasting impression after death and don't want to be buried six feet beneath, you should consider an out-of-this-world send-off. Elysium Space has assembled a team of space and funeral professionals that will combine "experience from significant NASA space missions with deep-rooted funeral industry expertise" to make your last resting place more than just a little remarkable. A Lunar Memorial package costs $9,950 and includes the delivery of "a symbolic piece of remains to the surface of the Moon, assisting in the creation of the ultimate remembrance."

China landed its Chang'e-4 spacecraft on the moon in 2019, but the crew didn't just land anywhere. The spaceship landed on the far side of the space-based entity, maybe wondering what all the hoopla was about. It was "the first spacecraft in history to try or complete a landing on this unknown region, which is never visible from Earth," according to history. The Chinese astronauts investigated the huge lunar craters on the frigid surface while there.

Billions of years ago, while Earth was still a spry young thing, it came into touch with Theia, a "Mars-sized planet." According to the Natural History Museum, the impact caused "almost all of Earth and Theia to melt and rebuild as one body, with a little fraction of the new mass spinning out to become the Moon as we know it." The mechanism by which the moon formed from the debris of the enormous collision is known as "rotational fission," and it was confirmed by Apollo astronauts when samples of moon rock were found to have isotopes identical to those found on Earth.

Dogs' ears, in addition to being able to move in a variety of ways, can hear considerably higher frequency noises than human ears. In fact, dogs can hear noises that are twice as far away as we can—and it looks that tiny dogs are even better at it. This is due to the fact that the smaller a mammal's head is, the more frequencies it can take up and compare in each ear. That is how they (and us) determine the source of noises.

When you find your dog eating on something he shouldn't, he averts his gaze and assumes a submissive stance. That indicates he recognizes his error and expresses regret, correct? Scientists believe it's unlikely. It's more likely that the behaviors that owners identify with a dog's remorse are a reaction to being reprimanded. They just do not consider their violation as thoroughly as you do.

Not only do dog owners live longer lives than non-dog owners, but they are also more likely to survive and recover from catastrophic health crises such as a heart attack or stroke. Why? According to the American Heart Association, "interacting with dogs can increase your production of 'happy chemicals' such as oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine." "This can result in a higher sense of well-being as well as a reduction in levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Having a dog can also help decrease blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as alleviate depression and enhance fitness."

Being the first president of the United States apparently wasn't enough for George Washington throughout his lifetime. Following his presidency, Washington established a whiskey distillery. Washington's distillery was the largest in the country by 1799, producing 11,000 gallons of unaged whiskey. However, after the president's death, the company was no longer in operation.

While the turkey is now America's favorite portion of the Thanksgiving dinner, these large birds were proclaimed as vehicles of the gods by the Mayan people around 300 B.C. and were venerated as such, so much so that they were tamed to play roles in religious ceremonies. They were power and prestige emblems that may be found throughout Maya iconography and archaeology.

Napoleon Bonaparte, the great conqueror, was once assaulted by...bunnies. The emperor had asked for a rabbit hunt for himself and his troops. His chief of staff organized it and had soldiers collect up 3,000 bunnies for the occasion. The hunt was set to begin after the rabbits were freed from their cages. That was the plan, at least! The rabbits, on the other hand, raced toward Bonaparte and his soldiers in a vicious and relentless onslaught. And we were told that Waterloo was the greatest defeat of the conqueror...

A student went 264.4 hours without sleep while still in high school, winning first place in the 10th Annual Great San Diego Science Fair in 1964. Randy said emphatically "no" when asked if he'd do it again. Others claim to have broken Randy's record, but none of their attempts were done under close scrutiny, as Randy's were, so there's no way of knowing if they're genuine.

The ability to see red is inherited from an X-chromosome gene, according to researchers at the University of Arizona. Because women have two X chromosomes, the two copies of these genes aid in women's perception of the red-orange spectrum.

Pink has been shown to reduce anger and anxiety while also having a calming effect. It is frequently used to help create a sense of calm in mental health care institutions and even prisons.