In uncontracted braille, every word is spelled out. Contracted braille is a “shorthand” version where common words are abbreviated, much like “don’t” is a shorter version of “do” and “not.” Most children learn uncontracted braille before they learn the contracted version.

We're not surprised that Rolls Royce vehicles are meticulously detailed in every nook and cranny. When you know that the coach line is painted freehand by one guy only – Mark Court – you can proudly proclaim it as the epitome of meticulousness and exclusivity. Mind you, no robots or machines were employed!

The Nepalese Himalayas are the confluence of three major Asian river systems: the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, and the Yamuna. The Himalayas also has the world's third-largest ice and snow depository.

There’s a special version of braille just for mathematics called the Nemeth Code. It was invented by Dr. Abraham Nemeth and can be used to transcribe math, algebra, and calculus.

Every time rattlesnakes molt after growing out of their previous skin, their bodies automatically add another segment to their rattles. However, because parts of the rattle frequently break off as they become older, this does not always indicate that you can determine a rattler's age by the length of its tail.

It's no surprise that Switzerland is recognized across the world for its high-quality chocolate, but do you know how much chocolate is produced and consumed there? Approximately 180,000 tonnes of chocolate are produced each year, with an average of 11 kilos consumed by each person. A chocolate train is even available!

Unfortunately, no. The Gala is invitation only and usually consists of about 500-600 guests. Even with an invitation, tickets reportedly cost around $35,000, and a table for 10 around $250,000 dollars. However, after opening night you can visit the exhibition while it’s there.

Weight loss reduces the symptoms and the long-term complications. Thus, it plays a major role in the treatment of PCOS.

Chances are good that you've heard of the Starbucks "secret menu," which is basically a huge list of drink combinations that aren't on the menu. Going through all of those options would take a very long time because as Starbucks spokesperson Lisa Passe told The Wall Street Journal, "If you take all of our core beverages, multiply them by the modifiers and the customization options, you get more than 87,000 combinations."

Contrary to popular belief, termites are actually fairly hygienic creatures. Despite living almost entirely in mud, they all work together to practise good hygiene. Like cats, termites groom one another in an effort to get rid of parasites and other harmful bacteria. Although it may seem pointless, maintaining proper grooming is essential to the colony's survival because staying clean prevents the spread of deadly diseases.

Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership among developed nations. However, this does not always imply an increase in crime; Switzerland has about half the number of gun-related deaths as the United States. Switzerland has one of the lowest crime rates among all developed nations.

Under black lights, bananas glow blue. Ripe bananas appear yellow to the naked eye under normal conditions due to organic pigments known as carotenoids. Chlorophyll begins to degrade as bananas ripen. This pigment is what causes bananas to glow, or fluoresce, under UV light and appear blue. While this is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating facts about bananas, there is another that will make you want to eat a banana every day.

When you think of Nintendo, you probably think of the video game systems you or your children grew up with: the Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Wii, and, most recently, the Nintendo Switch. However, the gaming firm did not emerge until the 1980s: In reality, Nintendo was established in 1889. Of course, the firm founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi over 130 years ago bears little resemblance to the Nintendo we know and love today. The first Nintendo offered playing cards and underwent numerous important alterations throughout the years. It wasn't until the 1970s that the firm began to venture into video games.

It was at a party in Cambridge that Plath met her eventual husband, poet Ted Hughes. On June 16th, 1956, Plath married Hughes, paying homage to the day on which James Joyce's Ulysses takes place. Unfortunately, the writers' marriage was tumultuous and painful and recently discovered letters reveal that Hughes abused Plath.

Yes, there are freshwater flatfish. One example of a freshwater flatfish is the hogchoker. These fish are assumed to be coastal estuary and mud flats species. While some aquarists have kept specimens in fresh water their whole existence, it is unknown whether they can flourish without salt.

By the late nineteenth century, lipstick had grown in favor as all the beautiful and stylish Victorian-era girls began to wear it. The first commercially successful lipstick made from grapefruit and butter was produced by the French cosmetic firm 'Guerlain' in the 1880s. Thank god for ingredients that don't make you puke. While lipstick began to appear in department shops, applying lipstick was still considered an extremely intimate process. In the 1800s, actress Sarah Bernhardt provoked a tremendous incident merely by wearing lipstick in public. That may sound incredibly typical to us moderns. It would have been some extremely hot gas if you were an 1800s person.

Did you know that bamboo can withstand high temperatures that most plants cannot? Bamboo was the only plant to withstand the radiation from the Hiroshima atomic explosions in 1945. Except for one bamboo grove, the incinerating heat obliterated all trees and other plant life. The grove has since been demolished, but culms from it are kept in a museum in Hiroshima.

The easternmost city in the United States is appropriately named "Eastport" in Maine, close the Canadian border. Every day, it is the first place in the country to see the sun. Eastport is also well-known for whale sightings since the surrounding water is ideal for feeding and rearing young whales.

Since 2011, all children aged six to eight in the former Soviet republic have been required to take chess lessons. It is the first country in the world to include it in the primary school curriculum alongside standards such as math and history.

Before confronting Medusa, Perseus equipped himself with an adamantine sickle, a kibisis (a bag or wallet to place Medusa’s head), the helmet of Hades, which could make its wearer invisible, and a set of winged sandals lent by Mercury. Acquiring these objects was no easy task. Alone, Perseus would not even come close to obtaining them. But the hero had Athena’s help. She led him to the three Graeae, who knew the secret location of the Stygian nymphs. After tricking the Graeae, Perseus found the nymphs who equipped him with all the objects mentioned previously. Additionally, Athena gave him a shield.

Marie and Pierre Curie took part in examinations of Eusapia Palladino, an Italian medium who claimed she could channel the dead, and attended a series of seances two years after obtaining the Nobel Prize in Physics. Pierre obviously believed that some of Palladino's accomplishments, such as levitating items and tables, were genuine. (Marie didn't appear to be as convinced.)

Also known as the corpse flower, Amorphophallus titanium or titan arum releases an extremely foul odor comparable to that of rotten flesh, which can be smelled 0.5 mi (0.8 km) away.

In the early days of Halloween, individuals would stroll the streets of Ireland while carrying hollowed-out turnips with torches inside. This custom is thought to have been the forerunner of the modern tradition of carving jack-o'-lanterns out of pumpkins.

Not shortly after the original film's release, Steven Spielberg and writer Melissa Mathison collaborated on a nine-page proposal for E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears. Elliott and his companions were captured by nasty aliens in the sequel, and E.T. returned to free them. The biggest surprise in the script? Zrek is the name of E.T.

Cardiovascular disease accounts for 70-75% of type 2 diabetes mortality (Kings Fund Policy Institute, 1996). Insulin resistance raises the risk of cardiovascular disease before the onset of type 2 diabetes. Hyperinsulinaemia has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (Ruige et al, 1998). The metabolic and systemic alterations associated with insulin resistance caused this elevated risk: insulin resistance syndrome.