The annual Halloween study conducted by the National Retail Federation explores American holiday preparations. The findings indicate that people are going back to their pre-COVID-Halloween plans after two really unusual Halloweens. According to the survey, 69% of consumers say they will celebrate Halloween, up from 65% in 2021 and 58% in 2020. This number is similar to the 68% who did so in 2019.

In stark contrast to their modern-day high status, lobsters were routinely fed to convicts during colonial times (and slaves). They were filthy, inexpensive, and everywhere. Prisoners were ordered to limit their consumption of lobster to three days a week when they became sick of it.

Following Webster's death in 1843, George and Charles Merriam purchased the rights to revise An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged. In Springfield, Massachusetts, the two brothers printed and sold books, and their intellectual property purchase paid off. Merriams published the first revised Webster dictionary for six dollars in the fall of 1847. The book was a success, and the G. & C. Merriam Co. was renamed Merriam-Webster, Inc. in 1982. Merriam-Webster still publishes popular print and electronic dictionaries.

High altitudes, tropical climates, and rich soil are all factors that contribute to good coffee growing conditions. As a result, despite the Continental United States' rich and diverse landscapes, Hawaii is the only state suitable for growing coffee plants. It was producing coffee long before it became a state. (However, farms in California have recently begun growing coffee bushes!)

Sleep lines may result from particular sleeping positions. These wrinkles have the potential to deepen over time. Avoid this by sleeping backwards in the sheets.

The brain encodes odors received via the nostrils as originating from the nose but smells detected through the back of the throat activate regions of the brain linked with signals from the mouth. Because most taste involves odor going to olfactory receptors in your brain, it stands to reason that if you can't smell, you won't be able to taste anything at all. If you can't smell because of a head cold, smoking, drug side effects, or a broken nose, your olfactory receptors may be too damaged, obstructed, or inflamed to transmit signals up to your brain.

Quantum mechanics explains how atoms, molecules, and other fundamental particles interact. Einstein's theory of general relativity, on the other hand, helps to explain how things work on a large scale. But there's a problem: these two branches of physics don't seem to fit together. While much work has been done to address this issue, it remains one of the most difficult problems in modern physics.

Part of our propensity for believing in conspiracy theories may be due to a social psychological bias that coincides with our distaste for random events. The propensity to think that the actions of others are intentional rather than the result of external events is known as Fundamental Attribution Error. As a result, when things happen randomly or unintentionally, we may feel compelled to seek a purposeful explanation. This might conceivably contribute to the development of conspiracy ideas.

Pirates preferred grog, a concoction of rum, water, lemon juice, and sugar. (Hmmm, I wonder where the inspiration for our rum punch came from?)

While The Count of Monte Cristo (1908) is recognized as the first film completed in Hollywood, it wasn’t actually the first movie made there. That award goes to a little-known film called In Old California. This film is a silent, black and white movie about the Mexican era in California. The entire movie was shot in and around Los Angeles. The 17-minute film was officially released on March 10, 1910. There is a monument that was erected at 1713 Vine Street, just north of Hollywood Boulevard, to commemorate the film.

For men, ashwagandha may have reproductive benefits. By normalising reproductive hormone levels, ashwagandha has been proven to considerably enhance sperm quality in infertile males. One study found that 14% of male patients' partners fell pregnant after the study. Separately, in an ashwagandha stress trial, researchers discovered that the herb boosted testosterone levels in male but not female subjects. Another study on the effect of ashwagandha on muscle strength in men found a considerable increase in testosterone.

Winter in the north of Sweden can be difficult, with fewer than 5 hours of daylight for months on end. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a kind of depression that occurs as a result of a lack of daylight and affects many people in Europe's far north. To remedy this, one Swedish city erected lightboxes in bus stops to provide passengers waiting for transportation with a little additional lighting during the gloomy winter days.

One of the lesser-known facts of the Indian Ocean is that it has a number of tectonic plate boundaries, notably the Rodrigues Triple Point, where the African, Indo-Australian, and Antartic continental plates collide.

The snake plant is especially well-liked because it makes the perfect "thank you" gift for new parents. This is a great houseplant to give as a present to someone you know who just had a baby. It's fantastic for newlyweds as well. Get your own snake plant the next time you want to pamper yourself or give someone a housewarming gift.

The massive book tour that surrounds publication is probably the largest fallacy propagated by television and movies about the publishing industry. Most authors do not have the name recognition to necessitate a multi-city reading tour. J.K. Rowling, Roxane Gay, David Sedaris? They can all sell hundreds of volumes in a bookstore or an auditorium. A first-time author from a tiny town? Not at all. This has nothing to do with the actual quality of their work; it's merely a publicity stunt. So, if you see an author you enjoy speaking at a library, reading at a bookstore, or participating in a demonstration near you, go! Support them in person!

As each belligerent nation scrambled to furnish its armed forces with adequate personnel and equipment, national resources were mobilised. Early failures in weapons manufacture in the United Kingdom resulted in complete government participation in war production. By 1918, its industry had produced approximately 4 million rifles, 250,000 machine guns, 52,000 aeroplanes, 2,800 tanks, 25,000 artillery pieces, and over 170 million rounds of artillery shells thanks to these regulations.

Niagara Falls State Park, which was founded in the Niagara Reservation in New York in 1885, has a long history in the United States. Every year, more than 8 million people visit Niagara Falls State Park. The Niagara Falls Association, which was created in 1883 and bought private land around the region to protect the natural environment, is responsible for preserving Niagara Falls' natural beauty.

Visitors to the Terracotta Army are constantly crowded. 
The Terracotta Army is a well-known tourist destination that is frequently crowded, particularly on weekends and Chinese public holidays.

Majuli is recognized as the largest river island in the world. It is located on the Brahmaputra river near Jorhat and encapsulates a lush green and pollution-free environment. Majuli attracts a lot of tourists every year because of its scenic beauty, its vibrant culture, and friendly people.

Although we are accustomed to seeing spider silk in the form of webs, did you know that it is actually a liquid? When the silk is exposed to air, it hardens, allowing them to create and build their webs.

The energy in the sound wave spreads from the source in a succession of pulses from air molecule to air molecule. When a series of sound wave pulses crush, this is referred to as compression, and when they spread out, this is referred to as rarefaction. Sound waves travel through the air by compressing and rarefying it.

According to Bloomberg, Qatar spent an astounding $300 billion (Rs 2442000 crore) on the World Cup's organization. According to Economic Times, building new stadiums cost $6.5 billion (Rs 530 crore). According to Forbes, Russia only spent $14.2 billion (Rs 115913 crore) on the 2018 World Cup's planning.

Friends co-creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman wrote a seven-page pitch for a new sitcom called Insomnia Café in the early 1990s. Aside from the different title, the plot was quite different from what became known as Friends. For example, Joey and Monica were supposed to be the love interests rather than Ross and Rachel.

Although most people tend to reach for oranges when they need a quick boost of vitamin C, the kiwi fruit actually has more. This is what gives kiwi its status as a "superfood."

Unfortunately, this is not good news for men. Depending on the species, the female spider may consume the male spider before, during, or after copulation! Did you know that this sexual cannibalism behaviour inspired the names of widow spiders like the black widow?