College basketball is still one of the most popular sports, but many remember the 1979 NCAA tournament game between Michigan State and Indiana State as one of the best-rated events in the sport's history. This game marked the beginning of having basketball greats and NBA stars as a clash between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who had never played each other before to this tournament.

Snow crystals usually form unique patterns, but there has been at least one instance of identical snowflakes in history. Two snowflakes collected from a Wisconsin storm were confirmed to be twins in 1988 at a Colorado atmospheric research centre.

Although Santa Claus is a one-of-a-kind Christmas persona, many actors dress up as the festive figure each year to earn additional money. Mall Santas earn roughly $30 per hour during the holidays, but can earn up to $100 per hour for their services. However, Dan Greenleaf, a professional freelance Santa who owns his own booking agency, told CNBC that the "average hourly mid-range is roughly $150" when he's booked to attend parties, houses, or other events. And if you're very skilled at saying "ho, ho, ho," you might earn $500 per hour. Greenleaf even claims that one of his Santas was promised $1,200 by a Manhattan customer for only one hour on Christmas Day!

India is a land of customs and traditions and houses so many spectacular temples too. In the state of Rajasthan, India, there is even a temple of the rats. Pilgrims visit this temple to offer their prayers to the thousands of rats residing there. It is a belief that these rats are the ancestors. Crazy but still a belief.

Toby Gard hacked together Lara Croft Manor, one of the most iconic locations in the original Tomb Raider, in a weekend, and it was based on the actual building Core Design was headquartered in. Yes, even indie video game developers can stay in castles in England.

Elizabeth White, a cranberry farmer's daughter, and USDA botanist Frederick Coville started domesticating wild blueberries in New Jersey, USA. Blueberries became popular all over the world by the 1930s.

Here's a rather contentious DC fact! Diana's romantic interests included both men and women when she was created in 1941. It's understandable when your identity is defined by your struggle with love and you're from an island populated entirely by women. Her creator, William Moulton Marston, was particularly inspired by his polyamorous situation. By the way, this was in 1940, when homosexuality was illegal.

People with high testosterone recalled information better when it was associated with an angry face rather than a neutral or no face, indicating they considered the furious look gratifying, according to a University of Michigan research. According to the researchers, it might suggest that some individuals love seeing others glare at them—as long as the flash of fury doesn't persist long enough to represent a threat—which could explain why that guy in the office won't stop making that terrible joke at your expense.

Although walking the plank is common in modern pirate lore, most pirates simply killed people. When they tortured their prisoners, it was usually by keelhauling (dragging a tied sailor in the water from the back of the ship), marooning them on a deserted island or remote sandbar, or lashings with a leather whip.

Switzerland may boast some of the most costly cities in the world, yet its people receive excellent value for money. According to the Social Progress Report, the country excels in "medical," "nutritional," and "access to basic information." It has an index of 88.87 out of 100.

Mango grafting, which produced well-known varieties like Fernandina, was first used by the Portuguese, according to the book "A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food." The mangoes so enchanted the seafaring Portuguese that they took the fruit and its seeds and gave it to many other nations that had never tasted the fruit.

The Pacific Ring of Fire, often known as the circum-Pacific belt, is the world's greatest seismic belt, spanning Chile, Japan, and Southeast Asia. With nearly 130 active volcanoes, four minor earthquakes each day, and its location between the most active seismic area on the planet, Indonesia is the hottest point on the Ring of Fire. Because of population density, many Indonesians live perilously close to active volcanoes with regular rumblings.

Chances are good that you know that the Starbucks logo is a mermaid, even if you never buy coffee there. The mermaid, though, is actually a siren. Before 1987, it was super controversial, because the siren was naked and had exposed nipples. In 1992, they changed it to be a little more covered up.

The fate of the Afrikaans language was a hot topic during negotiations for South Africa's new government in 1992. The ANC sought to make English the official language of the nation, but Afrikaner nationalists were anxious that it remains on par with English. The ANC concurred, but it was difficult for them to justify simply adopting Afrikaans and leaving out other indigenous languages. Then came South Africa's inclusive linguistic policy.

As of December 2017, the most widely used hashtag on Instagram was #love, followed by #fashion and #photooftheday. 

The hashtag that had seen the greatest rise in popularity during the previous year was #photography.

Zeus was terrified that his kid would be his undoing owing to a prophecy, so he ate his lover when he discovered she was pregnant. The fetus became a part of him, and one day she sprang out of his forehead, fully developed and ready to fight.

J.R.R. Tolkien worked as an editor's assistant on the OED after serving in World War I. His job was to look into the etymologies of words beginning with the letter w. Tolkien also wrote multiple definitions for words like waggle, walnut, walrus, and waistcoat. Tolkien went on to work as an English professor and write The Lord of the Rings after leaving the OED. Following that, the OED has added terms coined by Tolkien himself, such as hobbit, mithril, and mathom.

This will come as no surprise to most cat owners. Every sofa is a sofa bed to them. Otherwise found on your favourite seat or computer keyboard.

 

Do you believe the Ark of the Covenant is hidden away in a government warehouse? Wrong. It's in Lara Croft's foyer, to be precise. Hey, it's a great way to evict lingering partygoers.

Crystals are not like other rocks you might come across. Despite their origins in minerals or rocks, crystals exist in a'vegetative' condition, which means they have some type of dormant life. They develop deep within clusters as well. As a result, they are said to have some kind of healing energy or ability that links with the energy points in living organisms, including humans. As a result, you should use caution while engaging with these chemicals, just as you would with other living organisms. It may be frightening for some to consider, but some believe crystals carry much-needed healing power.

According to Formula1, the most common type of injury is head and neck injuries. Formula One has attempted to reduce this type of damage by requiring very high standards for the drivers' helmets. The first need is that a Formula One helmet be exceedingly light. This advancement creates the problem of developing a product that is also as tough as it has to be. The helmets must pass a series of fragmentation and deformation tests to guarantee that they fulfill the stringent criteria. Because of its strength, carbon fibre is the principal material used to build Formula One helmets. The exterior shell is made up of two layers, the majority of which are made of carbon fibre.

Do you want a large, muscular baby? Then formula is your ticket, according to a study published in the Journal of Proteome Research by UC Davis. Researchers discovered that when five formula-fed infant rhesus monkeys were compared to five breastfed monkeys, the former developed quicker and bigger than the latter. One probable explanation is that formula includes higher protein than breast milk: human milk contains 8% protein whereas rhesus monkey milk contains 11.6 percent. At 18%, formula outperforms both.

During the four days of the Chhath puja, the body's functioning is enhanced, and a shift occurs in the entire bodily system. The Puja celebration also aids in the development of strong intuition and telepathy.

Fish and other marine animals wouldn't exist without algae, which forms the foundation of the marine food chain.

Long-term lung function reduction can result from exposure to air pollution throughout childhood. Fetuses' growth has also been proven to be impacted by dirty air. The majority of the UK's regions exceed the EU's air pollution regulations. However, according to the government's present plans, it won't be safe to breathe until at least 2020, and 2025 in London.