According to archaeologists, the function originally appeared in Ancient Egypt. The Berlin State Museum displays a sample recovered from a temple near Abusir's Sahure pyramid. Because the copper pipe is still in good shape, it demonstrates how durable copper is as a piping material. What makes it even more intriguing is that the remainder of the temple is currently in disrepair.

Shells left over during lobster processing are typically discarded in landfills. A University of Maine researcher designed golf balls with a core made of lobster shells in an effort to make them valuable and keep the money in the lobster industry. They're also biodegradable, making them ideal for golfing on cruise ships or on courses near bodies of water.

The World Happiness Report, which strives to "redefine the growth narrative to put people's well-being at the heart of government initiatives," ranks Finland first among 156 nations, followed by Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. According to the report, Madagascar is the 14th unhappiest country in the world. It's hardly surprising that it's one of the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita GDP of $1,554 (ranking 179th out of 187 nations) and an average life expectancy of only 65.5 (in the UK, it's 81.2).

Insomniacs are frequently prescribed sleeping medications. According to the National Sleep Foundation, one in every four Americans takes sleeping medication each year. Sleep specialists, on the other hand, lack evidence for drugs that help cure insomnia. They place a greater emphasis on cognitive therapy lessons for patients in order to help them sleep better.

The music of Wilhelmus, the Dutch national anthem, dates back to between 1569 and 1572. This makes it the oldest melody used in a country’s national anthem, although it did not become the official Dutch anthem until 1932. 

The lyrics were also written at least 400 years ago and they refer to “Dietse Bloed”, an old word for Nederlands (Dutch).

Donald Davies, a computer pioneer, helped pave the path for the birth of the internet by inventing packet-switched networking. (In addition, fellow Briton Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web.)

Have you ever wondered where the superstition that breaking a mirror would bring seven years of bad luck originated? This ancient superstition dates all the way back to Roman times, according to our fun fact about mirror number 8.

The Romans believe that breaking a mirror would harm both your soul and your life, which are renewed every seven years. As a result, seven years of bad luck followed.

The Vaccinium genus includes huckleberries, bilberries, and blueberries, all of which are closely related to the cranberry.

The Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and plants, most likely mosses and liverworts with shallow roots, may have colonized land as recently as 470 million years ago. Vascular plants appeared around 420 million years ago, but no plants grew higher than 3 feet (1 metre) off the ground for tens of millions of years after that.

With all that land, there has got to be a couple of libraries, right? Harvard has some of the world’s most famous university libraries that boast a collection that is the oldest in America. There are 79 libraries, the main and largest one is known as the Widener Memorial Library. It houses about 3.5 million works in over 100 languages and 92 kilometers of shelves across ten levels. Four of the floors are underground because they needed to expand and could not go anywhere but down.

These two gorgeous names are associated with Sri Lanka. This little island country is known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean because of its remarkable natural beauty, extraordinary biodiversity, and rare jewels. Furthermore, the island is shaped like a teardrop and is located off the coast of India, making it simpler to locate on a map. That is why it is also known as India's Teardrop. A Google map of Sri Lanka is shown below to give you an idea of its location and form.

Ocimumosides A and B are chemicals found in tulsi. These molecules alleviate stress and help the brain's neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine balance. Tulsi's anti-inflammatory qualities lower inflammation and blood pressure.

This is an unfortunate fact because many of us have been told the opposite and have tried to cut it far too frequently. However, it is important to remember that split ends prevent our hair from growing, which means that we must cut them as soon as they appear.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, as the saying goes, and this proved to be true for a very early design of the mousetrap. Colin Pullinger unveiled his Perpetual Mousetrap in the mid-1800s, claiming that it would last a lifetime. Pullinger could still make that claim more than a century later.Even without bait, the 155-year-old device on display at England's Museum of English Rural Life caught a mouse that snuck into it in 2016. In an attempt to build a nest, the mouse entered the trap and activated the see-saw mechanism. Unfortunately, the rodent did not make it. The perpetual mousetrap, on the other hand, clearly does!

There are three original copies of the Constitution, safely kept in special helium-filled cases in the library of the Parliament. The pages are bound together in black leather, with beautiful gold patterns.

Astronauts who return from space are 3% taller than when they left. Because of the lack of gravity, they are taller, and their cartilage discs expand in microgravity. You stand higher in the morning because your spine has been free of gravity's downward pull for 8 hours. The rest also allows your spinal disc cartilage to plump up, making you taller!

Cowlicks aren't the only thing that can grow on your head; they can also grow on your eyebrows! They typically occur more frequently in people with curly or wavy hair.

Yes, you read that correctly: spider silk is extremely strong. It may appear weak and brittle, but this is only due to its thinness. A spider's web is five times stronger than a strand of steel of the same thickness. A spider web made of strands as thick as a pencil is also thought to be capable of stopping an aeroplane in flight!

In Switzerland, 530,000 individuals are classified as poor, with a monthly income of CHF2,219 ($2,275.40) for singles and CHF4,031 for families of two adults and two children. That equates to 6.6% of the population, down from 9.3% in 2007. The proportion of Swiss people living in extreme poverty (4.6%) is among the lowest in Europe (18.6% on average). In Switzerland, 9.7% of the population cannot afford a week's vacation abroad; the European average is 36.9%.

Santa's Village is a festive theme park in Canada that is open 365 days a year, so you may come in the winter or camp there in the summer. Many movies, including Hallmark's Christmas in Grand Valley and Netflix's The Knight Before Christmas, starring Vanessa Hudgens, have been shot in the seasonal locale.

We've already discussed Marvel and DC's relationship, but did you know about this fascinating crossover fact? Mjolnir can be wielded by Wonder Woman! Being able to handle Thor's renowned difficult-to-use divine weapon is a symbol of immense power and worth, a test that Diana has easily conquered in the comics. Who is taken aback?

The fishing business clearly suffers the most economic consequences. Before the sea lampreys entered the Great Lakes, fishermen in the United States and Canada could catch roughly 15 million pounds of trout per year, a figure that had dropped to a meager 300,000 pounds by the 1960s - less than 2% of their initial catch! Recent actions implemented by the two nations in partnership with affected tribes have brought sea lampreys under control, lowering the invasive population by 90%.

Regular toilet paper is still used aboard the International Space Station, but it must be compressed and packed in specialized canisters.