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.

People who had difficulties going asleep were two times more likely to die from a motor vehicle injury and 1.5 times more likely to die from any other fatal injury, according to a study done by the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project.

One of the sweetest facts about the Netherlands is that the Dutch adore licorice. They eat around two kilos per person per year. That’s around 32 million kilos of the sweet treat consumed each year! 

You’ll be spoilt for choice, with shops in the Netherlands selling over 80 different kinds of drop (the Dutch word for licorice).

Buying an original work of Inuit art delight many tourists that travel to Greenland. A tiny statue known as a tupilak is the most accessible specimen of this art. The tupilaks were previously carved from bone and were thought to be a significant piece of witchcraft that could murder one of the artist's adversaries, according to Inuit tradition. Some Inuit carvers have been successful in crafting monstrous tupilaks from wood, narwhal tusks, or reindeer horns in modern times. Tupilaks are available for purchase at gift shops and are no longer connected to witchcraft.

Have you ever heard of sharing the DNA with Gorillas? But yes, we do. We share 98% of our DNA with Gorillas. This means that exposure to human illnesses, even a cold, can negatively impact the Gorillas as they are so much similar to us, genetically. Still, they haven't developed the necessary immunities. Interesting, isn't it?

Around 1770, Franz Mesmer is credited with bringing hypnosis to the public's attention. The Austrian physician was probably aware of earlier societies' use of hypnosis, and he spent much of his career researching hypnosis, hypnotic techniques, and its effects on the human mind. Interestingly, Mesmer referred to hypnosis as "animal magnetism" or "mesmerism," and the latter term is still used occasionally today. (We're guessing you're completely enthralled by this fact.)

One in five individuals will dress up their animal pals this year, according to the NRF poll. The estimated amount spent on pets for Halloween 2022 will surpass the previous record high ($710 million). The most widely worn pet costumes are those of a witch, hot dog, bat, bumblebee, pumpkin, and bat.

Though toothbrushes have spent ages changing from natural to synthetic materials, contemporary toothbrush trends are actually returning the humble toothbrush to its roots. Natural and ecologically friendly alternatives to plastics are becoming more popular as people get more knowledge about health, plastic, and the environment. With increased conservation efforts, public demand for environmentally friendly products and alternatives is increasing.

Many notable enterprises were formed in Sweden, particularly in the fields of design and technology. Electrolux, Ericsson, H&M, IKEA, Saab, Scania, and Volvo are just a few of the well-known Swedish brands in the world. Sweden is also the source of several inventions and advancements. Tetra Pak, the pacemaker, dynamite, and the spherical ball bearing are only a few examples.

The Princess and the Frog gradually introduced the first black Disney princess, but the film had some unintended consequences. For example, it sent 50 children, mostly girls under the age of ten, to the hospital with salmonella after they attempted to kiss toads like the film's heroine. "Reptiles aren't ideal kissing partners," AOLHealth's Liz Neporent wrote at the time.

A lucid dream is one in which you are aware that you are dreaming while still sleeping. Lucid dreaming is thought to be a state that combines consciousness and REM sleep, in which you can often direct or control the dream content.

King Tut is probably the most famous of all the ancient Egyptians, but very little was known about the boy king who died at the young age of 19 until British archaeologist Howard Carter found the tomb in 1922. King Tuts Tomb is the smallest of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings but it was filled with great wealth.

It was believed that Hieroglyphs on the wall of King Tut’s tomb had the curse of death. I’m glad I didn’t know about this curse before entering King Tut’s tomb during our visit or I may not have entered this unassuming tomb.

The love partnerships revealed in the story's epilogue were one of the most contentious aspects of the Harry Potter series' ending. Rowling chose Ron and Hermione in a controversial choice, despite many fans' desire to see Harry and Hermione get their happily ever after. It almost goes without saying that Rowling regrets matching Harry with Ginny Weasley, believing that Harry and Hermione should have ended up together. Rowling confessed in an interview with The Sunday Times that these narrative decisions were "chosen for very personal reasons, not for grounds of veracity."

Here's a great advantage you can point out to make the "breast is best" zealots jealous: researchers at the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge discovered that formula-fed babies cried less, smiled and laughed more, and were easier to calm than breastfeeding babies. The ostensible reason? Breastfeeding is difficult for newborns, and some may not feel up to the endeavour and will fuss. Formula feeders have an easier difficulty filling their stomachs, so it's no surprise they're happier!

The final of our mirror facts is that some animal species can recognise themselves in the mirror. When determining which animals can see themselves, a mirror test is frequently used to determine the animal's self-awareness. What animals have this self-awareness? Dolphins, elephants, chimps, and even magpies Each of these animals have been discovered through research to see and recognise their own reflection in the mirror.

This well-known oil painting by Johannes Vermeer was completed in 1665. It shows a European girl in an exotic dress, an oriental turban, and what appears to be a large pearl earring. The beautiful girl in the painting is thought to be his eldest child Maria, who was also said to be his muse. She appears in other paintings by Johannes and bears an uncanny resemblance to the painting, though this theory has never been proven.

Do you want to know some movie trivia that no one knows? In previous versions, Janet van Dyne, Henry Pym's wife, was slated to appear as the Wasp, an intriguing scenario given that she was one of the founding Avengers with Hulk, Thor, and Iron Man. Her function, on the other hand, was handed to Black Widow in order to eliminate clutter, as she was in Iron Man 2.

Patients with pancreatic cancer may occasionally undergo a difficult procedure known as a Whipple procedure that entails the removal of the pancreatic head, a portion of the small intestine, the gallbladder, the bile duct, and occasionally even a portion of the stomach. However, only a small percentage of those with pancreatic cancer can undergo surgery.

That's five times faster than the average airplane, which travels at 575 miles per hour!

True. The Greeks of old would bring a cake with candles on it. To the temple of Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon stood in for the glistening moon. 
As each candle stood for a year that had passed, it wasn't until the 1700s that it started to become a birthday custom.

While cow's milk-based formula is still the most common, roughly 12% of newborns consume soy baby formula. The one chemical that has parents concerned is phytoestrogen, a plant-based oestrogen dopplegänger that may cause early puberty. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania surveyed over 900 adults, some of whom were fed soy formula as babies, and found no long-term positive or negative effects, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Vegan infants, rejoice!

Stonehenge is how old? The stone circle was built over a thousand years, in four stages, beginning around 5,000 years ago during the New Stone Age. Archaeologists believe that the final alterations occurred approximately 1,500BC, during the early Bronze Age.

The tale of Jasy Jatere stems from Guarani traditions in Paraguay. Parents often use the spooky story as a scare tactic to get their children to behave. Supposedly, Jasy Jatere roams the streets during siestas looking for children who would rather play than nap. Most variations depict Jasy Jatere as a child himself, with long, light-colored hair, but some say he is a small man who takes children, prisoner, before scooping their eyes out so they cannot find their way back home.

The Dussehra celebration is known as Golu in Tamil Nadu. The idols are designed to portray a variety of scenes from their culture and heritage. Legend has it that all other Gods and Goddesses gave their powers to Goddess Durga because she needed them so much. As a result, they became motionless like statues.