Although sunflowers are commonplace, they are actually an American native. From North and South America, sunflowers, or Helianthus, come in close to 100 different varieties. Sunflowers were used by Native Americans for their seeds and oils long before Van Gogh and Gaugin painted them.

It's strange to think of the founder of modern science dabbling in astrology. But two things should be kept in mind: First, historians warn us that judging historical events by today's standards is tricky. We all know that astrology is nonsense, yet astrology was only just beginning to separate from astronomy at the time of Galileo. Besides, Galileo was not wealthy: A professor who can teach astrological methods will be more in demand than one who cannot.

The iconic horned helmet of popular culture was really a fantasy construct dreamed up by costume designer Carl Emil Doepler for a staging of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen in 1876. In fact, the majority of them may not have worn helmets at all. Only one full Viking helmet has ever been discovered, implying that many battled without helmets or used leather headgear rather than metal.

If you've ever seen stage hypnosis for entertainment purposes, you've probably seen the entertainer/hypnotist select a seemingly random group of audience members to come up on stage and "be hypnotized." But, as with any good show, not everything is as it appears. Various scientific studies have found that some people are more susceptible to hypnotic suggestion. These people are more easily persuaded into the subconscious mind than others. These people are frequently "tested" ahead of time, even if they are unaware of it.

Only three films in cinema history have won Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Film. "It Happened One Night," directed by Frank Capra, was the first. The other two films were "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) and "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991).

One weird law, that’s since been long-forgotten, is that it’s illegal to pass wind in Florida after 6pm on a Thursday. It’s never really been enforced in Florida but it was probably written in the 1800’s. It’s not clear why this ever became a law, or a rumoured law in the first place.

Nail painting has been practised since 3000 BCE. There is archaeological evidence that the Ancient Babylonians used a solid gold manicure set to paint their nails before battle. People used beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, and vegetable dyes in Ancient China during the Ming Dynasty.

The pan shot, also known as the panorama shot, was invented in 1987, when panning cameras were first used in film production. Cameras used to be stationary, so you had to move the entire camera and tripod to get any movement. This was a significant step forward in filmmaking and cinematography as an art form.

Acadia National Park in Maine is one of the country's top 10 most visited parks. Over 3.5 million visitors visited the park in 2018. From October 7 to March 6, Cadillac Mountains in Acadia National Park is the first spot in the United States to see the dawn. In 1918, the peak was named after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, a French explorer, and adventurer. Cadillac is an automobile business named after the great explorer. It is 49,075 acres in size and includes Cadillac Mountain, woods, lakes, and cobble beaches. The Rockefellers funded a carriage road system that makes it easier to get about.

In the United Kingdom, nearly £368 million is spent on whole cakes each year, which includes birthday cakes! That's nearly £1 million worth of cake per day, which is a lot of cake (and even more candles). When you extrapolate this to the entire world, you'll discover that people eat between 50 and 100 million birthday cakes every single day, not just once a year.

While a sighted person can read 300 words per minute, some fast braille readers can whip through a book at a speed of 400 words per minute. The key to reading braille so quickly is a light touch – and using both hands (one hand reads while the other is poised to start on the next line).

A common, but the lesser-known side effect of anxiety is anger. When we feel powerless over a situation, or our life is out of our control, expressing anger is a natural way to feel a sense of control.
It’s much easier to externalize the conflict rather than acknowledge the real issue and deal with it. Additionally, with chronic sufferers of anxiety, depression sometimes develops.

The country's native bird, the hooded pitohui, may be found throughout Papua New Guinea. The hooded pitohui bird, on the other hand, is one of the world's few deadly birds. As a result, hunters are concerned about preserving the birds since they destroy numerous parasites and are beneficial to the ecology. Hunters like these birds' distinct qualities as well. You're unlikely to stumble across one by mistake, so there's nothing to worry about, but it's interesting to know about!

Convertibles have a tremendously exciting and romantic feel about them. Even though the country was not equipped for open-air automobiles and the heat, many Indians enjoyed the Standard Herald when it debuted in 1965. However, it is an excellent option for friends and families that wish to travel together. For decades, this automobile could be spotted on numerous Indian roadways.

Teddy named Magellan T. Bear has become the first teddy to reach space when he boarded space shuttle discovery in 1995. The teddy bear was not just a bear but an education specialist on a mission. The teddy bear later flew around the world, visited the South Pole, and explored much more.

In November 2015 the Museum broke a modern record. Mapped out and presented digitally, the Museum became the largest indoor space on Google Street View. You can explore it at your leisure from the comfort of your own home (or the discomfort of the bus, or anywhere really), plus there are stories of thousands of highlight objects at the Google Cultural Institute.

While there are many fanciful elements in the way mobile suits function, such as the Minovsky Particles that fuel them, most of the technology is based on true science. Lagrange points, the O'Neill cylinder, and the usage of Helium-3 as an energy source are instances of this. Other things are technologies that have not yet been developed but appear to be viable with future study.

A fun fact is that Galileo and Shakespeare were both born in the same year (1564). The English dramatist was reaching the end of his career when Galileo pointed his telescope to the night sky. But he wasn't quite ready to lay down his pen: his late drama Cymbeline contains what might be a reference to one of Galileo's most important discoveries—the four moons around Jupiter. The deity Jupiter descends from the skies in the last act, and four ghosts dance in a circle around him. It may be a coincidence, or, as I argue in my book The Science of Shakespeare, it could be intentional.

The 14th Dalai Lama has served as a monk in the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism. He is supposed to be the current incarnation of Tibet's last 13 Dalai Lamas. In 1937, the Tibetan government dispatched a search expedition to find the Dalai Lama. They discovered the current Dalai Lama as a toddler, living with his family in a small agricultural hamlet, based on indications and visions. In 1940, he was appointed as Tibet's official spiritual head. He is now renowned as a spiritual rock star as well as a religious figure, and he is famed for his inspirational words of wisdom.

This is referred to as the Triple Boil, and at that temperature, water exists as a gas, a liquid, and a solid all at the same time. It need highly precise circumstances, so don’t even think of doing it at home. Have you had your fill of amusing scientific facts?

You probably enter a hypnotic state at least twice a day, believe it or not. Common examples include arriving at your destination without remembering how you got there, zoning out while reading a book page, becoming so engrossed in the television show you're binge-watching that you don't realise half a day has passed, or experiencing involuntary sleep hypnosis.

The world-famous energy drink Red Bull was made in Bangkok by Chaleo Yoovidhya in 1976. He had moved from central Thailand to Bangkok with very little formal education but managed to build a multimillion empire with the help of his Australian business partner Dietrich Mateschitz. At the time of his death in 2012, Yoovidhya was the third richest man in Thailand with an estimated wealth of USD 5 billion. 

However, the syrupy drink he made is quite different from the carbonated version enjoyed across the globe. At some shops in Bangkok, you can find both versions, and decide which one you prefer for yourself.

Flamingos can fly up to 600 kilometres at a speed of 50–60 kph thanks to their dimensions and light body bulk.