Emb
arrassing yet Fascinating Trivia Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you wished you knew just a little bit more to impress your friends or colleagues? Well, why not arm yourself with some embarrassingly fascinating trivia to surprise and entertain others at your next social gathering or team-building event. Did you know that the Eiffel Tower can be up to 15cm taller in the summer due to the expansion of the metal under the heat of the sun? Or that there are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the universe? These are just a few examples of seemingly insignificant yet incredibly fascinating pieces of information that can ignite conversation and spark curiosity. Here are some more examples of embarrassing trivia that may make you blush, but also make you smile.
1. The shortest commercial flight in the world lasts just
1.5 minutes, traveling between the Scottish islands of Westray and Papa Westray. This flight covers a distance of just
1.7 miles.
2. In ancient Egypt, it was customary for wealthy families to give their servants bowing privileges to prevent them from developing bow legs from working on their feet all day.
3. Our noses can detect over 1 trillion different scents, making it one of the most powerful senses we possess.
4. It is impossible to tickle yourself, no matter how hard you try. This is because our brains are wired to distinguish between self-touch and external touch.
5. The longest duration for a sneezing fit was recorded in 1951 when a person sneezed continuously for 978 days.
6. The longest word in the English language is 189,819 letters long, and it is the name of a protein called Titin.
7. The first recorded use of toilet paper was in medieval China. However, it was not until the late 1800s that a patent was granted in America for the first commercially packaged toilet paper.
8. The raised bumps on chocolate chips are called 'nibs,' and they are placed there to prevent them from melting entirely during baking.
9. A teaspoonful of a neutron star weighs about six billion tons, making it one of the densest objects known in the universe.
10 Polar bears are among the few mammals that are "actively" left-handed, meaning they prefer to use their left paw over right paw in performing tasks. While some of these facts may make you blush, they are all undeniably fascinating and worthy of sharing. So the next time you find yourself in need of an ice-breaker or conversation starter, feel free to choose any of these gems and make your friends, colleagues, or even strangers blush.