Random Interesting Facts
Perhaps one of the most interesting TV programmes to be made, QI is cram packed full of random interesting facts. The most interesting of which (at least the ones I can remember) are listed here:
[I will add more as and when I learn (or remember) them!]
- A kangaroo cannot pass wind
- This is due to one of 40 bacteria in the kangaroo's gut. Scientists are interested in isolating this particular bacterium to give it to cows, to reduce the methane they produce, which counts towards global warming.
- In our solar system, there are actually only 8 planets
- I can hear you all reciting "My Very Easy Method...". Of all the criteria to define a planet, Pluto, the most recently discovered 'planet', does not make a perfect match, and so is not technically a planet. This has now become widely accepted as fact.
- A banana is a berry, whereas blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are not
- In order for a fruit to be classed as a berry, it must contain more than one seed. Therefore plums and peaches are not berries, but apples and bananas are. Raspberries etc are made up of lots of single-seeded fruits
- Rutland is the smallest county in England for only half of the time
- The other half of the time, the Isle of White is the smallest county in England. It all depends on the tide. At high tide, the Isle of White is the smallest country, and at low tide, Rutland is the smallest county.
- People have almost always known the Earth is round
- It's a common misconception that people used to believe that the Earth was flat. There is absolutely no evidence to show that people believed the Earth is flat. Long before the times of Christopher Columbus, there is considerable evidence to the contrary, depicting the Earth as round. One belief that Columbus did have, however, was that the Earth is pear-shaped. Perhaps he's not as mad as one may think: The Earth is technically not spherical! The Earth is actually an oblate spheroid (it bulges out around the equator).
