Odd truths about everyday things
Ordinary objects with unreasonable backstories.
Does honey ever go bad?
Sealed honey does not spoil. Archaeologists have recovered pots of honey from ancient Egyptian tombs, sealed for over 3,000 years, still edible. Three things do it: almost no water, an acidic pH, and hydrogen peroxide produced by an enzyme from the bees.
Is a banana a berry, and is a strawberry not one?
Botanically, yes on both counts. A berry develops from a single flower with a single ovary and contains seeds inside its flesh — which describes a banana. A strawberry grows from a flower with many ovaries, making it an aggregate accessory fruit.
What is the dot over the letter i called?
It is called a tittle. The word comes from the Latin titulus, meaning a heading or inscription, and it describes the small distinguishing dot over a lowercase i or j. Scribes added it so the letters wouldn't get lost in dense handwriting.
What is Scotland's national animal?
The unicorn. It is not a joke or a tourist-board invention: the unicorn has appeared on the Scottish royal coat of arms since the twelfth century, and in heraldry it is always shown bound in a gold chain.
Does the Eiffel Tower change height?
Yes. The tower is made of iron, and iron expands when it warms. Across the seasons the Eiffel Tower's height varies by up to about 15 centimetres, and in strong wind the top can sway around 6 to 7 centimetres.
Where was Hawaiian pizza invented?
Canada. Sam Panopoulos, a Greek-born restaurant owner, first put canned pineapple and ham on a pizza in 1962 at the Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario. He named it after the brand on the pineapple tin. Hawaii had nothing to do with it.
Why does popcorn pop?
Because each kernel is a sealed pressure vessel. Water inside the kernel turns to steam but cannot escape through the hard shell, so the pressure builds to around ten times normal air pressure until the shell cracks at about 180 degrees Celsius. The starch bursts outward and sets, and the pop sound is the steam rushing out, not the shell breaking.
Can you really hear the ocean in a seashell?
No. The sound is the ordinary background noise around you, caught and amplified by the shell's curved hollow. The louder the room, the louder the ocean. A cupped hand or an empty mug over your ear does the same thing, and in a soundproof room a shell goes silent.
Is a peanut a nut?
No. A peanut is a legume, a relative of peas, beans and lentils, and it grows in a pod underground. After the plant flowers above ground, the fertilised flower sends a stalk called a peg down into the soil, and the peanut develops there in the dark.