67 mind-blowing facts you’ll think are made up (but aren’t)

Ever wondered why banana-flavoured drinks and candies taste absolutely nothing like a real banana? According to some people (although it can’t be verified for sure), artificial banana flavouring was based on the Gros Michel variety, which is said to be sweeter and more pungent, almost “fake” tasting. It was thought to be extinct but there are a few places in the world it is still grown so you can taste and decide for yourself!

Hang around a know-it-all long enough and eventually, you will hear someone corrected when they try to talk about more than one octopus. Many people think the right plural form is “octopi” but based on the Greek roots, it technically should be “octopodes.” No one says that, however, so grammarians have settled on “octopuses” as the correct pluralisation of octopus. Yep, it’s exactly what you always thought it was! As for “octopi?” It’s not even a word.

Graham’s number is a number so large that a digital representation of it cannot be contained in the observable universe. Scientific humourists joke that if you actually tried to write it out, it would cause a tear in the space-time fabric, causing your head (and everything, really) to explode.

High heels have become such an icon of stereotypical femininity that many women feel an outfit is incomplete without them. But this ultra-girly symbol was first invented for men. Persian men started the high heel trend in the 10th century and the shoes were mostly considered masculine fashion until the 18th century when women claimed them.

In 1945 a US farmer in Colorado went out to kill a chicken for dinner but when he chopped off the animal’s head, it just wouldn’t die. It’s not unusual for chickens to survive a few minutes headless but as the time went on, he realized he had narrowly missed the jugular vein so while the poor creature had no head, it could still survive. The farmer named him “Magic Mike” and instead of eating him, fed him with an eyedropper until he died 18 months later.

Mosquitoes – more specifically, the diseases carried by mosquitoes – kill nearly 1 million people every year. The main culprit is Malaria, a disease that may be responsible for killing up to half of all the people who have ever lived.

These days you can’t walk a block outside without seeing someone snapping a selfie or Instagramming their food or posting their kids on Facebook. Taking pictures has become such a part of our daily lives that every two minutes we snap more photos than were taken through all of the 1800s.

Ever wondered what tortoises mating would sound like? No? Well, it turns out you probably know anyhow – that is, if you’ve seen any of the Jurassic Park movies. The sound designer confessed, “It’s somewhat embarrassing, but when the raptors bark at each other to communicate, it’s a tortoise having sex.”

Cleopatra, the last active ruler of Egypt, was born around 69 B.C. The Great Pyramids were completed around 2560 B.C. Mobile phones debuted in 1983. Yep.

It can be hard to imagine how much wealth is generated by the illegal drug trade but the fact that Pablo Escobar had to spend over two grand on rubber bands every month just to keep his money together might help put it in perspective.