Here are some random facts for you.
1. For the first 30-plus years of TV broadcasting in India, there was only one channel available. It was established by the government, and, at times, was criticized for being used to disseminate government propaganda.
Even crazier: That monopoly lasted until 1991, which was recent enough that Americans were watching: “Roseanne”, “Home Improvement”, “Full House”, “The Simpsons”, and “Saved By the Bell”.
2. The hashtag symbol is technically called an “octothorpe.” The “octo-” prefix refers to the eight points, but the “thorpe” is a mystery. One theory claims that it comes from the Old English word for “village,” because it looks like a village surrounded by eight fields.
3. Some cats have a HUMAN allergy. It’s rare, because people bathe more often than most other species and don’t shed as much hair and dead skin. In fact, if it seems like your cat is allergic to you, it’s more likely that it is having a reaction to a chemical ON you, like perfume, soap, or laundry detergent.
4. The Crown Jewels contain the two biggest cut diamonds on Earth. They both came from the Cullinan Diamond, a 3,106-carat gem found in South Africa in 1905.
5. You can hear a blue whale’s heartbeat from more than two miles away.
(MIT / Merriam-Webster / Popular Science / Wikipedia / Whale Facts)
