1. The date of August 30 was proclaimed at the Second International Whale Shark Conference in Mexico in 2012. It is now celebrated by aquariums and wildlife organisations worldwide. 2. Whale sharks are sharks, not whales. They are the largest fish on this planet and are listed as an endangered […]
10 Facts
185 posts
1. Bank holidays were introduced in 1871 by the Bank Holidays Act of that year. 2. The original bank holidays in England, Wales and Ireland were Easter Monday, Whit Monday, the first Monday in August and Boxing Day. Christmas Day and Good Friday were already traditional holidays so were not […]
1. About 69 per cent of the fresh water on Earth is frozen in glaciers. 2. Another 30 per cent of the fresh water is underground, leaving only one per cent easily available as drinking water. 3. An inch of rainwater falling over one acre of ground contains more than […]
1. The eruption buried Pompeii and Herculaneum beneath mud, lava and ash until they were rediscovered and excavated in the 18th century. 2. Author Pliny the Younger wrote a graphic account of the eruption, which killed his uncle. 3. Such explosive eruptions, sending molten rock 15 to 20 miles high […]
1. The word angel comes from the Latin angelus. The angels were said to be the messengers of God. 2. A belief in or study of angels is called angelology. 3. In the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas discussed the question of whether several angels could occupy the same place. 4. […]
1. Annual inflation has been estimated at a million per cent. This would cut the value of £1 to 0.01p. 2. When Christopher Columbus saw Venezuela in 1497 he said he had found Heaven on Earth. 3. Venezuelans have won the Miss World contest six times, a number equalled only […]
1. Liechtenstein, Monaco and Andorra are the world’s only independent countries that are ruled by princes. Andorra has two joint princes. 2. Liechtenstein has been a principality for 300 years, since becoming independent in 1718. 3. Sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland, Liechtenstein is the world’s sixth smallest country by area […]
1. London Zoo, which has the world’s oldest reptile house, is celebrating Lizard Day with a new puzzle box for their skilful lizards to solve. 2. All lizards are reptiles but not all reptiles are lizards. Lizards usually have four legs, external ear openings, scaly skin and movable eyelids. 3. […]