Who Knew? Some Fun Facts

Weird-Random-Facts
 

Pink Biz said:
Stick insect eggs. Each species of stick insect produces an egg that is unique in shape and design.

Measuring only a few millimetres in length, these eggs are one of nature's hidden wonders. In this unique photograph, Levon Biss has captured 52 varieties in a level of clarity and detail.

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Some of these are works of art! I never knew...
 

The brink of Niagara Falls currently erodes at the rate of 1 foot (12inches) per year.
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At this rate of erosion, the falls will cease to exist in 50,000 years as they will have eroded to the shoreline of Lake Erie.

There are a total of three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls. Two are on the American side (American Falls & Bridal Veil Falls) and one is on the Canadian side (Horseshoe Falls). The horseshoe are the largest and highest of all three falls.

6 Million cubic feet of water pass over the falls every minute during daylight hours. That flow is reduced at night considerably to generate hydro electric power then returned to full flow rate during daylight hours to appease the millions of tourists that visit each year.

On average, between 20 & 30 people die going over the falls each year. The majority of deaths are suicides, and most take place from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Many of these suicides are not publicized by officials. Mortality rate for the daredevil attempts over the falls is approximately 25%.

The first person to successfully go over the falls in a barrel and live was a 63 year old retired school teacher Annie Edson Taylor. She loaded herself & her cat into the barrel and went over the falls living to talk about it. No word on whether the cat made it or not. When questioned about the experience, Annie responded: "No one ought ever do that again." It is now illegal to attempt to go over the falls in a barrel or any other device. The fine for any attempt is $10,000.00

The rapids above the Falls reach a maximum speed of 40 km/hr or 25 mph. The fastest speeds occur at the brink of the Falls: 68 mph has been recorded.

American & Bridal Veil Falls - (far right).
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Horseshoe Falls
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StarSong said:
I would have expected that number to be more like 90%. Very surprising that so many live to tell.
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I too was surprised mortality rate is so low. I have to assume those that attempt it do a lot of planning and I would expect there's considerable padding inside whatever they use to go over the falls in. The real danger is getting caught up in the turbulent water at the base of the falls. If that keeps your barrel or whatever submerged for more that 30 seconds of so, you'd drown I expect? Virtually all attempts to go over the falls in this manner are on the Canadian side as there are too many huge rocks at the base of the American falls. The barrel would be smashed upon landing.
 
MrPants said:
I too was surprised mortality rate is so low. I have to assume those that attempt it do a lot of planning and I would expect there's considerable padding inside whatever they use to go over the falls in. The real danger is getting caught up in the turbulent water at the base of the falls. If that keeps your barrel or whatever submerged for more that 30 seconds of so, you'd drown I expect? Virtually all attempts to go over the falls in this manner are on the Canadian side as there are too many huge rocks at the base of the American falls. The barrel would be smashed upon landing.
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I thought that most were suicide attempts that people ended up surviving. Didn't realize there were still daredevils making the attempt. Sheesh!
 
StarSong said:
I thought that most were suicide attempts that people ended up surviving. Didn't realize there were still daredevils making the attempt. Sheesh!
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Not many attempts anymore as the fine is $10,000.00 (or can be up to $25,000.00) when you're caught. The last attempt to go over the falls was in July of 2019. The person's name is not listed but they survived. From the list of attempts, dating back to the late 1800's, it appears there were more fatalities in days gone by and much fewer in more recent times. Makes sense I guess - advancement in design & materials for whatever capsules were being used?

Here's a true story of a 7 year old boy who went over the falls in July 1960 as a result of a boating accident. He lived to tell the story o_O
https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2015/07/09/history-canada-july-9-1960-the-miracle-at-niagara/
 
MrPants said:
Not many attempts anymore as the fine is $10,000.00 (or can be up to $25,000.00) when you're caught. The last attempt to go over the falls was in July of 2019. The person's name is not listed but they survived. From the list of attempts, dating back to the late 1800's, it appears there were more fatalities in days gone by and much fewer in more recent times. Makes sense I guess - advancement in design & materials for whatever capsules were being used?

Here's a true story of a 7 year old boy who went over the falls in July 1960 as a result of a boating accident. He lived to tell the story o_O
https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2015/07/09/history-canada-july-9-1960-the-miracle-at-niagara/
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What a riveting account! Thanks for sharing it.
 
StarSong said:
My DIL's parents were both born and raised in Korea. She always removes her shoes when entering her or my house, and my son now does the same. When I asked her the reason for the tradition she said it's to avoid bringing outside dirt into one's home. I had a neighbor from India who did the same.

Not a bad custom, if you ask me.
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My mom made me take my shoes off before coming into the house as a kid!
 
Timewise 60+ said:
How can a 'smell' be detected when Space has no air?
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https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-07/what-does-space-smell/
Though a pure, unadulterated whiff of outer space is impossible for humans (it’s a vacuum after all; we would die if we tried), when astronauts are outside the ISS, space-borne compounds adhere to their suits and hitch a ride back into the station. Astronauts have reported smelling “burned” or “fried” steak after a space walk, and they aren’t just dreaming of a home-cooked meal.

The smell of space is so distinct that, three years ago, NASA reached out to Steven Pearce of the fragrance maker Omega Ingredients to re-create the odor for its training simulations. “Recently we did the smell of the moon,” Pearce says. “Astronauts compared it to spent gunpowder.”

Allamandola explains that our solar system is particularly pungent because it is rich in carbon and low in oxygen, and “just like a car, if you starve it of oxygen you start to see black soot and get a foul smell.” Oxygen-rich stars, however, have aromas reminiscent of a charcoal grill. Once you leave our galaxy, the smells can get really interesting. In dark pockets of the universe, molecular clouds full of tiny dust particles host a veritable smorgasbord of odors, from wafts of sweet sugar to the rotten-egg stench of sulfur.

This article originally appeared in the February 2011 issue of Popular Science magazine.
 

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