15 Unexpected Facts About Our World It’s Hard to Believe Are True

It's impossible to know everything. But you'll probably find some interesting and amazing facts about the world in this article.

Bright Side is sure that it doesn't matter which source of learning you choose as long as you're learning and gaining knowledge.

15. Dolphins eat puffer fish to get high.

Dolphins and humans are more similar than you realize. The creators of a documentary noticed something strange during filming: young dolphins were seen carefully chewing on the puffer and passing it between one another. Puffer fish release a nerve toxin that can be deadly, but in small amounts it's known to produce a narcotic effect and the dolphins appeared to realize this.

14. The internet speed at NASA is 91 Gigabits per second

This means that you would have a chance to download all the episodes of all of your favorite series just in 1 second. But unfortunately, it's the speed of a private network that's used only in scientific institutions in the United States.

13. In 1999, Japan changed its flag.

Japan is an incredibly unique country. For example, the idea of national symbols is strange to the Japanese. The Hinomaru ("circle of the sun") was a symbol that helped distinguish Japanese ships from foreign ones. Only in 1999, the design of the flag changed slightly.

12. In 2012, J.K. Rowling was excluded from the Forbes list because she spent $160 million on charity.

The richest British woman became successful in the blink of an eye, and she proves that money can't spoil good people: the writer helps single parents and supports a clinic that studies multiple sclerosis. Thanks to her income, Rowling always appears on various lists, except in 2012. That was the year the writer spent around $160 million on charity.

11. In Japan, seals (hanko) are used in lieu of signatures.

To open a bank account or confirm a shipment delivery, you'll need hanko, a personal seal. Sometimes people sign documents, but hanko remains the main tool to verify your identity.

10. Being struck by lightning leaves this pattern on people's skin.

Not many people survive a lightning strike. Those who manage to stay alive get mysterious patterns called "Lichtenberg figures" or "lightning flowers." Also, these "tattoos" occur on any surfaces and materials that were damaged by high voltage. Unfortunately, there's no science that can explain why these patterns occur on lightning strike victims.

9. Fetus heals mother's heart.

Scientists found out that fetus' stem cells can repair their mother's heart. Specialists believe that such an interesting phenomenon is an evolutionary mechanism: the fetus promotes its own survival by protecting its mother’s heart.

The discovery could explain why half the women who develop heart weakness during or just after pregnancy recover spontaneously.

8. In the Philippines, there's an island within a lake on an island within a lake on an island.

Sometimes nature becomes lazy and creates landscapes with the help of Ctrl+C + Ctrl+V. Taal Lake proves that Mother Nature has an awesome sense of humor.

7. Steve Job's amazing story

There are so many legends when it comes to Steve Job's life. But not all of them are true. A former Apple employee shared this story that proves that Steve was a genius.

When engineers working on the very first iPod completed the prototype, they presented their work to Steve Jobs. He played with the device, weighed it in his hands, and rejected it saying it was too big. Engineers claimed it was simply impossible to make it any smaller. Jobs was quiet for a moment. Then he stood up, walked over to an aquarium, and dropped the iPod in the tank. After it touched bottom, bubbles floated to the top.

"Those are air bubbles," he said. "That means there's space in there. Make it smaller."

6. What's eagle vision?

To have eagle vision means:

• to notice an ant on the ground from the roof of a 10-story building
• to make out the expressions on basketball players' faces from the worst seats in the arena
• to detect more colors and UV radiation
• to have a 340-degree visual field

5. The longest-ever stay in space.

Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov is the holder of the record for the longest single stay in space in human history, staying aboard the space station for 437 days and 18 hours during one trip.

4. There are no McDonald's restaurants in Iceland.

Because of a crisis, all McDonald's restaurants were closed down by 2009.

3. An American fitness coach gained 66 lbs and lost it in just one year.

Fitness coach Drew Manning decided to conduct an experiment so he could better understand people who want to lose weight. He quit training, started eating junk-food, and drinking soda. In 6 months, he gained 66 lbs and it took him 6 months to get rid of it. This experience helped Manning understand people who tried to get fit and why they failed their mission sometimes.

2. Australia's first police force was formed from the best-behaved convicts.

For a long period of time, British government used to exile criminals to its Australian colony. Australia's first police department was formed from convicts who behaved well.

1. Germany counts its trees.

If you visit Germany, you might notice that trees in parks are numbered. People count trees and collect data like the trees' age, condition, and so on. All trees should be provided with proper care so that they don't fall down. Yes, Germans are famous for their love of order in every sphere.

Which fact impresses you most? Do you have anything else to share with us?