OFFBEAT WAYS OF THE WORLD AROUND YOU

WE DON'T HAVE A FUNNY BONE

We’ve all experienced the uncomfortable feeling of hitting our

funny bone. The tingling sensation when we hit our elbow in

just such a way isn’t due to hitting a bone at all but the ulnar nerve.

Originating in our spine, the ulnar nerve runs through our shoulder

and down the arm into the pinkie and ring fingers. The nerve

passes through our elbow in an area with little padding or protection.

Thus, when that area is hit, it’s actually the ulnar nerve

responding (which is why the feeling shoots down to

our pinkies and up to our shoulders).

WE CAN'T SEE THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

FROM THE MOON

It’s a widely popular idea that the Great Wall of China is the only

man-made object visible from space but this is another way in

which the world isn’t what you think. Even from the International

Space Station’s position in Low Earth Orbit, the wall is barely

visible; astronauts rely on GPS coordinates to try locating the

wall during perfectly clear weather conditions. (The wall in this

picture runs from bottom left to top right; the more obvious

feature running from top left to bottom right is a river).

MARILYN MONROE ISN'T THE QUEEN OF

UN-BEHAVED LADIES

Marilyn Monroe never created the popular phrase “Well behaved

women rarely make history.” The quote dates back to PhD

student Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s 1976 article “Vertuous Women

Found: New England Ministerial Literature, 1668-1735”, aimed at

illuminating many women who were historically important

but not featured in the history books.

FRANK SINATRA HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH

"MY WAY" EXCEPT SING IT

“My Way”, Frank Sinatra’s famous song, was never really Sinatra’s.

The tune of “My Way” came from French singer Claude François’s

“Comme d’Habitude” and its lyrics were written by singer Paul Anka.

THE QWERTY KEYBOARD'S DESIGN

The QWERTY keyboard wasn’t designed randomly. Rather, the

keyboard was created in the time of the typewriter where it was

necessary to place letters which frequently appeared together

in a word on different parts of the keyboard, otherwise, the

typewriter arms would jam up with each other.

OUR FINGERS DON'T WRINKLE DUE TO WATER

The swelling of our fingers at the pool or after long showers isn’t

from absorbing water. Rather, to increase grip of objects while

underwater, the blood vessels just beneath our skin level constrict,

tightening their muscle walls and causing our fingers to look wrinkled.

SUGAR DOESN'T MAKE KIDS HYPER

Sugar fact: Sugar doesn’t cause hyperactivity in children. Despite

what our mothers have told us for years, double-blind trials have

shown no difference in behaviour between children given sugar-full

or sugar-free diets, even in studies specifically looking at children

with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or those considered

sensitive to sugar.

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD GAVE BIRTH TO A BABY BOY

The youngest person to give birth was a five-year-old Peruvian girl

named Lina Medina. Originally thought to be a tumour,  Lina’s

baby boy was born before she turned six. Doctors examining

her learned she had been experiencing regular periods since the

age of three, had not menstruated since becoming pregnant

and had fully developed breasts.