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When you stroll the produce aisles of a modern grocery store, it’s easy to take for granted the vibrant, plump fruits and vegetables that line the shelves. But what you are actually seeing is, in many cases, the result of thousands of years of selective breeding during which humans transformed wild plants into the common agricultural products we know today. 

In fact, much of our modern produce would be virtually unrecognizable to our ancestors. The opposite is also true: If you were to go back thousands of years, you might well turn your nose up at the tough skin, bitter flesh, and overly large seeds of those ancient foodstuffs — characteristics that farmers have selectively removed over the centuries, giving us produce with more desirable traits to satisfy our modern tastes.

Here are six fruits and veggies that have transformed over time, representing the culmination of thousands of years of agricultural artistry.

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Corn

Of all the common fruits and vegetables, corn has possibly undergone the most dramatic transformation.  It evolved from a wild grass called teosinte, and the two crops are very different in terms of their plant architecture. Teosinte has many long branches holding just 10 grains each, while modern corn, with its erect stem and ears, bears several hundred grains. 

The history of modern-day corn stretches back as far as the dawn of agriculture itself. Some 10,000 years ago, ancient farmers in what is now Mexico began selecting seeds to plant from the largest, most productive, or tastiest corn specimens. Thus began the process of selective breeding, one harvest after another, which eventually led to the corn cobs we know and love today. 

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Watermelons

People have been eating watermelon for millennia, but it didn’t always look or taste the same as it does today. Initially, the fruit was hard and unappetizing, tasting either bitter or bland — a far cry from the sweet, juicy fruit we enjoy now. Watermelon seeds have been discovered in Egyptian tombs built more than 4,000 years ago, but back then the fruit was likely stored for its water content rather than its taste; it was meant to provide the deceased with hydration on their journey to the afterlife. 

After centuries of selective breeding, farmers gradually developed varieties with sweeter flesh, more water content, and the characteristic red color we associate with ripe watermelons (which is caused by the pigment lycopene and is closely tied to the fruit’s sweetness). But even when watermelons arrived in European gardens and markets around 1600, they still didn’t look the same as today. One way we know this is through artistic representations of fruit, such as Giovanni Stanchi’s painting from the 17th century, which clearly displays watermelons with a noticeably different internal color and structure to those we now buy at the supermarket. 

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Bananas

Bananas are one of the most widely grown and consumed fruits in the world, but they underwent quite a makeover before achieving their current popularity. The wild ancestors of modern, domesticated bananas were riddled with bullet-like seeds and contained very little edible fruit — barely recognizable when compared to the creamy, sweet bananas we eat today.

Banana domestication began some 7,000 years ago, first by crossbreeding wild species and then through careful selective breeding of domesticated crops. This eventually led to our modern bananas, which are almost all flesh and contain only residual seeds, rendering them sterile. In the case of the banana, the emphasis on sweetness and edibility exceeded — and eventually did away with — the domesticated fruit’s reproductive capability, requiring the fruits to now be primarily grown through asexual propagation methods.

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Peaches

Peaches have been cultivated for thousands of years, with evidence suggesting domestication of the fruit occurred as early as 6000 BCE in China’s Zhejiang province. But these were not the large, delicate, sweet, juicy peaches we know today.

In fact, we don’t know what the original wild peaches looked like, and for good reason: Fossil evidence shows that wild peaches have been evolving in China since long before there was even a human presence in the region, much less agriculture. But we do know that the earliest cultivated peaches were much smaller than those we eat today, with a more acidic taste and a greenish-cream color.

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Carrots

If you ask someone to name something orange, a common answer would be “a carrot.” But carrots acquired their characteristic orangeness a long time after they were first cultivated. 

Carrot domestication began more than 1,000 years ago in ancient Persia, at which point they were purple or yellow and likely had tough, bitter, and spindly forked roots. It was only during the 17th century that farmers in Holland began doing some crafty selective crossbreeding that would ultimately give carrots their now-standard orange color. 

Tony Dunnell
Writer

Tony is an English writer of nonfiction and fiction living on the edge of the Amazon jungle.

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We all have some preconceived notions about how certain things sound, often shaped by movies, television, and our own assumptions rather than reality. If someone tells us a story involving a noisy scene, our brain tends to fill in the gaps and is quite capable of imagining a particular sound even if we’ve never heard it in real life. 

This can lead to some surprising disconnects between expectation and reality. Some things are much quieter than we expect, others produce entirely different tones, and some make no sound at all despite our certainty that they should. Here’s a look at a few things that don’t sound the way we think — starting with our own voices. 

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Car Crashes 

We’re all familiar with what cars sound like on a day-to-day basis. But when it comes to less common vehicular events such as car crashes, our expectations have often been misled by Hollywood. Car crashes in real life can be noisy, traumatic events, but they are rarely as loud as depicted in the movies, which tend to feature an excess of shattered glass and twisted metal, followed by unrealistic explosions. It’s almost impossible for a car to explode the way they do in Hollywood films, and vehicles also rarely catch fire. 

Another common movie sound effect that makes car aficionados grit their teeth in frustration is the ubiquitous screeching tire. This includes the excessive use of squealing tires on gravel, dirt, wet pavement, and even snow and ice (looking at you, James Bond) — places where tires simply don’t make such noises. 

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Submarines

When we see submarines in movies, they’re almost always gliding through the water while emitting a constant pinging sound and carrying a chatty crew. In reality, submarine operations are normally carried out as silently as possible, with crews speaking in whispers or not at all, avoiding all unnecessary noise — including that constant pinging, which would be counterproductive on most missions. 

While the sonar operator may hear some pings, the rest of the crew often hear nothing at all. Divers are sometimes able to hear active sonar sounds coming from subs out in the water, which they normally perceive as a mid- to high-pitched noise, but not that classic Hollywood ping. And sometimes the sonar emits an ear-piercing shriek — enough to spook even the most seasoned underwater adventurers. 

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Punches

If we’re lucky, we’ll live our lives without ever being on the receiving end of a proper punch. And yet, we all tend to have a certain idea of what a punch sounds like, even if we’ve never gotten (or given) one or even heard one close-up. Once again, this is largely thanks to TV and movies, whether it’s the Bam! Kapow! of the original Batman series or the epic thwacks and smacks of action films such as Rocky and John Wick

But real punches — as well as kicks, chops, and slaps — don’t tend to produce anywhere near as much noise as they do on the big screen. Actual physical strikes create much duller, less dramatic sounds — more like a thud than a crack. In movies, these noises are deliberately heightened, with sound effects departments using all manner of techniques to create a dramatic punch effect, whether it’s by smacking a piece of raw meat with a leather-gloved hand or socking a cabbage

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Our Own Voices

For many of us, listening to a recording of ourselves speak is a truly cringeworthy experience. This phenomenon is so common that the negative reaction even has a name: voice confrontation. When recorded, our voices don’t sound like we think they should partly because a recording removes the sounds we hear internally through the bones in our head, which produce deeper and lower frequency vibrations. 

As such, our recorded voices can sound higher in pitch than we’re used to, which can be surprising and not entirely pleasing to our ears. In general, however, the more we listen to recordings of ourselves speaking, the more accustomed we become to how we sound to other people, and the less it makes our skin crawl.

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Silencers on Guns

Silencers, also known as suppressors, significantly reduce the noise made when firing a weapon. In the movies, however, that noise is often reduced to unrealistic levels, with the gun hardly making any noise at all.

In reality, even the most effective suppressors on the smallest caliber firearms can only reduce the peak sound level of a gunshot to around 110-120 decibels. An unsuppressed gunshot can reach up to 160 decibels, so the noise reduction when using a suppressor is significant — but far from the whisper-quiet shots depicted in many films.

Tony Dunnell
Writer

Tony is an English writer of nonfiction and fiction living on the edge of the Amazon jungle.

Original photo by Thaishutter_2528/ iStock

Gold has been a universal symbol of wealth, power, and beauty for thousands of years. Its chemical symbol, Au, is derived from the Latin aurum, meaning “shining dawn,” a tribute to the element’s radiant luster. The Romans weren’t the only ancient civilization to value gold, though: There’s evidence of gold mining in Eastern Europe dating back to around 4000 BCE. 

Today, gold can be found in many facets of daily life, from jewelry and collectibles to modern spacecraft and medical devices. It has endured as a universally revered metal, both rare and resilient, leaving a lasting mark on human history. But just how much gold exists in the world, and what is its true value? Here’s a rundown of all the gold on Earth, from the rings on your fingers to the ore deposits hidden deep inside the ground.

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How Much Gold Have We Already Mined?

According to the World Gold Council, the total amount of gold above ground worldwide is 216,265 metric tons, equivalent to approximately 238,391 U.S. tons. This accounts for nearly all the gold humanity has ever unearthed, most of which has been mined within the last century. In fact, approximately two-thirds of the total mined gold on Earth wasn’t extracted until 1950 or later, mainly due to advancements in the mining industry. 

While this may sound like an unimaginable amount of gold, this metal is surprisingly compact. If you melted down every ounce of gold ever mined and formed it into a cube, it would measure only 22 meters across, or approximately 72 feet 2 inches — about the length of a standard semitruck.

So where is all this gold now? The most considerable portion, approximately 45% (107,088 tons), has been crafted into jewelry: rings, necklaces, bracelets, and other adornments that span cultures and centuries. The second-largest portion of mined gold, 22%, is found in bars and coins, which includes gold-backed exchange-traded funds (ETFs), while another 17% is held by central banks. 

The remaining 14% is allocated for industrial uses, including electronics, the aerospace industry, and medicine. In dentistry alone, approximately 13 U.S. tons of gold are used annually to fashion crowns, bridges, inlays, and dentures. Gold’s nontoxic and noncorrosive properties have made it invaluable in these fields.

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How Much Gold Is Still Hidden Underground?

The truth is we will never be able to unearth all the planet’s gold. Beneath our feet lies an estimated 186,880 metric tons (approximately 206,000 U.S. tons) of gold, holding the potential to nearly double our world supply — but this doesn’t include the tiny flecks and nuggets of gold distributed throughout rocks and water that aren’t economically viable to mine. There are .004 grams of gold per ton of Earth’s crust, which shakes out to 400 million metric tons (441 million U.S. tons) of gold in the crust.

The World Gold Council categorizes the mineable underground stock into two groups: “reserves” and “resources.” Approximately 30% of the below-ground stock is classified as “reserve” gold — that is, an ore deposit that can be economically extracted. These are confirmed sources that have been marked as viable for future mining operations.

The remaining 70% of underground deposits are categorized as “resources.” There’s less certainty surrounding these deposits, and they may ultimately never be mined due to geological, technological, or regulatory challenges. Although these are speculative sources, they exist nonetheless.

But all these numbers come with one massive caveat: More than 99% of the planet’s gold is located in its core and is excluded from this data because mining it will never be possible. One estimation posits that 1.6 quadrillion tons of gold lie within the Earth’s core.

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What Is the World’s Total Gold Supply?

When combining all the mined gold with the estimated below-ground deposits, the total amount of gold on Earth comes to approximately 403,145 metric tons (444,391 U.S. tons). To put this into perspective, that’s equivalent to the weight of roughly 59,286 African elephants or four Nimitz-class aircraft carriers

But despite its weight, as we previously mentioned, gold is deceptively compact. It’s one of the densest naturally occurring metals on Earth — heavier than lead, silver, copper, nickel, and iron — weighing in at 0.698 pounds per cubic inch. If all 400,000+ tons of gold were melted down, it would form a cube measuring roughly 40 meters across, or about half the length of a football field.

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How Much Is It All Worth?

The most common method to determine the value of this precious metal is through the “spot price,” aka the current price for immediate delivery of gold. The spot price is determined by trading values in major gold markets worldwide, including the London Bullion Market Association and the New York COMEX, based on supply and demand. 

This price constantly fluctuates during market hours; for example, it rose from approximately $2,630 per troy ounce in January 2025 to more than $3,340 per troy ounce in July 2025. A “troy ounce” is the traditional metric unit of measurement for precious metals (originating in Troyes, France) that’s been used since the Middle Ages. One troy ounce equals 1.097 regular ounces. 

According to the spot price of gold in July 2025, the total estimated global gold supply as of 2025 — 403,145 metric tons — would be valued at an astonishing $43.29 trillion. However, this figure only tells part of the story: The spot price of gold doesn’t account for other real-world expenses involved in transforming raw metals into products, so the value of the world’s gold is actually much higher.

For instance, a one-ounce 2025 American Eagle Gold collectible coin may have a spot price of approximately $3,300, but it currently sells for $3,525.40 (despite having a face value of $50). This added cost takes into account factors such as refining, minting, packaging, and demand. While $43 trillion is a reasonable estimate based on the current market value of Earth’s gold, its actual value, considering rarity, craftsmanship, labor, and other factors, could be significantly higher.

Rachel Gresh
Writer

Rachel is a writer and period drama devotee who's probably hanging out at a local coffee shop somewhere in Washington, D.C.

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Playing cards aren’t just one of the most ubiquitous objects in human culture (who doesn’t have a deck lurking in a drawer somewhere?) — they’re also one of the most iconic. Whether new and neatly packaged or old and well-thumbed, cards have a certain mystique about them. From the casino table to the magician’s hand, these simple pieces of plastic-coated paper have achieved a status that transcends their simple yet elegant design. 

Yet despite this familiarity, few people know the fascinating journey that cards have taken throughout history. Here, we take a look back through time to trace the origin of playing cards.

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Ancient Origins 

The earliest known written reference to playing cards is found in Chinese literature from the 10th century, though there are no details about card markings or the particular games played. In The Invention of Printing in China and Its Spread Westward, author Thomas Francis Carter notes that playing cards likely originated in China around the same time as paged books, writing, “As the advent of printing made it more convenient to produce and use books in the form of pages, so was it easier to produce cards.” 

Carter goes on to explain how these cards, known as “sheet-dice,” began to appear before the end of the Tang dynasty, which ruled China from 618 to 907 CE. He also suggests the possibility that “sheet-dice” evolved in two different directions during the Song dynasty (960-1279 CE). Some were eventually made using bone or ivory and developed into games such as mahjong, while others retained their paper form, were embellished with new and more intricate images and designs, and became the true ancestors of modern playing cards. 

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Playing Cards Take Shape

As trade routes expanded during the Song dynasty, early playing cards began to spread westward along the Silk Road, carrying with them the fundamental concepts that evolved into the decks we recognize today. The most important stage on this journey happened in the Islamic world. By the 14th century, playing cards had reached the Mamluk Sultanate, which controlled Egypt and parts of the Middle East, at which point the cards underwent a significant transformation.

Thanks in part to the discovery of one particular set of cards from the 1400s, we can see how card design progressed toward something simil (440ar to modern decks. The Mamluk pack, as it is sometimes referred to, was discovered in 1931 in Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace Museum. The deck is divided into four suits, with 13 cards per suit. It has just 47 cards, but if it were complete, it would have contained 52 cards, just like today. 

The design of this centuries-old deck is also surprisingly similar to the packs of cards we use today. The cards feature a symbol for each of the four suits: cups, coins, swords, and polo sticks, which reflect the culture and interests of the Islamic aristocracy. And each suit contains 10 numbered cards as well as three court cards: the king (malik), the viceroy or deputy king (naib), and the second deputy (naib thani).

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Origins of the Four Modern Suits

Playing cards made their way to Europe in the late 14th century. Some theories suggest they were brought back by returning Crusaders, which is possible, although scant supporting evidence exists. It’s more likely they came through trade with the Islamic world, including with the Mamluks. 

Thanks to written accounts from Spain, France, and Switzerland, we do know that playing cards grew in popularity in Europe from 1370 to 1400, although standardization was still a long way off. During the 15th century, European decks sometimes contained five rather than four suits, and specific regional tastes meant that different suit motifs also emerged. Germans, for example, used hearts, acorns, bells, and leaves, while the Italians favored cups, swords, batons, and coins. 

It was the French, however, who made perhaps the most significant contribution to modern playing card design. In the late 1400s, they adapted the German suits to create pique, coeur, carreau, and trèfle — known in English as spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs.

French card makers also simplified the production process by using stencils and developing more efficient printing techniques, making cards more affordable and widely available. This helped popularize the design in Europe, and the colonial exploits of the French, Spanish, and British introduced the newly standardized playing cards to the rest of the world.

Tony Dunnell
Writer

Tony is an English writer of nonfiction and fiction living on the edge of the Amazon jungle.

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It’s one of the most infamous legends in modern history: a mysterious swath of ocean where ships vanish, planes disappear, and compass needles spin for seemingly no reason. The Bermuda Triangle has been associated with everything from rogue waves to alien abductions. But what is it, exactly?

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Where Is the Bermuda Triangle?

The term “Bermuda Triangle” refers to the region of the Atlantic Ocean bordered roughly by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico, forming a general outline of a triangle if you were to connect them all on a map. The area has no official coordinates, and nothing physically marks its boundaries. It’s not recognized as a formal geographic or maritime region, and to most scientists and navigators, it’s just ocean — albeit a rather storied section of sea. 

The intrigue dates as far back as the days of Christopher Columbus, who reported strange readings on his compass while sailing in the area. But the Bermuda Triangle didn’t fully capture the public’s imagination until the 20th century, when a number of unexplained disappearances were reported. 

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What Disappearances Have Actually Happened There?

In 1918, the USS Cyclops, a U.S. Navy cargo ship, vanished without a trace while en route from Barbados to Baltimore with more than 300 people on board. A cause has never been determined and no wreckage was ever found. 

Nearly three decades later, the mystery deepened with the 1945 disappearance of Flight 19, a squadron of five U.S. Navy bombers on a routine training mission near the Bermuda Triangle. The pilots became disoriented and were presumed to have crashed into the sea. A rescue plane sent after them also vanished, cementing the incident as part of Bermuda Triangle lore. 

Civilian vessels and aircraft have reportedly vanished as well, including commercial flight NC-16002, which disappeared just 50 miles off the coast of Miami in 1948. While the exact number of ships and aircraft lost in the Bermuda Triangle is unknown, estimates typically hover around 50 ships and 20 planes as of 2025. Relative to the highly amount of traffic that passes through the Triangle, these numbers are actually fairly low — by comparison, more than 800 vessels were lost at sea around the world between 2013 and 2022. 

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Why Is It So Mysterious?

The mysterious region got its name in 1964, when writer Vincent Gaddis coined the term “Bermuda Triangle” in a magazine article detailing the disappearances over the years. The article hinted that something unusual may be at work in the region, and this myth gained momentum over the next decade. 

Charles Berlitz’s 1974 bestseller The Bermuda Triangle popularized the idea of the area as a potentially supernatural waterway to the unknown. The book, which was presented as a nonfiction investigation into the Triangle and its associated incidents, took several liberties and featured some of Berlitz’s own sensationalized theories, speculating on the phenomena surrounding the area like never before.

Theories explaining the Bermuda Triangle’s alleged dangers have ranged from the scientific to the fantastical. Norwegian scientists theorized that methane gas eruptions from the seafloor could be responsible for sinking ships, while other theories suggest  magnetic quirks in the area could cause navigation errors that lead ships or planes off course. The most probable scientific reasoning points to erratic weather, strong ocean currents, or massive rogue waves — after all, the Gulf Stream flows directly through the Bermuda Triangle and can cause sudden, violent storms. 

Of course, there’s no shortage of more far-fetched theories that have helped perpetuate the region’s mythology. Some pilots have described flying through strange storms that acted like a time warp, whisking them along to their destinations at unusual speeds. Other conspiracy-minded ideas suggest alien abductions have occurred in the area. Berlitz’s book even suggested that the lost city of Atlantis — another persistent myth of the modern age — was linked to the reported disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle.

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So What’s Really Going On?

Ultimately, theories about the Bermuda Triangle remain just that: theories — boiling down to unsubstantiated reports and scientific ideas without tangible evidence. In 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) released a statement saying, “There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean.” 

As one of the world’s most heavily traveled shipping corridors, the region most likely naturally sees the rate of incidents it does simply due to the higher volume of traffic. According to an interview in The Independent with Australian scientist Karl Kruszelnicki, “The number [of ships and planes] that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere in the world on a percentage basis.” Reported data regarding incidents along other heavily trafficked shipping routes supports Kruszelnicki’s statement.

Still, the legend persists. The idea of a mysterious zone swallowing up planes and ships continues to captivate us by tapping into our deep fascination with the unknown. The Bermuda Triangle is a maritime mystery that resists easy answers, even if evidence doesn’t support anything concretely out of the ordinary.

Interesting Facts
Editorial

Interesting Facts writers have been seen in Popular Mechanics, Mental Floss, A+E Networks, and more. They’re fascinated by history, science, food, culture, and the world around them.

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When you think of cartoonishly adorable animals, you might picture Bambi, Pikachu, or the puppies from 101 Dalmatians. But as much as we’d like them to be real, those fictional critters unfortunately exist only in our minds and on our screens. Luckily, the animal kingdom is full of very real creatures that dial the cuteness meter up to 100.

These delightfully enchanting beasts may look as though they were drawn by a cartoonist, but they inhabit the same planet as the rest of us. Here’s a closer look at six animals that are so darn cute they don’t seem real.

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Fennec Fox

Despite being considered the world’s smallest fox, fennec foxes have outlandishly large ears that look as if they should belong to a much bigger animal. The head and body of a fennec fox measures between 9.5 inches and 16 inches, while their ears measure 6 inches long. 

This overly large feature makes the critter particularly adorable to look at, but those big ears offer a practical purpose as well. They radiate body heat, allowing fennec foxes to keep cool in the sweltering desert heat, and they also provide the foxes with fantastic hearing, allowing them to detect nearby predators. 

Fennec foxes live in the deserts and semi-desert regions of the Sahara and North Africa, where they burrow into the sand during the daytime to beat the heat before emerging at night to feast on insects, rodents, lizards, plants, and more. They also have thick fur that makes them resemble a plush stuffed animal and helps them survive in the harsh desert climate. The fur keeps fennec foxes insulated on cold nights, shields them from the sun on warm days, and protects their feet from being burnt by hot sands.

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Quokka

The quokka is a little ball of fur that’s native to parts of Western Australia near the city of Perth. They’re quite prevalent on Bald Island and Rottnest Island, the latter of which is home to an estimated 10,000 of this adorable marsupial. Part of what makes quokkas so cute is a combination of their curious nature and their “smiling” faces, especially when taking photos with humans. In a 2019 interview with People, former executive director of Rottnest Island Michelle Reynolds noted, “The quokkas are themselves very inquisitive, so they will look at the camera … And I’ve seen them smiling.”

Quokkas have such a reputation for being photogenic that it led to a mid-2010s social media trend called the #QuokkaSelfie. People flocked Down Under to snap a cute picture with a smiling quokka, including celebrities such as Roger Federer, Margot Robbie, and Hugh Jackman. This trend helped raise awareness and conservation funds in support of these enchanting creatures. If you find yourself with the opportunity to take a photo with a quokka, however,  be careful not to touch or feed them — they’re known to bite.

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Axolotl

Axolotls are like Peter Pan in the sense that they never really grow up. While most other amphibians undergo a metamorphic process (e.g., a tadpole becoming a frog), the axolotl maintains its juvenile features for life. So even though they can live 10 to 15 years in the wild, these aquatic critters continue to look like a wee youngin’ forever.

Wild axolotls are native to lakes and wetlands in Southern Mexico, and many of the animals you’ll find in the wild have a brown coloration. But axolotls who live in captivity are even cuter, as they tend to have a whitish-pinkish hue that gives them a bright and vibrant appearance. 

What’s more, the natural curve of an axolotl’s mouth makes it look like they’re smiling, which adds to their delightful nature. Axolotls are also quite a fascinating biological specimen, as they have the ability to regrow missing limbs and tails, among other parts of their bodies.

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Dik-dik

Despite their cervine appearance and the fact they look as cute as Bambi (if not more so), dik-diks aren’t actually deer. Dik-dik is the name of four distinct species of antelope native to Eastern Africa and Southern Africa. What makes dik-diks so cute is their minute stature, as they only grow to somewhere between 12 and 16 inches and weigh just 7 to 14 pounds. This makes them one of the most diminutive — and adorable — antelope species on Earth.

Much like a Pokémon, dik-diks can actually say their name — well, sort of. The animal got its name because it makes a “dik-dik” sound when it senses nearby predators. But beyond their cute exteriors, dik-diks practice certain behaviors straight out of a sci-fi movie. For instance, they secrete a dark, tar-like liquid from ducts under their eyes to mark their territory, which you may not expect from an animal with such disarmingly huge eyes and cute little horns.

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Slow Loris

With its bulging eyes and soft fur, the slow loris is arguably the world’s cutest primate. The average slow loris measures between 6 and 10 inches long and weighs just a pound, making it comparable in size to a squirrel. But the creature’s cartoonishly large eyes — which also contain a reflective layer to provide them with fantastic night vision — lend it a distinctive look that’s right out of aPixar movie.

As their name suggests, slow lorises move at little more than 1 mile per hour, so you’ll have no trouble getting close to snap a picture. But be careful, because their bite is considered toxic; in fact, slow lorises are the sole remaining mammal and only primate to harbor toxins. 

These cute critters are native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, but sadly, their cuteness has led to some issues. In an interview for BBC Wildlife magazine, wildlife veterinarian Nur Purba Priambada warned, “Their very cuteness has been a major factor in their decline, because people want to keep them as pets.” This phenomenon has caused a spike in the illegal trade of slow lorises, which has negatively impacted their numbers in the wild.

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Long-Eared Jerboa

Imagine a cross between a mouse, a rabbit, and a kangaroo, and you’ll likely come up with an approximation of a long-eared jerboa. This tiny rodent is native to the desert areas of China and Southern Mongolia, where its tan-colored fur allows it to blend into its sandy surroundings. 

The creature’s rabbit-like ears are a third longer than its head, providing it with keen hearing abilities. The long-eared jerboa also has a snout like a pig and a front set of arms that seem disproportionately small for its body — much like those of a T. rex — all of which contribute to its uniquely endearing appearance.
Its hind legs are incredibly powerful, similar to a kangaroo. In fact, a jerboa can leap up to 10 times its hip height; scientist Talia Moore explains in HowStuffWorks that this is the equivalent of humans “jumping over an Olympic high-dive platform.”

Interesting Facts
Editorial

Interesting Facts writers have been seen in Popular Mechanics, Mental Floss, A+E Networks, and more. They’re fascinated by history, science, food, culture, and the world around them.

Original photo by RUN 4 FFWPU/ Pexels

For many people, running starts out as a simple, accessible way to get in shape. No fancy gear or gym membership required, just a pair of shoes and the willingness to put one foot in front of the other. Some runners stick to short, manageable routes, while others start craving bigger challenges. Maybe it’s curiosity; maybe it’s the thrill of accomplishment at the finish line — either way, once you begin stretching your mileage, the idea of “doing a marathon” often starts to sound more enticing

There’s something about the marathon that captures our imagination. It’s not just a physical challenge; it’s also a mental one. It represents commitment, endurance, and discipline. As the oft-repeated quote attributed to Czech long-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Emil Zátopek goes, “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.”

But if you know anything about running a marathon, you’ve probably wondered why the distance is exactly 26.2 miles. It feels oddly specific and a little random. So how did we end up with that number? 

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It Started With a Greek Victory

The marathon’s origin story begins, as you may suspect, with someone running. According to legend, in 490 BCE, a Greek soldier named Pheidippides ran from the battlefield of Marathon to the city of Athens to deliver news of a Greek victory over the invading Persians, covering a distance of roughly 25 miles in the process. As the story goes, he burst into the assembly of Athenians, shouted “Nike! Nike! Nenikekiam!” (“Victory! Victory! Rejoice, we conquer!”), then collapsed from exhaustion and died.

While historians doubt the accuracy of this tale, it was nonetheless embraced as inspiration for the first modern Olympic marathon. When the Games were revived in Athens in 1896 after a roughly 1,500-year hiatus, organizers wanted to implement a race that honored Greece’s ancient glory. So they designed a route from the town of Marathon to the Olympic stadium in Athens, covering about 24.8 miles, or 40 kilometers.

In that inaugural marathon, Greek runner Spyridon Louis won the race and instantly became a national hero. The event’s drama and symbolism helped cement its place in future Olympic Games. But if Pheidippides ran about 25 miles and the first Olympic marathon was 24.8 miles, where did 26.2 come from?

For that, we have to look to British royalty.

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The 1908 Olympics Set the Standard

When London hosted the Olympics in 1908, organizers originally planned a marathon route of 26 miles, starting at Windsor Castle and ending at the entrance of the White City Stadium, which had been specially built for the Games. The decision was made to have the finish line extended so the race ended inside the stadium and in front of the royal box where King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra would be in attendance. This alteration lengthened the race from 26 miles to 26 miles and 385 yards — or exactly 26.2 miles.

That seemingly minor tweak was meant to be a one-time accommodation, and over the next several years, marathon distances continued to vary slightly, depending on the course. Finally, in 1921, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (now World Athletics) standardized the modern marathon at 26.2 miles, using the 1908 London course as the official template.

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An Olympic Tradition Became a Global Pursuit

In the decades that followed, marathons exploded in popularity beyond the Olympics. Cities around the world began hosting their own races, including the Boston Marathon, which began in 1897 and is now the world’s oldest annual marathon. What started as an elite event for the world’s greatest athletes slowly became something everyday runners aspired to complete.

Still, for much of its early history, marathon running remained a sport exclusively for men. Women weren’t officially allowed to run the Boston Marathon until 1972 — though Kathrine Switzer made history when she entered the 1967 race, registering with her initials and becoming the first woman to run Boston with a bib number. Race officials tried to physically remove her mid-course, but she finished anyway, helping spark a movement toward gender inclusivity.

In 1984, the first Olympic women’s marathon was held in Los Angeles. American runner Joan Benoit Samuelson took gold, and her performance helped cement the idea that marathons were for everyone — not just elite male athletes.

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What the Marathon Represents Today

Although the length of a modern marathon has been standardized for more than a century, its ancient origin story still fascinates people. Today, the number 26.2 appears everywhere — on bumper stickers, medals, T-shirts, mugs, and even tattoos. It’s more than a measurement: It’s a symbol of grit, transformation, and tenacity. For elite athletes, it’s a test of world-class speed and endurance. For amateur runners, it’s a bucket-list goal that’s often the culmination of months of training, mental toughness, and personal growth.

It’s not just the distance that matters — it’s the story behind it. Because when you run a marathon, you’re not just covering 26.2 miles, you’re stepping into a story that’s been unfolding for more than 2,000 years.

Kristina Wright
Writer

Kristina is a coffee-fueled writer living happily ever after with her family in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia.

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We all bend or break rules from time to time, whether we’re dashing across the street outside the confines of a crosswalk, pocketing a pen at work, or letting our parking time run a few minutes over. But some seemingly harmless actions may carry unexpected consequences; in fact, depending on where you live, some everyday actions could even cause legal troubles. Here are some ordinary things you may not have realized are against the law in certain places.

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Owning a Hedgehog as a Pet

There’s no denying their adorable appeal — hedgehogs are wildly popular on social media for a reason — but owning one isn’t legal everywhere. California, Georgia, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., all have laws banning pet hedgehogs, the most commonly domesticated of which is the African pygmy hedgehog. 

Though tiny and photogenic, these cute critters can carry salmonella and are vulnerable to foot-and-mouth disease, along with other viral and fungal infections. And like most non-native species, they also pose risks if released to the wild, where they could potentially establish populations and disrupt local ecosystems.

That hasn’t stopped their popularity, though, and public pressure has even started to sway some local governments. In 2019, Fairfax County, Virginia, officially legalized pet hedgehogs following a surge in resident interest (they remain illegal in most other counties). But not everyone is on board: Chris Schindler of the Humane Rescue Alliance has warned that animals such as hedgehogs often end up abandoned or surrendered to shelters when owners realize they require more care than initially expected.

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Driving With Dirty Tires

Minnetonka, Minnesota, doesn’t mess around when it comes to keeping its streets clean. In this Twin Cities suburb, it’s technically illegal to drive a vehicle with muddy or debris-covered tires. 

According to the city’s code, anything that tracks “mud, dirt, sticky substances, litter, or other material” onto public roads is a violation under the public nuisance ordinance. That rule extends to construction vehicles, farming equipment, or even your SUV after a weekend of off-roading.

It’s a rule that could very likely catch drivers off guard — most people don’t think twice about a little dirt on their wheels. In Minnetonka, however, it could result in a petty misdemeanor or even a full misdemeanor, with fines reaching up to $2,000 per violation. 

That said, the city usually doesn’t come down hard right away. A Minnetonka spokesperson told CNBC the city “attempts several other measures to mitigate the situation before pursuing misdemeanor charges,” meaning you’re more likely to get a warning before a citation.

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Mounting Things on Your Windshield

Mounting your GPS or phone on the windshield may be the default way to navigate nowadays, but in many places, it’s illegal. More than a dozen states, including Illinois, Louisiana, and New York, have banned windshield mounts outright. In Maine, you can’t even so much as legally hang an air freshener from your rearview mirror.

States including California and Utah allow mounted devices only in specific locations on the windshield, and those specifics vary by state. In California, for example, they’re permitted within a 5-inch square on the lower left driver’s side of the windshield or a 7-inch square on the lower right passenger side, and anything outside those zones could be a violation. If you’re relying on your phone to get from point A to point B, maybe consider moving that mount to the dashboard or air vent just to be safe.

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Indoor Furniture on Outdoor Porches

A couch on the front porch gives off a certain laid-back, college-house charm, but some cities that don’t find it quite so charming have made it illegal. Municipal codes in places such as Columbia, South Carolina, and Columbus, Ohio, specifically ban placing indoor furniture on outdoor porches, lawns, or balconies. 

This includes the commonly used upholstered sofas, as well as recliners and mattresses. These laws also have sprung up in college towns after porch fires broke out in places such as Boulder, Colorado; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Chico, California. Flammability isn’t the only reason, though: Upholstered furniture not only is flammable, but also can attract rodents and appear unsightly.

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Feeding Pigeons

It’s an urban rite of passage to toss a french fry or piece of your sandwich to a pigeon, but in many cities, it’s against the law. Places including Chicago and San Francisco have banned feeding the city-dwelling scavengers. Even in anything-goes Las Vegas, doling out snacks to feral pigeons could land you a misdemeanor charge complete with a potential fine of $1,000 or even up to six months in jail.

The logic is simple: More food means more pigeons, and more pigeons mean more droppings. Pigeon waste is notoriously acidic and corrosive, and pigeons can carry a range of disease-causing bacteria including listeria and E. coli. 

New York City, oddly enough, has no formal laws against feeding pigeons, though feeding wildlife is discouraged. Even if you’re not the one feeding the birds, Big Apple residents could still be on the hook for the creatures’ mess: Property owners who don’t clean up pigeon droppings can be held responsible and may be fined up to $1,000 if they fail to tidy up.

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Pumping Your Own Gas

Until the 1980s, full-service gas stations were the norm in the U.S. Today, in New Jersey, they still are: The Garden State remains the only U.S. state where it’s illegal to fill your own vehicle at the pump. 

This is a holdover from the Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act of 1949, which states, “No person shall dispense fuel at a gasoline station, unless the person is an attendant who has received instructions regarding the dispensing of fuel.” Drivers caught doing so risk fines of up to $250 for a first offense and $500 for repeat violations, and the retail location itself can also be sued by the state.

The law was originally passed to make handling the flammable substance safer, as well as to preserve jobs and profits at gas stations. In 2023, Oregon — the second-to-last remaining state with a full-service requirement — lifted its ban. New Jersey lawmakers have attempted to have the act repealed over the years but have so far been unsuccessful.

Nicole Villeneuve
Writer

Nicole is a writer, thrift store lover, and group-chat meme spammer based in Ontario, Canada.

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The placebo effect, wherein we believe a faux form of treatment has provided tangible benefits, is a powerful thing. But it isn’t just positive thinking that enables this effect: It’s the result of an intricate connection between the mind and body that allows the two to work together more efficiently. This means the placebo effect can sometimes work just as well as some real treatments.

The word “placebo,” after all, is Latin for “I shall please.” Those phony treatments “please” us by tricking our brains into thinking we’re experiencing a real cure. The placebo effect extends beyond pharmaceutical use — it applies any time a person’s expectations or beliefs influence their physical or psychological outcomes, even if the treatment or intervention is inactive or merely symbolic. 

The placebo effect has been demonstrated to be successful in various settings, including counseling, surgeries, cosmetic procedures, and even sleep studies. Here’s how it works.

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Pavlov and the Placebo Effect

Remember Pavlov’s dogs? Those test subjects were conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell because they’d been taught to associate it with food, even once the food was no longer present. This process, known as classical conditioning, is an unconscious form of learning in which an automatic, conditioned response becomes associated with a specific stimulus. 

Some researchers believe this same mechanism is behind the placebo effect: We associate pills, treatments, or rituals with recovery because past experiences have taught us to expect those things to result in healing. So when we take a pill — even a fake one — our brain anticipates improvement, which, in some instances, can trigger real physiological responses.

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Why Do We Experience Real Results?

According to experts at Harvard University, the placebo effect is a complex neurobiological response. It isn’t any one thing but a combination of things, including an increase in certain mood-boosting chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine. It also involves increased activity in brain regions associated with mood, emotional reactions, and self-awareness. By triggering those reactions, the placebo effect can deceive the brain into responding as if healing is underway, resulting in a variety of positive impacts, including pain reduction, mood improvement, and the alleviation of other physical and/or psychological symptoms.

But how do those reactions result in symptom improvement? Well, take dopamine, for example, which is often referred to as the “feel-good” chemical. Studies indicate it can play a crucial role in alleviating chronic pain associated with certain diseases, and endorphins work similarly. Those chemicals, which are released during pleasurable activities, can help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve your sense of well-being. 

So when a placebo treatment triggers the release of those chemicals and they’re combined with increased activity in specific brain regions, it can produce genuine results.

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The Role of Placebos in Clinical Trials

Placebos are a cornerstone of medical research. When we think of the “placebo effect,” we most often think of drug trials. Typically, some participants receive the active medication, while others unknowingly take a placebo (usually an inactive sugar pill). This method allows researchers to isolate the effects of the drug.

In a notable study published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers examined reactions to migraine treatments using three test groups: One received a real migraine drug, the second received a placebo labeled as such, and the third received no treatment. The results were surprising. The placebo treatment was still 50% as effective as the real medication, even though participants knew they were taking a placebo pill. This highlights how the simple act of taking a pill can influence the brain and body due to classical conditioning — when we take a pill, we expect results.

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Placebos in Ancient Medicine

The placebo effect isn’t a modern phenomenon. For better or for worse, it has likely been influencing healing for centuries. Some experts believe this is why treatments that are now considered cruel or detrimental were used in ancient medicine. For instance, before the advent of modern medicine, treatments such as bloodletting (the practice of withdrawing blood to cure a person of various ailments) were common. 

Today, we recognize such approaches are ineffective or even harmful, yet some patients who received those treatments reported feeling better afterward. How? The belief that they were receiving help likely triggered the placebo effect, prompting real improvement through mental and physiological pathways.

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The Limits of the Placebo Effect

The placebo effect is powerful, but it’s not a cure-all. It can’t shrink a tumor or reverse chronic diseases such as diabetes, but it can reduce symptoms for certain conditions, especially those involving pain, perception, or emotion. Placebos have shown success in managing migraines, arthritis and joint pain, asthma, high blood pressure, and depression. In those cases, the brain’s role in processing discomfort or distress related to the condition renders it more responsive to a placebo, resulting in real benefits for some patients.

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More Than Sugar Pills: The Power of Placebo Sleep

Placebos aren’t limited to pharmaceuticals: They’ve also helped cigarette smokers kick the habit, reduced cellphone addiction, and even improved athletic performance through fake performance enhancers. One particularly intriguing example of the placebo effect is “placebo sleep.” 

Research from the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that the perception of a good night’s sleep — regardless of the actual sleep quality — impacted cognitive ability. In the study, participants first reported how well they felt they slept the night before, and then were told one of two things by researchers who hadn’t actually measured their sleep quality: “You slept better than average” or “You slept worse than average.” Participants then performed various cognitive tests.

The results supported a placebo effect. Participants who were told they slept well (even if they didn’t) performed better on cognitive tasks such as problem-solving, attention, and language processing. Conversely, those who were told they’d slept poorly underperformed in those same tasks, even if they’d slept fine. In other words, just believing you slept well is, in some instances, enough to make your brain function as if you truly did. These results further support the notion that the placebo effect can have a tangible impact on our physical and mental health.

Rachel Gresh
Writer

Rachel is a writer and period drama devotee who's probably hanging out at a local coffee shop somewhere in Washington, D.C.

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Given the combination of its striking immensity and vibrant colors, the Grand Canyon is one of the most breathtaking landmarks in the world. This awe-inspiring chasm is heralded for its geological and cultural significance, and millions of visitors flock to northern Arizona each year to hike the canyon or simply to gaze upon its beauty from above. But there’s so much to know about this grand natural wonder beyond its stunning visuals. Here are seven gorge-ous facts about the Grand Canyon.

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Grand Canyon National Park Is Bigger Than Rhode Island

The Grand Canyon and its surrounding area were officially designated as a national park on February 26, 1919. In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act, which increased the park’s size from 673,575 acres to roughly 1.2 million acres. This act made the park larger than the tiniest U.S. state, Rhode Island.

All told, Grand Canyon National Park covers 1,904 square miles. The Ocean State, on the other hand, has a total land area of just 1,033.9 square miles, plus an added 511.1 square miles of water within its borders. That makes the park about 23% larger than Rhode Island’s land and water area combined. Grand Canyon National Park is also bigger than dozens of countries, including Samoa, Luxembourg, Cabo Verde, and many more.

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There’s a Town Located Inside the Grand Canyon

Havasu Canyon is a southward branching canyon formed by the Havasu Creek tributary of the Colorado River. It’s located in the western part of the Grand Canyon, though it technically falls outside the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. The area is managed by the Havasupai Tribe, hundreds of whom live in the small town of Supai, Arizona, located within Havasu Canyon. The town has 47 housing units and 214 full-time residents, according to the 2020 Census.

This remote town sits about 3,000 feet below the Grand Canyon’s rim and is located 8 miles from the nearest road. In order to reach Supai, visitors must either fly in by helicopter, hike the length of the trail, or ride a mule into town. Speaking of mules, Supai is the last town in the United States where daily mail is officially delivered by a mule train — which the U.S. Postal Service has provided for the residents of Supai since the 1930s.

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The Canyon Continually Changes Shape

The Colorado River that flows through the Grand Canyon is partially responsible for the canyon’s shape. Over the course of the last 5 to 6 million years, the river has eroded the rocks that once filled the space, thus widening and deepening the canyon. 

This is a geological process called downcutting, in which hydraulic action from a running water source can have drastic effects on the overall physical landscape. And this process didn’t just occur back in prehistoric times: The Grand Canyon continues to change shape — albeit very slowly — right before our eyes. 

According to the United States Geological Survey, “The canyon isn’t fully formed as long as there is water flowing,” because the gushing waters continue to cause erosion. The National Park Service also points out that  the Grand Canyon “isn’t getting deeper nearly as fast as it is getting wider.” So while we’re not likely to see the Grand Canyon drastically change shape in our lifetimes, it’ll continue to slowly shift over time.

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There Are Hundreds of Unexplored Caves in the Canyon

There are an estimated 1,000 caves located throughout the Grand Canyon, though only 335 of these caverns have been recorded thus far. Today, the caves serve as an important refuge for several wildlife species, including some of the 22 different bat species that live in the canyon. These caves also contain fossils of extinct animals and prehistoric human-made artifacts, thus providing researchers with a fascinating glimpse into the past.

Modern scientists began exploring the caves within the canyon in the 1930s. In 1933, researchers came upon tiny split-twig animal effigies in the caves, which are believed to date to around 4,095 years ago. In 1936, archaeologist Mark Raymond Harrington and geologist Edward Schenk descended into Rampart Cave, discovering a vast smattering of fossilized dung produced by the now-extinct Shasta ground sloth. Currently, these caves are closed to the public, but they remain open for scientific research.

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The Hopi Tribe sees the Grand Canyon as a Gateway to the Underworld

The Hopi are an Indigenous tribe that have resided primarily in modern-day Arizona for more than 2,000 years. The Grand Canyon has long played a pivotal role in Hopi mythology, as members of the Hopi Tribe believe it to be what they call a sipapu. This roughly translates to “place of emergence,” as it’s believed to be a gateway to the underworld.

The Hopi say the sipapu is located at the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers. According to the mythology, it’s where their ancestors emerged from the underworld into the realm we live in today. The Hopi also believe the sipapu is a place where the dead can reemerge from the afterlife.

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Rock Squirrels Cause the Most Injuries to Visitors

Though rattlesnakes and gila monsters contain venom, they typically avoid humans, so the odds of you being attacked by one in the Grand Canyon are quite slim. Rock squirrels, on the other hand, pose a far greater risk to parkgoers — at least with regard to the total frequency of incidents. In 2021, the National Park Service warned, “Although they may appear harmless and even curious about you, those little rock squirrels cause the most injuries to visitors.”

Unfortunately, previous parkgoers have made the mistake of feeding the squirrels, so these little critters may come up to you in search of food. But be careful: They bite. A rock squirrel can easily pierce through the skin of your finger and draw blood, which may require medical attention. On busier weekends, as many as 30 tourists may be sent for treatment on their injured fingers. The National Park Service advises guests to keep at least 50 feet away from rock squirrels and other small wildlife.

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The Photographs of Two Brothers Helped Popularize the Grand Canyon

Ellsworth Kolb arrived at the Grand Canyon in 1901, with his brother Emery joining the following year. While Emery was waiting for a train to the canyon in the nearby town of Williams, Arizona, he noticed a local photography business for sale. Emery bought the business for $425 (about $16,000 today) before going off to meet Ellsworth. In the years that followed, the pair established a thriving business taking photographs of tourists, and those photos helped popularize the Grand Canyon nationwide.

The Kolb brothers set up a small shack near the Bright Angel Trail, where they took photos of tourists riding mules down into the canyon. By the time those folks came back, the Kolbs had their printed photos ready for sale, which were often snatched up by the delighted tourists. A New York Times obituary for Emery Kolb estimates he photographed more than 1.5 million tourists during his time at the Grand Canyon.

In 1905, the brothers constructed the now-famous Kolb Studio, which operated for 75 years and remains a historic park landmark. They also spent 12 years capturing photos and videos of the canyon before touring the country to show Americans the landmark in all its splendor. Their work helped paint the Grand Canyon as a must-see tourist destination.

Bennett Kleinman
Staff Writer

Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism Media, and previously contributed to television programs such as "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Impractical Jokers." Bennett is also a devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.