The Fact Labyrinth

Your imagination can be surprisingly powerful. This study found that simply imagining exercise was associated with nearly 50% less strength loss over four weeks.

A photon can be many kilometres 'thick'. Its quantum wave packet can extend along its direction of travel, so a packet lasting 100 microseconds will span about 30 km in a vacuum.

This photo shows the Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan, the oldest hotel in the world. Remarkably, it has been in business since 705AD and passed through the same family for 52 generations!

Who’s reviewing what on Goodreads? Men outnumber women in philosophy, politics, comics and graphic novels. In contrast, women outnumber men in every other genre, with the biggest gaps in romance and chick lit.

This map shows where snowfall has been recorded at least once since 1940. These areas cover 43% of Earth’s surface. (Image source: Ben Noll/The Washington Post)

This is Tepepolco, a dormant volcano in Mexico City that last erupted more than 10,000 years ago. Today, its crater is occupied by a residential neighborhood.

Contrary to popular belief, "hello" is actually younger than both "hey" and "hi." "Hey" dates back to the 13th century, "hi" to the 15th century, while "hello" is as recent as 1834.

In 2022, Jim Carrey said he was retiring from acting....unless he was handed a script "written in gold ink." Two years later, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 wanted him back as Dr. Robotnik. So they literally delivered his script in 24-carat gold ink. And yes, he came back.

In 2011, a mystery man walked into an Australian TV station and spent five hours inside a bathroom, disposing of $100,000 in cash down a toilet and into a sanitary bin. No one ever figured out who he was, why he did it, or where the money came from.

Ever wondered why we say "o’clock"? It’s a contraction of "of the clock", so "three o’clock" once meant "three of the clock." As mechanical clocks became common, the phrase helped distinguish clock time from other ways of telling time. Eventually, "of the clock" became o’clock.