The world population in 1 AD was less than America’s today!

America’s current population is just above 300 million, while the estimated entire world population in 1 AD was only 231 million! Why are there so many more people in the world today?

Technology and urbanization play a major role, and 2000 years ago North and South America were sparsely populated, while many islands currently inhabited were empty. In fact, the population of New Zealand was zero!

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The animal in Firefox is not actually a fox!

It’s actually a red panda! Slightly larger than a domestic cat, the red panda is native to the Himalayas and western China. Many assume that the animal in the Firefox logo is a fox, yet Firefox is actually the nickname for the rare panda species. Eating mostly bamboo, it is currently classified as “vulnerable” by IUCN because of its dwindling population.

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In 1957, the BBC show "Panorama" convinced Britons that Spaghetti was harvested from a "Spaghetti Tree".

This started as an April fool’s joke. It was presented as a 3 minute report for Panorama, a documentary programme that holds the record for the longest-running public affairs show in the world. The idea started when Charles de Jaeger, a cameraman from the show, remembered that teachers in Austria teased some kids for being stupid.

The joke was that if they were told that spaghetti grew on trees, they would believe it. The Britons believed the hoax with the help of a respectable voiceover and a well presented report. Also, because in 1950s Britain spaghetti was considered an exotic food and a rare delicacy.

An estimated 8 million people saw the report that day. Hundreds called the station the next day to ask for more information on how to cultivate them and others to question the authenticity of the story. The video is here, so check it out.

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Pockets that come sewn shut are always intended to be used.

Have you ever bought a coat or jacket and wondered if the pockets were fake because they are sewn shut? Well the answer is simple, they are meant to be used. They ship them that way from the factory to keep the pockets looking good while they are on display and to discourage the clients from putting their hands in the pockets when they try them on.

You are supposed to cut the seam open with a seam ripper or a small nail cutter. Sometimes they can help you at the store. Just do it slowly and make sure you don’t cause damage to the surrounding area. Leaving the pocket sewn shut would be the same as leaving the plastic cover on your new couch.

Another thing to keep in mind is not putting heavy things in your pockets, because this will make the shape of the pocket distorted.

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The North Star is not the brightest star in the sky!

In fact it’s a star called Sirius, which is twenty times brighter than our sun and twice as massive! Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Majoris and is 8.7 light years away. It’s actually much closer than the North Star, which is close to 430 light years away.

Sirius was not discovered and named until 1862, yet for thousands of years it has been venerated by the Dogon Tribe in Mali. They believe that aliens have come from the star, and still worship it for its brightness!

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