There was a 700 year old statue of Buddha made of 5 tons of solid gold that no one knew about.

Wat Traimit Witthayaram, or the Temple of the Golden Buddha, is a buddhist temple in Bangkok. The Golden Buddha is 4 meters high and 3 meters wide (from the farthest apart points, the knees). 

The entire thing is cast in 5 tons of solid gold. It might seem unusual that such an impressive statue could go unnoticed. When Bangkok was established as the new capital of Thailand, the recovery of many Buddha statues was encouraged. Many of them were transported to Bangkok. 

In the early 19th century, a huge Buddha statue made of brown clay was installed in a temple. In the early 20th century, the temple was abandoned and deserted until 1957 when the East Asiatic Company took over the premises. 

Of the two Buddha statues in the temple, one was transferred to the Wat Traimit Witthayaram. When that statue was being hoisted up, it slipped and fell to the ground. 

It turns out the statue was only covered in clay and lacquer, and was actually 5 tons of gold. The fall had shattered all the clay to pieces, revealing the gold. So in the end, it was one of the more fortunate outcomes of something accidentally falling and breaking to pieces. 

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The GPS shuts down at 1200mph or at an altitude of 60,000 feet to ensure it won’t be used in a guided missile!

The GPS has built in limits based on speed and altitude. This is because the US Defense department originally developed the technology. During the early years of the Cold War, CoCOM or Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Exports Control was established. It put arms embargos on Eastern Bloc countries. 

When the GPS was developed, CoCOM limits were put in place so the Russians couldn’t use it in guided missiles. The fact that the GPS still has these limits is somewhat funny, since the Cold War is long over.  Although, it could still be used by other hostile forces.

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Despite modern connotations, the origins of the word “niggardly” have nothing to do with the racial slur.

The word is an adjective meaning stingy or miserly. It comes from the word niggard, which is Norse. The root is "nigla" meaning “to fuss about all matters.” It can also mean petty or unimportant. On the other hand, the racial slur came from the Spanish, Portuguese and French words for black. The similar sound has made the word "niggardly" a sensitive one.

One of the most famous examples of this confusion happened in 1999, when a white aide to the mayor of Washington DC referenced a certain budget as "niggardly." He got a complaint against him and he resigned. There was later a big movement defending the aide and the use of the word. He returned to work for the mayor, but under a different position. 

Check out more details on that controversy, and some other incidents at the source.

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Ohio is the only U.S. state that doesn’t have a rectangular flag!

John Eisemann designed the Ohio state flag in 1902. The blue triangle in the flag is to represent the state’s hills and valleys. The stripes represent roads and waterways in Ohio. Ohio is one of the 5 states that make up the Northwest Territory, thus it has 5 stripes on its flag. 

Being the 17th state admitted into the union, the flag has 17 stars on it and the 13 stars above and below the circle are to represent the 13 original colonies. Ohio’s nickname is the Buckeye State, which is why it has the white circle with the red dot in the middle of it. The circle also makes an O, which represents Ohio. 

The flag’s shape is not just unique among States in the American union; it’s one of two flags that are not quadrilateral shaped at a state-level or above, the other being the flag of Nepal. The flag was fashioned after the flags flown by the cavalries during the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. 

Being a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd World Country depends on its Cold War orientation!

During the Cold War, countries allied with capitalist countries and NATO were known as 1st world countries. Communist countries and the Soviet Union were known as 2nd world countries. Third world countries referred to countries not allied with capitalist nations or NATO.

Third world became somewhat synonymous with underdeveloped and poor countries. It is now seen as politically incorrect to use the term “third world country.” 

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