BTS, a seven-member South Korean boy band, brings in more than $3.6 billion to South Korea’s economy each year, and were the reason one in every 13 foreign tourists visited the country in 2018.
The US Bureau of Land Management…
The US Bureau of Land Management only allows 20 people per day to visit The Wave rock formation in Arizona and you have to apply 4 months in advance for a permit.
George Orwell’s use of 2+2=5…
George Orwell’s use of 2+2=5 as a catchphrase of the dystopian government in his book 1984 is based on Joseph Stalin’s use of that equation in propaganda. Soviet posters declared “2 + 2 plus the enthusiasm of the workers = 5” long before Orwell wrote his novel. The USSR reached the goals of that Five Year Plan in four years, therefore meaning that the “enthusiasm of the workers” did five years worth of work in four years.
Japanese vending machines are…
Japanese vending machines are operated to dispense drinking water free of charge when the water supply gets cut off during a disaster.
Millionaire neighbors protested…
Millionaire neighbors protested George Lucas’ plans to build a movie studio on his property due to the possibility of increased traffic hurting their quality of life. Lucas got revenge by abandoning the studio project and planning to use his land to build 224 affordable homes.
Ivan IV (the Terrible) inherited…
Ivan IV (the Terrible) inherited a library thought to contain ancient works from Libraries of Alexandria & Constantinople. Afraid that books would be stolen, he ordered his men to bury the books, then executed them. He died before revealing the location. Searches for the library continue today.
Victor Hugo wrote the…
Victor Hugo wrote the Hunchback of Norte-Dame to inform people of the value of Gothic architecture, which was being neglected and destroyed at the time. This explains the large descriptive sections of the book, which far exceed the requirements of the story.
John C. Beale pretended…
John C. Beale pretended to be a CIA secret agent, flew around the world on first-class flights, stayed in high-end hotels and cost the taxpayers almost US$900,000.
There is an official IKEA podcast…
There is an official IKEA podcast that will read you the names of IKEA products until you fall asleep.