UsefulBS - Straight Facts
Straight facts. Answers to questions you never knew you had.
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Why do nearly all metal zippers have the letters YKK stamped on the pull tab?
YKK stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, a Japanese company that manufactures roughly half of the world's zippers. They dominate the industry because of their reputation for extreme reliability and a vertically integrated production process that ensures high-quality hardware for global clothing brands.
Why do most ceiling fans have a small switch to reverse the direction of the blades?
Ceiling fans include a reverse switch to optimize comfort and energy efficiency year-round. In the summer, blades rotate counter-clockwise to create a cooling downdraft. In the winter, reversing the direction to clockwise pulls cool air up and pushes warm air trapped at the ceiling back down into the room.
Why did ancient Romans use human urine as a key ingredient in their mouthwash and toothpaste?
Ancient Romans used human urine in their oral care because it contains ammonia, a natural cleaning agent that effectively whitened teeth and dissolved stains.
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Why were some ancient Roman statues designed with detachable heads that could be swapped whenever leadership changed?
Ancient Roman statues featured detachable heads to quickly and cheaply update monuments during leadership transitions. By swapping only the portrait, officials saved time and expensive marble, allowing the same high-quality body to represent multiple rulers as political tides shifted.
Why did Europeans spend centuries eating ground-up ancient mummies to treat their illnesses?
For centuries, Europeans consumed ground-up human remains because of a linguistic misunderstanding. They believed mummies contained mumia, a natural healing bitumen, but eventually mistook the preserved bodies themselves for the medicine. This led to a macabre medical craze where pulverized ancient Egyptians were sold as a cure-all for everything from headaches to internal bleeding.
Why were the giant inflatable tube men found at gas stations originally invented for the Olympic Games?
Originally called Tall Boys, these inflatable figures were created by artist Peter Minshall and designer Doron Gazit for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. They were designed as high-concept kinetic art to bring movement and energy to the closing ceremonies before eventually being repurposed as eye-catching advertisements for businesses like gas stations.
Why do we call them piggy banks if the name originally referred to a cheap type of clay?
Piggy banks are named after pygg, an affordable orange clay used for jars in the Middle Ages. Because the name sounded like the animal, potters began crafting them into pig shapes as a clever pun.