Contagious yawning, a common form of echophenomena (the automatic imitation of another’s words or actions), is a real thing but scientists don’t fully understand which part of the brain controls it. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(17)30966-1.pdf
Han Van Meegeren was a Dutch painter and forger who became a national hero after WWII when it was revealed he sold fake paintings to Nazi leaders. After initially being accused of treason for selling Dutch cultural artifacts to the Nazi’s, he pleaded guilty to forgery and painted at his trial to prove he could replicate the famous Vermeer artwork. – WTF Fun Facts
The modern high jump technique was created by Dick Fosbury and was dubbed the Fosbury Flop. Prior to the 1968 Olympics, the landing area was sand or low mats so jumpers needed to land on their feet or otherwise very carefully. – WTF Fun Facts
The St. Louis City Museum has the largest graphite pencil in the world. It is 76 feet long and weighs 18,000 pounds. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://vimeo.com/64984221
A study found store-bought tomatoes taste bland because they are missing the gene (TomLoxC) which gives them their flavor. 93% of the current, domesticated varieties sold in stores are missing the gene. – WTF Fun Facts
In 1844, there was a case of hysteria in a French convent of nuns. One started meowing and after a week all the nuns were meowing harmoniously in the afternoons. It didn’t stop until neighbors called soldiers. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://archive.org/details/epidemicsofmiddl1844heck/
Researchers have developed an efficient and eco-friendly catalytic reactor that can convert the common air pollutant CO2 into high concentrations of pure formic acid, which can be used as a liquid fuel.– WTF Fun Facts
Source: http://thetartan.org/2019/9/9/scitech/greenhouse-fuel
In 1951, Walt Disney hired a maid named Thelma Howard. He gifted her shares of Disney stock each Christmas. When she died in 1994, she had 192,000 shares worth $9 million. She left the majority to her foundation supporting disadvantaged kids. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://people.com/archive/saving-grace-vol-42-no-21/
The British have a one in 300 chance of being related to a complete stranger they meet in their homeland. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/theres-a-1-in-300-chance-that-a-complete-stranger-is-your-cousin/