1. Long Fingernails in Ancient China
In ancient China, especially during the Qing Dynasty, wealthy nobles and scholars often grew their fingernails extremely long — sometimes even wearing gold or jade nail guards — to show they didn’t do any manual labor. Long nails symbolized status, wealth, and refinement.
2. Antoine Lavoisier’s Fate
Antoine Lavoisier, often called the “Father of Modern Chemistry,” helped establish the law of conservation of mass and named both hydrogen and oxygen. Despite his contributions to science, he was executed by guillotine in 1794 during the French Revolution because he was also a tax collector for the unpopular royal regime.
3. Ancient Chewing Gum
Humans have chewed natural gums for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found 9,000-year-old lumps of birch bark tar with tooth marks in Scandinavia — used not just for chewing but also possibly as an antiseptic for dental issues.
4. The Great Wall and the Moon Myth
It’s a myth that the Great Wall of China is visible from the Moon with the naked eye — it’s simply too narrow and follows the natural contours of the land, blending into the landscape. Astronauts say it’s barely visible even from low Earth orbit without aid.
5. Roman Concrete’s Secret Strength
Roman concrete, used in structures like the Pantheon and aqueducts, has lasted millennia due to its unique mix of volcanic ash, lime, and seawater. Modern researchers found that the Romans’ self-healing concrete could actually strengthen over time, unlike most modern concrete, which deteriorates in a few decades.
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