10 unexpected facts that will make you say: "How is this possible?" (11 photos)

Did you know that goats have unusual vision, and the Soviet Zhiguli almost became a world symbol of an ambiguous profession?





These interesting facts about music, science, history and more will definitely change your understanding of familiar things.

1. Understanding a Friend



The human and dog brains have evolved to understand each other's sounds to some degree. Among other things, dogs understand human laughter.

2. A Very Long Concert





The longest musical piece in the world, John Cage's ORGAN²/ASLSP, is turning 639 years old. It began in 2001 in Germany and is scheduled to end in 2640. It is clear that the current performers will not live to see it finished.

3. Royal Pizza



Pizza "Margherita" was named after the Queen of Italy Margherita of Savoy in 1889. Chef Raffaele Esposito created it with the three colors of the Italian flag: white (mozzarella), red (tomatoes) and green (basil).

4. Fame after death



Van Gogh painted over 900 paintings in 10 years, but sold only a few during his lifetime, including "The Red Vineyards of Arles," which was purchased by his friend's sister. Today, his works are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

5. The uniqueness of the vocal apparatus



The vocal apparatus is our unique advantage: only humans can speak so complexly and diversely. But this came at a cost: unlike animals, we cannot breathe and swallow at the same time. Only babies under 9 months old can do this — until their larynx drops lower. Nature decided that speech is more important.

6. All-Seeing Goats



Goats have rectangular pupils. This gives them an almost 340-degree field of view (without having to turn their heads) and helps them see better in the dark.

7. An Expensive Inheritance



In 1798, the richest Briton of his time, William Jennens, died without leaving a will. The court first appointed his young nephew as his heir, but he also died suddenly. The hunt for the 2 million pound fortune (about $300 million today) began. Relatives multiplied like mushrooms, and lawyers spent decades conducting trials. As a result, after 117 years, the courts "ate" the entire inheritance down to the last penny.

8. Special Dreams



People who are blind from birth also see dreams - but not in pictures, but in sounds, smells and tactile sensations (for example, they can hear a voice or feel a touch in a dream). But those who became blind later, at first see ordinary dreams with images, but over time the visual images fade and can disappear altogether.

9. Modest Plant



The plant Mimosa pudica (shy mimosa) instantly folds its leaves when touched - this is protection from herbivores. But what is surprising: if you repeat touches without threat, it stops reacting, as if it understands that it is being deceived.

10. Ambiguous name



The Soviet car VAZ-2101 was initially sold abroad under the name "Zhiguli". But in Spanish-speaking countries this word sounded like "gigolo" (male call boy). To avoid curiosities, the export version was quickly renamed Lada. The name turned out to be euphonious, without ambiguity and easy to pronounce.