From the unlucky Hemingway to cunning walruses: 7 real facts that seem fictitious (8 photos)

The world is full of stories that sound like a blockbuster script or the product of a writer's imagination.





But reality often turns out to be far more surprising than any fiction. Like these short but captivating stories about the misfortunes of a great writer and the unusual weapons of Arctic giants, which at first seem simply impossible to believe.

1. One Writer's Nine Concussions



Ernest Hemingway survived two concussions in World Wars I and II, two plane crashes in Africa, a car accident in London during the Blitz, a falling skylight on his head in Paris, and a car accident and a fall from a fishing boat in Cuba. In total, he suffered nine concussions.

2. A Modest Project for a Great Civilization





According to leading Egyptologists, the construction of the Great Pyramid required only about 1-2% of Ancient Egypt's equivalent GDP. Despite its scale, the construction placed virtually no strain on the economy of the Old Kingdom, which enjoyed colossal agricultural surpluses.

3. The Guillotine, Which Promoted the Emergence of Haute Cuisine



The world's first restaurant in the modern sense appeared in Paris in 1765. It was opened by a bouillon seller named Boulanger, and the word "restaurant" comes from the French restaurer, meaning "to restore," as clear soups were considered healing at the time.

But the real boom occurred after the French Revolution. The guillotine put hundreds of court chefs out of work, and those who escaped execution began opening their own establishments. Thus, aristocratic cuisine reached the masses.

It was a revolution in service. Instead of a communal table and a single daily special, there were individual tables by appointment, a choice of menus, china, tablecloths, and fine cutlery. While there were fewer than 50 restaurants in Paris before the Revolution, by 1814 there were 3,000. Cooking became a respected art, laying the foundation for world haute cuisine.

4. A Third Eye with Clock Functions



Some lizards have a third eye. This is neither a joke nor a myth. For example, the bearded dragon has a clearly visible third, or parietal, eye on the top of its head.

This primitive organ is not designed for vision as we know it. Its main function is to distinguish light and shadow. It helps the lizard notice the shadow of a bird of prey overhead, and also serves as its internal chronometer, responsible for daily and seasonal biorhythms. Simply put, it is a light-sensitive sensor that controls the reptile's daily routine and survival.

5. A Special Kind of Being



The ancient Greeks distinguished three distinct states of being: alive, dead, and vanished, invisible, and setting sail.

The third state is the most mysterious. A person who has set sail was considered to have disappeared from the world of the living, but not yet reached the dead. His fate was uncertain; he existed in a legal, social, and religious limbo. Until news of his death or return arrived, his property and family remained in limbo, and relatives were unable to perform proper funeral rites.

Thus, someone who went to sea was like Schrödinger's cat of antiquity, simultaneously both alive and dead.

6. A Name Given by Female Warriors



Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana gave the Amazon River its name after his 16th-century expedition was attacked by warriors led by women. He compared them to the Amazons of Greek mythology. Interestingly, the word "Amazon" itself may derive from an ancient Iranian term meaning "warrior."

7. The Secret Adaptation of Walruses



Walruses obtain food by literally sucking live mollusks straight from their shells. To do this, they create a vacuum in their mouths by sharply pulling their tongues back like a piston. Even in captivity, these strongmen are capable of sucking metal plugs weighing over two kilograms from the bottom of a pool.