Broccoli is a Human Innovation
While most of us think of vegetables as being naturally occurring, there's one vegetable that defies convention - broccoli. Surprisingly, it's not a naturally occurring plant at all, but rather a human-made creation that has been selectively bred over the centuries to become the delectable treat that we know and love today.
The first female on a UK banknote
Florence Nightingale is a fascinating personality that was born into a wealthy Victorian family. However, throughout her life she chose a tough life of service. She was known for her work during the Crimean War. During the war she tended to wounded soldiers and helped revolutionize nursing practices.
These three countries are surrounded by their neighbor
Across nearly 200 countries checkering the globe, exactly three extraordinary lands claim status as fully enclaved nations - meaning completely surrounded by another country enclosing its borders on all sides. Two micro-states nestled within neighboring Italy and one mountain kingdom swallowed up inside South Africa comprise Earth's sole national entities qualifying for such geopolitical quirk of geography.
Great Lakes: 20% of the world’s surface freshwater
Along America's northern frontier sprawls an aquatic kingdom spanning 94,600 square miles - the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. Encompassing Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario, this watery realm contains over 117 trillion gallons supplying 40 million people while supporting economies from Canada to Minnesota to New York.
Caffeine: The Natural Pesticide
That morning cup of coffee jumpstarting your workday also traces back to compounds plants employ in their own daily battles - as stealth pesticides. The caffeine enriching popular beverages actually helps vegetation fend off hungry insects and destructive infestations.
Why Most Canadians Live Near US Border
Gaze north from America across the Great White North and Canada appears a boundless land brimming with rugged wilderness, sawtooth mountains and remote tundra plains. But in fact just 10% of Canada's nearly 40 million populace resides in those iconic frigid hinterlands. A full 90% instead clusters within a narrow strip along the southern border - often not far north of U.S. territory at all.