Honey never spoils, and jars of honey have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs still edible after thousands of years?
True False
True: Honey's very low water content and natural acidity mean it can last almost indefinitely if kept sealed. Honey recovered from Egyptian tombs has been reported to be still edible. The combination of low moisture, high sugar concentration and hydrogen peroxide produced by bees makes honey very hostile to bacteria.
The Eiffel Tower was originally built to be dismantled after 20 years?
True False
True: The tower was intended as a temporary structure for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. Gustave Eiffel's permit allowed the tower to stand for only 20 years, after which it was due to be taken down. It was saved because it proved useful as a radio and telegraph transmitter.
The Mona Lisa was painted with clearly visible eyebrows?
True False
False: The Mona Lisa has no visible eyebrows - a feature much discussed by art historians. Some experts believe the eyebrows were lost during centuries of cleaning, while others suggest they were never painted - possibly reflecting a Renaissance fashion for plucked brows.
Mercury is the hottest planet in our solar system because it is closest to the Sun?
True False
False: Venus is the hottest planet, despite being further from the Sun than Mercury. Venus's thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide creates a runaway greenhouse effect, trapping heat and pushing surface temperatures to around 465 degrees Celsius - hotter than Mercury, which has no atmosphere to retain heat.
The Great Wall of China is visible from space with the naked eye?
True False
False: The Great Wall is not visible from space with the naked eye - this is a long-standing myth. Though extraordinarily long, the wall is actually quite narrow and blends in with its surroundings. Multiple astronauts, including Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei, have confirmed that they could not see it from orbit.
Goldfish have a memory span of only three seconds?
True False
False: Goldfish can remember things for months - the three-second myth has been thoroughly debunked. Studies have shown goldfish can be trained to respond to sounds, navigate simple mazes and recognise feeding routines days or weeks apart, far longer than the popular three-second figure suggests.
A dolphin is a type of fish?
True False
False: Dolphins are mammals, not fish. Dolphins are warm-blooded, breathe air through lungs, give birth to live young and feed them milk - all mammalian traits. They are part of the cetacean family, along with whales and porpoises.
The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from France?
True False
True: The Statue of Liberty was designed in France and gifted to the United States in 1886. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi with an internal iron framework by Gustave Eiffel, the statue was a gift to mark the centenary of American independence and the friendship between the two countries.
Pluto is currently recognised by the International Astronomical Union as an official planet?
True False
False: Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. The International Astronomical Union redefined 'planet' in 2006, and Pluto failed one of the new criteria - clearing its orbit of other debris. Our solar system now officially has eight planets.
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese?
True False
True: Portuguese is the official language of Brazil. Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas, a legacy of Portuguese colonisation from the early 1500s. It is also the most populous Portuguese-speaking country in the world.
The word 'karaoke' comes from Mandarin Chinese and roughly means 'singing machine'?
True False
False: 'Karaoke' is Japanese and roughly translates as 'empty orchestra'. The word combines the Japanese 'kara' (empty) with 'oke', short for 'okesutora' - a borrowing of the English word 'orchestra'. The idea of singing along to a backing track was popularised in Japan in the 1970s.
Sir Isaac Newton is often credited with inventing the cat flap?
True False
True: Newton is widely said to have invented the cat flap, to let his cats in and out of his rooms without interrupting his work. According to long-standing tradition, Newton cut a hole in his door for his cat and a smaller hole for her kittens - until he realised they would all happily follow her through the larger one. Some historians dispute the story, but it is widely told.
Australia is wider than the diameter of the Moon?
True False
True: Australia, from east to west, is wider than the Moon's diameter. Australia stretches roughly 4,000 kilometres from east to west, while the Moon's diameter is about 3,474 kilometres. Not a comparison most people's instinct would land on correctly.
The largest desert in the world is the Sahara?
True False
False: Antarctica is technically the largest desert in the world. Deserts are defined by low precipitation, not heat or sand. Antarctica receives so little rain or snow that it qualifies as the world's largest desert, at around 14 million square kilometres - bigger than the Sahara.
The Great Fire of London began at a bakery on Pudding Lane in 1666?
True False
True: The fire started in Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane in the early hours of 2nd September 1666. Fanned by strong winds, the fire spread rapidly through London's tightly-packed wooden houses over four days, destroying over 13,000 homes and landmarks including the original St Paul's Cathedral.
Natural vanilla flavouring comes from a type of orchid?
True False
True: Vanilla is derived from the pods of vanilla orchids, most commonly Vanilla planifolia. Vanilla is the only orchid grown commercially for food. The plant is native to Mexico, and the distinctive flavour develops only after the pods go through a lengthy curing and drying process.
Cleopatra lived closer in time to the first Moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza?
True False
True: Cleopatra lived around 30 BCE, closer to 1969 than to the building of the Great Pyramid around 2,560 BCE. The Great Pyramid was already more than 2,500 years old in Cleopatra's lifetime, while the Moon landing took place only about 2,000 years after her death. A striking reminder of just how ancient Egyptian civilisation is.
The shortest war in recorded history lasted less than one hour?
True False
True: The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 is generally reckoned to have lasted around 38 minutes. Fought on the morning of 27th August 1896 between the United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Zanzibar, the war ended after a brief British naval bombardment, with the new Sultan stepping down and a British-approved successor installed.
Lightning never strikes the same place twice?
True False
False: Lightning frequently strikes the same place repeatedly - tall objects in particular. The Empire State Building in New York is struck by lightning around 25 times a year on average. Lightning tends to follow the path of least resistance, and tall, pointed or metal structures are hit again and again.
Bananas grow pointing downwards from the tree, hanging towards the ground?
True False
False: Bananas actually grow pointing upwards, curving towards the sky. As they develop, bananas bend upwards in a process called negative geotropism, seeking sunlight. The familiar banana curve is a result of this growth pattern, not of hanging downwards from the plant.
