Dissemblings

The Netherlands by Martin Podt

8A bolt of lightning contains enough energy to toast 100,000 slices of bread.
Lightning storm over city
Shutterstock
If you consider that each bolt of lightning contains more than 5 billion Joules of energy, then the average 1,000-watt, two-slice toaster could be powered for 84,000 minutes with just one strike. That's just enough time to toast about 100,000 slices of bread, bagels, English muffins—whatever you prefer.

9President Lyndon B. Johnson owned a water-surfing car.
President Lyndon B. Johnson drives his Amphicar with Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Paul Glynn at the Haywood Ranch
White House Photo / Alamy
Always the joker, Lyndon B. Johnson would surprise guests at his Texas ranch by driving them down the hill in his Amphicar, claiming the brakes had gone out. Once it hit the lake, their panic would subside when they realized the car had been designed to function in water.

10David Bowie helped topple the Berlin Wall.
n

Ruins of Berlin Wall
Alberto Loyo/Shutterstock
While David Bowie's trio of albums recorded in Berlin are considered among his best work, it's not the only legacy he has in the German city. In 1987, his performance of "Heroes" in front of the Reichstag as part of the Concert for Berlin, was loud enough and close enough to the wall to be heard in East Berlin (where such music was forbidden). It sparked a police crackdown, and, according to The Guardian, "Many of the eyewitnesses claim that the violent police crackdown on the third night of the concerts… were crucial in changing the mood against the state."

11Cherophobia is the word for the irrational fear of being happy.
Woman holding a smile face against a pink background
Shutterstock
No, it's not the fear of Cher, as the name might lead you to believe. It comes from the Greek word "chero," which means "to rejoice." People who suffer from cherophobia are often afraid, cripplingly so, of doing anything that might lead to happiness. This includes participating in fun activities and rejecting opportunities that may lead to positive outcomes.

Все люди рядом не случайны
Они, как свечи в темноте...
Одни - дорогу освещают
Другие - краски на холсте
Одни с тобой - в огонь и в воду
Душою в душу, кровь за кровь
Придут в любую непогоду
И защитят твою любовь

Для них ты очень много значишь
Им важно - что и как с тобой
Их радует твоя удача
И убивает твоя боль

Другие, тихо улыбаясь
В твоих копаются мечтах
Засунуть свой кирпич стараясь
В чужой фундамент впопыхах

Они стараются надёжней,
Паучьей ниткой сеть плетут
И, пряча камень под одёжей
С тобой плечом к плечу идут

Но жизнь, как речка после бури
Порой меняет берега
И лютый волк в овечьей шкуре
Блеснёт слюною на клыках

Он будет блеять и лукавить
Он будет врать и лебезить
Мешать, тебе себя исправить
Мешать мечтать, мешать любить

Все люди рядом - не случайны.
Они даны, чтобы понять
Что свет в душе не светит тайно
Не каждый друг, кто тянется обнять...

А. Вранской

Beautiful 💙

9President Lyndon B. Johnson owned a water-surfing car.
President Lyndon B. Johnson drives his Amphicar with Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Paul Glynn at the Haywood Ranch
White House Photo / Alamy
Always the joker, Lyndon B. Johnson would surprise guests at his Texas ranch by driving them down the hill in his Amphicar, claiming the brakes had gone out. Once it hit the lake, their panic would subside when they realized the car had been designed to function in water.

10David Bowie helped topple the Berlin Wall.
n

Ruins of Berlin Wall
Alberto Loyo/Shutterstock
While David Bowie's trio of albums recorded in Berlin are considered among his best work, it's not the only legacy he has in the German city. In 1987, his performance of "Heroes" in front of the Reichstag as part of the Concert for Berlin, was loud enough and close enough to the wall to be heard in East Berlin (where such music was forbidden). It sparked a police crackdown, and, according to The Guardian, "Many of the eyewitnesses claim that the violent police crackdown on the third night of the concerts… were crucial in changing the mood against the state."

11Cherophobia is the word for the irrational fear of being happy.
Woman holding a smile face against a pink background
Shutterstock
No, it's not the fear of Cher, as the name might lead you to believe. It comes from the Greek word "chero," which means "to rejoice." People who suffer from cherophobia are often afraid, cripplingly so, of doing anything that might lead to happiness. This includes participating in fun activities and rejecting opportunities that may lead to positive outcomes.

12You can hear a blue whale's heartbeat from two miles away.
Whale underwater
Shutterstock
The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, weighing up to 150 tons and measuring up to 90 feet long. Naturally, an animal this massive would have an equally huge heart. Roughly the size of a small car, the blue whale's heart weighs about 1,300 pounds. To move blood through its colossal body and arteries, its heart beats so powerfully, you can hear it from two miles away. You just might miss it, though, as its heart only beats eight to 10 times per minute.

40.A cat with a question-mark-shaped tail is asking, “Want to play?”
41.According to Wilde, a slow blink is a “kitty kiss.” This movement shows contentment and trust.
42.Cats have a unique “vocabulary” with their owner — each cat has a different set of vocalizations, purrs and behaviors.
43.Cats have up to 100 different vocalizations — dogs only have 10.