Bright Side

Everything about a firetruck makes us stop and look at it. They’re big, bright, loud, and they carry brave people who save lives. But have you ever wondered why they’re red? The answer isn’t 100% clear, but there are a few theories out there.

By the way, other colors have also been used for them. Studies have shown that while that red hue reaches our eyes first in the daytime, it’s not best for at night. When it’s dark out, our eyes are better at seeing colors with a smaller wavelength like greens and blues. So some cities have adopted one of these colors for their firetrucks instead of the traditional crimson! Other places have even more surprising colors like orange, pink, yellow, and lime green!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The view of a rust-colored rocket carrying an orbiter on its back and rushing to the sky on its fiery tail is iconic. But considering the last Space Shuttle launch was back in 2011, is this the last we’ll ever see of such a thing? What’s next? Could an improved shuttle be made that takes off and lands like an airplane?

Our planet is a complex hodge-podge of all kinds of matter, which is combined into an impressive mass. All that mass works like a colossal magnet that allows the Earth to maintain one thing we all know and love – the atmosphere. But the atmosphere itself is also filled with matter. Airplanes don’t struggle this much with getting through the atmosphere. But what about shuttles?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Picture this: you’re driving on a highway, and suddenly see something you’ve failed to notice earlier: your gas tank is almost empty! You drive to the closest gas station, only to find they have no other gas but 87. Should you pump it inside your car or not? What’s the difference between those numbers?

In fact, gasoline can actually be different, and it’s not one type fits all. In the US, the most typical numbers you’ll see are 87, 89, and 92. In other parts of the world, the numbers can vary, but most common ones are 91, 95, and 98. The higher the number value, the higher the cost of the fuel, so it might seem natural to choose the cheapest one and go with it, but it’s not as simple as it sounds.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a cold rainy day in October of 2016. Huge balls of hail crashed into the ground. In short, it wasn’t a good day to fly, and Wow Air Flight 404 headed from Reykjavík, Iceland to Paris, France would soon understand why…

That iconic fuchsia-colored plane was struck by a massive bolt of lightning not long after taking off! But did she go down? You’d think so given that a single lightning bolt carries 1 billion volts of electric force with it. So, an exterior burnt black like a piece of coal? A shredded fuselage? A fire on board? No, nope, and negative.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you live in the West, you probably have only a passing familiarity with the geographically small but economically powerful nation of Japan. It's the country that brought us PlayStations, anime, and tiny cars. But there are a lot of surprising quirks of Japanese culture most westerners aren't familiar with.

When you think of driving on the left side of the road, which country do you think of? If you live in Europe or North America, jolly old England comes to mind. India, Australia, and South Africa are also reasonable guesses. These countries, and most of the others with left-side driving, were once part of the British empire, so it's no wonder they inherited the UK's driving habits. But Japan was never part of the British Empire, so why they drive on the right?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine yourself in China in the middle of July. The weather is boiling, and the only thing you can think about is a big glass of ice water. You ask for a drink at the nearest cafe and take a gulp. But the water’s so hot that it's burned your tongue!

Yep, in China, drinking water is served piping hot. What's more, locals have it with all their dishes, be it winter or stifling summer heat. The answer to this mystery lies in Chinese culture and history. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the human body consists of yin and yang elements. And you stay healthy only if your yin and yang are in balance. Okay, what is this all about?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Picture this: You’re an apprentice seaman on a whaler, and you’re taking your first ever voyage. Just as you’re sailing deeper into the ocean, your ship is attacked by a sperm whale, and it swallows you whole. Yikes! But after two days in its belly, you’re finally rescued, and found alive!

So, it was the middle of February in 1891; James Bartley was just 21 years old and was ready to start his training as a seaman on a whaler. While onboard his first whaling ship in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, they spotted a huge Sperm whale. It was about 0.5 a mile away from the ship, and they were getting closer. The closer they got to the beast, the larger it became...

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Volcanos are essentially hollow mountains filled with toxic gas and hot molten rock. They’re just as rocky and shelfy on the inside as they are on the outside. Temperatures inside a volcano can top 2,000°F. That means pretty much anything but titanium or platinum, which won’t melt until they hit a toasty 3,000°F, will drip-drip-drip into nothing.

But humans can survive falling into a volcano! A Maasai porter fell into a Tanzania volcano back in 2007 and lived to tell the tale. Of course, he didn’t come out untouched by the hot molten rock, but he survived! It seemed like a miracle, but – with a little help from our old friend Adrenaline – the man managed to climb out!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sending 1 lb of cargo into space costs about $10,000! So how do space agencies afford to send supplies like oxygen, water, and food to their astronauts? Before they found a more efficient solution, they’d pack all the water into space with them in their rockets. The water took up a lot of room that could’ve otherwise been used for other supplies. That, and the added weight wasted fuel. So short answer: nope, it doesn’t go with the crew from the get-go.

That means they deliver it, right? That’d be too risky…and expensive! There’s no 100% guarantee that something bad won’t happen to the cargo ship at launch or on the way to the International Space Station. If the cargo doesn’t get to the station, then the next delivery will have to wait a very long time. That’s not an option since it’s dangerous for the astronauts. Ok, so let’s break it down item by item.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones that LOL and those that ROFL. But laughter experts say that there are many more types. Are you a cackler? Then you're always the center of everyone’s attention. And you don’t only attract attention but also success. They’re bold and self-confident! 

Or maybe you're a guffawer? So what does that say about you? You're are extroverted and sociable. One such person in a group of friends is enough to keep any party or conversation lively. By the way, some people start off laughing almost discretely and then burst out into a guffaw – that’s called a “carry-on” laugh, and it’s impossible not to join in! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices