Mind-blowing Facts That Literally Nobody Has Heard Before

The Benefit of Being the Queen

Queen Elizabeth II actually hired a stand-in to make sure that the sun doesn't get in her eyes. The woman is named Ella Slack, she is roughly the same size and stature as the queen, and she gets paid extra on particularly sunny days. Slack is not allowed to sit on the throne, but she has made a ton of money just pretending to be someone else in the sunshine. 

The Dunce Cap Used to Be a Compliment

In the 13th century, a philosopher named John Duns Scotus believed that wearing a pointed cap would help spread knowledge that fell to the bottom of the brain back to the top. Since there was no way to disprove him, scholars that called themselves the "Dunsmen" would wear them while they studied. After the idea was toppled by modern science, "Duns" was changed to "dunce," and the cap signified someone was gullible enough to believe something so preposterous. 

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The More You Know

  • In 1567, the man said to have the longest beard in the world died after he tripped over his beard running away from a fire.
  • Shakespeare's plays feature the word "love" about 10 times more than the word "hate."
  • Domino's Japan trained reindeer to deliver pizza.
  • Russia has a larger surface area than Pluto.
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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.