Perhaps this data was simply not explored 20-40 years ago, but we continue to sacredly believe in what we were once taught. Probably, you need to periodically take retraining courses to find out the latest news about our planet. After all, it turns out that during our relatively short human life, the world has managed to undergo serious changes. And from the point of view of the period of life of the Earth, this also happened quite quickly. These astounding facts will give you some insight into our world!
Myth: Everest is the tallest mountain on the planet.
Fact: Technically, the highest mountain is Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Its height is 10203 m, but most of the mountain is hidden under water.
Mauna Kea
Myth: The Chinese Wall is the only man-made object that is visible from space with the naked eye.
Promotional video:
Fact: Not visible. The Chinese Wall is too narrow for this - only 6 meters wide.
Myth: The famous Big Ben in London is the same clock tower.
Fact: Big Ben is a bell in a tower that beats off the clock. The tower is called Saint Stephen.
Myth: Clouds are weightless.
Fact: Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets, the total weight of which reaches 500 tons.
Myth: Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Fact: Beats. For example, the spire of the Empire State Building is struck by lightning on average 25 times a year.
Myth: The tallest waterfall on Earth is Angel in Venezuela.
Fact: The highest waterfall is located at the bottom of the Danish Strait, under water, and has no name. Its height is 3505 meters. Yes, there are waterfalls, rivers and lakes in the oceans, but it is difficult to photograph them.
Myth: Water conducts electricity.
Fact: The current is not conducted by the water itself, but by the minerals dissolved in it. Distilled water does not conduct electricity.
Myth: A diamond cannot be destroyed.
Fact: A "light" hammer blow will make many small ones out of one large diamond.
Myth: All trees extract water from their roots.
Fact: In the African barren Namib, Amazing Velvichia grows, the leaves of which feed the root with water.
Myth: Great Britain is the rainiest country in Europe.
Fact: London receives 500 mm of precipitation annually, Rome - 760, Milan - 1000, and Genoa - 1100. But in Italy it rains mainly in autumn and winter, and in Great Britain - evenly throughout the year.
Myth: The largest desert on Earth is the Sahara.
Fact: The largest desert is Antarctica. Its area is almost 870 thousand square kilometers, and there was no precipitation in some areas for about two million years.
Myth: The Nile is the longest river on Earth.
Fact: The Amazon is 400 km longer than the Nile, its length is 7100 km.
Myth: The saltiest lake on Earth is the Dead Sea.
Fact: The saltiest lake is Don Juan in the Antarctic Dry Valleys. The water in it is so salty that it does not freeze despite the temperature of -50 degrees Celsius.