Joseph Guillotin, namesake of the guillotine, opposed capital punishment but promoted the device as a more humane alternative to the brutal execution methods of his time when abolition proved impossible.

Astronaut helmets have a patch of Velcro inside them for the sole purpose of enabling astronauts to scratch their noses.

Distracted driving, such as mobile phone use, causes 25% of U.S. auto accidents and is six times more likely to cause a crash than drunk driving.

Despite having just 1.9% of India's population, North Korea has won more Olympic medals since the inception of the modern games.

Studies have found that serving a dip with a salty snack significantly increases calorie consumption, resulting in a 77% higher caloric intake per sitting when compared to consuming chips alone.

Kangaroos, seals, otters, and many other mammals can pause their pregnancies for several years during times of hardship, resuming them when conditions improve.

Bubble wrap was originally invented as wallpaper. It didn't sell well, so the inventors tried a number of other routes before landing on packaging material.