Since as far back as the 1st century, this
acrostic square of Latin inscriptions has been carved into stone, scribbled onto the
pages of books, and etched into wooden furniture by unknown persons around the globe. It's become known as the Sator- or Rotas Square,
taken from the two words around the edges, and it is palindromic in two dimensions. Meaning, it can be read in any direction. Top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top,
left-to-right, or right-to-left. The square consists of only five Latin words. Sator, Arepo, Tenet, Opera, and Rotas. I know, I know, a Swede attempting Latin is
anything but pleasant. But look at it from the bright side, at least
it wasn't Danish. No one is quite sure what this five-word sentence
means, especially considering that the word Arepo is a hapax legomenon. Meaning, it does not appear anywhere else in all of
Latin literature and thus its definition has been lost. Nevertheless, Arepo is speculated to be a proper name
and one plausible translation of this sentence would be: "The sower Arepo holds the wheels with care." Many ancient cultures believed the Sator Square
to be a powerful charm infused with mystical properties and it's been associated with religion
and spirituality for close to two millennia. In the early 1900s it was discovered that
the letters could be repositioned around the central N to form the anagram "Pater Noster"
in the shape of a cross. Pater Noster is the first two words of a revered
Christian prayer known as The Lord's Prayer. Which is what was played in the beginning. The four residual A's and O's supposedly
represents Alpha and Omega because religion. However, some conflicting evidence challenges
this interpretation so its true meaning, purpose, and origin remains highly controversial. It's equally plausible that someone merely
thought of a clever palindrome and accidentally gave birth to one of the first memes in human
history. The word minute, as in a unit of time, comes
from a Latin term meaning "first small part". In other words, the reason we call a minute
a minute is because it is the first smaller part, or the initial division, of an hour. Following the same logic, a second is called a
second because it is the second division of an hour. And while the second is officially the last
sexagesimal fraction, this succession would mean that 1 hour is 60 minutes, 1 minute is
60 seconds, and 1 second is 60 thirds? Or possibly 60 tierce
which is an archaic form of third. Not tears but tierce. Tierce, not tiers. Thirds or tierce is such an obsolete unit of time that
it's unlikely to be understood by, well, anyone. And even further refinements, such as fourths
and fifths, become redundant as decimal fractions of the second, such as milliseconds and microseconds,
are much more practical. This piece was composed by Joseph Haydn in
1791 and is officially known as Symphony No. 96. Unofficially, it been popularized as The Miracle. The story goes that in 1795 Haydn was to unveil his
latest symphony at a theater in London and the audience was so
mesmerized by his performance that they rose out of their seats
and converged upon the stage. While the audience applauded a chandelier
suddenly fell from the ceiling and crashed into the now empty seats. Thus, no one was harmed in an accident that
could've cost the lives of some 30 people. The audience accredited their good fortune
to Haydn's exceptional performance and began shouting "Miracle!" over and over again. However, while this incident is likely to
have occurred, further research indicates that the chandelier fell during the premier
of Symphony No. 102 and not No. 96. Nevertheless, aside from this slight misattribution Joseph Haydn literally
saved an audience with his music. When a character in any form of fictional
media is badly wounded and brought to a hospital, this is a very common scene. It usually goes like this... Patient flatlines. Doctor grabs a pair of irons. They scream "CLEAR!". Chestbuster impression. Dramatic moment of silence. Beep! Patient is revived. This is anything but an accurate portrayal
of defibrillation. In fact, it's almost entirely fictitious. A defibrillator is not and can not be used to
reestablish a heartbeat if the heart has stopped beating. That's what CPR is for. A defibrillator will actually do the opposite
in that it stops the heart from beating. It is used to reestablish a regular heartbeat
if the heart has begun to fibrillate. Fibrillation is when the heart beats with
an irregular rhythm, also known as dysrhythmia, and thus a defibrillator prevents the heart
from fibrillating. The electric shock momentarily paralyzes the
heart so that a synchronized rhythm can be restored. A defibrillator is the cardial equivalent
of solving a tech-related issue by turning your PC off and then on again. In the UK there's a royal palace known as
the Tower of London. Strolling and flying throughout the premises
of this tower is an unkindness of six ravens. An unkindness is the collective noun for a
group of ravens. To prevent the birds from flying away their
wings are frequently clipped and while ravens in the wild rarely live past the age of 15,
these captives can live past the age of 40. So why exactly is an unkindness of ravens
kept at the Tower of London? Because they have magical powers that prevents the
tower, the Crown, and all of Britain from falling apart. Naturally. According to folklore and superstition, a
population of no less than six ravens are somehow fundamental to the continued prosperity
of all of British society. How? Well, that's the thing about beliefs, logic
is optional. Think of it as Britain's kryptonite but instead
of throwing green rocks at a man in spandex you would have to throw six ravens out of
a country. During World War II, a lone raven remained
as the sole protector of Britain when his five brethren cowardly abandoned their post. This flying wizard bravely took on the Nazis
all by himself. In 1947, raven MacDonald was found decapitated
on the castle grounds and the killer was never caught. And in 2013, the two ravens Jubilee and Grip
were killed by a fox. Fortunately the ravens have persevered and
their magical powers continue to protect the monarchy from certain demise. Between 1993 and 2009, the DNA of an unknown
woman was found at over 40 crime scenes across Germany, Austria, and France. These crimes included home invasions, robberies,
and the murder of six people. In other words, a prolific female serial killer
had been active for more than a decade. In 2007, a policewoman was shot to death in
the German city of Heilbronn and once again, the DNA of this enigmatic killer was found
at the scene. Media dubbed her The Phantom of Heilbronn
and based on eyewitness testimonies a facial composite was produced of what was believed
to be her male accomplice. A reward of up to €300,000 was offered to anyone who
could provide more information about this person. But then in March of 2009, the mystery of
The Phantom of Heilbronn came to an sudden and unexpected resolution. It turns out that the DNA belonged to a woman
working at a cotton buds factory. Meaning that the buds used by crime scene
investigators to collect DNA samples had unknowingly been pre-contaminated with this woman's DNA. The police had been chasing a literal phantom
for over a decade. In the midst of the second World War in 1942,
an Iranian boy found an orphaned bear cub. The cub was later given to a band of Polish
soldiers and he was eventually named Wojtek. Over the next few years Wojtek would befriend
and serve alongside his comrades in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company as they progressed
throughout the middle east. As a full grown bear he would
acquire a taste for beer and wine and supposedly
developed a nicotine addiction. A soldier of the company later recalled that
Wojtek drank about two beers a day and he would exclusively consume lit cigarettes. If they were unlit he would just spit them
back out. In order to get Wojtek onto a transport ship
in 1943 he was officially enlisted into the Polish army with the rank of Corporal. He would often help out by carrying crates
of food and ammunition to the front lines and at one point he caught a thief sneaking
into the tent he happened to be sleeping in. His image was later used as the official emblem
for the unit and once the war ended he lived out his life at a zoo in Scotland. Multiple Wojtek monuments has since been erected
and serve to remind us all that an alcoholic, cigarette-smoking bear was a better human
than most humans. In 1992, an intern for a landscaping company
was examining aerial photographs of Germany when he spotted this. The swastika-shaped tree formation was planted
in 1938 but it's unclear by whom. It's gone undetected for almost six decades
due to the fact that it's exclusively visible during a few weeks in autumn when the recoloration of
the leaves would contrast the surrounding pine forest. However, it is no longer visible as the trees
where eventually cut down in 2000 fearing that Neo-Nazis may otherwise converge upon
the forest. But this is not an isolated incident. This was found in the 1970s and yet another
swastika was found in the 1980s. There's an extremely dangerous chemical compound
known as dihydrogen monoxide. In its purest form it is odorless, tasteless,
and colorless. Our often polluted lakes, rivers, and oceans
are known to harbor vast quantities of the stuff and many have lost their lives to dihydrogen
monoxide contamination. Under certain conditions it may cause severe
burns and blisters and inhalation of large quantities is often lethal. Thousands die every year as a direct result
of this deadly chemical but despite the health risks, it is still being mass produced and
remains readily availably to large portions of the population. It's been detected in every major city, every
restaurant, every hospital, every school, and places such as the amazon rain forest
as well as the north and south poles are the most adversely affected regions. Worst of all, research has found that because
dihydrogen monoxide is so omnipresent, it has now made it's way into our genetic makeup. In fact roughly 60% of the human body is made
out of dihydrogen monoxide. Also known as H2O or by it's more conventional
name, water. I don't know if I managed to fool anyone because
this intentionally deceitful and alarming description of a common substance has been
a frequent prank for decades but it has lead to some interesting political mishaps. In 2004, the US state of California attempted
to ban the production of dihydrogen monoxide before they eventually realized they were
attempting to ban water. A member of the New Zealand National Party
fell for the hoax in 2007 and wrote: "Does the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs have
a view on the banning of this drug?" To which they bluntly replied: "Dihydrogen monoxide is water." In 2011, during the Finnish parliamentary
elections, someone asked candidates if dihydrogen monoxide should be restricted due to its adverse
effects and 49% of candidates answered yes. It's not so much a hoax as it is a test for ignorance
and to see if people know how to use Google. In modern times a barber has become synonymous
with a person who cuts and grooms the hair of men but in Medieval times a barber had
a much more expansive range of responsibilities and would cut everything from hair to limbs. For a barber was also a surgeon. A popular medical practice at the time was
something known as bloodletting which is when some of a patients blood would be drained in the
belief that doing so would invoke a healing effect. And this practice fell within the occupational
responsibilities of the barber. So when people felt sick they could pay a
visit to the local barber's shop, roll up their sleeves, and then squeeze a special
stick as to make their veins more prominent. The barber would then wind a bandage around the arm,
make an incision, and blood would pour into a basin. And this procedure is the reason you'll often find these
rotating poles outside of modern day barber shops. It's unclear when this practice began but
the tubular shape is supposed to represent the vein boosting rod,
the knobs represents the brass basin, the white represents the bandages,
and the red represents the blood. In 1745 it was decided that one should distinguish
between the services provided by a barber and a surgeon and thus surgeons would continue
to use the white and red pole while barbers would use a white and blue variation. The white, red, and blue variation, which
is popular in the US, is a bit of a mystery but could be a result of good ol' Americanization.
"Ah men fan, det är ju logiskt"
I'd love to see one about breaking bad or pink floyd
Thanks for taking my suggestion Lemmino!
The video was lit. Your channel really shows that quality > quantity. Awesome stuff.
Skål.
Been a while ahah
I like the subtle graphic changes. How you slightly changed the logo at the beginning, and that darker theme you've got going on. Cool stuff, I'm already excited for the next video :)
Awesome video as always and always worth the wait 😊
As a polish man, I'm very happy that a fact about Poland has been finally mentioned.
I loved the fact that you talked about the Ravens of the Tower of London, I love this story. The bear one is damn badass.