nationalnaut-blog - Tumblr blog

[nationalnaut-blog]

View the Nations UNPACKED

[nationalnaut-blog]

Americans didn’t always place their hands over their hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Originally, after saying “to the flag,” you were supposed to hold your arm straight out toward the flag with your palm facing up. Most people were too lazy or awkward to turn their palms up, and it looked more like a Nazi salute - so the gesture was officially changed in 1942. 

(Source, Source 2, Source 3)

[nationalnaut-blog]

‘Pakistan’ is an acronym. 

The word translates as ‘land of the pure’- but that’s just a coincidence, because the country’s name is based on the Muslim territories of Northern India in the 1930s: (P)unjabi, (A)fghani, (K)ashmiri, (S)indhi, and Balochis(TAN), with an extra ‘I’ to make it easier to pronounce. 

(Source, Source 2, Source 3)

[nationalnaut-blog]

It’s forbidden to die in Longyearbyen, Norway. 

The town’s only cemetery closed over 70 years ago because it’s so cold that bodies previously buried there have never decomposed, and some still carry traces of an influenza virus that caused an epidemic in 1917. 

(Source, Source 2, Source 3)

[nationalnaut-blog]

Boy dolphins often try to impress girl dolphins by giving them a sponge as a gift. 

Male Australian humpback dolphins present large marine sponges to their favorite females- sometimes getting so excited that they aggressively throw the sponges at their desired mate. They also work in pairs with other males, making them one of the only species besides humans that use ‘wingmen.’ 

(Source)

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 363

Nauru, the smallest independent state member of the United Nations, has no official capital city. The island measures around 21 sq km or 8.1 sq mi and is only around 2.6% the size of New York City. 

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 366

Sixteen countries forbid admission to Israeli passport holders: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Despite this, the Israeli passport is still very strong, ranking 24th in the world in terms of travel freedom.

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 367

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, is the second head of government in modern history to give birth while in office. The first woman to give birth while in office, was Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who gave birth to her daughter on 25 January 1990. Bhutto gave birth under great secrecy, fearing that the Pakistani military would try to seize power while out of office. To prevent this, she gave birth in secret by Caesarian section and returned to work the next day. Bhutto was also the first female leader of a Muslim country in modern history. 

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 381

In 2018, Chile became the first Latin American country to ban the use of plastic bags by supermarkets. In a tweet, Chilean President Sebastian Piñera explained the reason for the law by saying “a plastic bag is produced in seconds, is used for a few minutes, and takes 400 years to decompose.”

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 394

Pakistan’s new Prime Minister, Imran Khan, inaugurated on 18 August 2018 is a famous former cricket player and led the Pakistani cricket team to victory in the 1992 World Cup. His captaincy of the winning team made him immensely popular and a national hero to a country obsessed with the sport.

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 424

The Peanut Hole (named for its shape) is a section of the Sea of Okhotsk, 55 km (34 miles) wide and 480 km (300 miles) long, which until 2014 was considered international water even though it was surrounded by Russia’s exclusive economic zone. According to international treaties, a country’s exclusive economic zone, which grants it special rights for using marine resources is 200 nautical miles from its coast, but the geographical complexity of Russia’s land territory in the region meant that this section of water lay outside of its legal jurisdiction and so could be used by any country. Following a Russian petition to the United Nations, it was agreed that the section of water should be granted to Russia.

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 441

Nepal is the only country in the world that uses a non-quadrilateral flag

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 459

The flags of most Arab countries share a similar design and similar colours based on the flag of Arab Revolt used during the Arab Uprising against the Ottoman Empire during World War One. Ironically, the design of the flag’s colours which represents Arab nationalism is credited to the British diplomat Sir Mark Sykes - infamous for the Sykes-Picot Agreement which carved up spheres of influence for the great powers in the Middle East.

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 462

The British Parliament’s rejection of Theresa May’s Brexit Deal is the first time the British Parliament has voted against a proposed treaty since 1864 when they rejected an extradition treaty with Prussia. 

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 464

Calvin Coolidge is the only president in US history who was sworn into office by someone other than a judge. As the constitution does not stipulate who should administer the oath of office, Coolidge was instead sworn in by his father at the home in Vermont following the death of President Harding.  

[nationalnaut-blog]

Fun Fact 465

The first British astronaut to go space was a woman, Helen Sharman, who went as part of a joint UK-Soviet mission aboard a Soviet rocket in 1991. It took until 2015 for an astronaut representing the UK to go to space again.