26-30 Europe Facts
26. The award-winning “Aussie Shampoo”, who’s brand logo is a kangaroo, is sold in Europe, Britain, and the USA but not Australia. The company is based out of Ohio. – Source
27. Many major cities in Europe offer “Sanisettes”: private, self-contained, self-cleaning, public bathrooms. After the user has exited, a wash cycle begins and the entire floor and toilet fixture are automatically sprayed, scrubbed and disinfected. – Source
28. In medieval Europe “barber-butchers” were barbers that practiced surgery as well, a profession ranging from amputations to haircuts. The red and white “barber swirl” in front of most barber shops today signifies blood and bandages which was common in their trade. – Source
29. There is an ancient old growth forest bordering Poland called Białowieża Forest. It resembles what most of Europe looked like before the 14th century. This story of conservation has been well documented over the last 500 years and is almost as rich as the ecosystem the forest supports. – Source
30. The only recorded instance of a cavalry capturing an enemy’s ships occurred in the unusually cold winter of 1795 when most of the waterways in Northern Europe froze over and the French cavalry was able to charge out onto a frozen port to capture the Dutch fleet stranded there. – Source
31-35 Europe Facts
31. Rio de Janeiro was once capital of Portugal, making it the only European capital outside of Europe. – Source
32. In 1934, Swiss banking secrecy laws were strengthened to encourage Jews of Central & Eastern Europe, fearful of Nazis, to hide their assets in Swiss banks. After a majority of those depositors died during the Holocaust, the laws were used to wrongfully deny their heirs access to those accounts. – Source
33. An ant mega-colony exists across 3 continents and is thought to contain billions of ants, all of which recognize each other to be from the same colony. The largest part of the colony is in Europe and is thought to spread 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast. – Source
34. The man responsible for introducing tobacco to Europe was imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisition because “only Devil could give a man the power to exhale smoke from his mouth.” – Source
35. Purple cloth was rare in medieval Europe partially because blue and red dyes were made by separate guilds and use of another guild’s color was forbidden. – Source
36-40 Europe Facts
36. Europeans feared eating tomatoes for 200 years because when wealthy Europeans using pewter plates, high in lead content, ate tomatoes off the plates, the high acidity in tomatoes would cause the fruit to leach lead from the plate, resulting in many deaths from lead poisoning. – Source
37. Spain brought back so much Aztec gold that it caused massive inflation and crashed the economy of Europe. – Source
38. Violent crime in Europe was at its highest in areas with the most lead pollution. Violent crime peaked 20 years after lead additives in petrol and paint were banned, before declining thereafter. – Source
39. The fatality rate was so high for airmen in the WWII years of 1942-1943, it was statistically impossible for a flight crew to finish a 25-mission tour in Europe. – Source
40. Tarot decks were originally used to play various card games similar to bridge, and are still used this way in parts of Europe. They did not become widely associated with the occult until more than 300 years after they were invented. – Source
