Things I learned lately 8 Dec

• Guns kill more US kids than cancer.
• Apple pie isn't actually very American. Pie was invented in Medieval England, while the modern recipe for apple pie with a lattice crust was created and perfected by the Dutch.
• Grapes will explode if you put them in the microwave. If you split a grape almost in half and put it in the microwave, it will create an explosive fireball of plasma and lighting.
• Chicken wings were considered throwaway parts before Buffalo wings were invented..
• If you're trying to reduce your carbon footprint via the food you eat, it's not just meat you should think about. Greenhouse tomatoes and lettuce have a big footprint. Worse, lettuce has little nutritional value for the amount of effort it takes to grow, transport and store.
• Most people think plastics are made from oil and this is one reason why we can't stop using oil. In 2017, only 14% of the hydrocarbon gas liquids used to make plastic were derived from the byproducts of crude oil refineries. 86% were byproducts of natural gas processing. So we could still make plastics just from natural gas.
• 75% of the crude oil used in the US in 2017 was used to produce fuels (gasoline, diesel, ethanol, heating oil, jet fuel). Which means that once you remove the need for fossil fuels, you remove the need for 75% of the oil we produce.
• Doctors ate Lego heads to see how long it takes to poop them out.
• You can get fined for eating, drinking, or chewing gum on the Dubai Metro. Needless to say, it's very clean.
• Music artist Enya's real name is Eithne Pádraigin Ni Bhraonáin.