15/08/2022
14There's a Manhattan-specific ant.
Close-up of red ants
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On Broadway medians between 63rd and 76th streets, biologists discovered a new species of ant. They named it ManhattAnt, naturally. Hey, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
15The inventor of the frisbee was turned into a frisbee after he died.
Hand holding frisbee
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"Steady Ed" Headrick invented the frisbee in the 1950s, then went on to create the sport of disc golf in the 1970s. When he died in 2002, his final wish was to have his ashes turned into—what else?—a frisbee. His son said it was his father's dream that they play with him after death and that he might even accidentally end up on someone's roof.
16There's a bridge exclusively for squirrels.
Fox squirrel in tree
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To provide safe passage to squirrels attempting to cross the N44 motorway, Netherlands officials built a rodent-only bridge. While it may have been a kind-hearted gesture, it might not have been the most economically sensible one: costing £120,000, over a two-year span the bridge was used by just five squirrels in two years. "In 2014 three squirrels, and in 2015 two squirrels, were spotted on the bridge," the government said in a statement.
17Subway footlongs aren't always a foot long.
Subway sandwich on tray with coffee
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The New York Post measured the actual length of Subway footlongs in New York City and found they averaged 11 inches, not 12. The sandwich chain commented, "With regards to the size of the bread and calling it a footlong, 'SUBWAY FOOTLONG' is a registered trademark as a descriptive name for the sub sold in Subway Restaurants and not intended to be a measurement of length."
The controversial issue was even taken to court, where the judge ruled in Subway's favor, saying most sandwiches are in fact one foot long, but "due to perfectly natural and unavoidable vagaries in the baking process, a very small fraction of sandwiches fell about a quarter-inch shy of 12 inches."
