Bug facts for kids


25 cool facts about bugs!

Here at National Geographic Kids, we love bugs!

And it seems we’re not the only ones – wildlife presenter Chris Packham chatted to us about all things bugs…

“When I was a child, at the front gate of my parents’ house was a bush which was the home to the most beautiful ladybirds. I would stand on the wall and catch ladybirds of all different colours,” he says.

“My favourite bug is the Hornet.” Chris tells us. “They’re fantastic insect predators. Watch them hunting, they are like aerial tigers. Equally they are very beautiful with their patterning and colouring.”

“It’s really important for kids to explore the bug life in their garden because it’s been proven that being connected to nature makes you happier.”

Shockingly, new research from intu Shopping Centres found that one in six kids hasn’t seen a bug in six months!

Yikes! Come on gang, we’re going to find out what makes insects so amazing, in our 25 cool facts about bugs!

Facts about bugs

1) A ladybird might eat more than 5,000 insects in its lifetime!

2) Fruit flies were the first living creatures to be sent into space.

3) Dragonflies have been on earth for 300 million years!

4) A bee’s wings beat 190 times a second, that’s 11,400 times a minute.

5) The stag beetle is the largest species of insect to be found in the UK.

6) Caterpillars have 12 eyes!

7) One dung beetle can drag 1,141 times its weight – that’s like a human pulling six double-decker buses!

8) A single honeybee colony can produce around 100kg of honey each year – that’s 220 jars!

9) An ant-eating assassin bug piles its victims onto its body to scare predators.

10) Large groups of fireflies sometimes flash in unison.

11) To breathe underwater, the water scorpion uses a snorkel-like tube on its abdomen.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable ‘Make a bug hotel’ primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

12) There are 36 species of dragonfly found in the UK.

13) Bulldog ants can leap seven times the length of their bodies!

14) Mosquitos are attracted to smelly feet!

15) Some male stoneflies do push-ups to attract a mate.

16) Butterflies taste with their feet.

17) Grasshoppers have special organs in their hind legs that store energy for jumping.

18) A hornet’s favourite food is a…bee!

19) The red postman butterfly develops its own poison by eating toxic plants!

20) A sea skater’s leg hair traps air, enabling it to float on water.

21) Grasshoppers existed before dinosaurs!

22) Ladybirds sometimes play dead to avoid predators.

23) Damselflies have been on earth for more than 300 million years.

24) Greater water boatmen breathe through their bottom!

25) Male giraffe weevils use their long necks to fight each other.

Photos: Getty Images UK.

Look for bugs in the garden!

There are lots of exciting things you can find if you go on a bug safari in your garden!

“You can find everything from ladybirds, bees and beetles, such as the stag beetle,” says Chris Packham.

“What’s also great about your insects in your backyard is that there are seasonal changes and you can always find something new.”

Wow! If you want to go exploring in your garden, you can use our insect safari primary resource to help you!

What do you think to these cool facts about bugs? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

Likes

26 Interesting Insect Facts For Kids (2022)

Please email or share this article!

  • Email
  • FB

Whether you love them or you are bothered by them, insects are everywhere. You can see them in your garden, on trees, on television shows, and even in zoos.

They can be helpful, like bees, or annoying, like mosquitos. They make up the largest group of animals on Earth.

Keep reading to find out more interesting facts about insects.

What are the characteristics of an insect?

First of all, what is an insect? Insects are one of the most common types of invertebrates. Insects have segmented bodies, jointed legs, and external skeletons (exoskeletons).

Insects are the most diverse group of animals. There are between six and ten million different types of insects, and they come in thousands of shapes, colors, and sizes.

Although there are many ways that insects are different, there are a few characteristics they all have in common. Insects are invertebrates, which means that they do not have a backbone.

All insects have three parts to their bodies: the head, the abdomen, and the thorax.

How many legs does an insect have? Insects have six legs and two antennae on their head.

Insects are cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature changes depending on how warm or cold the air around them is.

Most insects hatch from eggs.

Where do insects live?

Insects can be found in almost every type of environment in every country in the world. The only environment insects are not commonly found is the ocean, as it is more common for other types of animals to live there. Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth, and they make up over half of all organisms on the planet.

What do insects like to eat?

What an insect eats is as different as the types of species there are. About half of all insects are herbivores, which means that they eat only plants.

These plant-eating insects feed on leaves, roots, nectar from flowers, seeds, or wood.

Some insects are known as predators that hunt other small insects and animals.

An example of one of these predators is the praying mantis. Other insects are known as parasites, which means that they live on and eat the flesh or blood of larger animals without killing them. Fleas and lice are types of parasites.

What are some benefits of insects?

Although many people think of insects as pests that can be annoying and irritating, there are actually many insects that benefit the environment and humans.

Insects like wasps, bees, butterflies, and ants help to pollinate flowers when they are collecting nectar from them.

Thanks to flowering plants being pollinated, humans are able to have healthy crops and plants as well as beautiful flowers and trees.

Ants help with spreading plant seeds all over, which makes a big difference in creating a healthy environment.

Can insects communicate with each other?

Some animals are extremely social and will communicate with each other and live closely together. Insects were some of the flesh organisms to make sounds to talk to each other, and most of them use parts of their bodies to create these sounds.

Grasshoppers and crickets are able to communicate with each other by rubbing their legs together to make a chirp.

Cicadas are the loudest of all insects, and they are able to make sounds with special changes in their bodies. Insects will communicate with each other to signal each other, warn about predators, try to attract a mate, or send a message.

Quick Facts:

Insects are invertebrates, which means they have no backbone.

Insects have six legs, antennae, and three parts to their body.

There are between six and ten million different types of insects.

They can eat plants, other animals, and even blood.

Not all insects are pests; some are beneficial to humans and the environment.

Whether you are enjoying the beauty of a butterfly, or swatting away a mosquito, insects are a huge part of our world that can be beneficial or slightly irritating.

No matter how big or small these animals are, insects rule the planet and are the largest species on Earth. By learning more about these amazing creatures, we can protect all of the good they do.

Animals and Insects

Interesting facts about squash bugs for kids

Squash bug Interesting facts

What kind of animal is the squash bug?

Pumpkin beetle is a crop pest in North America. The beetle destroys plants, in particular pumpkin and pumpkin, which gave the name to this species.

Which animal class does the pumpkin beetle belong to?

The pumpkin beetle (Anasa tristis) belongs to the class of insects in the animal kingdom.

How many squash beetles are there in the world?

The number of pumpkin bugs is unknown. Bed bug life cycle is very short and the conditioning of bed bug eggs to adults and nymphs is quite fast. These insects destroy crops and plants in large numbers around the world. In order to control pumpkin bug populations, people and farmers must take adequate measures.

Where does the pumpkin beetle live?

Squash bugs with the scientific name Anasa tristis are found throughout North America.

What is the habitat of the pumpkin beetle?

Cucurbit bug hosts include cucurbits, especially squash and squash. Both nymphs and adults feed on these plant species, leaving them to wither and die. During the breeding season, the population may increase and large numbers of nymphs may emerge from the eggs of the gourd bugs. These huge populations of pumpkin bug nymphs can be found on the fruits of the plant in autumn. Adult squash bugs live alone around the plant near the ground.

Young plants are more vulnerable to feeding on gourd beetles. Because they remain covered by the undersurfaces of the leaves, these bugs are difficult to control. Gardeners and farmers need to check young plants and seedlings for the presence of these beetles in advance.

If proper control measures are not taken, adults and nymphs of gourd bugs can suck the life out of the leaves of plants in the gourd family. This causes the plants to wilt and change color. Ultimately, this leads to the death of crops and plants.

Who does the pumpkin beetle live with?

Adults live alone, while nymphs live in groups.

How long does a pumpkin beetle live?

Adult centenarians, life expectancy ranges from 75 to 130 days. The nymph stage lasts only 33 days. The eggs hatch after 10 days.

How do they reproduce?

The life cycle of this species is completed in six to eight weeks. In the heat of summer or warmer areas, they have two to three generations, while only one generation is seen in northern areas. In warm areas, the first generation of adults form a second cluster, and late-appearing adults are known to enter diapause. Both generations overwinter as adults in fallen leaves, vines, under boards and in buildings.

Egg masses are deposited on the lower surface of plant leaves. The egg is flat, bronze in color. Adult females lay densely clustered masses of eggs on the underside of leaves. The mass usually contains 18-20 eggs per clutch. The eggs hatch in 7-10 days. The nymph stage lasts 33 days and has five instars. The larvae are light green in color when they hatch. In the second age, the color changes to light gray, and the size increases. In other age groups, a darker gray coloration is observed. Young nymphs are hairy, but the hair disappears when they molt into adults.

Adults control the population if there is enough food and space.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of cucurbit bugs (Anasa tristis) is not assessed. It is a pest that has destroyed many crops across North America and proper control is needed to mitigate the effects. There were some pumpkin and gourd variants that were not affected by these bugs, which means some control has been restored. However, these beetles also carry the gourd yellow disease bacterium.

Various methods have helped, such as destroying crop residues, crop rotation, and spraying insecticides and pesticides. Crops need to be sprayed when the eggs are laid or when the eggs are about to hatch and form nymphs. Also helped by the appearance of some insects that eat pumpkin beetles and their eggs.

Fun facts about squash beetles

What do squash beetles look like?

Dark greyish-brown to black in adults. Adults also have alternating brown and gold spots along the edge of the abdomen. The nymphs are mostly greyish in color with black antennae and black legs. They are wingless. The thorax and wing pads become more prominent with each molt.

How cute are they?

They are not considered cute and represent an infestation that destroys crops.

How do they communicate?

No communication method information.

How big is the bug?

Pumpkin bugs ( Anasa tristis ) are up to 0. 6 inches (1.5 cm) long and 0.3 inches (0.76 cm) wide.

The leafworm is a member of the Coreidae family and is found throughout the world. The length of this species ranges up to 0.75 inches (1.9cm).

How fast can a pumpkin beetle fly?

Information not available.

How much does a pumpkin beetle weigh?

Weight unknown.

What are the male and female species names?

Males and females are not given different names.

What would you name a baby squash beetle?

Immediately after hatching they are called nymphs until they become adults.

What do they eat?

They feed on leaves, vines and fruits of gourds and gourds, as well as other cucurbits such as cucumber. They have piercing-sucking mouthparts that help suck the sap from leaves and vines. From this, yellow spots appear on the leaves, which later turn brown. The plant begins to wilt and then dies.

There are some resistant cultivars such as butternut, royal acorn and sweet cheese that remain unaffected by adults and nymphs of pumpkin beetles.

Are they poisonous?

They are not known to be poisonous.

Will they make good pets?

They are not considered pets.

Kidadl Recommendation: All pets should only be purchased from reputable suppliers. It is recommended that as. to a potential pet owner, you do your own research before deciding on your favorite pet. Being a pet owner is... very useful, but it also requires commitment, time and money. Make sure the pet you choose meets the requirements. the laws of your state and/or country. You should never take animals from the wild or disturb their habitat. Please make sure that the pet you are considering buying is not an endangered species, is not on the CITES list, and has not been taken from the wild for the pet trade.

Did you know...

Insect sprays, among other measures, can help kill bed bugs.

An unusual way to get rid of pumpkin beetles in the garden is to let predators live among them. Scelionids (a subfamily of wasps) and tachin flies (flying in the insect order Diptera) can help. Praying Mantis Eat squash bugs as well, however they will also kill all the ladybugs and other good bugs in your garden.

Ladybugs are known not to kill bed bugs. In fact, the chemicals used to kill pumpkin bugs also kill beneficial bugs like ladybugs.

Are pumpkin bugs the same as stink bugs?

Squash and stink bugs are similar in size, but stink bugs are rounder and wider. Both emit an unpleasant odor when crushed. Stink bugs also give off their scent when disturbed.

Are squash beetles useful?

Bed bugs can poison crops and plants until they die. They are not beneficial in any way.

Here at Kidadl we have carefully prepared a lot of interesting animal family facts for everyone to discover! For more relevant content, check out these Giant Hunter Facts and American Dagger Moth Facts for Kids.

You can even keep yourself busy at home coloring in one of our Free Printable Squash Coloring Pages.

Interesting facts about bugs - Fact Museum

New facts can now be read on Telegram, Instagram and Twitter.

Which gods of Slavic mythology are the result of errors or exaggerations of researchers?

Sigismund von Herberstein, a diplomat from the Holy Roman Empire who visited the Russian state in the 16th century, tried to translate The Tale of Bygone Years into Latin. He made a mistake in the phrase “Perun is drevyan, and his head is silver, and his mustache is golden, and Kharsa Dazhbog and Stribog and Semargl and Mokosh”, as a result of which the god Uslad appeared, whom Russian so-called “armchair mythologists” declared two centuries later to be primordially Slavic the god of fun and pleasure Oslad (or Delight). Various exaggerations and misinterpretations led to the appearance of other imaginary members of the Slavic pantheon, for example, the flower goddess Zimtserla, the god of love Lel or the solar god Yarilo.

Source: Wikipedia / Oslad, Arzamas / Who invented the ancient Slavic gods and why?

deities mythology errors translations The Tale of Bygone Years Russia Holy Roman Empire

In which country was Master Yoda's photo printed in school textbooks at the first UN conference?

Saudi Arabian artist Shawish created a series of photo collages that put popular pop culture characters into a historical context. In one of these collages, Master Yoda sits next to the future Saudi king Faisal, when he, in the status of Minister of Foreign Affairs, signs at 1945 year of the UN charter. This photo was printed in textbooks for Saudi schools, after which the Minister of Education was forced to publicly apologize.

Source: BBC / Saudi textbook features image of Yoda with King Faisal

collages master Yoda UN errors Saudi Arabia photo

Why are there no Martin II and Martin III in the list of popes, but Martin IV and Martin V?

Martin I, Martin IV and Martin V can be found in the list of popes, but the second and third Martins are missing. The fact is that by the time of the election of Martin IV in 1281, in the list of his predecessors, two popes with the name Marin were mistakenly recorded as Martins. Later, the error was discovered, but the established numbering was not changed.

Source: Wikipedia / Martin IV

error names popes

What simple steps can significantly reduce the error rate of Japanese railway employees?

Japanese railroad workers introduced the Shisa Kanko system from the beginning of the 20th century, which significantly reduced the number of errors of machinists and other employees. During work, routine actions must be accompanied by a pointing gesture and voice commentary. For example, when looking at the device, the driver points his finger at it and loudly pronounces the readings, and the conductor points to the closed door and announces that the door is closed. The effectiveness of the method is due to the fact that the connection of actions with physical and speech activity greatly increases focus, and, therefore, reduces the likelihood of errors caused by fatigue or thoughtfulness. A similar system is also widely implemented on the railways of China and some other Asian countries.

Source: Lifehacker / The Secret of Efficiency from Japanese Railways, Wikipedia / Pointing and calling

railways China mistakes work Japan

What did a Spartan have to do to have his name placed on a gravestone?

Two categories of citizens of Sparta had the right to perpetuate the name on the gravestone: men who died in battle, and women who died during the performance of a religious rite. In one of Plutarch's translations, the second category was erroneously indicated as women who died in childbirth, and this interpretation has spread through many sources.

Source: Wikipedia / Women in ancient Sparta

wars women graves men rituals mistakes funerals religion childbirth Sparta

How does Mephri's law differ from Murphy's law?

Murphy's famous joke law says that if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. There is also Mephri's law derived from it. According to him, you are bound to make a mistake when writing criticism of someone's editing or proofreading.

Source: Wikipedia / Mephri Law

error laws

Which club mistakenly tried to buy Lionel Messi because of a misinterpretation of the words?

In 2008, Sheikh Mansour's investment company from the United Arab Emirates bought the English football club Manchester City. In one of the phone conversations with the executive director of the club, the sheikh said: "It's all getting messy" ("Everything is getting complicated"). The director misheard and understood this phrase as an indication to buy Lionel Messi from Barcelona, ​​but the Spanish club rejected an offer of 30 million pounds for their leader. In the spring of the following year, Manchester City made a new attempt to buy Messi and were ready to pay five times more, but were again refused.

Source: Lenta.ru / "Manchester City" tried to buy Messi by mistake

English England Spain Manchester City Messi UAE errors translations trade FC Barcelona football

Which American state was named as a result of a cartographer's mistake?

When the Spaniards, led by Columbus, landed on one of the American islands, they named it San Juan in honor of John the Baptist. The town of Puerto Rico soon became the administrative center of the island (translated from Spanish as "rich port"). But later cartographers confused the names of the island and the city, so now the state is called Puerto Rico, and its capital is San Juan.

Source: Wikipedia / Puerto Rico

geography John the Baptist cartography Columbus error names Puerto Rico

Why did golfer Tiger Woods make a video about him being able to walk on water?

Since the release of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, Electronic Arts has received a lot of complaints from gamers that it is possible to hit a ball lying on the surface of a body of water. In response to these claims, a viral video was shot, the hero of which was the real Tiger Woods. He, as if nothing had happened, walked through the water and delivered an accurate blow, and Electronic Arts announced the misunderstanding in the game "not a bug, but a feature."

Source: Youtube / Tiger Woods 09 - Walk on Water

Electronic Arts golf computer games bugs advertising Tiger Woods

What kind of person, having come to an IT job interview, became a TV star?

On May 8, 2006, an emigrant from the Republic of the Congo named Guy Goma got on the air of the BBC news channel, although he came to the television center for an interview for the position of an IT specialist. The expert Guy Kewney, who was actually supposed to be interviewed, was in another waiting room, but due to erroneous tips from an assistant, a BBC employee invited Gom into the studio. He realized that there was a mistake when the presenter had already introduced him as Kewnie, but he was not at a loss and answered all the questions about downloading music from the Internet. After this incident, Goma became a local TV star and took part in many TV shows on various channels, but he never got a job at the BBC.

Source: Wikipedia / Goma, Guy

BBC England errors Republic of the Congo television

Which painting has been hanging upside down in the museum for a long time?

In the New York Museum of Modern Art in 1961, Henri Matisse's painting "The Boat" was exhibited. Only after 47 days did someone notice that the painting was hanging upside down.

Source: Wikipedia / Le Bateau

art paintings Matisse museums New York mistakes US artists

How is mumpsimus different from sumpsimus?

The English word "mumpsimus" denotes a person who sticks to his views or habits even after they have been clearly shown to be wrong. The origin of the term goes back to the story of a priest who misremembered the Latin word "sumpsimus" as "mumpsimus". When the error was pointed out to him, he said that he was already used to writing like that and would not be reorganized. Interestingly, "sumpsimus" also appears in the English dictionary and means the opposite - a strict pedant who refuses to accept more common but formally incorrect norms.

Source: Wikipedia / Mumpsimus

English Latin errors

What stupid calculation error caused the Mars Climate Orbiter to crash?

In 1999, NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter landed on Mars. However, instead of the calculated 140, it passed over the surface of the planet at an altitude of only 57 km and simply burned up in the atmosphere. Later, the cause of the accident was established: one group of specialists used British units of measurement (pound-force) in calculations, and the other - metric (newton).

Source: Wikipedia / Mars Climate Orbiter

accidents measurements astronautics errors planet Mars USA

Why did the two halves of the bridge between the German and Swiss cities not dock?

In Germany and Switzerland there are cities with the same name Laufenburg, separated by a river. In 2003, they decided to jointly build a new bridge - teams of builders worked towards each other. However, shortly before the meeting, it became apparent that the two halves of the bridge did not meet vertically by 54 cm due to errors in the calculations related to sea level. The fact is that the Germans define it in relation to the North Sea, and the Swiss in relation to the Mediterranean. Although the engineers were initially aware of the difference of 27 cm, somehow instead of zeroing this figure doubled, and the German part of the bridge had to be lowered.

Source: BBC / Great miscalculations

Germany Sea bridges Mistakes North Sea Mediterranean Sea construction Switzerland

Which area is left white on one of the most expensive stamps with the inscription "The whole country is red"?

In 1968, China issued a postage stamp with the silhouette of the state in red, inside which was the inscription: "The whole country is red." At the same time, the territory of Taiwan, which Beijing considered and continues to consider part of the PRC, remained white due to the oversight of the artist. The authorities managed to seize almost the entire circulation of the stamp in circulation, but a few copies fell into the hands of collectors and are now considered among the rarest and most expensive in the world. Nothing was known about the fate of the artist Wang Weisheng for a long time, but already in the 21st century it turned out that he was alive and did not even end up in prison.

Source: Wikipedia / The whole country is red

China postage stamp errors Taiwan

Which world-famous corporation was named after a misspelling?

When Larry Page and Sergey Brin came up with the name of the new search engine, they wanted to express in it the huge amount of information that the system is capable of processing. Their colleague suggested the word "googol" - this is the name in mathematics for a number of one followed by a hundred zeros. He immediately checked the domain name for employment and, finding that it was free, registered it. Moreover, he made a mistake in writing the word: instead of the correct googol. com, he entered google.com. However, the newly invented word liked Page and established itself as a name.

Source: David Coller. Origin of the name "Google"

Google domains internet computers names errors search engines numbers

In which country was last year's New Year's address of the leader once broadcast?

On December 31, 1986, the German TV channel ARD broadcast by mistake last year's New Year's address from Chancellor Helmut Kohl. The correct appeal was shown to the audience only on January 1.

Source: Wikipedia / New Year's address to the people

Germany Kohl New Year mistakes rulers television

Why is spinach credited with overestimated benefits of iron content?

In terms of iron content - 2.7 mg per 100 grams - spinach is not a champion among vegetables. However, for a long time it was believed that spinach is exceptionally rich in iron. This misconception was born in the late 19th century from two sources. One American researcher came up with a figure of 2.9 mg, but forgot to put a comma, and in the published study it was 29mg. Regardless of him, a scientist from Switzerland announced an even higher figure - 35 mg, but he received such a result based on the analysis of dry spinach. The mistake was revealed only half a century later.

Source: Wikipedia / Garden spinach

iron science vegetables bugs USA Switzerland spinach

What funny day is Internet Day?

Archbishop Isidore of Seville, who lived in the 6th-7th centuries, wrote a 20-volume work "Etymology", in which he systematized the knowledge available at that time in the world. It is he who is considered the first encyclopedist, and now many Catholics revere him as the patron of the Internet. It's funny that Internet Day is celebrated on the day Isidore of Seville died on April 4th - when written down in numbers, this date coincides with the most recognizable error code 404.

Source: Wikipedia / Isidore of Seville, Wikipedia / Internet Day

internet catholicism mistakes encyclopedia priests

Why is the phrase "from the birth of Christ" essentially wrong?

It is believed that our era is counted from the birth of Christ. The year when Christ was born was calculated in the 6th century by the Roman abbot Dionysius the Small, and made a mistake. The exact value of the error cannot be determined, but the birth occurred approximately 4-7 years earlier than the beginning of our era.

Source: Wikipedia / Our era

time Ancient Rome Jesus Christ error calendar

Where did the word “bug” come from in the meaning of “malfunction”?

September 9, 1947, engineers at Harvard University discovered the cause of the malfunction of the Mark II computer - a moth stuck between the relay contacts. One of them documented an incident called "The first case of a bug" (in English, "bug" means "insect"). However, the word "bug" for technical malfunctions began to be used long before that, for example, it is found in Edison's diary. The word "debugging" in the sense of "debugging, fixing errors" also arose earlier - Oxford Dictionary 1945 years described him in relation to the repair of aircraft engines.

Source: Wikipedia / Software bug

English Harvard computers insects bugs words technology universities Edison

Which rule of the Russian language is violated by the heroine of "Irony of Fate" Nadya?

To memorize the use of the verbs “put on” and “put on”, there is a well-known mnemonic rule: “They put on Hope, but put on clothes.” It's funny that in the film "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!" the main character Nadia, a teacher of the Russian language, pronounces a phrase with a caveat: "My dress, I forgot to put on a festive dress."

Source: Natalya Pankova. Don't hesitate to read this!

Irony of fate cinematography clothes mistakes Russian

Why is the curiosity of automatic spelling correction called the "Cupertino effect"?

In the dictionaries of early versions of spell-checking systems for text editors, the English word for "cooperation" was contained only in the version with a hyphen - "co-operation". If a person typed it all together, the correction algorithm offered to replace it with "Cupertino" (a city in California), and sometimes changed it automatically. Because of this, a considerable number of official documents have been preserved, where you can find phrases like "South Asian Association of Regional Cupertino." The "Cupertino effect" is now called any such curiosity of automatic correction.

Source: Wikipedia / Cupertino effect

California computers Cupertino errors

Which Moscow monument has 5 spelling errors in the inscription at once?

In 1992, a monument to Cyril and Methodius, who are traditionally credited with creating the Cyrillic alphabet, was erected in Moscow. The inscription on the pedestal is made in Church Slavonic and reads: “To the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles first teachers of the Slavic Methodius and Cyril. Grateful Russia. Later, linguists immediately discovered 5 spelling errors, including 2 errors in the word "Russia". On a similar monument on Astrakhan Street in Saratov, Kirill holds a scroll with the modern Russian alphabet, but the letters are stylized in antiquity. Moreover, a soft sign is placed in front of the letter "y", and after it, for some reason, the letter "yat" is inscribed.

Source: Guidance / Sit down, grateful Russia, "two"!, Wikipedia / Monument to Cyril and Methodius (Saratov, Astrakhanskaya street) , although the researcher's name was Tatyana?

Tatyana Pronchishcheva was the first Russian explorer of the Arctic as part of the Lena-Yenisei detachment of the Great Northern Expedition of the 1730s. During the voyages, shortly after the death of her husband Vasily Pronchishchev, the head of the detachment, Tatiana also died. At 19In 13, one of the capes on the eastern coast of Taimyr was named after her, but the inscription "m. Pronchishcheva" in preparation for the publication of maps was mistakenly attributed to the bay, believing that "M" is the first letter of the name Maria. Subsequently, the true biography of Tatyana was restored, but to this day the bay of Maria Pronchishcheva is listed on the maps.

Source: Wikipedia / Pronchishcheva, Tatyana Fedorovna

Arctic geography capes errors Russia Taimyr expeditions

Where did the transition to the metric system almost lead to a plane crash?

In 1983, Canada was moving to the metric system, and Air Canada ordered new Boeing 767s that were set to liters and kilograms instead of gallons and pounds. The incorrect use of new units of measurement by the crew of one of the aircraft led to the fact that the amount of refueled fuel turned out to be much less than required for the flight. As a result of this error, as well as errors onboard equipment, mid-flight at an altitude of 12,000 meters, the fuel ran out and the engines stopped. To the credit of the crew, the pilots managed to glide onto the runway of the former military base, and the passengers escaped with only minor injuries.

Source: Wikipedia / Gimli Glider

Boeing accidents aviation measurements Canada errors fuel

Which military organization gives the current coordinates of Santa Claus by phone in December?

In 1955, a store in the US city of Colorado Springs placed an ad in the newspaper before Christmas, inviting children to call Santa Claus. However, the phone number was incorrectly entered, and calls began to arrive at the air defense command center, whose specialists did not hang up, but began to tell the children the coordinates of the place where Santa was flying at the moment. Since then, the military has made taking calls from children an annual tradition called "NORAD Tracks Santa" with many volunteers helping to keep them going. Nowadays, from December 1 of each year, you can get real-time coordinates of Santa Claus on the official website of the program.

Source: Wikipedia / NORAD Tracks Santa

army december errors Christmas Santa Claus USA

What is the Survivor Bias?

There is a concept of survivor bias in statistics, when researchers look for commonalities among “survivors” without paying due attention to information about “dead”. A classic example is the task of finding a place to strengthen the armor of British bombers, set before the mathematician Abraham Wald during the Second World War. The planes that returned to the base had holes mainly on the wings and tail, but Wald reasoned that the cockpit and fuel tank needed to be strengthened, because bombers with shells that got there did not return. The same principle applies to the literature with the secrets of entrepreneurial success - blindly following the advice given in them does not mean repeating success, it is more useful to analyze the mistakes of failed companies.

Source: Wikipedia / Survivor bias

England business World War II errors aircraft statistics

Is Lara Croft's breast size a design error?

The chief designer of the first Tomb Raider game, Toby Gard, once mentioned in an interview that when he planned to increase Lara Croft's breasts by 50%, he mistyped and scored 150%, and the rest of the developers insisted on not rolling back and leaving the breasts exactly such. This story has grown into details and has been widely circulated on the Internet. Much later, Gard admitted that he was joking, and the appearance of the heroine turned out the way it was originally intended.

Source: TheGamer / Debunking The Myth That Lara Croft's Design Was The Result Of A Bug

Tomb Raider chest computer games Lara Croft bugs

Why is updating a computer program called a patch?

An update of a computer program that eliminates identified errors is called a patch, which literally means “patch” in English. This term arose when the main carrier of information in computer systems was still punched cards and punched tapes - paper coils with holes punched in the right places, which were read and converted into machine code. The developer of the program sent the corrected section of the punched tape to the users, and they themselves cut out the erroneous fragment and pasted the “patch”.

Source: Wikipedia / Patch

computers word punch card errors

What kind of accident did the Americans cause in 1896 for the entertainment of the public?

In 1896, one of the American railroad companies staged a show - a deliberate collision of two trains at full speed. 40,000 tickets were sold for the "performance", and a temporary campus was built for the spectators who bought tickets. However, the engineers miscalculated the force of the blast and the crowd was not withdrawn to a safe enough distance, resulting in three deaths and several others being injured.

Source: Wikipedia / Crash at Crush

accidents explosions railroads train errors US

Which city's coat of arms has a tiger mixed with a beaver?

The old coat of arms of Irkutsk depicted a babr (as the Ussuri tiger used to be called) holding a sable in its mouth. In the decree of the Senate of 1878, a mistake was made in the description of the coat of arms - a beaver appeared instead of a babr. The artists had to add a large beaver tail and webbed hind legs to the babr, creating a new mythical animal.

Source: Wikipedia / Coat of arms of Irkutsk

beavers heraldry animals laws Irkutsk errors Russia tigers tails

What is the number of the HTTP error indicating that access is restricted due to censorship?

Of all the HTTP protocol errors, users most often encounter a "404 Not Found" status, when the server cannot find information on the request generated by the client. You can often see the “403 Forbidden” status, which means that the server has information, but cannot give it to the client due to limited access rights. Among many other error messages, one can single out status 451, which indicates a ban on access to data at the request of government agencies or copyright holders. His number is a direct reference to Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451.

Source: Wikipedia / List of HTTP status codes

Fahrenheit 451 internet computers errors censorship

What is Dr. Watson's name?

The name of Dr. Watson is mentioned four times in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. In A Study in Scarlet and two other stories, he appears as John H. Watson, but in The Man with the Split Lip, his wife refers to him as James. There is an opinion that this is just Doyle's mistake, but creativity researchers have another hypothesis: James is a variation of the middle name of Dr. Hamish (Hamish).

Source: Wikipedia / Dr. Watson

Dr.


Learn more