100 Facts About Earth

Facts about Earth can touch on geology, biology, and astronomy, among many other subjects. The surprising Earth facts in this episode of The List Show will hopefully give you a little more appreciation (and many more fun facts) about our planet.

[erictaylor]

This is a very local urban legend, but I know about its origin because I was there when the legend was created.
I am an amputee, and as a kid I skied with my leg on and two skis. You could not tell I was an amputee just by looking at me.
When I was 12 or 13 (this would have been 1982 or 1983) I was skiing when the bolt that holds my fake foot on came lose. I fell and when I came to rest my foot was pointed the wrong way. Unfortunately a new ski patrol person saw me fall. On top of that, when the bolt came lose it did so with a loud crack.
I tried to explain that I needed an Allen wrench to fix my leg, but the poor ski patrol person must have concluded I was in shock and decided I was not worth listening to.
Before long I had an entire team there trying to help me and calm me down. No one seemed to notice that their efforts were making me even more agitated.
I finally got to a place where I could pull my leg clean off to show them it was a fake leg and could be easily fixed. Everyone had a good laugh at the new guy, they got me an Allen wrench, I fixed my leg and finished the day skiing.
Fast forward 25 years. I'm skiing at the same ski area. I'm now skiing on one ski with my leg off. It was a slow day at the ski area and I'm joined by a ski patrol person. Not the same guy, obviously, but he starts off telling me this story with "There is a story, an urban legend, really. Probably BS but a good story..." and he tells me (more or less) the story I just shared.
When I told him the story was not BS, that I had been that kid he had me come to the main ski patrol office to introduce me to the crew.
I found out from one of the "old timers" (a guy who was my age) that the ski patrolman who saw me fall stayed on at the ski area working every season for several years, eventually become a manager and trainer. He said he told this story as an object lesson, to listen to the patient, and even if what they say sounds crazy, listen to them. There may be more going on that what you can see.

[jakeypakey]

Loved that you included Eartha! I'm a Maine native and anytime I drive by it on I-95, I always point it out to whomever is in the car!

[JimFortune]

So a large DIY globe would be an Eartha Kit?

[doddjustin]

This makes Earth sound dope! I can't wait to visit!

[ToastedTater]

I live near spiral jetty. I appreciate the shoutout to it.

[AndrewPonti]

What a marathon of a video! Nice job, Erin, as usual. Now get that AC back on!

[MarvelousNysa]

The Mad Gasser of Mattoon is a very interesting urban legend that is also a great example of how urban legends reflect societal fears of the time, like the fear of war and gas attacks.

[talideon]

A pity the dymaxion map didn't come up: it splits things up on the oceans, but the relative size and shape of the landmasses are accurate. It complements other maps very well.

[damenwhelan]

Oh. We're half way there, whoo oooo, living where there's air!

[TheOfficialTarynTots]

I wouldn't be surprised if most subscribers to mental floss have at least 1 globe in their house. I have a couple of them myself.

[Gendonramsay]

We call earth as 'Bumi' in Indonesian, literally translated as 'Home' in some local language

[keironperalta]

Love your videos. My new addiction. Thankyou guys x

[DeliveryMcGee]

It's more that an electrical arc smells like ozone, because ... it's making ozone. And it smells like chlorine because they have a similar effect of corroding your nose tissues.

[terrafirma]

I am surprised the spiral jetty was mentioned, its a really neat place! Smaller than you might imagine.

[chrishalpin]

urban legend of a surgeon who couldn't get a gallbladder out laparoscopically so he had to transfer the patient because he did not know how to remove the gallbladder with an open procedure

[jakeypakey]

Urban Legend: Paul Bunyon from Maine. There is a gargantuan statue of him in my home town, Bangor!

[oldnewsguy]

Love the fact that you're a Teddy Roosevelt fan.

[Keallei]

Shout out to moringa! We call it Malungai. And we eat it as a vegetable, drink it as a tea, use it for fertilizer, use it for fragrance, and for medicine.

[fredflintstoner]

Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view !"
Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam. "
Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!"
Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..."
Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!"
Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky."
Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction."
Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment?"

[keriezy]

The Blue Dot makes me feel really weird. Earth is scary, magnificent, and insignificant.