A list of curious facts
One: Before there was Bhaichung Bhutia or Sunil Chhetri, there was Mohammed Salim—who played for the Scottish professional team Celtic FC from 1936 to 1937. What amazed the Scots the most: Salim played shoe-less, with only bandages on his feet. The talented winger returned after a year to return to his home team—the great Mohammedan Sporting in Calcutta. We personally think Scottish weather and food may have played a part lol! This older Mint Lounge feature has a lot more on his stunning career.
Two: Speaking of bad British food, scientists have discovered the likely diet of the prehistoric tribes that built Stonehenge. And it isn’t appetising. It seems they enjoyed feasting on raw or undercooked lungs or livers—along with fruits etc. Does this explain the culinary atrocity that is haggis? Maybe it does. (BBC News)
Three: Sticking with food: Did you know that good old tomato ketchup actually comes from a Chinese sauce called ‘kê-tsiap’—which was a paste made of fermented anchovies? It made its way to Britain in the 17th century—but its ingredients were swapped out to make it more palatable to Westerners. Think mushrooms, walnuts and oysters—but soon all of these were trumped by tomatoes.
The condiment then immigrated with the English to America—where vinegar and sugar were added by Heinz to give us what we now call ketchup. To complete the circle, ketchup travelled back east to Japan—where it is now the base of a popular pasta dish Spaghetti Nepolitan. (NextShark)
Four: Engineers have invented the world’s smallest remote-controlled robot that can walk! They look like tiny crabs and are only a millimetre wide—and can also twist, turn and jump. While it’s just an experimental project for now, these mini-acrobats could one day help perform minimally invasive surgeries or repair machines. See them below. (CNN)
