A list of curious facts
One: Michael Jackson’s dancing skills were truly marvellous. In fact, one of his signature moves actually defied gravity. He first performed the tilt in the 1988 music video for ‘Smooth Criminal’: “In one scene, Jackson and a few of his dancers lean forward 45 degrees, backs straight, feet flat upon the floor, and hold the pose until they return upright with little apparent effort.” As you can see, on the left is what a mortal body can manage—but MJ took it waaay further:
Jackson’s feat so astonished three Indian neurosurgeons that they decided to figure out how he managed to defy gravity. His secret: a specially designed shoe. But even with a footwear assist, the move is not just hard but also extremely hazardous to the spine. As a result, MJ fans trying to match his moves often end up with serious injuries—as do many break dancers. To refresh your memory, this is the tilt in action. CNN has lots more medical gyaan on the move.
Two: Moving on from extreme action to no movement whatsoever… Did you know that the tiny nation of Montenegro holds an annual contest to award the coveted title of “laziest citizen.” The brave competitors basically lie down and stay down—other than getting up to occasionally go to the loo. Last year, the winner set a record of 117 hours—which is equivalent to five days. This year’s competition started on August 18 and ended on October 5—with three winners announced on the 50th day. The reason it could go on for this long: the participants were allowed a 15-minute break every eight hours. As you can see, it looks pretty darn lazy:) (The Guardian)
Three: Think it’s cheesy when men flex their biceps to impress the world? Guess what? Male kangaroos do it, as well—and to greater success. Scientists have found that a male’s forearm size is likely “a sexually selected trait” that helps him find a mate. “In fact, male kangaroos frequently adopt poses to show off their muscly arms to females.” In fact, it works so well that these big biceps are favoured by natural selection. We’re not sure if they work just as well with human females:) You can see one young fella impressing the babes below. (Asian Scientist)
