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Pick your best 3

Did you know many Asian cultures consider the number 4 unlucky because it sounds like the word for death? In countries like China, Japan, and Korea, the pronunciation of the number four is very similar to the word “death” in their languages. Because of this, the number has become strongly associated with bad luck, misfortune, and fear.

In Chinese, the word for four is “sì,” which sounds almost the same as “sǐ,” meaning death. The same pattern appears in Japanese and Korean, where the word for four also closely resembles their word for death. This has led to a deep cultural superstition known as tetraphobia, or fear of the number four.

Because of this belief, many buildings skip the 4th floor, just like some Western buildings skip the 13th. Hospitals avoid room number 4, phone numbers with many fours are unpopular, and some people even avoid scheduling important events on dates that include the number.

Did you know carrots were originally purple before Dutch farmers changed them? Long before the bright orange carrots we know today, carrots naturally came in shades of purple, yellow, white, and even red. The earliest cultivated carrots, grown thousands of years ago in parts of Central Asia, were deep purple and sometimes bitter in taste.
In the 1600s, Dutch farmers began selectively breeding carrots to create a new variety. They chose orange carrots to honor the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange. Over time, these orange carrots became sweeter, less bitter, and more popular with people. As they spread across Europe and beyond, the orange carrot slowly replaced the original purple types.

Did you know Portugal’s crown prince was assassinated before he ever got the chance to become king? His name was Luís Filipe, and he was the heir to the Portuguese throne in 1908. While traveling in an open carriage with his family in Lisbon, gunmen suddenly attacked. His father, King Carlos I, was killed instantly, and Luís Filipe was mortally wounded while trying to defend himself and his family.
Although his father died first, Luís Filipe was technically next in line, which means he became king for a few moments—but he was already fatally injured. Within minutes, he also died from his wounds. Because of this, he is sometimes referred to as the monarch with one of the shortest reigns in history, even though he never had time to officially rule or be crowned.
After his death, the throne passed to his younger brother, Manuel II. The tragic event shocked Europe and marked the beginning of the end for Portugal’s monarchy, which collapsed just two years later.

Did you know ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone because they believed it protected them from evil spirits? Instead of soft cushions, people in ancient Egypt used curved slabs of stone, wood, or ceramic to support their heads while sleeping. To modern eyes it looks uncomfortable, but to them it served both a practical and spiritual purpose.
In Ancient Egypt, sleep was seen as a vulnerable state where evil spirits and demons could attack a person. Elevating the head on a hard headrest was believed to keep these forces away, especially from entering through the mouth, which was thought to be a spiritual gateway. Many of these stone pillows were carved with protective symbols or images of gods to add extra spiritual defense.