Inconspicuous Details that the Filmmakers have Skillfully Hidden in the Movies

Art requires sacrifice! This is exactly how film directors seem to reason, sometimes subjecting actors to difficult tests, so long as their emotions are as realistic as possible. And no matter how terrible it may sound, such harsh methods pay off.

 

Tricks of directors who helped to get real emotions from actors

 

Of course, what the actors have to go through is known only to themselves and the film crew. It remains for us to enjoy the wonderful game and genuine emotions of the heroes and heroines of the films.

 

But today you can go behind the scenes and find out what tricks directors use to make everything that happens in the frame look believable.

 

1. In Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, no one was warned about the boat scene, the spooky tunnel, or the Gene Wilder song, so the children's worried faces don't look fake.

That's not the only surprise - Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie, had no idea Gene would be so pissed off in Wonka's office, which is why he looks so depressed.

 

2. Everyone on the Titanic knew the water was going to be cold, but they weren't prepared for how cold it would actually be. The water was so cold that Kate Winslet couldn't stop shaking during the ax scene.

Despite shooting in extreme conditions and even hypothermia, Kate said she didn't want the water to be warm, because then she would never know what it was like to be in a similar situation.

 

3. Michel Gondry, director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, encouraged actors to do things that others didn't expect. In some scenes he asked Kate to be funny while Jim was told to be serious

According to Michel Gondry, although he eventually got into the process, such jokes made Jim nervous - everyone but him was encouraged to improvise, and there were several moments when he seemed to be really taken by surprise.

 

4. In "Mary Poppins", the kids playing Jane and Michael had no idea that Mary's bag had some kind of "magical" properties, so when she pulled the whole hanger out of it, their emotions were genuine.

Karen Dotrice, who played Jane, recalled that the crew went to great lengths to make sure she and her on-screen brother Matthew Garber were busy on set to distract them from what was happening.

 

5. And in The Alien, none of the kids saw the doll until filming started. The film was shot in chronological order, so their first impressions were completely real.

Steven Spielberg had several ways to get the most out of the kids: the writer took notes when they chatted during filming and also encouraged them to improvise.

 

6. It had a similar idea - children were kept away from Bill Skarsgård to capture their first frightened reactions on film.

Although they were clearly frightened by his clownish antics and intense scenes, none of the children seemed to be as frightened as Bill feared.

 

7. In "The Mockingjay, Part 1," the director filmed and edited test footage of Pete's interviews that will be played during scenes with Jennifer Lawrence. Jen missed working with Josh Hutcherson so he knew showing him on screen during her scene would elicit an emotional reaction.

According to Francis Lawrence, filming the interview scenes only took a few hours, and while it was hard for Jennifer to see Josh only on screen, it helped her feel some genuinely painful emotions.

 

8. The Blair Witch Project actors were given a 35-page script and asked to improvise. They were taken into the woods, and as you can imagine, the results were horrendous.

If you don't know the story, the film was presented as "restored footage" of three directors who disappeared after searching for the Blair Witch. For eight days, the actors worked almost around the clock and seven days a week, and were even deprived of food. Their realistic performances and some extreme promotional methods have led many people to think that they are actually dead.

 

9. To recreate the revolutionary spirit, the actors of Les Misérables were told to build a barricade in 10 minutes. All this time they were filmed, and what they did ended up being used in the film.

The actors didn't know where the cameras were placed and it looked quite chaotic, but the barricade turned out to be quite realistic, and only needed to be secured a little to keep it up.

 

10. To prepare for Saving Private Ryan, all the main actors were sent to a 10-day boot camp with harsh conditions, except for Matt Damon, who remained in America. Matt's character was meant to be repulsive, and he was intentionally left out to keep the on-screen hostility as realistic as possible.

The conditions at this boot camp were really not sugary, and the fact that Matt was at home at this time naturally created a negative attitude towards him. Training was so hard that after four days everyone wanted to quit,

 

The conditions at this boot camp were really not sugary, and the fact that Matt was at home at this time naturally created a negative attitude towards him. The training was so hard that after four days everyone wanted to quit, but Tom Hanks persuaded them to pull themselves together. Matt said that when he eventually showed up on set, his co-stars were hostile towards him and it showed on screen.

 

11. When Alan Rickman was filming the end of Die Hard, the director told him that he would count down from three and that Hans would fall to his death after he said "one" but told the stuntmen to let him go first.

The actor was dropped just a moment earlier than he expected, but there is genuine fear in his eyes. And although Alan, as you might imagine, was not too happy with such a trick, the end result was worth it.

 

12. While filming The Exorcist, director William Friedkin fired a gun on set to really scare the actors.

In his defense, Friedkin said that he used blanks, but the actors portrayed exactly the emotions that he needed, and at the same time looked very believable.

 

13. Jay Baruchel was so afraid of roller coasters that he even made a deal with Knocked Up director Judd Apatow to film the earthquake scene naked if he didn't have to ride any of the rides. However, those who have watched the movie know that Judd did not keep his promise.

Jay was sure that his agreement with Judd was still valid (Jay told him that he was going to have a panic attack), but on the right day, Jonah Hill did not appear for the shooting of this scene, and Judd persuaded Jay to film instead of Jonah. Therefore, the screams in the film are real.

 

14. Steven Spielberg hired a female stuntman to play the first victim in Jaws. She was tied to a cable, and the diver was ready to pull her under the water. After the first few takes were unsuccessful, Spielberg ordered the actress to be dragged under the water unexpectedly for her - so although the shark was a prop, the victim was drowning as if in reality

All this looked so realistic that many thought that the girl was really injured. It was rumored that her ribs and hip were broken, but in fact she was not injured, except for the fright from the unexpectedness of what was happening.

 

15. The first dance at the Yule Ball is one of Harry's most awkward Goblet of Fire moments, and it's no coincidence that Daniel Radcliffe had a lot less time to memorize the choreography than the rest of the cast.

In the book, Harry is described as a bad dancer, and thanks to Daniel's busy filming schedule, this was reflected in the film. While he was busy filming the tournament scenes, the other actors spent all their free time choreographing. They rehearsed a lot together, while Daniel had only four days to prepare for the ball.

 

16. It's more of an accident when nature took the actors by surprise, but it's worth mentioning. There is a scene in Call Me by Your Name where Elio and Oliver are climbing the hill towards the waterfall. It's a happy scene, but the actors' cheers are actually reactions to nettle burns on the field.

Director Luca Guadaningo only had a short window of time to film the entire scene—the "waterfall" was actually a hydroelectric dam that only opened once a year. Since there were few opportunities for re-shoots, there was probably no time to pay attention to small things like nettles.

 

17. Avoiding spoilers in Marvel movies is no joke, so in Endgame, the directors made sure no one found out. So when it came to filming Tony's funeral, some of the actors thought they would be in the wedding scene.

After Avengers: Endgame was released, Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo released photos from the day of filming, despite the fact that everyone present was forbidden to film what was happening on smartphones.

 

One can only wonder how the actors were able to reincarnate in such a way and demonstrate grief after such a prank.

 

 

There are so many fascinating things in the world  to learn, and even more to remember, all this is simply unrealistic. Therefore, it is best to learn a little bit of everything, choosing only the most interesting from it. Today we hope to become a source of insight for you by presenting a collection of 20 fascinating facts about a wide variety of things. Educate yourself, have fun and get smarter 💗

 

The modern air conditioner was invented by Willis Carrier not for the comfort of people, but to control temperature and combat damaging humidity in the printing

house.The actual first apparatus was invented on July 17, 1902 in Buffalo, New York, USA, when Carrier created the first air conditioner for the Brooklyn printing house. The inventor received a patent for the air conditioner on January 2, 1906. The very first air conditioner designed to cool people's homes was installed in 1914 by the design of Willis Carrier in Minneapolis.

 

Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman began dating his second wife Mandy Smith when she was 13 and he was 47. They were married for 2 years and divorced in 1993. In the same year, Wyman's 30-year-old son from his first marriage married his mother Mandy Smith, who at that time was 46 years old

Wyman's son actually married his step-grandmother. After that, he seemed to become his own grandfather 🎪

 

There has been no Soviet Union for 30 years, but the USSR still holds the record for the number of Olympic gold medals in wrestling

In the medal table of the Soviet Union from 1896 to 2020: 62 gold medals, 31 silver medals and 23 bronze medals, total 116 🥇🥈🥉

Immediately behind the USSR is the United States, they have over the same period: 60 gold, 47 silver and 44 bronze medals.

 

A Spanish civil servant did not show up to work for 6 years, and this only came to light when his superiors decided to present him with a seniority award.In

Italy, there was a similar case where a public hospital employee did not go to work for 15 years after transferred from one hospital to another in 2005. He reportedly received a total of 538,000 euros over the years of his "work" 👨⚕️

 

After the plague epidemic in Europe, there was a severe shortage of workers who, therefore, were able to demand higher wages. By some estimates, the wages of the average worker have increased by 50%.

Labor shortages have been observed since 1348. Of course, the rise of salary was not easy, since the feudal lords did their best to keep the workers and peasants in check, limiting their movements and passing other laws. But with the help of the uprisings, they were able to get their way.

 

The chemical reaction in glow sticks was discovered by Dr. Edwin Chandross in 1962, but he had no idea that his “chemiluminescent” invention was hugely popular at raves and music festivals until an interview with Vice in 2013.

He said, “Is this really so? Perhaps now my granddaughter will think that I am cool ” 🎆

 

Astronauts need to sleep near ventilation, otherwise, due to weightlessness, carbon dioxide from their own lungs forms a bubble around their

heads.As reported, astronauts almost always feel nasal congestion, since due to weightlessness, the natural leakage of mucus from the nasal cavities does not occur 👃

 

Albert Spazhyari, a bank robber from France, prepared a fake, encrypted document, allegedly proving his alibi. While the judge was distracted by decryption, Spazhyari jumped out of the window, landed safely on the roof of a parked car and disappeared from his seat on a waiting motorcycle. No one saw him

again.Some sources say that later the car owner received a check for 5,000 francs in the mail for damage to the roof 💰

 

 

Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989. He was frustrated by the fact that he had to go to his colleagues and ask what data was on their computer so that he could add it to his computer.

For the invention of the World Wide Web, we have to thank laziness and frustration.

 

According to the Geneva Convention, an ejected pilot in the air is not a participant in hostilities, so an attack on him is a war crime

Not only does the pilot lose the ability to attack, moreover, having landed on enemy territory, he will presumably become a prisoner of war. Shooting at paratroopers descending by parachute is not prohibited 🪂

 

In the original script the finale of the film "Pretty Woman" (1990) character Richard Gere had to throw Julia Roberts from his limousine in a dirty alley and throw her an envelope with $ 3,000

Once the main character Vivian (Julia Roberts) had to throw on Hollywood Boulevard, she had to throw an envelope into a leaving car. The envelope should have been torn, and the money should have disappeared in a ditch 💸

 

The study showed that 94% of Brits said that they talked about the weather in the last six hours, and 38% said that they had discussed it in the last 60 minutes,

which means that at any time in the UK a third of the population, or talking about the weather, or already did it, or is going to do it ☔

 

ADVERTISING

 

In 2012, a Briton named Wesley Carrington bought a metal detector and within 20 minutes found Roman-era gold worth £ 100,000 (at the time of writing, £ 10,125,345), a

34-year-old car salesman walked into a local store where he bought the cheapest metal detector for beginners. He immediately went to the local forest to try out his new toy. He immediately found a spoon and a halfpenny, but then the apparatus began to emit a loud sound signal, making it clear that there was something large and metallic under the ground 🧐

 

When Muhammad Ali lost the fight to Larry Holmes in 1980, 14-year-old teenager Mike Tyson, who was already a promising boxer, spoke to Ali on the phone, promising to avenge the defeat.He

fulfilled his promise seven years later, knocking Holmes out in just four rounds. Later, Tyson called this a highlight of his career. During the battle, Muhammad Ali was in the hall watching Holmes' defeat 🥊

 

Corporation McDonald's quietly abandoned its legendary mascot clown Ronald McDonald after the 2016 network filled rolls with cruel jokes from prankerov dressed as clowns, in which they scared people

In 2016, the real trend started in the network, in which prankery in clown costumes scared people in different ways, filming it all on camera 🤡

 

Popular American presenter Steve Harvey sent a TV every year to his school teacher for Christmas, who said that he would never make it on TV

“Every year, while my teacher was still alive, I sent him a TV for Christmas. I just wanted him to see me, ”said Harvey 📺

 

If you're sitting at home bored, why not use your downtime to expand your brain? Better yet, blow your mind. They say truth is stranger than fiction, and it never seems more accurate than when you read the facts. Did you know Abraham Lincoln was a champion wrestler and licensed bartender? How about the fact that bees flap their wings 230 times per second?

 

If you need even more proof of this, we have a day full of mind-blowing information. So, once you're done learning about these weird (but actual!) facts, check out our pages on exciting facts, scary facts, psychology facts, useless facts, fun facts, and well-known facts.

 

Regardless of whether you are young or already old, in this world, there were, are, and will be things and phenomena that you did not even suspect existed. Well, it's impossible to know everything.

 

Strange facts about animals

1. One species of jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii, is immortal. In response to physical damage or any other injury, they may return in the course of their development to the polyp.

 

2. Snails have been known to sleep for three years if the weather is not humid enough to meet their needs.

 

3. Bees flap their wings 230 times per second.

 

4. A panda cub is smaller than a mouse at birth and weighs only four ounces.

 

5. Horses and cows can sleep standing up, but they can only dream when they lie down.

 

6. Koala fingerprints are almost indistinguishable from humans" - so they can ruin crime scenes!

 

7. Think your stomach is growling? Ghost crabs growl, burrowing their teeth into their stomachs.

 

8. The narwhal tusk is an inside-out tooth.

 

9. Whales in the Caribbean have a different accent than other whales in the ocean.

 

10. Glow in the dark sharks is a thing! A wavy shark that lives 1,700 feet below the ocean's surface emits a fluorescent glow. Only other wavy sharks usually see it. Scientists have developed a way to detect this glow using filters.

 

Other strange but interesting facts

11. The stage before frostbite is known as frostbite.

 

12. People who suffer from boanthropy believe that they are cows and will try to live their lives like cows.

 

13. Every continent except Antarctica has at least one McDonald's.

 

14. A duel between three people is called a truel.

 

15. Baked beans don't bake. They are stewed.

 

16. Sunsets on Mars are blue.

 

 

17. If you start in Argentina, you could theoretically dig a hole into China.

 

18. MySpace still receives over eight million monthly visitors.

 

19. Now obsolete, hydromancy was divination that involved seeing cheese to predict the future.

 

20. There are more LEGO Minifigures on Earth than real people.

 

21. Spider web was used as a bandage in ancient times.

 

22. A quarter of all your bones are in your feet.

 

23. A cloud can weigh over a million pounds.

 

24. The average person will spend six months waiting for the red light to turn green.

 

 

25. President Lyndon B. Johnson had a water surf machine.

 

26. Dolphins may seem carefree, but they sleep with one eye open.

 

27. Alfred Hitchcock was an homophobe, meaning he was afraid of eggs. Here's what the godfather of the horror genre said about them during an interview in 1963: I'm so scared of eggs, even more than I'm afraid; they anger me. This white round thing with no holes, and there is a yellow thing inside without a spot when you break it. The blood is cheerful, red. But the egg yolk is yellow, disgusting. I've never tried.

 

28. There is a company that turns corpses into ocean reefs. The company is called Eternal Reefs.

 

29. The world's most enormous padlock weighs 916 pounds.

 

Strange historical facts

30. In 300 BC, The Maya worshiped turkeys as vessels of the gods.

 

31. At the Olympic Games, medals were given out in the arts and the humanities. One hundred fifty-one medals were awarded for architecture, literature, painting, etc.

 

32. What fork? This sharp utensil was once considered blasphemous because it was considered an artificial hand.

 

33. Cleopatra was not an Egyptian. Really! Historians traced the origin of the famous ruler to the Macedonian commander Alexander the Great Ptolemy. So while she was an Egyptian queen, she was Greek.

 

34. No fan? You would love Pope Gregory IV. In the 13th century, he declared war on cats because he considered them tools of Satan.

 

35. Ketchup did not become a popular condiment until the late 19th century. Before that, it was sold as a cure for indigestion.

 

 

36. Before becoming president, Abraham Lincoln was an elite wrestling champion. In 300 matches, he lost only one. Bonus fact: He was also a licensed bartender.

 

37. Speaking of former presidents who enjoyed their spirits, George Washington opened a whiskey distillery after his tenure.

 

38. Some of the most famous cowboys in history didn't wear cowboy hats in real life (as is often portrayed in movies). Instead, icons like Wyatt Earp and Billy, the Kid wore bowler hats.

 

39. A Great Dane named Giuliana peed on a firebomb during World War II, for which he received a Blue Cross medal!

 

Strange Facts about the human body

40. While their exact purpose is unknown, scientists suspect that yawning may help regulate body temperature.

 

41. Let's talk about making a splash! In your lifetime, you will produce enough saliva to fill two pools.

 

42. The human tongue - like a finger - has a unique imprint.

 

43. Nose knows. He can remember 50,000 different scents.

 

44. The eye's cornea is the only part of the body that does not have a blood supply. Instead, it obtains oxygen directly from the air.

 

45. When it took you to read this sentence, about 50,000 cells in your body have died and been replaced by new ones.

 

 

46. When you blush, the lining of your belly also turns red.

 

47. Teeth are the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.

 

48. The surface area of ​​both lungs is about the same as that of a tennis court.

 

49. By the age of 60, most people have lost half of their taste buds.

 

50. People may get goosebumps.

 

 

Without music, our life would be dull and monotonous. Many of us start and end our day with it. After all, besides the fact that it helps us to get aesthetic pleasure, music also cheers us up and generally has a beneficial effect on our well-being.

Elvis Presley was told at the audition that he lacked talent.

But to learn more about music, it is not at all necessary to be a professional in this field. Because many musical facts will interest anyone.

And today, we at Bemorepanda are ready to share some exciting details with you.

1. British naval officers turn on the Britney Spears songs "Oops I Did It Again" and "Baby One More Time" to drive pirates off the east coast of Africa. Since African criminals have a strong dislike for Western music and culture, they try to get away from this place as soon as possible.

2. Singing has been scientifically proven to be soothing and uplifting. However, singing in a group is even more beneficial because it releases hormones like oxytocin that make you feel good and also lowers stress hormones like cortisol.

3. Jimi Hendrix had no musical education and taught himself to play the guitar. Throughout his career, he could not read music.

4. If you're hoping to build a career in music but can't read or write music, don't worry. If the Beatles could do it, so can you! In a 2018 interview, Paul McCartney admitted that both he and the rest of his bandmates were musically "illiterate" and lacking in music theory. Every tune they wrote simply "came to them from above," said the legendary musician.

5. French researchers have determined that the volume of music affects the amount of alcohol consumed. Namely, if you listen to loud music, you are more likely to drink more in less time. The researchers studied 40 men aged 18-25 who drank draft beer in bars by manipulating the sound volume and observing the behavior of their subjects. So, if you don't plan on drinking a lot at the party, it might be worth avoiding bars with loud music.

6. Finland is the country with the largest number of metal musicians. A Reddit user created a map based on data from the Metallum encyclopedia. With 42.6 metal bands per 100,000 inhabitants, Finland is indeed home to the largest number of metal bands in this genre.

7. Cows prefer slow music. A 2001 study at the University of Leicester found that when cows listen to slow, soothing songs, they produce 3% more milk. Cows need oxytocin to produce milk, so slow music helps them relax and increases oxytocin levels. On the other hand, cows remained indifferent to rap and techno music, showing no change in milk production.

8. One of the greatest musicians and composers of the Renaissance, Orlande de Lassus was kidnapped three times as a child. The reason for all three kidnappings was his beautiful singing voice.

9. Scottish Heriot-Watt University studied the personalities of more than 36,000 music lovers from different countries and found that the only difference between heavy metal and classical music lovers is their age. Other than that, they were pretty much the same, creative, at ease, and introverted.

10. There are so many stories around about people quitting their jobs to pursue the career in art they have dreamed of all their lives. However, the opposite also happens. James Lilja, the original drummer for the pop punk band The Offspring, left the band after three years. There were no conflicts with other members of the group, but Lilya wanted to go to medical school. He later became an obstetrician-gynecologist and gynecologist-oncologist.

11. Prince released his debut album For You at the age of 20. In the liner notes of the album, he is listed as the musician performing all the vocals, but in addition he played 27 musical instruments: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, bass synthesizer, electric piano, acoustic piano, etc.

12. It's hard to believe, but there are people who are completely indifferent to music. The University of Barcelona conducted a study in which 5 percent of participants reported that they did not experience any emotion or even the desire to tap their feet while listening to music. Otherwise, they were physically and psychologically healthy young people who enjoyed other things in life, but were not interested in music in any form.

13. Canada widely celebrated the 150th anniversary of the country. Part of the celebrations was a concert that lasted from March 17 to April 5, 2017, in which the musical group Epidemic participated. It was 453 hours 54 minutes and 40 seconds long and has been recognized as the longest multi-singer concert in the world.

14. In 1974, Elvis Presley approached Dolly Parton for the rights to record a cover of her hit I Will Always Love You. However, after his manager demanded half of all profits from the song, Parton refused to let Elvis record it.

15. In 2016, Mozart sold more CDs than Beyoncé, Adele and Drake. 2016 marks the 225th anniversary of Mozart's death, and to commemorate this event, Universal Music Group released a 200-disc box set featuring works by the great musician. The fact is that for statistical purposes, each disk was considered separately. But the box set was also a huge success and, despite a hefty price tag of over $600, was sold out almost immediately.

16. In 2013, Metallica played a concert for 120 scientists and competition winners at Carlini Station in Antarctica. The performance was held under a transparent dome. After that, the group received a new title in the Guinness Book of Records as the first musical group to perform on all seven continents. In fact, Metallica toured all seven continents in the same year.

17. Music helps increase physical performance, especially if you synchronize repetitive exercises with rhythm. This will not only help you train longer, but will also be more efficient. In one study, cyclists reported that they needed 7% less oxygen when they exercised to music than people who performed the same exercise with a random, unsynchronized background count. This shows that the temporal cues provided by music help you use your physical energy more effectively.

18. Before becoming famous, the members of Guns N' Roses had to earn their living doing some strange work. So, frontman Axl Rose and his co-founder and first rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin smoked cigarettes for a scientific study at the University of California, Los Angeles. According to some reports, they were making $8 an hour (or $19 in today's money).

19. The oldest piece of music in the world dates back to the 1st century AD and is called Seikilos Epitaph. You can find it on a tombstone in Turkey. Including both the score and a short text, it reads:

"While you live, shine / Do not be sad at all / Life exists only for a short time / And time takes its toll."

20. We find inspiration wherever we can. Even if your own cat walks on the keys of your instrument. This is exactly what Domenico Scarlatti observed before he had the idea of composing his fugue in G minor for harpsichord. He even named the work "Cat's Fugue" after the cat.

21. In 2014, scientists from the Museum of Science and Industry conducted an online test called "Hooked on Music." The test consisted of a thousand snippets of pop hits, from contemporary hits to hits from the 1940s. The 12,000 participants had to identify each song as quickly as possible. While the average time to identify most songs was 5 seconds, it took only about 2.3 seconds to guess the song Wannabe from the Spice Girls, making it the most memorable song of all time.

22. Astronaut Chris Hadfield became the first Canadian to go into space, but he also turned out to be a talented musician. He first went viral with his cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity". During his 144-day stay on the International Space Station, Hadfield recorded 11 original songs. In 2015, he released them on an album titled Space Sessions: Songs for a Tin Can.

23. Everyone knows that music can affect our mood, but it turns out that it can also have a significant impact on our perception of the world. In a 2011 study at the University of Groningen, participants were asked to identify emojis while listening to music. If the faces matched the music, the participants identified them more accurately. And even when there were no emojis, participants felt like they were seeing a happy or sad face, depending on what music they were listening to at the time.

24. If you are into music or have received any form of music education, you are more likely to score higher on the SAT (Standardized Test for Admissions to Higher Education in the United States) or similar exams. Reports show that music students typically score 63 points higher in speaking and 44 points higher in math. They also tend to show a lot of self-confidence and are good team players and chimes, also known as tubular bells, was created by Simon Desorger. He used 120 aluminum tubes ranging in length from 473 mm to 4877 mm, tuned to suit musical scales.

26. Most musicians hate changing guitar strings. This is a tedious job that takes time and requires a lot of effort and a lot of patience. But instrument technician and record store owner Thomas Silkman set out to prove that this was not the case. On April 20, 2018, he set a world record by changing 226 strings in an hour. Interestingly, there was no special reason for this, he simply dreamed of setting a world record.

27. In the history of music, there are two days that are called "The Day the Music Died". The first occurred on February 3, 1959, when musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and Big Bopper died in a plane crash in Ohio. A few years later, in 1963, another plane crashed in Tennessee, killing Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Cowboy Copas on board.

28. Country music is strongly associated with the American countryside. But over time, this genre is becoming more and more popular all over the world. One example of this is the Indian singer Bal Kishore Das Loival, who goes by the name Bobby Cash. He built a career as a country music performer in Australia and in 2005 received recognition from the Country Music Association of Nashville, Tennessee.

29. The best-selling album of all time belongs to Michael Jackson. This is his sixth studio album Thriller, released in 1982. It is estimated that over 60 million copies have been sold worldwide.

30. Elvis Presley was a truck driver. However, in order to fulfill his dream of becoming a singer, he attended auditions whenever possible. During his first performance on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Tennessee, talent manager Jim Denny told Elvis that he lacked talent and should go back to his previous job.

31. You often hear about free concerts that have attracted more than a million viewers, but these numbers are often exaggerated. However, Guinness World Records claims that the largest free concert in history was attended by an estimated 4.2 million people. It took place on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and was organized to celebrate the New Year 1993. The stage performer was Rod Stewart.

32. The longest team drumming marathon in the world lasted 3 days, 8 hours and 2 minutes. Janelle Spaulding, Aaron Housego, Holly Jones, Ryan Murray and Lorraine Dorrington played from August 26 to 29, 2016, and their performance was broadcast live around the world.

33. There are two ways to read musical notes. In most Western countries they are known as do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si. In some others, these names are replaced by the first seven letters of the alphabet. However, seven notes is not a full octave. An octave consists of eight notes, where the eighth is the same as the first. And if you count all the sharps and flats in between, you get 12 notes.

34. If you thought that the conductor has absolute power over his orchestra, you are not mistaken. As a rule, orchestras include instruments from each of the five instrumental groups. However, the conductor has the right to choose the instruments necessary for the performance of the musical program. Also in the 20th century, a new tradition was introduced, according to which it was allowed to use not only classical musical instruments in the orchestra. Nowadays, if the conductor sees fit, you can see an electric guitar, a synthesizer or any other modern instrument in the orchestra.

35. We know that music is good for our mood and general well-being, but researchers from the University of Pavia (Italy) have proven that it helps our heart physically. It causes physiological changes that regulate blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory function. And if a classical musical phrase lasts more than 10 seconds, it causes the heart rate and some other parts of the cardiovascular system to synchronize with the music. At the same time, research has shown that music elicits stronger physiological responses in musicians than in people without a musical education.

36. Most countries have military bands, but only one country has a military band larger than a real army, and that is Monaco. The country's military band consists of 85 people. At the same time, his army has 82 soldiers. This is understandable, since Monaco is a fairly small country, and the only time it put its army on alert was when the president of neighboring France threatened to cut off water and electricity supplies in 1962 unless income tax was imposed on Monaco residents.

37. Almost everything the Simpsons does becomes history, and so the show's creators decided, x. Rumors have since circulated that Michael Jackson was the ghost composer, which made sense since the artist was a big fan of The Simpsons; however, the producers continued to deny this. It wasn't until many years later that Matt Groening admitted that Jackson actually wrote the track, but this was kept secret as the King of Pop was legally prohibited from writing for an outside label.

38. The largest known performing rock group included 953 musicians. The concert, organized by the Beijing Academy of Contemporary Music on June 16, 2016, took place in Tianjin, China and included 349 singers, 154 guitarists, 151 drummers, 100 bassists, 100 keyboardists and 98 brass players.

39. Prior to the Renaissance, non-folk music was predominantly written and performed at church services. After the Middle Ages, the Renaissance placed more emphasis on humanism, allowing musicians to experiment with new instruments and styles. The music they composed became less religious and more secular. One of the greatest things that the Renaissance gave us was opera, which was created as an attempt to bring ancient Greek theater back to life.

40. In Japanese, “carappo” means “empty,” and “okesutura” is the Japanese pronunciation of the word “orchestra.” If you put these two words together, you get "karaoke", which translates as "empty orchestra".

41. The world's longest performance began in September 2001 and should end in 2640. Yes, 27th century! The action takes place in the church of St. Buchard in Germany, where an automatic organ plays as slowly as possible a piece by avant-garde composer John Cage. Visitors have to wait months to catch the chord change - that's how slow it is. Interestingly, the performance began even before the organ was completely completed - in 2008, several pipes were added, and this did not affect the music in any way.

42. The sea organ may sound like something straight out of The Little Mermaid, but it actually exists. After the devastation caused by World War II, the city of Zadar in Croatia underwent a major renovation. One of them was a concrete wall on the city coast. An interesting part of this wall is located under the large marble steps and is a set of pipes. When they hit the sea waves, they make musical sounds. Since its completion in 2005, the Zadar Sea Organ has become very popular with locals and tourists alike.

43. Even after so many years after the breakup of the Spice Girls, individual members are still referred to by their nicknames. But what is interesting, these nicknames were not invented by the girls themselves and not by any of the label's employees. At the beginning of their career, they were interviewed by the famous British teen magazine Top of the Pops, whose editor gave them nicknames. All five of them stuck and were later officially used by the band.

44. The highest price a musical instrument was sold for is $15.9 million. Of course, it was a Stradivarius violin, namely "Lady Blunt". It was sold in 2011 for four times the previous Stradivarius record. Industry experts say that Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù violins yield around 10-12% per year.

45. It is well known that different areas of our brain are responsible for different aspects of life. However, in 2011, Finnish researchers showed in a groundbreaking study that different areas of the brain are involved in listening to music, including those that control motor actions, emotions, and creativity. This research helped them understand how the brain processes rhythm, pitch and timbre, also known as sound color, as well as other aspects of music, and how large the effect of music is.

46. The largest erhu ensemble gathered for a performance in Raoyang, China on October 19, 2019. 2024 participants played a traditional Chinese musical instrument similar to a violin for 5 minutes and 18 seconds.

47. On November 13, 2009, the Tom Lee Music Company gathered 6,131 musicians in Hong Kong for a concert that was to be given by the largest harmonica ensemble in history. The entire performance lasted 7 minutes and 25 seconds.

48. No one will be surprised by the fact that two people play at the same piano. What about 23 people? Students of the Isidor Bajic School of Music proved that this is possible on September 20, 2019, when they performed in Novi Sad (Serbia). The play they performed, called "Zora" ("dawn" in Serbian), was written by one of the graduates of the school especially for this event.

49. When Japanese pop group AKB48 started out, it only had 48 members, hence the name. However, over time, they decided that the more the better, the time of existence. This makes AKB48 the biggest pop group in the world.

50. The London Symphony Orchestra was supposed to travel to the US to perform aboard the infamous Titanic. However, due to reasons beyond their control, the entire orchestra had to board another ship in order to reach their destination in time.

51. A study of the word "jazz" showed that it is associated with the word "jasm", meaning "cheerfulness, energy" as early as 1860. The first recorded use of the word was not even associated with music. In an article in the Los Angeles Times in 1912, a minor league baseball pitcher called the pitch a "jazz ball" because "it wobbles and you just can't do anything about it."

52. Jazz ensembles differ in the number of performers and types of instruments, but the most basic of them is called the piano trio. Consisting of piano, bass and drums, it's just enough to perform and share the essence of jazz with your audience.

53. A professor at the University of Sydney conducted a study that examined the deaths of musicians between 1950 and June 2014. He compared life expectancy, and the proportion of suicides, homicides, and accidental deaths by sex and decade, with those of the general US population. The conclusion he came to was not particularly encouraging: on average, musicians live 25 years less than ordinary people.

54. Whoever told you that Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll, is dead, don't believe them! He may not be with us physically, but today he continues to be the world's best-selling solo artist with over 1 billion sales worldwide. For a musician whose career peaked in the 50s and 60s, this is a huge achievement.

55. The word "orchestra" does not indicate a specific number of musicians. Chamber orchestras are usually small and include no more than fifty performers, which cannot be said about symphony and philharmonic orchestras - they often have more than eighty musicians. Depending on the program, even more than a hundred performers can be expected in one orchestra.

56. Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini is one of the most famous operatic authors in the history of music. Among his works is the opera "Tancredi", which includes the play "Di Tanti Palpiti". Rossini himself called it a "rice aria" because he composed the entire piece while waiting for a dish of rice to be cooked.

57. On October 15, 2017, David Stanley and The Music Man Project brought together 1,521 triangle players to perform together at the Music is Magic concert in London. This ensemble went down in history as the largest ensemble of triangles.

If you want to spend your time in Sri Lanka as fun, safe, and exciting as possible, you should get to know the locals better, the features of their way of life, and other things. It is also worthwhile before the trip to figure out what is accepted on the island and what is better not to do.

 

We invite you to discover 50 exciting facts noted by researchers and travelers who have repeatedly visited the tea island.

 

Top facts about Sri Lanka

 

1. Sri Lanka is a hot tropical country located in southern Asia.

 

More precisely, the country of Sri Lanka is located on the island of the same name in the Indian Ocean.

 

2. Previously, the European name of the island on which this state is located was used - Ceylon. This name of the country existed until 1972.

 

3. Sri Lanka is in many ways related to India, but at the same time quite noticeably different from it, this is especially striking if you spend at least a month there and there. There are plenty of similarities, though.

 

4. Translated from the ancient Sanskrit language, “Sri Lanka” means “Blessed Land”.

 

5. Sri Lankans - this is how the inhabitants of Sri Lanka are officially called.

 

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

 

6. The actual, but not the official capital of the country is the city of Colombo. The official capital is the city of Sri Jayawardenepuru Kotte.

 

7. The name "Colombo" comes from the Sinhala "kola-amba-thota", which means "mango harbour".

 

8. Sri Lanka was a British colony until 1948. English is very popular on the island.

 

9. Sri Lanka will make anyone believe in heaven on earth. This is a real gem of South Asia. It is impossible not to admit that this tropical island is really beautiful.

 

Galle Lighthouse

 

10. As in all Asian countries, there is a high population density - 308 people per square kilometer. The population of Sri Lanka is approximately equal to the population of Beijing.

 

11. Two languages ​​​​here have the status of state - Tamil and Sinhalese. English, on the other hand, has a special status and serves for communication between representatives of different ethnic groups living in Sri Lanka.

 

12. The main religion of Sri Lanka is Buddhism, it is followed by 70% of the population here. The remaining 20% ​​are Hindus and 10% are Muslims, Sikhs and Christians.

 

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

 

13. The Tooth of the Buddha - one of the most revered Buddhist shrines is located in the city of Kandy and is kept in the Temple of the Tooth Relic.

 

14. The leadership issued a wise law to avoid conflicts between believers. All religious holidays of all religions practiced by residents are days off for everyone. Therefore, there are more than half of the holidays in the year.

 

15. Alcohol is strictly prohibited on such days. On weekdays, alcoholic beverages can only be bought at specially designated places.

 

Sigirya Mountain

 

16. One of the most popular places for tourists here is Mount Sigiriya, on the way to the top of which you need to climb a staircase of 1001 steps.

 

17. The most popular dessert treat in Sri Lanka is ice cream. They are sold literally on every corner.

 

18. Buffalo milk is popular here along with cow milk. On the palate, if you are not a professional taster, there is no noticeable difference.

 

19. Smoking in public places in Sri Lanka is subject to a decent, and by local standards even a huge fine - about $ 37, or 5 thousand local rupees.

 

20. The national flower of Sri Lanka is the Star Lotus.

 

Fruits in Sri Lanka

 

21. Due to the warm and humid equatorial climate, Sri Lanka has an abundance of a variety of exotic fruits and vegetables. Bananas are harvested up to six times a year.

 

22. Bananas are not the same as on the shelves of our stores (large, feed varieties), and small bananas are baby. They have a thin skin, yellow flesh and are very sweet, with a high content of trace elements and vitamins.

 

23. Sri Lanka is thoroughly saturated with the smell of spices and incense. The main spice is cinnamon, and it is considered the highest quality in the world. Scientists believe that Sri Lanka is the birthplace of cinnamon.

 

24. There are also dangers awaiting tourists in Sri Lanka. These are monkeys. Among the inhabitants, they are considered a sacred animal, but they often behave very aggressively. It is better to keep the windows closed and things under supervision.

 

25. There is also an abundance of insects here, it is imperative to use special creams and ointments. And walking in the evening, you need to wear closed clothes and closed shoes from snakes.

 

Elephants in Sri Lanka

 

26. Here, the inhabitants treat elephants with love. The elephant is the symbol of the country. The punishment for killing an elephant is life imprisonment.

 

27. Divorces in Sri Lanka are very rare - 1%. Maybe the reason is that after the divorce, the husband is obliged to pay the ex-wife 50% of his salary throughout his life.

 

28. Here, when a daughter is married, she should be given a house and a car as a dowry. Therefore, as soon as a girl is born, parents begin to earn and save for a dowry.

 

29. The youth of Sri Lanka study at 11 universities, in terms of the quality of education they are not inferior to other universities in South Asia.

 

30. Here the literacy of the population is 92%. This is higher than in any other country in Southeast Asia, with the exception of Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

31. Schools in the country are free, however, for 300 rupees per month ($ 2.5) you can allow your child to study at an international school with the study of English.

 

Tangalla city beach

 

32. The beach in Tangalle, located on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, is popular because you can watch both sunset and sunrise from it.

 

33. The biggest danger in this country is swimming in the waves of the ocean. The strength of the ocean surf and waves is significantly different from the sea. It can carry a person into the ocean like a grain of sand. Therefore, it is necessary to relax on the beaches here in places specially equipped for this. No need to try to conquer the waves on wild beaches.

 

34. All working women in the country are required to wear national clothes - saris. Many men here wear skirts.

 

35. Numbers 9 and 12 are considered the luckiest here.

 

36. Tea, which Sri Lanka is so famous for, was brought here by the British. Before that, there were no tea bushes here.

 

Tea Plantations in Sri Lanka

 

37. Now Sri Lanka ranks third in the world in tea production, second only to India and China. The famous Ceylon tea is grown here.

 

38. In total, about 10% of all tea in the world is produced here, which is more than 300 thousand tons annually.

 

39. One of the most visited places on the island by tourists is tea plantations. There you can see the process of making tea, as well as taste it.

 

Ramboda waterfall

 

40. Alut Avurudu - the Sri Lankan New Year, associated with the lunar cycles. It begins in accordance with the calculations of astrologers and is celebrated in April.

 

41. Sri Lankans do not use toilet paper, but it is sold for tourists and costs 2 times more than in India and 4 times more than in Russia.

 

42. Instead of toilet paper, Sri Lankans use a hygienic shower, or even a ladle and a bucket of water, just like in Thailand.

 

43. There are practically no fat people in this state.

 

Royal Botanical Garden

 

44. The Royal Botanical Garden with an orchid greenhouse in Sri Lanka is considered the largest in Southeast Asia.

 

45. The export of currency (Sri Lankan rupee) outside the country is strictly prohibited.

 

46. ​​Sri Lanka is a major exporter of precious stones. Sapphire, emerald or ruby ​​can be bought here inexpensively.

 

Sinhalite stone

 

47. The most expensive gem here is sinhalite(more expensive than a diamond). It got its name in honor of the indigenous people of Sri Lanka.

 

48. The inhabitants of this island-state are very respectful of the people of the white race. They are very hospitable and friendly to tourists. Instead of a handshake, it is better to use the greeting of the locals: - fold your palms on your chest with a “house” and bring them to your forehead. In return, you will receive a radiant smile!

 

Bentota beach

49. Among local residents, it is considered prestigious to know the Russian language. It brings in a good income from tourists.

 

50. Russian tourists are found in Sri Lanka, but not very often, while this country is not yet strongly covered by compatriots, although Sri Lanka is one of the best places for a winter holiday.