Language is perhaps the most important function of the human body - it allows us to get sustenance as a child, it allows us to get virtually anything we want as an adult, and it allows us many hours of entertainment through literature, radio, music, and films. This list (in order of least to most spoken) summarizes the most important languages in use today.

Number of speakers: 129 million

Often called the most romantic language in the world, French is spoken in tons of countries, including Belgium, Canada, Rwanda, Cameroon, and Haiti. Oh, and France too. We’re actually very lucky that French is so popular, because without it, we might have been stuck with Dutch Toast, Dutch Fries, and Dutch kissing (ew!).

To say “hello” in French, say “Bonjour” (bone-JOOR).

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This is a list of dragons that you may not have heard of before. I’m not including the famous Welsh Red Dragon, the English one (a.k.a. the wyvern), or the various Chinese dragons (the Loong) because most people know about these through watching films such as Dragonheart, Draco, Reign of Fire, Dragon Slayer and Mulan. Instead, this list briefly details the origin, appearance, and history of some more obscure dragons. To maintain the balance of Good and Evil I’ve chosen both Eastern and Western dragons; dragons are generally perceived as being benevolent in the East but as evil destructive creatures that symbolize the Devil in the West. In no particular order:

Naga is a wingless type of Indian dragon found in Hindu and Buddhist culture. Although the word Naga is often ambiguous the Mahabharata (an epic Sanskrit poem that is an important Hindu text) tells us that the Naga possess the traits of both snakes and humans. In Hinduism, the Naga are portrayed in similar fashion to the Chinese family of dragons, being natural spirits that are associated with water sources but can also be European-style guardians of immense treasure. Naga are also found in Buddhist tradition - as polycephalous (multi-headed) serpents that can magically transforms themselves into human shape. Like the Naga of Hindu legend, the Buddhist version prefers watery dwellings. They particularly like to eat frogs and drink milk.

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I love these little lists of oddities and was thrilled when this one was sent in to me. I have to confess that I didn’t know most of the things on this list. The ones that seem the strangest or most unlikely to me, I verified and found they are, indeed, true! So, onwards, let’s learn some odd facts we didn’t already know.

1. Before the Boston Tea Party, the British actually lowered tea taxes, not raised them.

2. England’s King George I was actually German.

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As is obvious from the fact that I write the majority of articles on this site, I love lists. Recently I was reading through a book filled with interesting facts and figures I stumbled upon this list - 25 things that are not what they seem. It seemed perfect for the site, and so I have reproduced it here for you all. Without further ado, 25 things that are not what they seem:

1. A firefly is not a fly - it is a beetle

2. A prairie dog is not a dog - it is a rodent [image above]

3. India ink is not from India - it is from China and Egypt

4. A horned toad is not a toad - it is a lizard

5. A lead pencil does not contain lead - it contains graphite

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