Discover the Top 11 Amazing Fun Facts About 2021 You Won't Believe!

1. Year of the Metal Ox

Move over, Rats – it's time for some Ox-traordinary power! In a year that promises to be as metal as a headbanger’s air guitar solo, the Chinese lunar calendar is gearing up to moooo-ve with the times: Starting February 12, 2021, we'll usher in the Year of the Metal Ox, symbolizing hard work and dependability and marking the second animal in the Chinese zodiac's 12-year cycle. Here's a fun fact to take with you to your next heavy-metal concert - the traditional Chinese method of counting years is based on the sixty-year rotation of Jupiter around the sun, dating back to 1000 BCE! So, whether you're an Ox-pert on Chinese traditions or a mere interested bystander, 2021 is the perfect year to rock on with your bad self.
Source => si.edu

2. France Bans Wild Animals in Performances

Roll up, roll up, and witness the captivating tale of how France said "au revoir!" to juggling jaguars, tightrope-walking toucans, and cycling seals: In 2021, France banned the use of wild animals in performances, including circuses and dolphin shows, inspired by the tragic story of Mischa the bear, who suffered from mistreatment and illness due to years of forced performances. Additionally, the law prohibited private possession of wild animals and mink farming, paving the way for animal-friendly entertainment alternatives.
Source => worldanimalprotection.us

Did you know that Julius Caesar's original calendar design had us all a little loopy every few years? Discover how Pope Gregory XIII finally fixed this issue with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582 and how Britain had to skip 11 days in September to catch up! 📅✨

=> Fun Facts about Leap-Year

3. James Webb Space Telescope Christmas Launch

Santa's got competition this year, so keep your eyes peeled to the skies on Christmas Day: The James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch as early as 12:20 GMT / 13:20 CET on December 25th, as confirmed by the European Space Agency, with the Ariane 5 launcher rolling out on the morning of December 23rd.
Source => esa.int

4. Mercury's Retrograde Dance

During the great planetary hokey pokey of 2021, Mercury decided to "Put its retrograde in, put its retrograde out, put its retrograde back in and shake our communication all about": Amid this cosmic dance, people were advised to securely back up their data and tread cautiously as communication breakdowns and information losses were eerily common during Mercury's retrograde shenanigans.
Source => gadgetmatch.com

5. Dogecoin's Wild Ride

In a "much wow" twist of fate, the almighty Internet meme lord Dogecoin found itself barking up the cryptocurrency tree, with none other than Elon Musk holding the proverbial leash: In 2021, Dogecoin's value skyrocketed to a record-breaking $0.76 in May, only to plummet by 88% later and then experience a tail-wagging 100% price rebound in October 2022, potentially marking the beginning of a bullish reversal.
Source => cointelegraph.com

6. Bernie Sanders' Inauguration Meme

In a year when fashion statements were comfortably thrown out of the window as the world embraced sweatpants: a bundled-up Bernie Sanders stormed the scene, turning his mittens and practical brown coat into the meme of the moment during Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021. Photographer Brendan Smialowski unknowingly cast a spell of joy with that iconic image, which Bernie's campaign store transformed into a charitable act by releasing a sweatshirt that sold out faster than you can say, "Feel the Bern," all in the name of Meals on Wheels Vermont.
Source => cnbc.com

7. Vinyl and CDs Strike Back

Roll over, Beethoven! The time has come to "vinyl-ly" face the music, and also for CDs to say "not dead yet": In 2021, both vinyl records and CDs experienced significant revenue growth, with vinyl enjoying its 15th consecutive year of growth and CDs celebrating their first year-over-year spike since 2004.
Source => variety.com

8. The Queen's Gambit Chess Craze

Who said you can't get knight fever from a queen? Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit" has pawn-ed a chess revolution across the globe: Since its debut, chess sets sales in the US skyrocketed by 87% and chess books sales jumped 603% in just three weeks, while online chess site Chess.com welcomed 12.2 million new members, with 3.2 million joining after the show's release in late October. Checkmate, boredom!
Source => cnn.com

9. Defeating Concert Ticket Bots

In a world where nefarious tickets bots have pulled the wool over our concert-loving eyes and scalpers with fingers faster than a Deftones guitar riff snatch up every seat in sight, hope remains: Legislation and ticketing company efforts, like virtual waiting rooms and biometric data validation, wage diligent battles in the war for a fair ticket-buying experience for fans across the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
Source => queue-it.com

10. C-mask: A Bluetooth Smart Mask

Sayonara, muffled speech and foggy glasses: In 2021, Donut Robotics created the c-mask, a clever $40 smart face mask that can transcribe speech into text messages, amplify the wearer's voice, and connects to smartphones via Bluetooth, all while being worn over a regular mask.
Source => core77.com

11. Banksy's Art: From Ashes to NFT

In a fiery twist of "ashes to ashes, art to art," a Banksy masterpiece went from smoking-hot to non-existent – all before rising like a phoenix in the digital realm: In 2021, Morons, a Banksy artwork critiquing the art market, was burnt and destroyed in a livestreamed video, only to be then sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) for $380,000 (£274,000), emphasizing the growing acceptance of NFT technology in mainstream art circles.
Source => bbc.com