17 Deeply Fascinating Wikipedia Pages That Will Keep You Scrolling For Hours

Bet you didn't know Wikipedia has virtual cookbooks dedicated to the cuisine of individual countries.

1. Like this one about highway hypnosis:

Highway hypnosis is an altered mental state in which a person can safely drive an automobile great distances with no recollection of having consciously done so. It is a manifestation of automaticity, where the conscious and subconscious minds are able to concentrate on different things. from wikipedia

2. This one about the term "Paris syndrome," which was first coined by Japanese psychiatrist Dr. Hiroaki Ota:

Paris syndrome is a sense of disappointment exhibited by some individuals who feel that Paris is not as beautiful as they had expected it to be. It results in symptoms such as acute delusional states, hallucinations, derealization and anxiety. It only seems to affect Japanese tourists. from wikipedia

3. And this one about the quaint term "umarell" in Italy:

Umarell is a term popular in Bologna referring to men of retirement age who pass the time watching construction sites, stereotypically with hands clasped behind their back and offering unwanted advice. from wikipedia

4. This one that's just a handy collection of virtual cookbooks:

Wikipedia has virtual cookbooks dedicated to the cuisine of individual countries from wikipedia

5. Or this one that's a daily roundup of current events:

The wikipedia 'current events' page is great place for reading worldwide news from wikipedia

6. This one about toast sandwiches, which apparently were (and still are) a real thing:

Twitter: @ryanqnorth / Via en.wikipedia.org

A toast sandwich is a sandwich made with two slices of bread in which the filling is a thin slice of toasted bread, which may be heavily buttered. An 1861 recipe says to add salt and pepper to taste. Not to be confused with toasted sandwich. from wikipedia

7. This one about how dangerous cheerleading actually is:

of the 2.9 million female high school athletes, only 3% are cheerleaders, yet cheerleading accounts for nearly 65% of all catastrophic injuries in girls' high school athletics, and is considered one of the most dangerous school activities. from wikipedia

8. This one about a man who found a copy of the Declaration of Independence (and, no, it was not Nicolas Cage):

A man found a copy of the declaration of independence in an old picture frame he bought for $4 at a yard sale. It turned out to be a first print from 4th July 1776, the same day as the original was signed. It later sold for $2.42 million, then $8.14 million. from wikipedia

9. This one about Penny dreadfuls — dark serialized literature that was quite popular in 19th century Britain:

"Penny dreadfuls" were popular serial stories produced in Britain in the 19th Century. Published in weekly parts, each costing a penny, the subject matter was sensational: exploits of detectives, criminals, or the supernatural. Printed on cheap pulp paper, they were aimed at the young working class. from wikipedia

10. This one about a shipwreck on the Tongan island of Ata that seems straight out of a novel:

The Real Lord of the Flies: Six boys shipwrecked alone for 15 months on 'Ata- The boys set up a commune with a food garden, hollowed-out tree trunks for rainwater, a gymnasium, a badminton court, chicken pens and a permanent fire all built with an old knife blade & determination. from wikipedia

11. This one about the oldest person alive, Kane Tanaka:

Kane Tanaka, the oldest person currently alive, was born before the Wright brothers flew. As of today (April 19th), she is the only human ever to exist during the first powered flights on both Earth and Mars. from wikipedia

12. This one about those plastic chairs you've seen a million times in your life that, as it turns out, have a name...monobloc:

Tjako van Schie / Via en.wikipedia.org

The Monobloc chair is a lightweight stackable polypropylene chair, usually white in colour, often described as the world's most common plastic chair. from wikipedia

13. This one about the "real" Sherlock Holmes:

Arthur Conan Doyle loosely based Sherlock Holmes on Dr Joseph Bell, a Scottish surgeon who was known for his skills in observation. Dr Bell would often pick a stranger, and by observing him, deduce his occupation and recent activities. He was considered a pioneer in forensic science. from wikipedia

14. This one about the harrowing story of Lawrence Oates:

Lawrence Oates was an explorer who died when he walked from his tent in a blizzard. His death is seen as an act of self-sacrifice when, aware that his gangrene and frostbite were compromising his companions' chances of survival, he chose certain death in order to relieve them of caring for him. from wikipedia

15. And this one about a nightmare flight that somehow had no casualties:

In 1990, British Airways Flight 5390 suffered explosive decompression after takeoff, in which the captain was partially sucked out of the plane and pushed against the exterior of the fuselage mid-flight for over 20 minutes. The first officer landed the plane and there were no casualties. from wikipedia

16. This one about a bridge in Arizona that's actually the real "London Bridge" from 19th century London, England.

The "London Bridge" in Lake Havasu City, Arizona is actually the real London Bridge from England. It was cut into granite blocks and shipped across the Atlantic to serve as an attraction in an Arizona retirement community. from wikipedia

17. And finally, this one about a bunch of kids who protested a raise in chocolate prices:

The Candy bar protest, also known as the 5 cent chocolate war, the 5 cent war and the chocolate candy bar strike, was a short-lived 1947 protest by Canadian children over the increase in price of chocolate bars from five to eight cents. from wikipedia

CBS / Via giphy.com

H/T r/wikipedia