What could possibly be cool about a river? It’s just flowing water right? There can’t be much more to it. If that’s what you think…you’re wrong. Rivers are actually quite interesting. It may seem really basic, but even just trivial things like where they start, where they end, and why they flow the way they do often lead to some very profound conclusions. For one, how do you measure the length of a river? And if there is more than one branch, how do you measure the width? But enough of rivers on the Earth, did you know that scientists have found rivers on Saturn’s moon of Titan? That’s crazy right? But even on Earth, rivers have played more of an important role in your life than you are probably aware. Rivers, in fact, shaped the course of civilization. People settled down by rivers, transported goods along rivers, and used them as defensive structures. In fact, most ancient civilizations were formed around the flow of rivers. They would rise and fall according to their flow. These days rivers are still an important form of transportation and food. These are 25 Curious River Facts That You Probably Did Not Know!
Featured Image: pexels
Diamonds weren't originally mined. In the past they were found along the bottoms of rivers
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThere is evidence of an underground river about 4 km beneath the Amazon that is just as long (roughly 6,000 km) but several hundred times wider. It has been named the Rio Hamza.
Source: guardian.co.uk, Image: wikipediaEvery year fireballs erupt from the surface of the Mekong River in Thailand. Known as the Naga fireballs, some people have hypothesized that they are the result of methane gas. They have inspired numerous local legends
Source: mnn.com, Image: wikipediaThe oldest river in the United States is actually called the New River. Some scientists believe that the only river older is the Nile River in Africa.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThe chocolate river in the movie Willy Wonka was made from real chocolate and water. Because of this it spoiled and left a really bad smell.
Source: imdb, Image: wikipediaThe full moon causes a tidal wave to go shooting up the Amazon River every day for three weeks out of the year. This creates some of the world's longest waves and some surfers have been known to ride them for over 10km!
Source: amazingstuff.co.uk, Image: wikipediaMartin Strel, of Slovenia, swam the full length of the Mississippi, Amazon, Danube, and Yangtze Rivers
Source: openwaterpedia.com, Image: wikipediaThe Mongols were so conniving and vicious that they would reroute entire rivers in order to decimate the population of a city they wanted to destroy
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThe first bridge over the Amazon River (Rio Negro) opened in 2010
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThere are 17 countries in the world that don't have any rivers. Saudi Arabia is the biggest.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabayA river divides one of the safest cities in North America (El Paso, Texas) from one of the most dangerous (Juarez, Mexico)
Source: reason.com, Image: wikipediaThe Imjin River in South Korea has received the nickname "river of the dead" because so many corpses of North Koreans have come floating down it
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaFor about half of the year, and nearly 10 hours per day, the mouth of the Catatumbo River in Venezuela receives hundreds of lightning strikes every hour. This "lightning storm" has happened consistently for hundreds of years
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThere are more than 26,000 tombstones underneath the surface of the Delaware River. When a local cemetery was turned into a parking lot the headstones were used in the foundation of the Betsy Ross Bridge.
Source: citylab.com, Image: wikipediaIn 1720, when the South Sea Company collapsed, there was a motion in the British parliament to put bankers in snake filled sacks and then throw them into the River Thames.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThe Amazon River has a greater volume of water than the next 7 biggest rivers combined
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThe New Madrid Earthquakes (some of the most powerful in US history), were so intense that they actually reversed the flow of the Mississippi River.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaThe Hudson River is so polluted that scientists study evolutionary processes in its water as organisms learn to adapt
Source: nationageographic, Image: wikipediaThe Cuyahoga River in Ohio is another extremely polluted river. In fact, the river itself has lit on fire 13 times!
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaAround the turn of the 20th century engineers reversed the flow of the Chicago River. To this day it flows in the opposite direction.
Source: apwa.net, Image: wikipediaThe most expensive photo ever was of the Rhein River (named Rhein II). It sold in auction for more than $4 million and was heavily photoshopped.
Source: wikipedia, Image: cea + via FlickrIn Germany, there is a water bridge over the River Elbe. It allows ships to cross the river.
Source: amusingplanet.com, Image: wikipediaA "ghost" river runs under Manhattan. It is known as Minetta Brook and according to legend, some buildings were built with grates in the basement that allowed the river to run through.
Source: theparisreview.com, Image: pixabayLondon has nearly 20 hidden rivers flowing beneath its streets
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabayThere is a river in Australia named Merrica
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
