Learn & Explore With Abnass

  Back in 1939, American author  Ernest Vincent Wright  published  Gadsby , a  50,000-word novel that doesn't use the letter 'e'  once. What's more, it's not the only novel that ditched the letter. Author  Georges Perec  also wrote the French-language book  La Disparition  without the letter 'e' in 1969. That's even more astounding when you consider that 'e' is the most commonly used letter in the English (and French!) language.

  Along with having laws against spitting and urinating anywhere but in a toilet (which you're then legally obligated to flush if it's a public washroom),  Singapore has also banned chewing gum  in an effort to keep the city clean and orderly. The ban was established in 1992. In 2004, exceptions were made for therapeutic, dental, or nicotine gums.

  McDonald's is always introducing new items for their loyal customers. And obviously, some are more successful than others. But their  bubblegum-flavored broccoli , which the fast-food chain developed in 2014 as a tastier version of the leafy green for children, was a complete failure. McDonald's CEO  Don Thompson  admitted that kids were confused by the taste.

  Back in 2011, a physicist at the University of Sydney went viral after he placed a grape in the microwave and filmed the  fiery aftermath . And oddly enough, scientists couldn't explain the phenomenon until quite recently. A March 2019 study published in  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  reported that the fruity fireball occurs as a result of the loose electrons and ions that cluster to  form plasma when grapes get hot .

  Sure, a sprinkle of breadcrumbs to feed hungry  birds  may seem harmless but in the popular Californian city, you could get into trouble. San Francisco's Public Works Department explains this law is in place because there "are dozens of reasons why" you shouldn't feed your new pigeon friends, "but mainly: feeding pigeons harm our neighborhoods and also harms the birds."