15. The man who wrote Dracula never visited Transylvania.
Bram Stoker was an Irish writer known primarily for his Gothic horror novel Dracula. Mainly set in Transylvania, a mountainous area in central Romania, the story represented the myth of vampires in popular European and American culture. Despite Stoker’s many journeys around the world, he never actually visited Eastern Europe— and, by definition, Transylvania— at all.
16. The Australian government banned the word “mate” for a day.
There are probably slang or informal expressions that get on your nerves from time to time, especially when you think something should be taken very seriously. In 2005, the Australian Parliament took a few citizens’ concerns a little too seriously and prevented anyone on their staff from using the term “mate” while at work. Luckily, Prime Minister John Howard complained that “mate” was an important part of Australian culture, and the prohibition was annulled within 24 hours.
