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The Quietest Place On Earth

In Orfield Laboratories, Minneapolis, Minnesota, lies a room that holds the Guinness World Record for being the quietest place on earth.

The room, called an ‘anechoic chamber’, absorbs over 99% of sound—with 3-feet thick fiberglass wedges and insulated walls—except that of people and objects brought into the chamber.

According to the Daily Mail, the longest time anyone has been able to stay inside, and in the dark, is 45 minutes.

Because it’s so silent, it becomes unbearable—your senses will become heightened, and you’ll be able to hear your heart pumping and ears pulsating.

“You’ll hear your heart beating, sometimes you can hear your lungs, hear your stomach gurgling loudly,” founder of Orfield Laboratories, Steven Orfield, told the Daily Mail. “In the anechoic chamber, you become sound.”

H also notes that because there is no external sound, it becomes difficult to move around: “If you’re in there for half an hour, you have to be in a chair.”

Ever Tried Peanuts in Coke?

First take a few swigs of the soda and when there seems to be enough room in the bottle, pour in a package of salted peanuts. Many dieheards insist that you’ve got to do this in a glass bottle, not plastic or a can, for the full effect. And sticklers will tell you definitely no Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or other brand substitutions allowed.

Nobody knows who exactly came up with this inspired idea of putting peanuts in Coke, but the pairing is guessed to go as far back as the 1920s. I’ve heard stories of busy Southern farmers who didn’t have time to break for lunch and would eat this on their tractors while in the field. References to salted peanuts in Coke pop up in historical fiction includingThe Secret Life of Bees, and other stories about the American south during the 50s and 60s.

This flavor combination is so beloved that you can even find some unique recipes that riff off the combination, like Coca-Cola Cake with Broiled Peanut Icing.

But drinking Coca-Cola with salted peanuts isn’t only about the genius pairing of sweet and salty flavors; it’s about the experience, and knowing that your taking part in a tradition that has gone on for generations.