154%: Estimated increase in online searches related to the definition of gynecology the week after Barbie premiered in 2023, per a survey from researchers at Harvard Medical School. Why? Spoiler alert for the six people on Earth who haven’t seen Barbie: After Barbie becomes a human woman at the end of the film, she makes an appointment to see a gynecologist for the first time, as Barbie dolls obviously don’t have genitals.
~38 minutes: How long it took Alejandro Clemente León to complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, winning him last year’s champion title at 2023’s World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship in Spain. This year’s competition in September anticipates 3k+ puzzlers who will employ various techniques and strategies to wrap up a puzzle as quickly as possible. And yes, just like you, many of them do start with the edges first.
163: Bedpans owned by Mary Jacobs, a 77-year-old British woman who’s been collecting them since 1984. Jacobs “just wanted to collect something different” but now has no room for the portable waste receptacles, which she says are all clean and in “fantastic” condition. She attempted to sell them via auction, but no one wanted them. If anyone here wants to start a bedpan museum, well, now’s your chance.
3.5%: Average increase in bookings for hosts who smile in their Airbnb profile photos, per a new study. This is especially true for less experienced hosts and men, who can see demand increase by 8%+ thanks to a grin. Kannan Srinivasan, one of the study’s co-authors, said a smile may “enhance trust and reduce uncertainty” among consumers, and that this finding is crucial for online platforms where trust is important to customers.
