Interesting Facts

30th September 2005 - A Danish newspaper published a series of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, which Muslims found so insulting that 140 people died in the ensuing violence. (140 people died in the resulting protests - now that's a crime.)

Norway has been named the world’s happiest country, according to the World Happiness Report 2017 . (Norway moved up 4 places, and knocked Denmark off the top spot into second place, by ranking highly on the main factors found to contribute to happiness: “caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance”. Iceland and Switzerland rounded out the top four. Sadly The UK sits in 19th place, beaten by Germany in 16th and the US in 14th. Poor old France is a miserable 31st in the standings. So much for Hygge. Although I guess to really experience Hygge, this sort of thing shouldn't matter.)

In a survey that examines the good each country does for humanity as well as what it takes away, Britain has ranked 4th. (The Good Country Index placed Sweden first, Denmark second, and the Netherlands third, but the UK came above France and Germany because Britain does more “good” and less harm than more than 150 countries around the world. Britain came top for its global contribution to science and technology, thanks to the high number of journal exports, Nobel prizes and international publications it has produced,  was ranked 2nd on its global contribution to health and wellbeing, but it scored poorly on international security and peace, coming 64th out of 163 countries. Simon Anholt, who created the Good Country Index, said that while countries must serve the interests of their people it should not be at the expense of other populations.  I think we could apply that to ourselves as individuals too.)

15th August 1843 – Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, opened in Copenhagen, Denmark. 1914 – The Panama Canal opened to traffic. 1945 - Allied nations celebrated VJ Day marking the end of World War II. 1947 – India gained Independence from British rule after almost 190 years. 1952 – A flash flood in the town of Lynmouth, England, killed 34 people. 1963 – The last man was hanged in Scotland. 1971 – Bahrain gained independence from the United Kingdom. 1971 - horse rider Harvey Smith was stripped of £2,000 winnings and a major show jumping title for allegedly making a rude gesture, although he swore it was a V for victory sign. 1998 – 27 people were killed following a massive car bomb in the town of Omagh in Northern Ireland.

The top 5 countries in the Global Wellbeing Index, published by the United Nations, are Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Canada. (The researchers believe that the differences in happiness can be explained by 6 factors: levels of gross domestic product (GDP), life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom and level of corruption. The US is 15th, the UK is 21st, but Germany is only 26th.) Source

According to analysis by the Economist, the popularity of apples has outstripped that of oranges. (Denmark consumes the most apples per head (30kg per person per year), and Morocco has the highest orange, tangerine and mandarin consumption (32 kg per person per year). I bet Danish doctors aren't that happy.)

According to the Global Peace Index, Europe is the most peaceful area of the world, with 13 of the top 20 most peaceful countries. (Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand were the top 3 most peaceful countries of 162; the UK ranked 44th. The Global Peace Index is issued by the IEP (Institute for Economics and Peace) and is a measurement of nations’ and regions’ peacefulness based on external and internal measures. You can see how well your country ranks on their interactive map:- http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/indexes/global-peace-index)

According to a study by YouGov, 75% of people in the UK read, watch or listen to a news story every day. (This may seem high, but in the UK we actually consume less news than people in the US and some European countries; nine out of 10 Germans access the news every day, and UK readers have less interest in politics, and more interest in celebrity news, with 21% of UK consumers expressing an interest in stories about music, film and gossip, compared with 9% in Denmark, 14% in Germany and France, and 16% in the USA. I wonder if this says something about the average person in the UK, or more about UK politics.)

According to a review published in the British Medical Journal, adding 17.5% VAT to unhealthy foods in Britain could cut up to 2,700 heart disease deaths a year. (One US study showed a 35% increase in the price of sugar sweetened drinks – working out at 28p per drink – in a canteen led to a 26 per cent decline in sales. Dr Oliver Mytton and colleagues at Oxford University said so called fat taxes would need to be at least 20 per cent to have a meaningful effect on population health. In the past year, Denmark has introduced a fat tax, Hungary a junk food tax and France a tax on sweetened drinks. Other countries,  notably Ireland, are also considering such taxes. I want to know why they're not considering a champagne tax or caviar tax.) Source

According to research carried out by the Departments of Clinical Biochemistry and Cardiology in Denmark, yellow marks on the eyelids are a sign of increased risk of heart attack. (These markings, called xanthelasmata, are mostly made up of cholesterol and can be treated cosmetically, but are also a warning sign of raised cholesterol, which can lead to cardiac problems. Guess what I did when I read this? Yup. I went to look in the mirror - so far - all clear.)

Denmark has introduced what is believed to be the world's first fat tax: (Now this isn't a tax on fat people, it's a surcharge placed on foods that are high in saturated fat. Foods that contain saturated fat include, butter, milk, cheese, pizza, meat, oil and processed foods, which are all subject to the tax if they contain more than 2.3% saturated fat. So, not so much a stealth tax, as a health tax.)

Denmark is home to the world's largest sperm bank. (Cryos International, the largest sperm bank in the world, was established in 1987 in Aarhus, Denmark.  So, now you know.  Denmark, famous for Lego and sperm.)

Marmite has been banned in Denmark. (Not because of the taste though, it has been removed from supermarket shelves as part of a clampdown in Denmark on foods fortified with vitamins and minerals. And it's not just Marmite, British hot drinks Horlicks and Ovaltine, along with Farley’s Rusks – made by the US food giant Heinz – have also been placed on the blacklist.  Vegemite, Marmite’s Australian rival, has also gone, and Kellogg’s cereals, fortified with B vitamins, have been banned since 2004.  I can foresee a vitamin smuggling ring setting itself up in Denmark, can't you?) Source

Britons get angry more often than anyone else in Europe. (According to a survey commissioned by TV comedy channel GOLD, Brits fly into a rage an average of four times a day by things like queue jumping, traffic jams, rude service in shops, foreign call centres and having to deal with ill-mannered neighbours. In contrast Italians only get angry three and a half times a day, the French three times and apparently those living in Sweden, Norway and Denmark said they get irate just once every five days.)