2019 in Roman numerals is MMXIX. This is how you can write it using the symbols for 1000, 10, and 1:
- 2019 = 1000 + 1000 + 10 + (10 – 1)
- 2019 = M + M + X + (X – I)
- 2019 = MMXIX
There are many fun facts about 2019 that you might not know.
Here are some of them:
A lost continent was identified in the Mediterranean. Scientists named it Greater Adria and said it was the size of Greenland. It broke off from North Africa and sank under Southern Europe about 100 million years ago.
A human-sized penguin once lived in New Zealand. It was called Crossvallia waiparensis and it was about 1.6 meters tall and weighed 80 kilograms.
It lived around 60 million years ago, when the climate was much warmer.
Popping a bottle of champagne releases the same shock waves as a jet. Researchers found that the speed of the cork can reach up to 50 kilometers per hour and create a supersonic flow of carbon dioxide gas that produces Mach 1 level force.
People who function on less sleep may have a gene mutation. Scientists discovered that a mutation of the β1-adrenergic receptor allows some people to sleep for only four to six hours and still feel refreshed.
This gene affects the brain’s response to stress hormones.
The world’s oldest living person, a Japanese woman, celebrated her 116th birthday. Her name is Kane Tanaka and she was born on January 2, 1903.
She likes to play board games and study math.
The world’s oldest living land animal, a tortoise named Jonathan, celebrated his 187th birthday.
He lives on the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean and was brought there in 1882. He is blind and has no sense of smell, but he enjoys eating fruits and vegetables.
The unemployment rate in the U.S. dropped to 3.5%, the lowest rate seen since 1969.
About 2 million Americans found new jobs in 2019. The current economic expansion became the single longest in history, growing for 126 consecutive months since the Great Recession.
The Dow set a new highest-ever closing record of 28,645.26 on December 27. The S&P 500 hit a new all-time record close of 3,240.02 on the same day.
Stocks ended 2019 up 28.9%. The bull market passed the 10-year mark in March, becoming the longest bull market in U.S. history.
Astronomers captured the first-ever photo of a black hole. The image showed a ring of light around a dark circle at the center of a galaxy called M87.
The black hole is about 6.5 billion times more massive than the sun and 55 million light-years away from Earth.
Scientists mapped an uncharted part of the human genome linked to diseases. They identified more than 300,000 new DNA sequences that were previously unknown. These sequences could help explain the genetic causes of various diseases and traits.
3 new Earth-sized planets were discovered just 12 light-years away. They orbit a star called Teegarden’s Star, which is one of the smallest and coolest stars known.
The planets are potentially habitable and could have liquid water on their surfaces.
Researchers created the first-ever 3D-printed heart, using patient cells. The heart was about the size of a cherry and had blood vessels, chambers, and ventricles.
It was a proof of concept that showed the potential of using 3D printing to create personalized organs.
Netflix made major waves at the 91st Academy Awards, winning 3 Oscars for the first time. The streaming service won awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Foreign Language Film for Roma, a drama set in Mexico City in the 1970s.
Several animal species bounced back from the brink of extinction, including the Fin Whale, the Amsterdam Albatross, the Northern Bald Iris, and the Round Island Day Gecko.
These species benefited from conservation efforts and improved habitats.
U.S. and global poverty rates continued their downward trend. In 2019, the prevalence of extreme poverty was less than 8%, the lowest ever recorded in human history.
This means that fewer than 600 million people lived on less than $1.90 a day.
Gymnast Simone Biles broke 2 world records at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. She became the first person to nail the double-double dismount and the first person to stick the landing on a historic triple-double. She also won her sixth national title.
More than 600 divers in Florida held the biggest ocean cleanup event ever. They removed more than 9,000 pieces of debris from the ocean floor near a pier in Deerfield Beach.
They set a Guinness World Record for the largest underwater cleanup.
The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in a 13-3 victory, marking the 6th Super Bowl win for the Patriots and the lowest-ever final score in Super Bowl history.
There’s a species of beetle named after teen climate activist Greta Thunberg. The beetle, called Nelloptodes gretae, has no eyes or wings and is less than 1 millimeter long.
It was discovered in a museum collection in London and named in honor of Thunberg’s environmental work.
These are some of the fun facts about 2019
