Fiery Knowledge

facts on redheads

By aqvc

Published 11 years ago

facts on redheads

1
The ancient Greeks believed that redheads would turn into vampires after they died.

2
While Scotland has the highest proportion 13 of redheads followed by Ireland with 10, the United States has the largest population of redheads in the world, with between 6-18 million redheads, or 2-6 of the population.

3
Otherwise dark hair may turn red or blond in cases of severe protein deficiency due to starvation.

4
Because natural red hair holds its pigment more than other colors, it is harder to dye.

5
Red hair and light skin can be a killer combo, literally. According to a study published in the journal Molecular Cell, gingers are at elevated risk for developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

6
Red hair is a recessive trait, which means that a child must inherit one red hair gene from each parent. Recessive traits often come in pairs, and redheads are more likely than other people to be left handed

7
Because redheads have thicker hair than people with other hair colors, they have fewer strands of hair. For example, while blondes have on average 140,000 hairs, redheads have approximately 90,000.

8
During the Middle Ages, a child with red hair was thought to be conceived during unclean sex or during menstruation

9
Mark Twain once quipped that while the rest of the human race are descended from monkeys, redheads derive from cats

10
Werner Habermehl, PhD, from the Hamburg Research Institute in Germany, looked at the sex lives and hair color of hundreds of German women. The sex lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than those with other hair color, Dr. Habermehl said in a press release. The research shows that the fiery redhead certainly lives up to her reputation.

11
Redheaded women report bruising more easily than other women of different hair colors.

12
Redheads may curse the pale complexion that often accompanies their cherry tresses, but scientists have found that fair skin has an important anti-disease property. It soaks up more vitamin D, which is essential for bone health and preventing osteoporosis. Some researchers believe it may also boost immunity and help prevent some cancers and autoimmune diseases.

13
The sixteenth-century artist Titian Tiziano Vecelli painted so many redheads that his name became associated with a shade of red.

14
Red hair is a mutation of the MC1R gene on chromosome 16. The mutation blocks the production of eumelanin dark brown and black pigment, which causes a buildup of the phaeomelanin red and blond pigments. Some scientists believe that higher levels of phaeomelanin may produce more mutations and dangerous effects when exposed to UV radiation.

15
Redheads may also be more susceptible to Parkinsons disease. According to a Harvard study, people with red hair have a nearly 90 percent higher risk for the neurological disorder, which causes progressive difficulties with balance and coordination. Scientists arent completely sure why theres a connection, but they believe it may have to do with a mutation in a red hair-related gene that also spells a higher risk for Parkinsons.

16
Scholars note that redheads have influenced history out of proportion to their numbers. Famous redheads include Roman emperor Nero, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, the ancient god of love Aphrodite, Queen Elizabeth I, Napoleon Bonaparte, Oliver Cromwell, Emily Dickinson, Antonio Vivaldi, Thomas Jefferson, Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Twain, James Joyce, Winston Churchill, Malcolm X, Galileo, and King David.

17
According to a Clairol Color Attitude survey, 71 of redheads think that the word bold describes them, which is 24 points ahead of blonds.

18
In 1995, Professor Jonathan Reese discovered that mutations of the gene MC1R on chromosome 16 were responsible for red hair known as the ginger gene. The gene mutation responsible for red hair in humans probably arose 20,000-40,000 years ago.

19
Hitler reportedly banned the marriage of redheads in order to prevent deviant offspring.

20
Red hair doesnt gray as much as other hair colors. Red hair initially tends to turn blond and then white

21
According to Hamburg sex researcher Dr. Werner Habermehl, women with red hair have more sex than women with other hair colors. He also postulates that women in a relationship who dye their hair red may be signaling that they are unhappy and looking for something better.

22
Gingerphobia is a fear of redheads. Gingerism is the bullying or prejudice of redheads

23
Despite a long-running rumor that redheads deserve a spot on the endangered species list, gingers are here to stay. While only 4 percent of the worlds population carries the recessive redhead gene, according to the Oxford Hair Foundation, that number will probably only decrease as redheads reproduce with non-redheads. So over time, red hair may become more rare, but theyll be here forever, Barry Star, PhD, a genetics professor at Stanford University, told The Boston Globe. Thats because 4 percent of the population is still a pretty huge number too large to be wiped out.

25
redheads are thin-skinned when it comes to pain tolerance. Research shows that they require about 20 percent more anesthesia than blondes or brunettes, possibly because theyre more resistant to pain medications like Novocain, according to a study published in the journal Anesthesiology. Theyre also more sensitive to pain caused by cold and hot temperatures.

26
In ancient Rome, redheaded slaves were often more expensive than those with other hair color.

27
Satan is often portrayed as a redhead most likely because red was viewed as the color of sexual desire and moral degradation

28
During the witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Europe, many women were burned at the stake as witches merely because they had red hair.