32 Random Surprising Facts That You Can’t Miss – Part 90

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1James Earl Ray

James Earl Ray

The family of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did not believe that James Earl Ray assassinated Martin Luther King and that the Mafia, local, state and federal government agencies were involved. They even urged for Ray to be granted a new trial.


2. Valentine's Day is the day that St. Valentine was beaten with clubs and tortured to death for performing secret marriages against the Emperor's wishes. The Emperor Claudius II banned all marriages because soldiers didn't want to leave their families to fight in wars.


3. The first antivirus was a virus (reaper) designed to scour the net for the first virus (creeper) and destroy it.


4. There was a hymn dedicated to Ninkasi, the Sumerian Goddess of beer. The hymn not only praised her, but it also provided directions for brewing beer.


5. Venus rotates so slowly, you can keep the sunset in the same place and watch sunset forever just by walking.


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6Japanese skating rink

Japanese skating rink

A Japanese skating rink once put 5,000 dead fishes in their ice to give their customers the enjoyment of skating over a frozen ocean. The attraction was closed immediately after a public uproar.


7. Mirrors didn’t exist until circa 500 B.C. so the only way people knew what they looked like was by looking at their reflection in still water. Thus, water was a symbol of the self and a symbol of death.


8. Ben, from Ben & Jerry's ice cream, has no sense of smell and gets his "food enjoyment" from the texture. This is why the brand puts chunky ingredients in their icecream.


9. The first mention of a pen with ink reservoir came in 973 A.D. in the region of northwest Africa by Ma'ād al-Mu'izz. He wanted a pen that didn’t get his hand messy. The next mention came in the 17th century by a German inventor, Daniel Schwenter.


10. Scientists have created a transparent aluminum-like material as shown in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. It is a hard, glass-like magnesium aluminate that has visible and IR transmission. Military applications include lightweight bulletproof glass, armor, and lasers.


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11Andy

Andy

Andy was a footless goose born in the 1980s who walked around in baby shoes. He rapidly became a huge star and appeared all over the media, before he was murdered in 1991. His death sparked a nation-wide outrage and a $10,000 reward for information about his killer, but the case was never solved.


12. All diplomas earned by graduates of Gallaudet, university for the deaf, are signed by the presiding President of the United States.


13. The word "moxie", synonymous with "energy" and "spunk" originates from a brand of soft drink. As with many sodas, it was first marketed as an over the counter medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food". Moxie was created in 1876, is flavored with gentian root extract and is still sold in the eastern US.


14. The first widespread book detailing contraception and sexual health was created and published illegally by some Canadian students in 1968. The ‘Birth Control Handbook’ rapidly gained popularity with its critical information and, within a year, millions were distributed across the US and Canada.


15. Skateboard legend Tony Hawk was tested to have an IQ of 144.


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16Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola

American actress and screenwriter Sofia Coppola wrote the lead of Lost in Translation, for Bill Murray. She didn't know him, spent a year trying to track him down, including asking random people who knew him through golf. Eventually, she showed him the script, but he didn’t commit. She flew to Japan to film not sure if he would show up.


17. In 2014, a man was fined $48,000 by the FCC for using a cell phone jammer every day on his commute because he didn't like motorists around him on their phones.


18. The song "Boy Named Sue" made popular by Johnny Cash was actually written by Shel Silverstein.


19. In China, roughly 9.4 million students take the Gaokao exam every year. It is a college entrance exam that lasts two days. During testing time, factories shut down, motorists are banned form honking, and police monitor the streets to ensure that the students are not distracted.


20. Venomous and poisonous are different. If you bite it and die, it is poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it is venomous.


21The Samurai

The Samurai

The 1960s Japanese TV series The Samurai became very popular in Australia. After few episodes were shown on Australian TV in 1964, viewer demand led to the entire series being shown. It became the most popular show on TCN9 at that time and when the series star arrived in Melbourne, he was met by thousands of fans, many in costume.


22. Scientists have managed to recreate the 1918 flu from a victim found in the Alaskan permafrost. Monkeys infected with the flu strain had classic symptoms of the 1918 pandemic and died from a cytokine storm - an overreaction of the immune system. This has helped science understand why healthy individuals died from the flu.


23. The duck-billed platypus has a gene mix of birds, reptiles, and mammals and genetically has 25 possible sexes.


24. Government Agencies have calculated what an average citizen's life is worth. For example, the US Department of Transportation values a life at $9.6 million as of 2016.


25. Olympic gold medals are actually made of silver. 1912 was the last Olympics to hand out solid gold medals. Today's gold medals are 92.5% silver.

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