34 Fun & Exciting Random Facts You Never Knew – Part 205

Cats can recognize their own name. But unlike dogs, they are just not as keen to show their owners what they have learned.

27. Steven Spielberg made up that he snuck into Universal Studios, found an empty office and began his internship by faking it. In reality, his father had to pull some strings to get him an internship through a family friend.

28. American actor Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi) spent the first 9 years of his life in a hospital and when he was finally well enough to leave, was sent to a Japanese internment camp in Arizona.

29. Between 1309 and 1814 the River Thames would freeze so solid and deep that people held fairs on them, often having large Bonfires and the frozen river could even hold elephants on it.

30. Franklin Dixon, the author of over 200 Hardy Boys books which have sold over 70 million copies worldwide is not a real person but a collective pseudonym for dozens of authors who have written for the series. Canadian author Leslie McFarlane wrote 19 of the first 25 books.

The 'thousand-yard stare' is a phrase often used to describe the blank, unfocused gaze of soldiers who have become emotionally detached from the horrors around them. It is also sometimes used more generally to describe the look of dissociation among victims of other types of trauma.

32. The oldest known piece of music is a drinking song called the Epitaph of Seikilos. Its lyrics include the line "Life exists only for a short while, and time demands its toll."

33. Crows and ravens can mimic human languages.

34. Charles Joughin, the chief baker of the Titanic survived paddling for three hours in the frigid Atlantic waters after the sinking of the ship. This was due to a combination of two factors; he'd drunk a decent amount of alcohol, and he was a very good swimmer. He was the last man to leave the ship.