35 Tenacious Random Facts You Didn’t Know | Random List #282

There is a thing called the "sweater curse." Some knitters believe that knitting a sweater for a significant other and giving it to them as a gift will result in a breakup. A 2005 poll found that 15% of knitters have experienced it firsthand.

27. The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion that satirizes better-known belief systems. Church members seek to acquire “Slack” through sex and avoidance of work.

28. Wolves make great foster parents and even adopt other species' offspring sometimes such as fox cubs.

29. An average individual in 1700s consumed 4 pounds of sugar annually. By 2009, 50% of Americans were consuming at least 180 pounds of sugar annually.

30. John Quincy Adams had a pool table installed in the White House that he enjoyed playing most days. This was something that his opponents and some dignitaries found scandalous.

There are “ghost islands” off the coast of Virginia that have been uninhabitable since 1936 as they act as a natural barrier to the coast during hurricane season. They are home to a feral horse population, a NASA flight facility, and the second tallest lighthouse in the United States.

32. The lowest toll ever paid for crossing Panama Canal was 36 cents by Richard Halliburton in 1928, who swam across the canal.

33. In 1856, businessman and aeronautics enthusiast Matías Pérez took flight in a hot air balloon at sunset in Cuba, and was never seen again. This incident originated the Cuban phrase, "Voló como Matías Pérez," (flew away like Matías Pérez) to refer to someone vanishing into thin air.

34. A Japanese warrior named Saitō Musashibō Benkei is said to have killed in excess of 300 trained soldiers by himself while defending a bridge. He was so fierce in close quarters that his enemies were forced to kill him with a volley of arrows. He died standing upright.

35. The disembodied hand of the Statue of Liberty sat in Madison Square for 6 years to raise money for the rest of the statue.