1Swagger Stick Origin in Rome
The vine staff that Roman centurions carried is where the term "swagger stick" (a short stick used to demonstrate authority, typically made of rattan) originated. General Patton famously carried one that allegedly concealed a hidden dagger.
2. Japanese citizens carry a personal stamp called a "Hanko" that they use to sign financial and legal documents.
3. Bono always wears sunglasses because his eyes are so sensitive to light that even the flash from a camera can cause swelling.
4. As a part of the "Five Articles of Faith," Sikhs are required to carry a curved dagger at all times, specifically for the defense of the innocent and those in peril.
5. Babe Ruth always wore a cabbage leaf under his cap to keep his head cool. In South Korea, this is considered unsporting unless the player has a doctor's note.
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6Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow Visits
Johnny Depp always travels with his Jack Sparrow costume so he can randomly visit children's hospitals dressed in character.
7. Novelist James Jones would carry around envelopes containing 67¢-his royalty from each copy of From Here to Eternity sold-to give to any of his friends who had bought the book, as he didn't want to make money from his friends.
8. American trucking entrepreneur JB Hunt used to carry around a clip of $100 bills and hand them out to people he thought could use them.
9. During World War II, soldiers would carry metal-plated Bibles designed to fit securely into their uniform's chest pocket, called "Heart Shield Bibles." As their name implies, the Bibles were designed to stop a bullet from reaching the soldier's heart.
10. Scottish soldiers in the 14th century would carry a metal plate and a sack of oats on them for portable nutrition, oatcakes being the goal.
11Coal Miners' Canary Detectors
Coal miners used to carry caged canaries down into the mines as a detector of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and methane. The canary would show signs of distress and/or die before the gases affected the miners, giving them time to escape.
12. Ninjas used to carry crickets or cicadas to disguise their sound when needed.
13. Digby Tatham-Warter, a British Army officer, often carried an umbrella into battle during World War II. He once disabled a German armored car by poking the driver in the eye with it.
14. British police cars carry a teddy bear to console children after an accident.
15. Pablo Picasso carried a revolver loaded with blanks, which he would fire at whoever asked him what his work "meant."
16German Driving First Aid
First aid training is mandatory in Germany if you wish to obtain a driver's license, and every vehicle has to carry a first aid kit.
17. Theodore Roosevelt's daughter, Alice, had a pet snake named Emily Spinach. She liked to carry it around the White House in her purse and take it out at unexpected moments.
18. Longyearbyen, Norway, is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000. It has a ban on cats, a monthly alcohol purchase limit, and a requirement to carry a rifle while outside for protection from polar bears.
19. In silkworm farms in 16th-century Italy, delicate silkworm eggs were incubated by women who carried them in small bags next to their skin, sometimes between their breasts.
20. During Charles Manson's trial, the judge began carrying a revolver under his robe after Manson charged at him with a pencil.
21Aretha Franklin's On-Stage Cash
Aretha Franklin required that she be paid in cash prior to any music performance, and she often carried the money in a bag on stage during the show.
22. Until 1971, the Government of Canada assigned all Inuit people a number in lieu of a surname and issued each a leather disc with the number that had to be carried at all times or sewn into clothing.
23. Canada's 8th largest national park, Wapusk National Park (11,475 square kilometers), doesn't allow tourists, and all researchers must carry a shotgun when visiting due to the risk of polar bear attacks.
24. Gladiators in Ancient Rome used to carry out product placements in the arena, and this was included in an early script for Gladiator (2000) but was removed out of fears that it would be viewed as anachronistic.
25. British officer Jack Churchill, who entered battle with a longbow, bagpipes, and a Scottish broadsword, made the last known kill with a bow and arrow in World War II.
