40 Random Trivia We Bet You Will Enjoy A Lot – Part 245

British academics conducted an experiment with 6 monkeys and typewriters inspired by the famed "an infinite number of monkeys will eventually type out Shakespeare's plays" theory. After 4 weeks, the monkeys had typed out 5 pages, mostly of the letter S, then "got bored and sh*t on the keyboard." 

2. When Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania for the Battle of Gettysburg, his army kidnapped free black civilians and sold them south into slavery.

3. Human hair rejected by wigmakers and sent from hair salons is being used to create oil adsorbing booms for ocean oil spills. Hair can absorb 3-9 times its own weight in oil.

4. American blues musician Robert Johnson was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil. The story is that he went to the crossroads near a plantation at midnight and met the devil, who took his guitar, tuned it, played a few songs, and handed the guitar back, granting him mastery of the instrument.

5. The Christmas pickle is a supposedly German tradition, where you hide a pickle in the Christmas tree and whoever finds it first gets a reward. Apparently this is a well-known tradition in the US, but not of German origin and in fact it is completely unknown in Germany.

A fish at the Vancouver Aquarium was given a prosthetic eye so it wouldn’t be bullied by other fish.

7. On April 7th 2007, a theater filled with parents and their kids who were there to see 'The Last Mimzy' were accidentally shown 'The Hills Have Eyes 2' which begins with a screaming, beaten and bloodied woman giving birth to a deformed newborn who is then killed herself with a rock to the head.

8. The White House was completely gutted and reinforced with steel beams in 1949-50. It was only standing, in the words of the Public Buildings Administration commissioner, “by force of habit.”

9. American stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle walked away from $50 million for a 3rd and 4th season of Chappelle’s Show because he "came from a realization that success was nothing like I thought it would be."

10. The famous photo of Johnny Cash giving the middle finger at San Quentin in 1969 was taken by photographer Jim Marshall when Marshall asked Cash to share his feelings on the prison authorities, saying to Cash, "John, let's do a shot for the warden."

Ford uses a robotic butt, called Robutt, to quickly simulate 10 years' worth of wear and tear on car seats in just 3 days. It is heated to 36 degrees Celsius (to approximate the human body’s temperature) and can sweat.

12. The waitlist for a liver transplant in California was going to take over a year, so Steve Jobs bought a house in Tennessee, giving him access to their waitlist, which would only take four months. By doing this, he effectively cut in line on the national transplant list.

13. William Breckinridge was a captain of the Confederacy who later renounced the views that led him to fight for them and became a racial equality advocate. He also represented blacks in court as a lawyer and was even noted by a black lawyer that he had helped many blacks in their law careers. 

14. Someone experiencing stress or anxiety can feel a tight pain in their chest similar to that of a heart attack.

15. The German armed forces have the concept “inner guidance”, which obliges every citizen-soldier to think for themselves. Soldiers may disobey orders against their conscience and it officially traditionalizes the actions of the July-plot conspirators, like Claus von Stauffenberg.

An American teenager named D’Zhana Simmons survived for nearly four months without a heart, kept alive by a custom-built artificial blood-pumping device until she was able to have a heart transplant. She essentially lived for 118 days without a heart, with her circulation supported only by the two blood pumps.

17. At the end of each month, the president of the USA receives a bill for him and his family’s personal food and expenses including dry cleaning, toothpaste, and toiletries, which is then deducted from his salary.

18. Bees sleep and they like to take naps in flowers. Forager bees sleep for several hours a day and older bees require more sleep than youngsters. This is why sometimes you can find bees napping in flowers with their little heads down, antennae motionless, enjoying a quick snooze.

19. There is a long standing “Vitamin-D Paradox” among black people. Researchers couldn’t understand why black folks had better bone health while 80% were chronically Vitamin D deficient. They discovered that black folks make less of a protein that interferes with Vitamin-D. They have it less overall but use it more efficiently.

20. When America fought for independence during the American Revolution, 40,000 British citizens fled to Canada to remain faithful to the crown.

People with high IQ can suffer from dysrationalia, meaning that they are extremely susceptible to cognitive bias and stupid decision making.

22. The Ancient Mongol warriors were said to have worn silk vests, as an arrow hitting silk does not break the silk but ends up embedding the arrow in the flesh wrapped in silk, allowing the arrow to be removed by gently teasing the silk open.

23. Joaquin Phoenix lived on "lettuce, asparagus, and apples" to slim down for 'Joker' movie. The Oscar-winning actor previously revealed he'd lost over 50lbs (22.6kg) for his lead role in the movie and has admitted he undertook a "horrible diet" involving just one very limited meal a day.

24. Bud Sailors, 6'5", would tease his younger brother, Kenny Sailors, 5'7", playing basketball, "Kenny, this isn't the game for you. It's for big men. Tall men." So Kenny invented what is known today as the Jump Shot.

25. In the United States, a check does not need to be written on a specific bank check paper. A check can be written on anything and can be legally cashed as long as the required information is included in it.