40 Totally Useless Random Facts That Are Super Interesting – Part 198

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26Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock

When Alfred Hitchcock was five, his father sent him to the police with a note. The policeman looked at the note and locked him in jail for a few minutes. This experience left him with a lifelong fear of policemen and he wouldn't even drive a car in case he got a parking ticket.


27. The massive velocity of the Paris Gun used in 1918 meant that each shell fired had a larger diameter than the previous or the gun would blow up. The shells were numerically ordered by size from the factory to make sure you fired the right one.


28. Comedian-actor Harold Ramis successfully dodged the Vietnam draft by taking meth just before his physical.


29. The main purpose of a clapperboard in filmmaking is to synchronize picture and sound in post-production, and when out of sync it’s called ‘lip flap.’


30. In most US states it is illegal for a vehicle to pass a cyclist with less than 3 feet of space, and some states extend as high as 6 feet.


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31First transcontinental trip

First transcontinental trip

The first transcontinental trip across the United States in an automobile was accomplished in 1903. Two men and a dog used 800 gallons of gas and spent $8000 over 63 days to travel from San Francisco to New York in a car with no roof or windshield to win a $50 bet that they never collected.


32. Record Companies sued Limewire creators for $72 trillion in damages. That was more than the global GDP in 2011.


33. Violinist Lili Haydn was allowed to choose her own name as a child, and for a time was known as 'Helicopter.'


34. Vasa Syndrome is a term which is used when there are problems in communication and management that can cause projects to fail. It is named after the Vasa, one of the largest and most spectacular warships ever built, which sank in 1628 on its maiden voyage because it was too unstable to withstand a gust of wind.


35. Fans were so relentless in stealing the "Penny Lane" street signs that Liverpool switched to painting the street name directly on buildings rather than replacing them.


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36Dashboard lights

Dashboard lights

When dashboard lights were first used in cars they were called "idiot lights" because drivers were frustrated by the warning lights used in place of gauges, making it more difficult to detect issues early since they only activated after one occurred.


37. In the early 20th century, “Doctor” Linda Hazzard killed at least a dozen of her patients, who coincidentally had just added her to their wills, by “treating” them with 30-40 day total starvation therapy. At first, she couldn’t be prosecuted because her patients signed up willingly.


38. Newborns with a vitamin D deficiency have a 44% increased risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia as adults compared to those with normal vitamin D levels. The developing fetus is totally reliant on the mother's vitamin D stores.


39. President William McKinley wore a red carnation in his lapel at all times as a good luck charm. During a public meeting in his second term, he took out the flower from his lapel and gave it to a 12-year-old girl. Minutes later, he was shot. He died a week later.


40. USC football player Marion Morrison, an early California bodysurfer, tore ligaments in his shoulder while riding the surf near Balboa Pier in 1926. Finished with organized sports, Morrison made his way to Hollywood and was renamed, John Wayne.

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