42 Crazy Random Facts That Almost Sound Made Up – Part 100

When a shark is flipped on its back, it enters a state of paralysis that lasts for up to 15 minutes. The phenomenon is known as “Tonic Immobility.” In some cases, orcas have been seen maneuvering a shark upside down to induce this paralyzed state.

27. Every purple heart awarded by the military since 1945 is one of the 500,000 purple hearts manufactured in anticipation of U.S. casualties resulting from the invasion of Japan during World War 2. There are 120,000 still left.

28. As the HMS Sheffield was sinking off the Falklands in 1982, the crew gathered around and started singing 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' from Monty Python.

29. Douglas Adams, the creator of the “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” series, wanted “Slartibartfast's” name to sound very rude. He was originally called "Phartiphukborlz" and changed it gradually until BBC accepted it for radio broadcast.

30. Robert Hooke, despite pioneering the experimental method and discovering many elements of gravitational theory first, was almost entirely erased from history by Sir Isaac Newton because they did not like each other and Newton lived 25 years longer, allowing him to edit history to his favor.

Arizona and Hawaii don't observe daylight savings time.

32. Shirley Temple once served as ambassador to Czechoslovakia.

33. For Fatboy Slim to clear all the audio samples in his 1998 hit single The Rockafeller Skank (also known as Funk Soul Brother), he had to give away 100% of the track's royalties.

34. Honda revealed the shape of the B2 Bomber in a car advertisement, weeks before the government declassified it.

35. The most successful pirate in history was a Chinese woman named Ching Shih. She commanded the Red Flag Fleet which consisted of 300 ships and 40,000 pirates. She was also one of the only pirates to actually retire.

The tarantula hawk wasp’s non-deadly sting is so painful that experienced professionals will suggest you to just lie down and scream if stung because most people lose verbal and physical coordination immediately afterwards.

37. The popular sleeping aid Ambien (Zolpidem Tartrate) has been discovered astonishingly to bring back some minimally conscious patients back from a vegetative state.

38. Because of Daylight Savings Time and the loss of an hour of sleep, the Monday after clocks ‘Spring Forward’ sees an increase in fatal traffic accidents.

39. In Japan, male students can confess their love to another person by giving them the second button from the top of their school uniform. The second button is the one closest to the heart.

40. Owen Wilson attempted suicide and was subsequently treated for depression. A few days after his hospitalization, Wilson withdrew from his role in 'Tropic Thunder'. He was replaced by Matthew McConaughey.

The trap or 'bend' in pipes is used to block off hazardous gasses from entering buildings.

42. One of the first radio communications from an aircraft in flight was, “Roy, come and get this goddamn cat.”