48 Breathtaking Random Facts You Probably Never Knew – Part 48

The Vikings were the first Europeans in North America landing in modern-day Newfoundland in Canada, beating Christopher Columbus by 500 years.

27. Russia has “closed cities”, cities that have restrictions on visitors and are sometimes omitted from maps.

28. The Simpsons' episode guest starring Lady Gaga is the lowest rated episode in the show's history.

29. Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko started smoking at the age of 9. He died after only 13 months in office, the third Soviet leader to die during Reagan's presidency. When informed, Reagan remarked, "How am I supposed to get anyplace with the Russians if they keep dying on me?"

30. Narcotizing Dysfunction is a theory where you obsessively follow the news until it tricks your brain that you are doing something about it when in reality you are doing sh*t.

"Don't Mess With Texas" originated as an anti-litter slogan in the '80s.

32. Richard Garfield, the creator of magic the gathering (first modern collectible card game) is the great-great-grandson of U.S. President James A. Garfield, and his great-uncle invented the paper clip.

33. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, a large comet hit the Earth's atmosphere. It was seen in Rome and China and may have been brightest daylight comet in recorded history. It led to Caesar being deified, an Imperial Cult, and the building of the 'Temple of the Comet Star'.

34. The Allman Brothers Band funded Jimmy Carter $800,000 to his nearly broke presidential campaign. Without the donations he likely would not have won.

35. Massive concrete acoustic mirrors, or “listening ears,” were built in England between the world wars to monitor the skies for the telltale sounds of airborne invasion.

Harlon Block was a marine who raised the flag on Iwo Jima but then died soon after. He was misidentified in the famous picture for 2 years but his mother knew it was him. Looking at the photo she exclaimed “I’ve changed so many diapers on that boy’s butt, I know it’s my boy".

37. The oldest company (Kongō-Gumi) in the world was a Buddhist Temple builder that had been in business continually for 1,428 years before succumbing to financial difficulties in 2006.

38. There is no such character as the "Mad Hatter" in Alice In Wonderland, only "The Hatter". He had a mad tea party and the two concepts merged.

39. Whales' closest living relatives are the hippopotamuses.

40. In 1994, a Boy Scout named David Charles Hahn attempted to make a neutron gun and in the process created a massive irradiation incident in his neighborbood and also irradiated himself. He was arrested. Authorities declared the his shed as a hazardous materials site and sealed it. Crews from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency led a Superfund cleanup in 2005 that included dismantling the shed and shipping its remains to be buried at a low-level radioactive waste site in Utah.

Little league sports were originally organized to keep poor kids off the streets but the Depression caused leagues to close down so poor children from urban areas lost opportunities for competitive athletics. Fee-based groups filled the void but only upper-class kids could afford them.

42. The reason you can't find canned broccoli, unlike most other vegetables, is because broccoli disintegrates into a pulp when cooked for periods of time above 200°F, and water boils at 212°F. The canning process cooks food once before and once after its canned. Broccoli would turn to mush.

43. Many BPA-free plastics contain BPS, a similar chemical that can affect cells the same way. 81% of Americans have BPS in their urine.

44. In 1900, Casey Jones (American railroader) sacrificed himself in order to slow his train to save his passengers from serious injury or death. He was the only fatality.

45. Studded and spiked dog collars were originally intended to protect dogs from wolves, coyotes, and other predators.

Thomas Jefferson helped to popularize "Mac 'n Cheese" by serving it to dinner guests during his presidency.

47. In 2014, chlorine gas was released in a hotel hosting a furry convention, injuring 19 people. The apparent chemical attack is unsolved, and the source of the chlorine is still unknown.

48. American Spirit Cigarettes, despite claiming to be additive-free, add ammonia or urea to increase free-base nicotine absorption to 36%.