50 Random Facts List #100

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26George RR Martin

George RR Martin

A fan of George R.R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ guessed that “Hodor” meant “Hold the Door”, to which Martin answered, “you don't know how close to the truth you are.”


27. Bulimia is so rare outside of western countries that the first recorded case in India resulted in a scientific publication.


28. The Pentagon has twice as many toilet facilities needed for a building of its size because it had to conform to the Commonwealth of Virginia's racial segregation laws during construction.


29. All arcade games imported into North America from 1989 to 2000 had the following FBI slogan included into their attract mode: “Winners Don't Use Drugs.”


30. Lemurs get high off large red millipedes by gently biting into them and making the millipede release a defensive toxin. They then spread this toxin through their fur and, thanks to the small concentration of cyanide within it, the lemurs enter a state of intoxication and salivate profusely.


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31Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

After British ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died, a campaign was started to bring "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" from "The Wizard of Oz" to the top of the music charts. It sold over 50,000 copies and entered at Number Two.


32. 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.


33. 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.


34. 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.


35. 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.


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36Robert Hooke

Robert Hooke

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.


37. Arizona and Hawaii don't observe daylight savings time.


38. Shirley Temple once served as ambassador to Czechoslovakia.


39. 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.


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


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41Ching Shih

Ching Shih

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.


42. 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.


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


44. 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.


45. 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.


46Owen Wilson

Owen Wilson

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.


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


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


49. New York Times' puzzle editor Will Shortz designed his own major program at Indiana University, and in 1974 became the first and only holder of a degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles.


50. In 2009, Palau created the world’s first shark sanctuary banning commercial shark fishing. The sanctuary protects about 230,000 square miles of ocean. Palau received the Future Policy Award from World Future Council, because “Palau is a global leader in protecting marine ecosystems.”

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