50 Random Facts List #203

A 20th-century biologist discovered so many species of moths that he simply named them E. bobana, E. cocana, E. dodana, E. fofana, E. hohana, E. kokana, E. lolana and E. momana.

27. A library in Herculaneum was burned and buried in 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. For more than 250 years, scholars have been unrolling/attempting to decipher recovered manuscripts from the only antiquarian library ever recovered. The site was never fully excavated; it is assumed more are still buried.

28. York, William Clark's slave, was one of the first Africans that the Native Americans West of the Mississippi River met. They tried to wash the blackness off of him, and when they discovered that he was, in fact, human they respected his strength.

29. Late Malaysian billionaire Lee Shin Cheng applied for a job at Dunlop Estates, an English plantation company, in the 60s but was rejected for his poor English. 20 years later, he bought the Dunlop Estates.

30. In 2011, a man named Kipp Rusty Walker killed himself in public while at an open mic night at an Oregon coffee shop. Shortly before he stabbed himself, he played a song called “Sorry for all the mess.”

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is a large target of organized crime in Italy. From 2013 to 2015 an organized crime gang stole 2039 wheels of it from warehouses in northern and central Italy.

32. Olympus Mons, the tallest known volcano in the solar system, has such a gradual slope that someone standing at its base wouldn’t be able to see the summit as it would be beyond the horizon.

33. All Australian doctors who plan to stay in Antarctica during the winter must have their appendix removed in case of an unexpected rupture.

34. The world-famous mime Marcel Marceau appears in the 1976 Mel Books film "Silent Movie". He has the only speaking role.

35. There is a 12-foot-tall replica of the Washington Monument hidden under a manhole cover located on the grounds of the original Washington Monument. Its purpose is that of a surveying tool that's usually just a metal rod, but because of the location, this special version was installed.

Most species of bee are solitary and don't live in hives or colonies, instead nesting in the ground, aerially, or even in old snail shells.

37. In Tudor times, High-class women would close themselves off for a period of time before they gave birth. This was called “lying in”. No men were allowed in their private rooms, only women, and all light was closed off apart from a small amount, as it was feared it would harm the mother’s eyes.

38. Chernobyl has been safe to visit since 2011 and most of the danger for the visitors is not from radiation but from unmaintained structures.

39. Professionals who walk over hot coals and broken glass have confirmed that walking over Lego bricks is more painful.

40. The Toyota Land Cruiser originated after the Imperial Japanese Army captured an American Jeep during World War 2 and ordered Toyota to reverse-engineer it.

When attending Comic Con 2013, Bryan Cranston disguised himself by wearing a mask of Walter White over his own face. People told him he sounded like Bryan Cranston but didn’t realize it was him. The charade only ended when he removed the mask at the Breaking Bad panel.

42. In 2008, a couple who inherited a 378-acre farm in Costa Rica (Territorio De Zaguates) transformed it into a huge no-kill dog shelter. Over 1000 dogs, many recovering from illness, starvation, and abuse, live there together. Visitors are welcome to walk and play with them.

43. Many “Vampire killing kits”, allegedly from the 19th century, are sold in auction houses such as Sotheby’s, for upwards of $12,000. However, their authenticity is debatable as they contain materials that place them as being made in the 1930s or later. There is also no historical basis for them.

44. The Hindenburg had a grand piano on it; but because they can weigh up to 1000 pounds, the ship had a specially-made aluminum piano which only weighed 350 pounds.

45. In children lack of exposure to infections is likely a cause of cancer.

Cashew trees are in the same family as poison ivy and poison sumac. They are usually sold shelled and roasted because if not, the shell oil may cause a skin reaction similar to poison ivy.

47. About 40% of the calls that come into the emergency hotline (911) in San Francisco are deemed non-emergencies. Examples include people complaining about rap music next door, car towing and, in one case, no internet.

48. The Peshtigo fire of 1871 was the deadliest wildfire in US history that killed around 1500 people. It's almost unknown because the more famous Great Chicago Fire happened on the same day.

49. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys got an F in his high school Music class for writing what would become their breakout hit "Surfin'". The grade was later changed to an A in 2018 when Wilson was 75.

50. When Lance Armstrong was asked in an interview what he would do if he could go back in time and return to 1995 (the year he started doping), he said that he would "probably do it again."