50 Random Facts List #237

Benjamin Franklin was such an incredible swimmer that he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1968.

27. A 9-year-old pitbull-mix from Montana named Zeus was stolen by a family “friend” and found 2,000 miles away in West Virginia after the thief was arrested. Zeus had a microchip with contact info but was too big to fly so 15 strangers volunteered to drive him home across 9 states.

28. Agatha Christie's in-depth description of using Thallium to poison people in her novel, The Pale Horse, inspired several people to poison others in real life. In some instances, medical professionals who had read the book recognized the symptoms when others had not.

29. Deficiency of Vitamin-D worsens Respiratory Tract Infections. This is thought to be one of the reasons why there are fewer Flu cases in the summer.

30. Arthur Conan Doyle loosely based Sherlock Holmes on Dr. Joseph Bell, a Scottish surgeon who was known for his skills in observation. Dr. Bell would often pick a stranger, and by observing him, deduce his occupation and recent activities. He was considered a pioneer in forensic science.

In order for Voldemort’s name to spell out to “Je Suis Voldemort” in the French translations of Harry Potter, they had to make his middle name ‘Elvis.’

32. Boston Police officers cared for a stray cat named "SWAT Cat" for 3 years; when the calico cat went missing, Officer Pietroski, (15-yr veteran of BPD), worked after hours to build a "kitty condo" including a large deck and sliding glass doors. The cat returned and moved into the new home.

33. Fire departments were first created in the modern world by the insurance companies in the 17th century. These companies hired private brigades to put out fires for their policyholders. Each insurance company had its own brigade and would extinguish only the fires of their customers while leaving non-customer properties to burn.

34. In 1943, the life of a 2 ½ year old Jewish boy named Josef Schleifstein was saved after his father hid him in a large sack when they arrived at Buchenwald concentration camp. He was eventually found, but the guards took a liking to him and saw him as a "camp mascot". He survived the war.

35. There was a pandemic in the early 20th century that caused life-long stupor and Parkinsonism in survivors, with many sleeping during the day and waking at night. It resulted in the deaths of millions of people worldwide. Called "Sleeping Sickness", the causative agent has never been found.

Joaquin Phoenix began calling himself "Leaf" as a child, having been inspired by spending time outdoors raking leaves and desiring to have a nature-related name like his siblings. This became the name he used as a child actor until he changed it back to Joaquin at the age of 15.

37. Johnny Carson caused a nationwide toilet paper shortage in 1973 by claiming on national TV that there was a toilet paper shortage.

38. There is a conference for all towns and cities around the world named Newcastle that is held every 2 years, where members meet up and discuss how to form better relationships around the world.

39. Commodus, a Roman emperor often portrayed in media as vile and cruel, would shoot hundreds of animals with arrows and javelins every morning, and fought as a gladiator every afternoon, winning all the fights. He was strangled by his wrestler partner and declared a public enemy post-death.

40. Muhammad Ali was first directed to take up boxing at the age of 12 after his bicycle was stolen. Police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin met him fuming over the theft. Ali told Martin that he was going to “whup” the thief. Martin told him that he had better learn how to box first. 

A 14-year-old boy named Aidan Jackson seated 10,500 teddy bears in a rugby stadium to honor his friend Olivia Alice Walker who died at the age of 15 and to raise money for a Foundation in her name. He raised more funds by doing a swim equivalent to the English Channel for over 3 months. The two had met at a swim club.

42. If you flush a toilet with the lid up, germs will still be in the air 90 minutes later.

43. Dogs have an extra sensory organ in their nose that allows them to sense heat from nearby objects, acting like a thermal sensor.

44. In 1915, a 23-year-old African-American woman named Alice Ball revolutionized the treatment for leprosy, by creating a soluble and injectable treatment from chaulmoogra oil.

45. Ryan Reynolds was on a Push Pop commercial in the '90s.

Starbuck's door handles are more germ-laden than NYC subway poles.

47. The Manchineel trees in Florida are so deadly that even standing under it during a rain is enough to cause blistering of the skin by raindrops carrying its sap. Additionally, if one of these deadly trees is burnt, the resulting smoke can cause blindness.

48. Yogurt was invented in 5000 B.C. and the combination of yogurt and honey was called "the food of the Gods."

49. The longest echo in a man-made structure is produced in an abandoned oil depot in Scotland, the Inchindown Oil Tanks. The echo lasts for 112 seconds.

50. A study in the UK in 2015 found that a cat's personality is linked to its colorings, with black and white cats being the most aggressive, and tortoiseshell and white cats being the most antisocial.