50 Random Facts List # 54

Terry Davis was a schizophrenic programmer who spent 10 years of his life programming an operating system (TempleOS) to talk to God.

27. Before being offered the role of Hannibal Lecter, Anthony Hopkins had quit Hollywood to go back to England, feeling that the rest of his mediocre career would be spent on stage and "doing respectable BBC work."

28. Smirnoff Vodka's creator Pyotr Smirnov launched his brand to quick success in 1864 by giving panhandlers food and drink in return for asking them to fan out around the city of Moscow, demanding Smirnoff Vodka at local bars.

29. CAPTCHA is an acronym: "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart".

30. Mozart had an older sister (Maria Anna Mozart) who was also a child prodigy, considered one of the finest pianists in Europe until outshone by her younger brother.

The Miss South Carolina teen (Caitlin Upton) who became an internet meme for her incomprehensible answer contemplated suicide after her pageant flub.

32. When the Sears magazine printers switched from a thin, newspaper-like stock to a more modern glossy paper stock, people wrote into the company to complain that the magazine couldn't be used for toilet paper anymore.

33. In 2010, a disgruntled Jet Blue employee (Steven Slater) quit his job by broadcasting an angry rant over the intercom, activating the plane's emergency inflatable ramp, and sliding away with two beers he'd stolen from the galley.

34. In 1997, comedian Dana Carvey underwent heart bypass surgery for a blocked coronary artery, but the surgeon operated on the wrong artery. Carvey, later suffering from angina pectoris, sued for medical malpractice and was awarded millions in damages. He donated the money to charity.

35. In 2013, police in the Maldives detained a suspect for loitering near an election polling place on suspicion of black magic. The suspect in question was a coconut. A magician summoned by police established that the coconut was innocent. No arrests were made.

There is an Indian village named "Piplantri", which celebrates the birth of every girl child by planting 111 trees.

37. The "Just Missed it Club" was a group of people who, for one reason or another did not sail on the Titanic. One of these members was Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, son of the late shipping and railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt. He died in the Lusitania disaster 3 years later.

38. IKEA screws get stripped so fast because the screw head is not Phillips, and is actually superior with the right tools.

39. In 1958, a man decided to name his son "Winner". Three years later, he had another son who he named "Loser". "Winner" became a hardened criminal and "Loser" became a detective.

40. Hitler and his architect Albert Speer believed in the "Ruin Value" of buildings. He aimed for every building that the Third Reich built to have aesthetically pleasing ruins 1000 years from their completion.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler got a family to assign their 14-year-old daughter (Julia Holcomb) to his care. She got pregnant with him and had an abortion. He then gave her back to her parents when she was 17.

42. Paralympic medals have steel balls inside them which, when shaken, makes a rattling sound that helps notify visually impaired athletes to determine between medals.

43. The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of writer's block is the shortest academic article ever: it has no words.

44. People can keep their amputated limbs. A woman named Kristi Loyall requested to keep her leg before being amputated due to cancer. Now she and her leg travel the world, posting photos of their adventures on Instagram.

45. In 2007, a 73-year-old man named Sherman Sizemore underwent surgery and suffered "anesthesia awareness". This is a condition where the patient is conscious and feels pain but is paralyzed and cannot alert the surgeon. The man's resulting PTSD led him to suicide, prompting a lawsuit against the anesthesiologists.

The papal election of 1268 lasted 3 years and eventually the roof of the building they were locked in was removed to speed up the election. The election lasted so long that 3 cardinal electors died and 1 resigned during it.

47. Two of the greatest composers of their time, Bach and Handel, despite living near each other but never meeting, were both blinded by the same quack traveling eye doctor.

48. In 1946, Ian Fleming built his estate in Jamaica on a beach clifftop and named it Goldeneye. He wrote all his James Bond novels there in January and February each year. A number of Bond films were filmed nearby. After his death, it was sold to Bob Marley.

49. The "Batman Effect", shows that wearing a Batman-mask improves perseverance among 4-6 years old.

50. On average at peak production, one horse can output 14.9 horsepower.