50 Random Facts List #72

Medieval moats served not only the purpose of being a physical barrier but when water-filled were also able to prevent enemies from tunneling and undermining a wall, by saturating the ground, making tunneling very difficult.

27. Ronnie Barrett, the designer of the .50 cal M82 sniper rifle, was a photographer with no background in manufacturing or engineering.

28. Irish people call black people "daoine gorm" (blue people) rather than "daoine dubh" (literally black people) because "fear dubh" (black man) means "the devil".

29. In 2004, a Magnetar (a type of a Neutron Star with a powerful magnetic field) had a large gamma ray burst which briefly expanded the ionosphere of Earth. It is thought to be the largest explosion observed in the galaxy by humans since the supernova observed by Johannes Kepler in 1604.

30. The European Union established regulations that forced all cell phone companies to adopt the MicroUSB as a standard charger port. One phone charger works for all models under this scheme. Apple got around the rule by simply including an adaptor for all of their new phones.

According to "Hollywood accounting", the Lord of the Rings trilogy" made horrendous losses and no profit at all", inspite of earning $3 billion on a budget of $100 million.

32. In United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. the United States Supreme Court ruled Hollywood's Big Five could no longer own movie theaters, thus breaking up their oligopoly. Before its ruling, Hollywood studios controlled the filming, producing, printing and distribution of their movies.

33. Kangatarianism is a form of vegetarianism that includes the consumption of kangaroo meat for environmental and ethical reasons. Kangaroos live in the wild, requiring no extra land or water for farming, produce very little methane, and have a minimal impact on the local landscape.

34. A man from Pittsburgh started a petition to rename their airport after Mr. Rogers. The petition got over 4000 signatures.

35. Pizzly bears, grizzly/polar bear hybrids (Nanulak), are found in the wild as well as captivity.

Marlboro cigarettes were initially marketed to women and included a red strip around their filters to hide lipstick marks.

37. The "Necco" of Necco Wafers stands for "New England Confectionery Company."

38. Dead Birds were a common theme on Victorian Christmas cards.

39. Pablo Picasso went on trial as a suspect for stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre.

40. Eddie Chapman was a professional criminal and prolific womanizer who became an important British double agent during World War 2. He once convinced both British and German intelligence to house and pay each of his two fiancees in opposite warzones. He is the only Briton to win the German Iron Cross.

During The Great War, China sent 185,000 workers (100,000 in the UK, 35,000 in France, 50,000 in Russia) to work in the European front, for various tasks: unloading military goods, digging trenches, constructing barracks and field hospitals, burying victims of war, working in armament factories.

42. In the early 80's, F14 Tomcat pilots flying reconnaissance missions over the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon used commercial "fuzz-buster" radar detectors, mounted in pairs on the pilot's glare shield, to warn them of Surface-To-Air missile radars that the aircraft's built-in gear couldn't detect.

43. The "Dwight you ignorant slut" line from the office was a reference to a Dan Aykroyd skit on SNL. Even when teaching suicide awareness Michael Scott was making jokes.

44. After being stuck charging 5 cent/bottle for various reasons, the Coca-Cola Company approached the U.S. Treasury Department asking them to mint a 7.5 cent coin in 1953, as a method to increase their prices without requiring two coins for vending machine sales.

45. There is a type of bacteria (D. acidovarans) that poops gold.

Most insurance companies will provide discounts or reimbursements for gym memberships to keep you healthy.

47. In 2002, a fight between three Florida inmates over the theft of a pet spider resulted in life-threatening skull injuries to one inmate.

48. In 1862, Abraham Lincoln wanted to deport free African Americans to Brazil. The plan failed because Brazil said no.

49. The Australian Dingo is able to absorb the majority of it's water intake from the consumption of prey alone. A pair of Dingos were once recorded going 22 days without water.

50. The band Oasis, after having technical difficulties at a large gig, issued refund checks with the band's branding, hoping that fans would keep them as collectibles instead of cashing them in. It worked.