50 Random Facts List #83

- Sponsored Links -

1Queen

Queen

In 1974, a then largely unknown Queen was booed and heckled at a music festival in Australia. Freddie Mercury told the audience, "When we come back to Australia, we will be the biggest band in the world!" Queen would return after debuting their smash hit Bohemian Rhapsody just two years later.


2. Premature babies who are lightly massaged a few times a day gain weight 47% faster and thus leave hospitals sooner, saving about $3,000 in hospital costs. 8 months later these infants continued to thrive.


3. In the 1980s, 6 people who lived in an apartment in Ukraine died from leukemia over a period of 9 years. An investigation revealed a capsule containing cesium-137 embedded in the wall, believed to have gotten mixed up with construction supplies.


4. Jay Jackson, the actor who played Perd Hapley in Parks and Recreation used to be a real newscaster and only takes acting roles as a newscaster.


5. In 2014, a stalker trespassed on Keanu Reeves' home. Keanu calmly talked to the stalker and called the police, who arrived and arrested her. Three days later, a second stalker made her way into his home, took a shower in his bathroom and swam naked in his pool.


Latest FactRepublic Video:
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History


6Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Twice a year in Monument Valley, mitten-shaped rock formations line up with the sun as it sets, causing one to "high five" the other with its shadow.


7. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh spent millions of dollars over 7 years quietly bankrolling efforts to free the West Memphis 3, three Arkansas men who supporters say were wrongly convicted of the murders of three children.


8. During negotiations for a truce between North and South Korea, both parties would try to bring a bigger national flag than the other to each meeting. This continued until a special meeting was called to address the size of the flags, as they could no longer fit in the room.


9. Amish men shave their mustaches as a protest against violence. The Amish were originally founded in Europe. At the time, mustaches were prevalent in the German military. The Amish began shaving their mustaches as a physical representation of their non-violent nature. This tradition continues to today.


10. The Russian language has a proverb similar to "Necessity is the Mother of Invention" that literally translates to "poor people are crafty".


- Sponsored Links -

11Salii

Salii

There was a Roman priesthood named Salii whose job was to perform a specific dance and chant around sacred shields. Since this ritual was unchanged for centuries, later Romans had no idea what the ritual actually meant while still continuing the tradition.


12. Cows have different 'moo' accents depending on what region in the world they live in.


13. Due to a long-standing disagreement within the Versace family, Gianni Versace (Italian fashion designer) willed 50% ownership of his fashion company to his favorite niece Allegra. She was 11 years old upon his death. On her 18th birthday, Allegra instantly became worth hundreds of millions of dollars.


14. Ireland’s population still hasn’t recovered from the potato famine 160 years ago. It is still 2 million lower than it was before the famine.


15. Airplane food is heavily seasoned but your sense of taste is dulled when you're on an airplane.


- Sponsored Links -

16Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy

Serial killer Ted Bundy put a woman on the stand and then asked her to marry him; she said yes. There was a loophole in Florida law where a marriage proposal accepted under oath was legally binding.


17. Silicone oil leaches out of remote control buttons and gradually makes the controller less responsive.


18. In 1857, Mormon militia members ambushed a wagon train in Utah which was heading to California. They killed 120 people after offering safety from the siege, leaving only a few young children alive.


19. A man named Robert McGee survived scalping at the age of 14. He lived the rest of his life with most of his skull exposed.


20. The iconic font for "Star Wars" was derived from Helvetica Black because designer Suzy Rice thought that it was the most Fascist typeface she could think of.


21Venona Project

Venona Project

Venona Project revealed that there was not a single agency of the American Government that Soviet espionage had not thoroughly infiltrated, and stole secrets concerned with national security.


22. Emperor Hirohito (Showa), the Emperor of World War 2 Japan, was the only “axis power” leader to not have died during the war. He only just died in 1989.


23. Breathing in Delhi air is equivalent to smoking 44 cigarettes a day.


24. The smell of infants triggers a physiological response in mothers similar to that experienced by hungry people presented with a delicious meal. This is the reason behind the urge to nibble newborn babies.


25. Sakae Menda is the first Japanese man ever released from death row. After three weeks of starvation, thirst, and beatings during interrogation in order to force out a confession, he spent 34 years in jail for a crime he did not commit.

1
2
- Sponsored Links -

2 COMMENTS

  1. #18 Is not correct. although there was an event that ended in the death of 120 emigrants, it was not an ambush. It had been a 5 day siege that started because the emigrants had said things to scare the settlers in the area. In the end leaders had told rogue militia members to stand down, they ignored orders. All involved were later tried and executed for their involvement. They were also excommunicated from the mormon church prior to their trials.

    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2007/09/the-mountain-meadows-massacre?lang=eng

    853
  2. Don’t worry, Bill. #18 only illustrates what most people already know. This cult is no different than any of the others, killing in the service of their imaginary friend.

    916

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here