50 Random Facts List #93

As of 2016, Anders Haugen was the only American to ever have won a medal in ski jumping. He finished 4th in the 1924 Olympics, but when a historian reviewed the results 50 years later, he found a scoring error. Shortly thereafter, Anders went to Norway at the age of 86 where he was awarded his long overdue bronze medal.

2. In 1903, two men named Horatio Nelson Jackson, Sewall K. Crocker and a pit bull named Bud made the first documented journey by automobile from San Francisco to New York using only a connection of dirt roads, cow paths, and railroad beds. The journey took 63 days, became a national sensation, and called for a system of long-distance roads.

3. Due to a researcher’s offhand comment about octopus DNA seeming “alien”, many news outlets mistakenly began reporting that cephalopods had actually come from outer space.

4. The Great Lakes have at least 6,000 shipwrecks with some estimates as high as 25,000.

5. Japanese honeybees defend themselves against wasps by swarming them and "baking" them by vibrating their wings to 47°C, one degree above the wasp's maximum body temperature.

Cap’n Crunch once gave a free prize whistle (Bosun whistle) that blew a 2600 Hz tone so if you dialed a long distance phone number and blew the whistle, it gave you free long distance calls.

7. Queen Elizabeth of the UK has had her position as Queen since before 82% of the entire population of the UK was even born.

8. Kanye West first started making beats when trying to make a Mario style game about a giant penis.

9. In the 1950's and 60's Americans were told that by the year 2000 the normal work week would be 20-30 hours, and people would be committing suicide from boredom.

10. Within 48 hours of quitting smoking, your sense of smell and taste begin to return to normal.

The Olympic Rings (actually designed in 1912) were mistakingly thought to be an ancient Greek symbol after researchers in the 1950s found a stone with the symbol carved on it in Delphi. The stone turned out to be a leftover from a ceremony held there for the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

12. The movie Wall-E angered fat pride groups for its message towards obese people.

13. The Environmental Protection Agency was founded as a response to an overly polluted river (Cuyahoga River) catching fire in 1969.

14. Sugar rushes were determined to be a myth in 1985 (and again in 1995)

15. By following USDA dietary guidelines, you can't simultaneously meet both their potassium and sodium intakes.

Loofah sponges come from luffa plants, a species of the gourd with edible fruits. Once dried and peeled, they reveal a matrix of tough fibrous tissues inside that act as wonderful natural sponges.

17. In Oklahoma, there exists a ghost town named Picher, which is so polluted from lead mining that leftover minerals have caused the rivers to turn red. Children who went swimming in the arsenic-filled water thought they were just getting sunburnt. In reality, they were covered in chemical burns.

18. There were 2 DC heroes called Dogwelder, whose power was to weld dogs to people. Dogwelder II sacrificed himself to save the universe by welding two suns together.

19. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, guitarist for Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers is a ballistic missile expert who regularly contracts with the Department of Defense.

20. Karate Dojos are structured so that the lowest ranking students are nearest to the dojo entrance, meaning in the event of an attack the students would be killed first and the sensei (martial arts teacher) would remain safe.

The Ebionite Christianity was a very old belief (dates back to 180 C.E.) that Jesus was a human prophet who was born normally and had brothers. It was deemed heretical in Nicaea Council.

22. Winston Churchill served as Member of Parliament for 64 years. He served under both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.

23. Certain mammals such as the red kangaroo or roe deer can perform Embryonic Diapause, the ability to "pause" embryo development in unfavorable environmental conditions, effectively saving the embryo and the mother's life in bad conditions.

24. Anarchists believe in a society free of rulers, not one in which there are no rules.

25. The 1st overall draft (Jay Berwanger) pick in the inaugural NFL draft ultimately decided not to play in the NFL, rejecting offers from two teams, to ultimately work for a rubber company.