50 Random Facts List #96

A 1948 survey found that, pregnant women in USA were not allowed to be teachers in 57% of public school districts because "the sight of pregnant women would unfavorably influence students" and because "pregnant teachers' minds would not be on their work."

27. In 1915, Closing and Opening times in pubs had to be implemented to stop factory workers from showing up to work drunk and harming the war effort.

28. The Vatican declared wearing bikinis a sin in the 1950s.

29. Cats have almost twice the amount of neurons as dogs and can be allergic to humans.

30. Every major space vehicle flown from Cape Canaveral has been wired with a remote explosive destruct system to be used if the vehicle should travel off course and towards populated areas.

The United States Air Force Pararescue (PJs) unit uses the sound bite of "Leeroy Jenkins" from World of Warcraft to notify themselves of an upcoming medevac mission.

32. In Minnesota, those involved in certain DWI and DUI incidents obtain special registration plates that always begin with the letter 'W'. These are called Whiskey Plates.

33. In 2016, Rock band Train released an album covering Led Zeppelin II in its entirety. New York Daily News called it "confusing and unnecessary".

34. Lion's roar from the Metro-Goldwyn logo is actually made from tiger vocalizations, as "lions don't make that kind of ferocious noise and the logo needed to be ferocious and majestic."

35. The British Veterinary Association is urging people to avoid pugs, bulldogs, and Shih-Tzus due to the health problems associated with the breeds.

In 1983, a USAF KC-135 tanker used its fuel boom to tow an F-4 Phantom to safety after the fighter lost engine power flying over the Atlantic.

37. The school lunch program was invented to help prop up food prices by absorbing farm surpluses.

38. Facebook's facial recognition system was found to outperform similar systems used by the FBI. Where Facebook has a 98% accuracy rating in identifying faces, the FBI had a success rate of 85%.

39. Between 90-95% of meteors that approach Earth burn up in our atmosphere. The asteroid that entered Earth's atmosphere in 2013 over Russia broke 15 miles above the ground and generated a shock wave equivalent to a 500-kiloton explosion.

40. Monkeys display metacognitive abilities, which means that they are aware of their own thought process and knowledge, and seek to actively control it.

After the U.S. Civil War, the U.S. filed financial claims against Great Britain, claiming that their support for the Confederacy prolonged the war. A Senator named Charles Sumner demanded a payment of $2 billion but offered that the U.K. could just turn over Canada as payment instead.

42. Edmund Clint was an Indian child prodigy who in his short life of less than 7 years painted 25,000 paintings.

43. Charlie from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was actually supposed to be black. According to Roald Dahl's wife, he changed it because his agent pressured him that a black protagonist might not appeal to potential buyers.

44. Eclair translates to "flash of lightning" in French because they are often eaten quickly.

45. Out of 9 DNA samples claimed to be from the “abominable snowman”, 8 actually came from various species of bears native to the area.

HMS Jervis was a destroyer which served in the Royal Navy during World War 2. It did not lose a single crew member to enemy action despite having participated in 13 major actions and serving throughout the war.

47. The Former CEO of General Electrics (Jeff Immelt) used to travel in a private jet with an empty private jet following behind, in case of mechanical problems.

48. The Wild Boar is one of America's most problematic invasive species and an estimated 5-6 million pigs live across 35 states. They are continuing to spread.

49. In 1963, a man escaped to West Berlin from East Berlin with a car that could drive under the barrier. Another man crossed the Berlin Wall on a tightrope the same year.

50. In 1071 A.D., the Byzantine Emperor was captured in battle by the Great Seljuk Empire. The Emperor was brought to the Sultan, Alp Arslan, and told him that had he won, he likely would have had him executed. Alp Arslan replied "My punishment is far heavier. I forgive you, and set you free."