Random #332 – 50 Interesting Random Facts

Charities which collect ‘Pop Tabs’ from soda or beer cans make their money by recycling them. 23 tabs are worth 1 cent and 1 pound of tabs is worth 50 cents.

27. The existence of a Roman Emperor named Silbannacus was completely forgotten until a coin bearing his name was discovered in 1931.

28. An atomic clock created by Jun Ye, a physics professor at the University of Colorado Boulder is currently the world's most accurate clock (as of 2022). Ye’s optical lattice clock is so precise that it will neither gain nor lose a second for 15 billion years.

29. U.S President Lyndon B. Johnson used to give out toothbrushes with the Presidential Seal on them. He said he wanted people to think of him the last thing at night and first thing in the morning.

30. The speed of gold medalists in the men’s 100m freestyle swim has nearly doubled between the first and the most recent Summer Olympics, from 1 minute and 22.2 seconds at the 1896 games in Athens to 47.02 seconds at the 2020 games in Tokyo.

In 1964, an employee at General Mills tried cutting up 'Circus Peanuts' candy to add to his Cheerios. This is how ‘Lucky Charms’ was invented.

32. In 1988, a handyman named Gordon O'Connor alongside his camel, Carla, defeated dysentery, kidney failure, the Australian outback, and the SAS to win the world’s longest animal endurance race.

33. The car chases in the movie “Ronin” used right-hand UK cars with fake steering wheels on the left side for the actors to use. The scene had 300 stunt drivers some of whom were Formula 1 and Rally Car drivers, and all cars were going full speed at over 100 mph.

34. During the Korean War, Ethiopia sent troops to South Korea, making it the only African country to do so.

35. In 2009, a Duke University study showed that hyenas outperformed primates in cooperative problem-solving tests with some subjects teaching inexperienced partners how to perform some tricks.

In 1644, Ming Dynasty general Wu Sangui was trapped at the Great Wall. Outside the wall was an invading Manchu horde, while behind the wall were peasant rebels who had overthrown the Ming Dynasty. He opened the gates, resulting in the Manchu conquest of China which caused 25 million deaths.

37. During the 19th century, wealthy British farmers commissioned exaggerated paintings of large livestock as a status symbol, juxtaposing that they were somehow superior to other livestock farmers and breeders.

38. The correct way to dispose of a tattered Canadian flag is to unceremoniously burn it (if natural) or respectfully cut it apart color-wise and put it in a garbage bag (if synthetic).

39. World’s oldest human artifacts have been found inside a German cave named Hohle Fels. In 2008, a 35,000-40,000-year-old human figurine and a 42,000-year-old flute were found there.

40. Though Gangster John Gotti was nicknamed ‘The Teflon Don’ for his ability to dodge criminal charges, his violent and public tactics led to the arrests of many Gambino crime family members. In 1992, Gotti was convicted, and by 2000 half of the Gambino men were behind bars.

Rainbow Trout and Ocean Trout are the same species but just caught/raised in freshwater and saltwater respectively.

42. Mars isn’t the kind of place you would want to raise your kids. One major concern of establishing human settlements on Mars is pregnancy. It is likely that members of the craft may engage in sex due to their stressful and isolated environment, and it is still not fully known how the environment in a spacecraft would affect the development of a child aboard.

43. Alan Lomax, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music, had a wide spectrum of musical performances, stories, jokes, and personal narratives for the US Library of Congress in the 1930s. His life's work is now digitally available.

44. In 1989, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor slapped a Beverly Hills police officer in the face during a traffic stop. She was found guilty by a jury, and eventually served 3 days in jail.

45. During World War 2, the Sparrow Force was comprised mostly of Australian soldiers. They became stranded for 10 months on a Japanese-held island, fighting against 100-to-1 odds, with no radio for most of that time. When a radio was improvised, they sent the message, “Force intact. Still fighting. Badly need boots, quinine, money, and Tommy-gun ammunition.”

General Patton had training grounds in the Mojave Desert during World War 2 and tank tracks from that time are still visible. The area is now within the Mojave National Preserve and military debris can be found along with the compacted soil.

47. Cynane was a half-sister of Alexander the Great. Unlike most women of the time, she was given a martial education and led her own troops into battle. She slew an Illyrian queen in battle and defeated the army of one of Alexander's generals, and after she was killed by Alcetas, his troops rioted.

48. Goyder’s Line is a geographic divide in South Australia between drought-ridden areas and farmable land. Despite being surveyed on horseback on a single trip in 1864 it has been proved to be highly accurate to date.

49. There were actually two German Kings called Henry the seventh. When writing about them, one is called Henry (VII) and the other one is called Henry VII. In German, the former is actually called “Heinrich der Klammersiebte” which translates to “Henry the bracketed seventh.”

50. In 1979, demanding policy changes, around 3,000 farmers brought their “tractorcade” to Washington D.C. to create traffic and congestion. However, during the protest, a blizzard struck, and the convoy became unexpected heroes shuttling hospital staff through the snow.