Random #359 – 50 Surprisingly Awesome Random Facts

Match fixing became so rampant in Canadian soccer that one pro match in 2015 ended early after the home team's attempts to score an own-goal were repeatedly thwarted by the away team.

27. Johnny Tightlips from The Simpsons is a reference to Frank "Tight Lips" Gusenberg, who was shot in the real-life St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago and repeatedly replied, "Nobody shot me," before dying at a local hospital.

28. After the collapse of the Tacoma bridge in 1940, its designer Clark Eldridge enlisted in the navy. He was captured and sent to a POW camp by the Japanese for three years. During his imprisonment, a Japanese officer recognized him, walked up to him, and said, "Tacoma bridge!"

29. The Lost Children of the Alleghenies were two young children who disappeared from their home in Pavia, Pennsylvania in 1856. They died from exposure after being missing for several days and were found in the forest by a local farmer who dreamed, for two nights, of clues that led to the children's bodies.

30. In the 1970s, NASA engineers designed a make-up kit because they believed female astronauts would want to wear make-up in space.

The designers of the Citicorp Center, a 59-story skyscraper in New York, failed to account for quartering winds and power loss, leaving a 6.25% chance of the building falling in any given year.

32. In 1981, a 12-year-old girl named Donna Griffiths began sneezing repeatedly and continued to do so for 978 consecutive days. Initially sneezing twice every minute, her rate eventually slowed to once every five minutes. Donna had her first day without sneezing on September 16, 1983.

33. In Medieval England, all freemen were required by law to own weapons and armor based on their wealth. The range of required equipment ranged from a simple gambeson and iron cap for the poorest to a mail shirt and helmet for the wealthiest.

34. Saturday Night Palsy, named after the act of partying on Saturday nights, occurs when nerves are compressed, and muscle function is lost due to sleeping in an unnatural position and being too drunk to adjust yourself. Severe cases have a low chance of full recovery.

35. Herman Lamm is considered to be the father of modern bank robbery. He pioneered the concepts of casing a bank and developing escape routes before the robbery. Using a meticulous planning system called "The Lamm Technique," he conducted dozens of successful bank robberies.

Roddie Edmonds was the only American active serviceman to receive the Israeli "Righteous Among the Nations" title for his service during WW2. Edmonds refused to separate Jewish soldiers when a gun was to his head, saving up to 300 lives, but he never revealed his actions during his life.

37. The Stone of Destiny is an ancient stone on which Scottish monarchs were crowned. It was taken from Scotland by King Edward I of England in 1296. In 1950, four Scottish students from the University of Glasgow stole the Stone from Westminster Abbey in London and took it back to Scotland.

38. Tunnel of Love rides were popular at amusement parks in the early 20th century because they were one of the only socially acceptable opportunities for couples to be alone together on a date and share physical contact. By 1950, there were over 700 in the USA. Nowadays, there are less than 10.

39. Those who use their cars to escape tsunamis often get stuck in traffic jams or encounter other obstacles and are, therefore, more likely to be swept away. The best way to escape is on foot, climbing up any nearby steep slopes as quickly as possible.

40. Irene of Athens (750-803 CE) was the first sole-ruling empress in Roman history. After her husband, the emperor, died, she had her son's eyes gouged out and imprisoned him, becoming the sole ruler for five years. She was eventually exiled to the island of Lesbos and forced to support herself by spinning wool.

If you accidentally call 911, do not hang up. Instead, inform the dispatcher that it was a mistake so they are aware there is no emergency.

42. Operation Nemesis was a secret plan executed by Armenia to hunt down and assassinate the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide. The assassins successfully killed 11 of the highest-ranking officials responsible for orchestrating the genocide across at least 5 different countries.

43. Dumb Ways to Die, the world's most shared Public Service Announcement (PSA), hit the internet in November 2012. It was launched by Metro Trains Melbourne to promote rail safety.

44. Most English-speaking countries around the world pronounce the letter "Z" as "zed," but the United States is the only one that pronounces it as "zee."

45. Shivering for fifteen minutes due to cold temperatures can have the same metabolic effect as one hour of exercise.

The U-shaped toilet seat was designed to give women plenty of room to wipe without having to stand up or touch the seat directly.

47. The Nazis trained and sent two teams of saboteurs to America, but they were caught on the first day. Only two escaped execution and one of the leaders even contacted the FBI to surrender and demanded a meeting with Hoover to surrender.

48. The average desk-bound employee spends 28 percent of their professional life reading and responding to emails.

49. Druids (high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures) were held in such high esteem that they were exempt from taxes and military service. They could even stop battles between warring armies.

50. Each driver in the Indy 500 fills out a ballot for their preferred type of milk to be served on the podium if they win, as part of tradition. Emerson Fittipaldi famously chose orange juice instead.