Random #370 – 50 Facts That’ll Defy Your Expectations

Musicians Daryl Hall and John Oates once met accidentally while seeking cover in an elevator during a gang shootout at a Philadelphia music hall.

27. Following the 1945 Empire State Building crash, Betty Lou Oliver plummeted 75 stories down an elevator shaft. This incident remains the world record for the longest-surviving elevator fall.

28. The winds of an average hurricane pack around 1.5 trillion watts of power, which is enough to supply half of the world's energy needs for approximately one year.

29. The original Samsung Galaxy Note faced criticism for being "too large" with its 5.3" screen, and some believed people would appear "foolish" when holding the phone up to use the video call function.

30. The critically panned film "Batman and Robin" was originally intended to have a sequel called "Batman Unchained," with plans to cast Madonna or Courtney Love as Harley Quinn in her live-action debut.

Aged cheeses like Parmesan and Provolone contain very low levels of lactose, making them predominantly safe for individuals with lactose intolerance.

32. A pear is one of the few fruits that does not ripen on the tree. Pears are harvested when they are mature but not yet ripe. When left at room temperature, they slowly reach a sweet and succulent maturity as they ripen from the inside out.

33. People named Isabella receive free lifetime admission to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

34. The Spanish football club Athletic Club Bilbao has a policy of exclusively signing players who were either born in or trained in football in the Basque County.

35. The Golden Gate Bridge Bolt was a concept for a roller coaster that would ascend the Golden Gate Bridge at a height exceeding 700 feet and reach a top speed of over 200 miles per hour. City officials rejected this idea due to concerns that drivers would become too distracted by the coaster.

The United States once employed "Dynamite Guns" to defend San Francisco. These giant compressed air guns could fire hundreds of pounds of dynamite at enemy ships. They were retired once more stable explosive charges were developed.

37. Roger Moore, at 57 years old in "A View to a Kill," became the oldest actor to portray James Bond. His dressing room was located next to co-star Grace Jones, and he would bang on her door and complain when she played "heavy metal" music too loudly.

38. Male otters have been known to hold their pups "for ransom" to coerce the mother into surrendering their food.

39. Many of the dinosaurs featured in Jurassic Park, including Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex, did not evolve until after the Jurassic Period had ended.

40. In 1935, Krueger's Cream Ale and Krueger's Finest Beer became the first beers sold to the public in cans. This decision was made after a can company offered to install the machines at no charge if the cans weren't successful. They immediately gained popularity, receiving a 91% approval rating from the public.

Yao Tongbin, one of China's leading missile scientists, met his demise when a young engineer seized control of the research institution where he worked, sparking a literal armed conflict between administrative staff and workers on one side and scientists and engineers on the other. Tragically, Yao was fatally beaten during this conflict.

42. Michelangelo penned a poem expressing his profound displeasure with the task of painting the Sistine Chapel. The poem translates as follows: "I've already grown a goiter from this torture, hunched up here like a cat in Lombardy (or anywhere else where the stagnant water's poison)."

43. Transient global amnesia is a temporary memory loss condition that can be triggered by stressful events, strenuous activities, migraines, and even sexual activity.

44. Standard greetings have evolved over time, transitioning from handshaking to hierarchical bowing and then back to handshaking. There was even a French society established to combat 'le shake-hands' as a perceived vulgar English innovation.

45. Jonathon Swift, the author of "Gulliver's Travels," published a book in 1722 titled "Benefit of Farting Explained." This book explored various types of flatulence, including "the sonorous and full-toned or rousing fart," "the double fart," "the soft fizzing fart," "the wet fart," and "the sullen wind-bound fart."

The 'Paul is dead' conspiracy theory alleges that Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966, and to spare the public from grief, the surviving Beatles, with assistance from MI5, replaced him with a look-alike.

47. In addition to using the stars, Micronesians navigated the Pacific by recognizing and interpreting different types of ocean swells, even using them to pinpoint the existence of islands hundreds of miles away. Marshallese islanders also created stick maps depicting these ocean swell patterns.

48. Internal combustion engines have the capability to run on wood. The gases produced during the combustion of wood or charcoal can power engines by using a device known as a gasifier.

49. The radio message PAN-PAN serves as the international standard urgency signal for individuals aboard boats, ships, aircraft, or other vehicles. It indicates that they require assistance, and the situation is urgent, but it does not pose an immediate danger to the vessel or anyone's life.

50. Due to its proximity to the sun, Mercury is only visible in the early morning, just before sunrise or at dusk. Ancient Greek astronomers once believed Mercury was actually two separate celestial objects.