Random #371 – From Orangutans to Outer Space: 50 Awesome Facts

Local Indonesian mythology states that orangutans possess the ability to speak human languages but opt not to do so out of fear that they would be compelled to secure employment and engage in labor if they were ever discovered.

2. The "Gimli Glider," was the nickname given to a Boeing 767 jet that depleted its fuel and glided for 17 minutes without engine power, executed a crash landing on a crowded racetrack, miraculously resulting in no fatalities or major injuries. Pilots who attempted to reenact the incident using a flight simulator all failed to land safely.

3. Missy Elliott, during her time as a student, achieved exceptionally high scores on intelligence tests, leading her to skip two grade levels. However, due to feelings of isolation resulting from the advancement, she intentionally failed her classes to return to her original grade level.

4. Individuals who consistently pay off their credit card balance in full each month are referred to as "deadbeats" in the financial world.

5. The domain name "CarInsurance.com" holds the distinction of being the most expensive domain name ever sold, commanding a staggering price of $49.7 million in 2010.

Walt Disney adamantly declined Alfred Hitchcock's request to film at Disneyland in the early 1960s, citing Hitchcock's association with the film "Psycho" as the reason for his refusal.

7. In 1791, during the Battle of Wabash, approximately one-quarter of the entire U.S. Army suffered devastation in a single day at the hands of Native American forces.

8. Author Edward Bulwer-Lytton first used the specific phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" in 1839. This is the same author whose opening sentence, "It was a dark and stormy night," inspired a competition for the worst opening sentence in a novel.

9. When Japanese pilot Lieutenant Hajime Fujii was accepted into the Kamikaze program, his wife tragically took her own life along with their 1 and 4-year-old daughters by drowning them in a river. This heartbreaking act was intended to eliminate any potential distractions hindering Fujii from carrying out his mission.

10. Elephants are the only wild animals known to comprehend pointing gestures without requiring human training.

Following William Harvey's discovery of blood circulation in 1616, there were attempts to use fluids such as beer, urine, milk, and non-human animal blood as substitutes for human blood.

12. Despite his movies frequently underperforming in the United States, Adam Sandler enjoys massive popularity in the international market, particularly in Latin America.

13. The SS Baychimo, abandoned by its crew in 1931, drifted aimlessly along the coast of Alaska for 38 years and was last sighted in 1969.

14. Charles Osborne, who experienced about 30 hiccups per minute from 1922 to 1990, holds the world record for the longest bout of hiccups at 68 years.

15. Tokyo's lack of public bins can be attributed to the Tokyo subway sarin attack.

In the 1700s, aristocrats began consuming tomatoes, although they harbored a belief that the fruits were poisonous because some people fell ill after consuming them. In reality, the acidity of the tomatoes reacted with the lead in their pewter plates, leading to lead poisoning and their subsequent deaths.

17. In certain parts of the Ruhr region in Germany, the ground has subsided by up to 30 meters (12 meters on average) due to extensive mining activities. Cities continuously run pumps to prevent flooding. If the pumps were ever halted, allowing the groundwater level to rise naturally, the homes of millions of people would be at risk of flooding.

18. During World War II, the U.S. Army devised four fictitious armies and more than 20 fake divisions, complete with insignia and fabricated documents, to confound and mislead the Germans.

19. A 2020 study revealed a connection between one's taste perception and their ethnicity and gender. Asians tend to experience taste more intensely, often being "supertasters" with a heightened sensitivity to compounds like 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and exhibiting thermal taste. In contrast, Caucasians generally exhibit lower sensitivity to these factors.

20. The town of Los Algodones, Mexico, situated on the United States border, boasts a population of over 350 dentists who cater to American visitors seeking affordable dental care, earning the town the moniker "Molar City."

Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker survived a plane crash in which four out of six occupants perished. The other survivor was DJ AM.

22. The Inca Empire boasted a messenger system so swift that it could deliver a message spanning over 300 km (190 miles) in a single day, thanks to a network of elite runners known as "chasquis." It was so efficient that even in Cuzco, hundreds of kilometers away from the sea, the Inca ruler could enjoy fresh fish.

23. The excessive number of turkeys offered to presidents on Thanksgiving surprised President Calvin Coolidge. He temporarily suspended the tradition until 1925, when he was presented with a live raccoon named 'Rebecca.' He declined to consume her and instead kept her as a pet at the White House.

24. The renowned B-movie director and cross-dresser Ed Wood served in the U.S. Marines during WWII. He later expressed greater concern about being wounded than killed because a combat medic might discover him wearing a pink bra and panties beneath his uniform during the Battle of Tarawa.

25. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 mandates that all goods transported between U.S. ports must be built in the U.S., bear the U.S. flag, and be owned and operated by U.S. citizens.