Random #386 – 50 Jaw-Dropping Facts

Akira Toriyama's primary motive for Goku's hair turning blond when he transformed into Super Saiyan was to alleviate the workload of his assistant, who was consistently occupied with the task of filling in Goku's black hair.

2. In 1996, Japanese researcher Akio Tanii tragically took his own life after his research unveiled the presence of fireblight in native pear trees. This discovery led to a government cover-up and resulted in farmers blaming him for their lost revenue.

3. In 2015, "Planet Earth II" sought to document the birthing grounds of the Saiga Antelope, where hundreds of thousands typically gather. However, instead of witnessing this natural spectacle, the crew observed a devastating disease outbreak that claimed the lives of 150,000 antelopes in just three days.

4. Spike Lee engaged in negotiations with a Brazilian drug lord to secure permission to film Michael Jackson's 1996 music video "They Don't Care About Us" in a Rio de Janeiro slum. The drug kingpin famously responded, "With Michael Jackson here, this will be the safest place in the world."

5. The Shakers, a Christian sect, regarded sexuality as the root of all evil and original sin. To uphold their beliefs, all members abstained from shaking hands with the opposite sex. Their membership dwindled from a peak of 5,000 in 1840 to only three members in 2019, primarily due to the lack of births.

During World War II, any Allied prisoner of war detained in a German camp could write a letter to Rolex and request a wristwatch without immediate payment. Rolex would then dispatch the watch and defer the bill until after the war.

7. After Salvador Dali expressed support for Spanish dictator Franco's regime, Pablo Picasso refused to mention Dali's name or acknowledge his existence for the remainder of his life.

8. Eddie Van Halen consented to play the guitar solo for Michael Jackson's "Beat It" under two conditions: that he remain uncredited and that he not inform his band.

9. At least 20 publishers rejected "Dune" before Chilton, the manufacturer of automotive manuals, finally accepted it.

10. The "letters of last resort" are four identically worded handwritten letters from the Prime Minister of the UK to the commanding officers of the four British ballistic missile submarines. These letters contain instructions on what course of action to take in the event that an enemy nuclear strike destroys the British government.

In 1963, a schoolteacher in the USA underwent a kidney transplant from a chimpanzee donor. The teacher survived for nine months, and upon autopsy, the chimp kidneys appeared perfectly healthy without any signs of rejection.

12. The 2022 DC superhero film "Batgirl" became the most expensive 'abandoned' movie in history. Warner Bros. had already invested over $90 million in its completion, and the film was in post-production when they decided not to release it.

13. Jerry Seinfeld declined an offer of $5 million per episode (equivalent to almost $10 million in today's currency) to produce a 10th season of ''Seinfeld''.

14. Bruce Springsteen did not settle his taxes until he appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1975. He then spent the subsequent years paying off his taxes, which left him with only $20,000 on his 30th birthday despite achieving multiple best-selling records and successful tours.

15. When registering for the Screen Actors Guild, actress Emma Stone found that her real name, "Emily Stone," was already taken. Consequently, she chose the name "Emma" in honor of Emma Bunton, a.k.a. Baby Spice of the Spice Girls.

Laurence Fishburne was only 14 years old when filming "Apocalypse Now," having lied about his age to secure the role. Due to the extended production period, he was 18 by the time the film was released.

17. The woman in the iconic Great Depression photograph, "Migrant Mother," was only 32 years old when the photo was taken.

18. After being killed during John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, the body of Brown's son Watson was severely mutilated and exhibited in a nearby medical college by pro-slavery secessionists. Union soldiers subsequently burned down the college in 1862.

19. Henry Heimlich had the opportunity to perform the Heimlich maneuver in 2016, over 40 years after inventing it, when a fellow resident in his senior living community was choking. Despite having demonstrated it countless times, he had never used it in a real-life situation until then. He was 96 years old at the time.

20. The US implemented permanent daylight saving time in 1973. However, public support for it plummeted following the subsequent winter, leading to its repeal within a year.

A Ugandan woman named Mariam Nabatanzi Babirye has given birth to 51 children, 44 of whom are still alive. As of April 2023, her eldest child is 31 years old, and the youngest is six years old. Her husband abandoned her in 2015, leaving her a single mother.

22. When Larry Ellison divorced his wife Nancy in 1978, she relinquished any claim on his new company for $500. That company, Oracle (the database company), propelled Ellison to become the world's eighth-richest person ($130 billion as of today).

23. Former South Dakota politician George McGovern was an air force pilot during World War II and once inadvertently bombed an Austrian farm. He was haunted for 40 years until, after a TV interview, the farmer called the station to reassure him that he and his family evacuated in time, and if it contributed to toppling Hitler in any way, it was worth it.

24. A. A. Milne ceased writing Winnie the Pooh books, partly due to concerns about the fame it brought his son, Christopher Robin Milne. They later became estranged because his son resented the books and the fame they brought him.

25. Roald Dahl penned a sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, wherein Willy Wonka ventures into space, battles aliens, and overdoses Charlie's parents on age-rejuvenating pills.