26 Couple Buys Washington Town Cheap
In 2010, a couple named Neal and Maddie Love purchased the town of Wauconda, Washington, for just $360,000. It is an unincorporated community, so there is no municipal or town government.
27. Before Saladin, the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, died in 1193, he had given away all his wealth to his poor subjects. His estate by then only consisted of one piece of gold and 40 pieces of silver, which was not even enough to pay for his funeral.
28. During the Chinese Islamic insurgency in the 1860s and 1870s under the Qing dynasty, over 20 million people lost their lives. The rebels, primarily Hui Muslims from the provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu, rose up against the Qing government in what became known as the Dungan Revolt. The conflict led to massive casualties, with one province losing 14 million people and the neighboring province losing 6 million.
29. In 2017, Harvard scientists were able to store a GIF animation of a galloping horse in bacteria’s DNA. A GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a type of image file that supports animated sequences. This particular GIF was not just any animation; it was the first movie ever made, titled “The Horse in Motion,” which was shot in 1878.
30. Because of their naturally amiable personalities, the Samoyed breed of dogs makes poor security dogs. They don’t attack dangers; they simply smile and growl at them.
31 Captain Cook’s Maps Used Until 20th Century
Some of the maps created by British explorer Captain James Cook, known for his extensive voyages during the 18th century, remained in use until the mid-20th century due to their remarkable accuracy and continued relevance, even after 200 years.
32. Before the American Civil War, the United States had 8,000 different kinds of money in circulation. The value of the same banknote varied depending on its location.
33. Approximately 2,600 years ago in China, a prophet predicted that an ill king named Duke Jing of Jin would not live to eat the next harvest. When the new harvest was ready, the king remembered the prophecy as he was about to eat. He killed the seer, experienced a stomachache before eating, went to the restroom, fell in, and died.
34. The UK Bill of Rights of 1688 forbids a standing army without Parliament’s approval, necessitating the reauthorization of the armed forces every five years.
35. In women’s Olympic gymnastics, under the ‘perfect 10’ scoring system, seven female gymnasts have achieved a perfect 10. However, no one has received a perfect score since the scoring system changed in 2006.
36 Teddy Roosevelt’s Accidental Presidency
Teddy Roosevelt became Vice President because of his support for anti-trust reform, as conservatives believed the VP had little power. However, six months into the term, President McKinley was assassinated, and Roosevelt became President, ushering in an unprecedented era of anti-trust and labor reforms. He implemented regulations and government oversight that would eventually become the FDA.
37. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, at least one-third of the U.S. Cycling Team engaged in a practice known as “blood doping,” where athletes increase their red blood cell count by transfusing their own stored blood or using someone else’s. This practice enhances endurance and performance. The American cycling team went on to win nine medals.
38. Scientists at the Allen Telescope Array always keep champagne in their fridge in case they discover signs of extraterrestrial life.
39. In 1184, 60 noblemen died after a wooden floor collapsed at the Petersberg Citadel in Erfurt, Germany, causing them to fall into a “latrine cesspit” filled with liquid waste that hadn’t been emptied for some time. Their deaths were caused by drowning. King Henry VI was present, but he miraculously survived because he sat on a stone section of the wall rather than on the wooden floor.
40. Douglas Adams came up with the idea for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy while lying drunk in a field, holding a copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Europe.
41 Canadian Native Boy Lynched by Mob
In 1884, a 14-year-old Canadian Native boy named Louie Sam was accused of a murder and was subsequently lynched by an American mob led by two men who were likely the real murderers.
42. In 1976, a plane carrying 6,000 pounds of marijuana crashed in Yosemite National Park. Climbers in Yosemite Valley heard the news, and it sparked a miniature gold rush, with up to 20 people searching the frozen crash site. Much of the weed was salvaged, smoked, or sold before park rangers caught on.
43. Macaques possess the right vocal anatomy to perform human speech; however, they lack the intelligence to do so.
44. Some bodybuilders purchase breast milk on the internet, believing it helps them bulk up due to its perceived nutrient density and trace amounts of human growth hormone. However, while breast milk is indeed nutrient-dense for a baby, it is not a significant source of nutrition for an adult. It primarily consists of sugar, some lipids, and a small amount of protein.
45. Burger King launched an advertising campaign in 2020 that featured a picture of a moldy Whopper to showcase their burgers’ lack of preservatives. This unconventional advertising method proved successful, increasing sales by 14%, according to multiple sources.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
46 Hatley Castle’s Expensive Upkeep Issues
Coal baron James Dunsmuir envisioned a medieval castle for his retirement and built Hatley Castle on Vancouver Island in 1911. It was like a small city with over 100 residents and servants. However, none of his children could afford the $1,500 monthly upkeep, leading to its sale for $260,000. Numerous TV shows and movies have since featured this iconic castle.
47. Regardless of their size, submarines typically refer to themselves as “boats” rather than “ships” due to naval tradition.
48. Albert Kahn, an industrial architect based in Detroit, designed 19% of all factories built in 1937. He also opened an architectural school in Russia and, in 1941, received the eighth highest salary in the USA, amounting to $486,936. The Willow Run bomber plant was the last building he designed.
49. A popular French slang for having your period is “Les Anglais ont débarqué,” which translates to “The English have landed.”
50. Obesity results in more chronic health issues overall than smoking, drinking, or poverty. All of these issues negatively impact health, but obesity is associated with a broader range of chronic health issues.
RE: Fact #7 (Punjabi-Mexican Marriages in California) – That food looks so good!
Butter chicken tacos and naan burritos? Sign me up!
RE: Fact #24 (Olympic Rules for Women Spectators) – Women caught sneaking into the games while married were in big trouble – they could even be thrown off Mount Typaeum!
Was this part of the event?
RE: Fact #32 (8,000 Different Kinds of Money Pre-Civil War) – It’s wild that banks can still print their own money in some places, like Hong Kong.
RE: Fact #32 (8,000 Different Kinds of Money Pre-Civil War) – Back then, the ferry was just a nickel. And those nickels had bumblebees on them, remember? You’d say, “Give me five bees for a quarter.”
RE: Fact #24 (Olympic Rules for Women Spectators) – Where else would a single girl look for a good guy?
Ever been to one of those big gaming get-togethers?
RE: Fact #48 (Albert Kahn’s Prolific Architectural Legacy) – That’s a pretty impressive number for 1937. He designed almost one in five factories that year!
I wonder how many factories were in the works back in 1937. It’s a pretty good indicator of how fast the industry was growing, or maybe just how busy things were.
RE: Fact #44 (Bodybuilders Buying Breast Milk Online) – This friend of ours was making a ton of breast milk, way more than her baby could drink. She figured she might as well sell it, but it turned out most of the buyers were bodybuilders or had… weird interests. After a bit, she just started giving it away to moms who couldn’t make enough on their own.
My wife, she was a machine! We were freezing almost a gallon of milk a day. She pumped like it was her full-time job. She’s tiny, but she was eating huge meals, like six times a day, and still losing weight.
We heard people were selling it for crazy money online, so I checked it out.
Turns out, most of the buyers were guys.
We didn’t end up selling it though. My wife got mastitis and sepsis, almost died, so she had to stop breastfeeding and pumping.
She made enough milk in five weeks to last almost six months.
My hometown got a milk bank a while back. They give milk to the local baby hospitals, because apparently a lot of moms with babies in those hospitals can’t breastfeed or don’t start making milk right away. It’s all super official, they even do blood tests, the whole thing.
There’s another group, I can’t remember the name, but they do donation drives for when there’s a disaster. Pretty cool that these things exist, because I guess it’s not something most people think about.
My wife calls it “Human Milk for Human Babies” when the local milk bank is full. She makes a ton of milk every day, and we actually fill up the bank’s whole storage every week, so we have to find other mothers who need it pretty often.
The milk that goes to the NICU goes through a similar process as store-bought milk to get rid of any bacteria.
RE: Fact #47 (Submarines Referred to as Boats) – For pilots in the Navy, an aircraft carrier is just called “The Boat.” It’s kinda a way to mess with the guys who work on the ship itself, you know?
Everyone on the ship just called it “the boat.”
RE: Fact #41 (Canadian Native Boy Lynched by Mob) – It was all the kid’s fault, even though one guy wanted his wife and the other wanted his business.
RE: Fact #22 (NYC Introduces Trash Bins in 2023) – I moved across the country from New York a while back, and the place I landed has this really organized way of handling trash and recycling. People don’t believe me when I tell them that we just toss our trash on the sidewalk.
RE: Fact #21 (Michelangelo’s Revenge in Last Judgement) – Biagio didn’t like the naked people in the fresco, so Michelangelo made sure to cover up the MC’s bits. He also snuck in a self-portrait as the skin of Saint Bartholomew, which is kind of funny.
Another thing Michelangelo did was be a bit of a jerk with his color choices. He painted the Sistine Chapel in two parts. First the ceiling, with that famous Adam and God scene, and then later the wall with The Last Judgement.
The wall is mostly blue, while the ceiling barely has any blue at all. This is because Michelangelo had to buy his own paint for the ceiling. But when it came to the wall, the Vatican paid for everything.
Back then, the only good blue paint came from lapis lazuli, which is a fancy rock mined in Afghanistan. It was really expensive, like as expensive as gold. So you could say Michelangelo was kind of a spendthrift with the Pope’s money.
That’s awesome trivia! Here’s the Last Judgement color scheme compared to the creation:
Both together
Last Judgement alone
Michelangelo as the flayed skin of Bartholomew
Here’s something else interesting from the wiki:
Turns out, people have been abusing company credit cards for ages.
The church was being kinda cheap, making him pay for his own paint. So when they finally paid for it, he went all out! That blue in the painting is amazing, especially since it’s supposed to be heaven. It had to be fancy, and back then, ultramarine blue was the most luxurious color. Maybe only purple was more expensive. I don’t know for sure.
RE: Fact #2 (Michael Phelps’ Unmatched Olympic Legacy) – There’s also 3 silver and 2 bronze.
RE: Fact #42 (Plane Crash Sparks Yosemite Gold Rush) – The rest got smoked after the rangers caught on.
RE: Fact #50 (Obesity’s Broad Health Impact) – Some people say it’s all about genes or money, but Ozempic is working for people who have those things too. Why? Because it makes you less hungry. So, basically, eat less, lose weight. The results speak for themselves!
RE: Fact #49 (French Slang for Menstruation Period) – I’m French and I’ve never heard that saying before, haha. Maybe it was a thing way back when.
RE: Fact #34 (UK Bill of Rights Military Clause) – Yeah, but the story gets even weirder. Back in the day, the king was personally on the hook for defending the country. No standing army in peacetime, because everyone would rather be at a fancy dinner than in a boring barracks. But when Charles II took over, he was a little worried about getting his head chopped off, so he started his own army that swore loyalty directly to him. The sneaky guy made Parliament pay for it. This new bill is trying to even things out a bit, making it illegal to have an army without Parliament’s permission. Basically, the soldiers can stay, but Parliament gets to say “go home” if they want. The army still swears loyalty to the king, but it’s kind of like saying “we’re in control” without actually having to do anything.
It was also about the new army getting a bit too powerful for Parliament and the fear of a permanent army, which is something America inherited and why we still have to approve the military budget every year.
The NDAA, they call it the Christmas Tree Bill.
RE: Fact #29 (GIF Stored in Bacteria’s DNA) – People back in the day thought everyone would be driving flying cars by now. Guess what? We’re still stuck with regular cars.
RE: Fact #31 (Captain Cook’s Maps Used Until 20th Century) – I swear I heard somewhere that Captain Bligh, the guy from the Bounty mutiny, was one of Cook’s mapmakers before he became a captain.
Bligh was a seriously skilled navigator who didn’t get the credit he deserved. After the whole Bounty mutiny thing, he steered a tiny boat with 18 guys across 4,000 miles without any maps!
Yeah, a lot of what actually happened doesn’t match up with the way he’s usually portrayed. He was actually seen as pretty modern and easygoing for his time, and he hardly ever used corporal punishment. It’s a far cry from what people think, especially when you consider what happened to the mutineers and their families.
RE: Fact #18 (World’s Only Surviving Nonuplets Born) – Seriously, what was in that water?
RE: Fact #30 (Samoyeds: Poor Security Dogs) – I’ve only met a handful of Samoyeds in my life, but every single one was the chillest dog ever. They’re also good for people with allergies, which is pretty cool.
That’s pretty cool, considering how big they are!
RE: Fact #22 (NYC Introduces Trash Bins in 2023) – It’s crazy that the city gave millions to a consulting firm, just to be told that trash bins are a good idea.
The city hired some experts to figure out how to use these new trash cans. It’s not easy to change how a whole city collects garbage, especially in NYC, since it’s the biggest city in the country. They need to figure out what kind of bins everyone will use, if the trucks can handle them, and how to change the garbage routes.
We gotta figure out where we’re gonna put all these bins so they don’t block the sidewalks or alleys and how to keep people from stealing them.
Man, New York’s government really knows how to blow through cash.
The Canadian government once hired consultants to tell them how to spend less on consultants.
Let me tell you, the whole New York garbage collection thing is totally clean. No shady business, just straight up honest work. Anyone who says otherwise is crazy.
If I call the shots, I’m responsible. But if a company with a great track record on something recommends it, I just pass it along to my boss or the team. If they’re happy with it, it’s not my problem anymore.
RE: Fact #26 (Couple Buys Washington Town Cheap) – Didn’t know that towns in the US can actually be bought and sold?
Never watched Schitt’s Creek?
They basically bought up all the businesses in one big deal from the old owner who had everything. The whole “town for sale” thing was just a fancy way of selling it. They don’t own the houses or the government that runs the place.
That’s gotta give them some influence around here, right?
RE: Fact #37 (Blood Doping Scandal in 1984 Olympics) – Turns out, in 1988, most of the guys in the 100m final were juicing. Even Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson! The only guy who was clean finished fourth.
Those old records from the ’80s are still pretty impressive, maybe because of, you know, doping.
That’s rough, coming in 8th after doping. What a loser.
RE: Fact #12 (Billy the Kid’s Deadly Sabotage) – A fair fight means you’re doing something wrong.
I’ll fight fair, but if I think someone’s gonna start something, I’ll take them down.
Otherwise, if he’s bugging me, or if there’s a woman around, or if I’m getting paid – I mostly only do it when I’m getting paid.
RE: Fact #47 (Submarines Referred to as Boats) – Das Boot is a great movie. You gotta see it if you haven’t already. I haven’t seen the remake though.
Das Boot is a great film.
RE: Fact #15 (Alyssa Milano Supports Ryan White) – It’s like Princess Diana shaking hands with people with AIDS on TV, trying to show that you wouldn’t catch it just by touching them.
Elvis got his polio vaccine live on The Ed Sullivan Show before he performed, hoping to convince more people to get vaccinated.
That was a big deal back then, a totally different understanding of AIDS and how it spread compared to what we know now. Apparently, Princess Diana’s visit to Middlesex Hospital in 1987 helped change people’s minds about HIV and AIDS being spread by touch, because she shook hands with a guy who had AIDS.
RE: Fact #21 (Michelangelo’s Revenge in Last Judgement) – When Biagio complained to Pope Paul III about the portrait, the pope joked that his jurisdiction didn’t extend to hell, so it had to stay. That’s when you know you’re in over your head.
RE: Fact #13 (Pleasure Control Experiments in 1950s) – It’s kinda hilarious that this factrepublic post links to an old article from 2014, which itself mentions another reddit post about a super old article from 2001.
Since that original article is from way back then, it’s probably safe to say that the Orgasmatron never really took off.
Maybe someone read it. Our entertainment has gotten way more instant, you know? Like, if Elon Musk is selling brain chips, how far is it until the Orgasmatron 2.0 update?
RE: Fact #49 (French Slang for Menstruation Period) – Because of their red coats?
RE: Fact #11 (Snowpiercer’s Fish Scene Deception) – From the source:
So the guy who wanted it cut was Harvey Weinstein.
That’s one seriously insane shot!
RE: Fact #21 (Michelangelo’s Revenge in Last Judgement) – That’s been going on for like, five hundred years!😂
He’s smirking, like he’s enjoying the snake. Pretty petty, right? And the whole image being a parable for forever? Hmmm.
That tiny olive is hilarious! 😂
RE: Fact #38 (Champagne Ready for Alien Discovery) – I always have a joint handy, just in case the world goes to hell.
RE: Fact #17 (40% Never Experience Nosebleeds) – They’re lucky
Never had a nosebleed, but I did have a pulmonary embolism. My blood loves to clot, apparently. Anyway, good news for you, right?
And hey, for all you folks who sit all day: get up and move around!
RE: Fact #11 (Snowpiercer’s Fish Scene Deception) – Weinstein also messed with the release of Snowpiercer, giving it a limited release because he didn’t like the final cut that Bong made. Bong was allowed to show his longer cut in Los Angeles, and it tested way better. Weinstein then let Bong keep his cut, but he moved Snowpiercer from the main company to a smaller division and didn’t give it a wide release. Bong said he thought Weinstein was punishing him for not doing what he wanted, but Bong was happy to have his director’s cut.
Weinstein? Like, the guy who got in trouble for doing bad things? Or just his company?
Yeah, I remember reading about it when Snowpiercer came out. That’s how I even knew who Weinstein was, because it was so frustrating how limited the release was. Then, when the #MeToo thing happened, I was like “Weinstein!? The guy who screwed over Bong Joon Ho!?”
What a messed up life he’s led!
RE: Fact #3 (Machine Reveals New Color Spectrum) – What happened to that machine, anyway? And why doesn’t anyone else make more stuff like it? Seeing colors you’ve never seen before would be awesome!
Color machines, gotta have ’em!
RE: Fact #17 (40% Never Experience Nosebleeds) – I used to get them all the time when I was a kid. Once, I even had to go to the hospital because one wouldn’t stop for hours. It’s kind of annoying that 40% of people don’t get them though.
RE: Fact #17 (40% Never Experience Nosebleeds) – I’ve had enough, I guess. I have a blood vessel in a weird spot. If I sneeze too hard…
It’s annoying! I once delayed a whole flight because I had a nosebleed, seriously.
RE: Fact #2 (Michael Phelps’ Unmatched Olympic Legacy) – It always seemed kinda unfair how medals are given out in different sports. Basketball players, for example, have to play a ton of long games, sometimes for hours, just for a chance at one medal during the Olympics.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. It’s always the swimmers who are super good at getting medals.
The rest of the list isn’t all swimmers, though. After Phelps, it’s two Soviet gymnasts, a cross country skier, and then another swimmer.
RE: Fact #41 (Canadian Native Boy Lynched by Mob) – There’s a book about this, the only lynching in Canada, called “The Lynching of Louie Sam.” I used it in my English 9 class this year in BC.
The only known lynching in Canada.
Fair enough.
RE: Fact #6 (Cigarette Smoke in Old Sports Photos) – Remember being asked about smoking sections? Like it actually made a difference.
That four-foot partition really held back all the smoke.
Seriously, smoking sections in restaurants? Who thought that was a good idea? The whole place reeked of cigarettes.
You still smoked, but you were way worse than the other smokers.
RE: Fact #43 (Macaques Lack Intelligence for Speech) – Imagine if we could make monkeys smart enough to talk – wouldn’t that be wild? We could even tax them, haha!
How are we supposed to tax people who live in the woods?
Lock them up if they don’t pay.
RE: Fact #14 (North Korea’s Fake Coal Tunnels) – The whole Korean situation is nuts, right? I remember reading that the South Korean soldiers at the DMZ are basically just there to buy time for their jets to level the whole place, even if it means taking them out too.
I read somewhere that South Korean soldiers at the DMZ are basically meant to hold the line long enough for South Korean jets to flatten the whole area, including themselves. That’s pretty common in the military, you know, “We’ll get you back” kind of stuff. The Navy has a ton of rules about how everyone in a group is expendable except for the most important thing, like the carrier. If you’re on a ship other than the carrier, you’re basically the first line of defense.
RE: Fact #22 (NYC Introduces Trash Bins in 2023) – Baltimore tried something, and their rat calls went way down – like 85%!
RE: Fact #39 (Noblemen Drown in Latrine Cesspit) – The ibis I stayed in was right near where this happened. I triple-checked the bathroom, just to be safe.
So, were there any nobles hanging around?
RE: Fact #8 (Hugh Laurie’s Unusual Audition Location) – The most House thing he could do, for real
Wilson: “You in the bathroom? Why are you on camera in there?”
House: “It was the only room with enough light. I’m in a third world country with internet, but no decent lighting.”
Wilson: “Right… and I’m at Cuddy’s place, and she’s naked in the next room.”
House: “You really don’t believe I’m in Africa saving kids? Wow.”
Wilson: “House, I know you’re in some random place doing… whatever. Just tell me what you want your team to do.”
House: “Have Cameron do a biopsy, Chase do the lumbar puncture, and… Foreman can break into his apartment and look for anything the patient might have swallowed.”
Wilson: “House… your patient is homeless.”
House: “Oh, right, forgot. In that case, just tell him to break into some random place to keep his skills sharp.”
Foreman: “This is just blatant racism.”
RE: Fact #32 (8,000 Different Kinds of Money Pre-Civil War) – Basically, anyone with enough cash could just start their own bank and print their own money. You could have bills for whatever crazy amounts you wanted, like a three dollar bill or even a $6.66 bill, no problem.
The common trick was to show up in a town with five grand, set up your own bank like “The People’s Bank of West Town Pennsylvania,” pay a company to print your own money, and then start handing out more than ten grand in your own notes. After a few months, you’d have passed out all your fake money, then you’d take everyone else’s real gold and silver, and then vanish in the night. You could just repeat the whole thing in a new town.
It wasn’t until 1929 that the government stepped in and made it harder to open a bank and issue currency. They made the rules stricter so you had to have a lot more real money in the bank before you could print your own. But even before that, they were making changes to the rules about banks and money. And in 1866 they banned private companies from printing their own money.
RE: Fact #10 (Klaus Barbie Exposed by Fake Interview) – I mean, why didn’t he just say he spoke French, even when he was hiding? Isn’t that like the basic rule of false identities? You keep your past and what you know pretty similar to your real life but tweak it just enough so you don’t get busted right away. It feels like a pretty big mistake to leave something like that out!
The Wikipedia article doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s not just about the French part, there’s more to it. Someone he tortured actually recognized him.
In the video, even though they were speaking Spanish, Ladislas de Hoyos threw a curveball and asked about Barbie’s trips to Lyon in French. That’s a language Barbie shouldn’t have understood, but he answered right away in German, saying no. De Hoyos also showed him pictures of people from the Resistance he’d tortured, asking if he knew them. Barbie denied it, but his fingerprints gave him away. That interview, which was later shown on French TV, is where Simone Lagrange, a French resistance member who’d been tortured by Barbie in 1944, recognized him.
He even wore white gloves while torturing people, then sat down at the piano with those bloody gloves still on and just played.
He answered the French question in German! So, he not only understands French, but German too. Talk about a double whammy!
No big deal, he was supposed to be German, right? He used the name “Klaus Altmann,” which is totally German. He was acting like just another random German soldier. He just wanted to avoid being known as the Butcher of Lyon.
RE: Fact #43 (Macaques Lack Intelligence for Speech) – Are they just dumb, or do they actually get that talking is the first step on the road to being forced to make small talk at one of those team-building things with people you can’t stand?
I actually laughed out loud, then I got a little sad because it hit so close to home.
RE: Fact #19 (Chile’s Misspelled Peso Coin Mistake) – It’s really hard to read the writing on coins, though.
RE: Fact #18 (World’s Only Surviving Nonuplets Born) – That’s really sad.
The last kid just walked out, no problem. They even had room to spare.
RE: Fact #17 (40% Never Experience Nosebleeds) – I’m in the minority, for now.
Man, I had so many nosebleeds as a kid, it was crazy. Like, dozens a year! I even got cauterized, but nothing worked. We ran out of toilet paper and paper towels because it wouldn’t stop, so we ended up using t-shirts. It felt like blood was pouring out of my face for hours!
Then one day, I was at my grandma’s place, and this really nice old guy told me this trick to stop nosebleeds. It actually worked!
Anyway, they got less frequent as I got older, and now I hardly ever get them.
The trick was to take a piece of brown paper bag, about the size of your hand, and fold it up until it’s like a little strip. Then you put it under your upper lip, and BAM, the bleeding stops. It feels like it’s going to keep going, but it doesn’t.
Also, don’t tilt your head back. Only jerks tell you to do that.
Oh, and I was exaggerating about the 10 hours. It was more like 5 or 6 hours of almost nonstop bleeding. It was over 30 years ago, but I remember that day really well. It was like a record-breaking nosebleed day!
RE: Fact #18 (World’s Only Surviving Nonuplets Born) – Nine kids? That’s just crazy! One thing is having a surprise twin, but nine? That’s a whole other level.
RE: Fact #20 (RC Cola Born from Price Dispute) – RC Cola is surprisingly big in Tajikistan.
RE: Fact #49 (French Slang for Menstruation Period) – Condoms, they used to call them French Letters in England, but that was like, way back in the 80s.
RE: Fact #41 (Canadian Native Boy Lynched by Mob) – It’s crazy how some people say, “If someone’s accused of something terrible, I’m gonna take care of them myself.” That’s not how things work. Taking the law into your own hands, even against someone who’s been accused of horrible things, doesn’t make you a hero.
RE: Fact #13 (Pleasure Control Experiments in 1950s) – One patient took a whopping 1,500 doses in just three hours! But surprisingly, they didn’t go completely crazy.
So, it happens about every seven seconds.
I’m not gonna lie, I totally get why people smoke weed. I used to be into that for a while.
RE: Fact #1 (Canadian Teen Discovers Spy Parents) – The Canadians? They totally inspired The Americans, I think.
Seriously, it’s a classic.
It’s such an awesome show, but like, The Wire makes every other cop show look fake. And The Americans totally does the same thing to spy stuff. Even Slow Horses, which is still great, the spy stuff in it just seems off.
So basically, the article says the family’s story is what gave them the idea for the show “The Americans” about those Russian spies who were undercover in the US, living normal lives and having kids.
Naturally, the Americans had to put their own spin on the story.
RE: Fact #30 (Samoyeds: Poor Security Dogs) – They’re like, super fluffy clouds.
RE: Fact #47 (Submarines Referred to as Boats) – Ships usually have a full-time crew and captain, but boats don’t. Boats are usually smaller than ships. Submarines started out as boats, so even though they got bigger and have permanent crews, they kept the name.
The latest thing I saw said boats tilt inward when they turn, but ships lean outward.
My dad used to say, “Ships carry boats.”
RE: Fact #26 (Couple Buys Washington Town Cheap) – Wauconda forever!
RE: Fact #6 (Cigarette Smoke in Old Sports Photos) – I was at a museum the other day and saw a short film about the history of movie theaters. One part showed an older guy going to the movies for the first time in ages, and he was totally amazed that you can’t see the projector beam anymore.
RE: Fact #7 (Punjabi-Mexican Marriages in California) – I’m really curious about Mexican Punjabi fusion food! Have you seen any restaurants in the states that do that? I’d love to try it.
Toronto has this amazing guy who makes Indian fusion food, his Naan tacos are the best! There’s also a place that does a fusion burrito, you get rajmah chawal instead of beans and rice, with all the usual burrito stuff plus paneer tikka pieces. So good!
Houston has a lot of awesome fusion restaurants and food trucks. I used to live in one of the ‘burbs, and there’s this place called Curry Sultan I loved. The owner, who’s Indian, lived in Mexico for a bit, so they started out as an Indian place with a Mexican twist. They even have curry tacos on the menu! I haven’t tried those, but everything else I’ve ordered there has been amazing.
Man, I’m already dreaming about Houston Viet Cajun food and now I have to try this too.
There’s a Taco Mahal in NYC. I haven’t tried it, but it’s there. Indikitch used to make uttappam tacos, I think. You’d probably find more of those up in northern California.
Taco Mahal is seriously good, I’ll walk 30 minutes for their lunch. They make this amazing taco with naan bread and curry chicken or goat, plus some veggies. I’m actually craving it now, maybe I’ll go for lunch.
Taco Mahal is amazing, and if you’re ever in Virginia, Mama Tigre is another great place for Indian-Mexican fusion.
Taco Mahal is awesome.
RE: Fact #40 (Hitchhiker’s Guide Idea While Drunk) – That’s a good rule to live by.
He was a master at putting things off, seriously. His editor had to lock him in a hotel room, and he could only get food by slipping finished pages of his writing under the door.
There are definitely some authors I’d like to do that with today.
Deadlines? I love the sound they make when they zip right past me.
RE: Fact #33 (Prophet’s Prediction Leads to King’s Death) – Talk about a bad dream!
Ancient China was wild, man. People got killed for the craziest stuff. The wrong word, a bad dream, even a tiny flaw in a sword could get you executed. It was nuts!
Or got caught in the middle of a warlord fight that killed 13 million people.
A lot of those stories were probably made up later to make the old dynasty look bad and the new one look good. Or maybe they’re just stories about how important it is to respect your elders. Of course, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some emperors who were totally crazy and killed people for no reason.
RE: Fact #36 (Teddy Roosevelt’s Accidental Presidency) – It’s crazy how some people think massive companies like Google, Facebook and Apple are okay. They’re just too huge!
Yeah, I totally agree.
Like, imagine a bailout condition where a business has to split into smaller, pretty much equal pieces within a set time. I think that’s a totally reasonable thing to do. Because even though some companies are so big that they could bring down the whole economy if they went under, no company should be that powerful.
Let’s say Google needs a bailout. Well, you could make Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Ads into separate companies.
Apple? Apple Music, Apple Devices, Apple Work – boom, separate companies.
Microsoft? Office, Operating System, Gaming, Internet – they’re all separate now.
Banks? Split them up by state, with all the big accounts going to a special separate bank for businesses that work across state lines.
You get the idea.
RE: Fact #11 (Snowpiercer’s Fish Scene Deception) – That scene was pretty powerful. It really shows how the trainers are constantly fighting hunger, and then they see all this food just wasted. They use it to cover their weapons, like it’s nothing. It’s a stark contrast between the struggle of the back and the wasteful privilege of the front.
RE: Fact #20 (RC Cola Born from Price Dispute) – You’ll have to take my RC Cola from my cold, dead hands.
RE: Fact #33 (Prophet’s Prediction Leads to King’s Death) – Seems more like a story than something real.
RE: Fact #38 (Champagne Ready for Alien Discovery) – Every Friday afternoon, someone yells “We found it!” Then there’s a pop, someone takes a drink, and then, “False alarm!” They then buy a new bottle to put it back.
RE: Fact #1 (Canadian Teen Discovers Spy Parents) – Being a fake baby for spies is a pretty crazy way to start a conversation at a party.
RE: Fact #27 (Saladin’s Modest Funeral Estate) – So the whole “not enough for a funeral” thing is straight from Wikipedia, but come on, that’s ridiculous. He was a king, of course he wouldn’t have enough for his funeral! Maybe they meant it wasn’t even enough for a basic funeral back then?
Anyway, I think this quote explains things better – Saladin thought a king’s hands should have holes to let the gold fall through. That’s the kind of guy he was. He wasn’t poor, I bet he lived like a king, but he wasn’t greedy either.
RE: Fact #50 (Obesity’s Broad Health Impact) – I was expecting to see some arguments defending obesity.
RE: Fact #35 (Perfect 10 in Olympic Gymnastics) – The goal was to give gymnasts points for trying really hard moves, even if they made a few little mistakes.
And a serious injury. It’s not the same sport anymore. Some people like the new style, but I prefer the old way where you had to be really good at doing the moves, not just who could do the craziest stuff.
It’d be cool if they did a trampoline thing where everyone does the same easy routine first, trying to nail it perfectly, and then a second routine where they go all out and do the hardest stuff they can.
RE: Fact #50 (Obesity’s Broad Health Impact) – It all comes down to when you start living a couch potato life. You can still be pretty active even if you drink and smoke, up until you’re basically at the end with lung and liver cancer. But when you start gaining weight, all the stress on your joints is going to hit you hard, like, right in the middle of things. Maybe a little sprain that stops you from walking around for more than five minutes. Maybe some nagging back pain that makes lifting anything a struggle. For really heavy people, this can happen pretty early, and then it just gets worse from there.
You can still be pretty active, even with drinking and smoking, until the very end stages of lung and liver cancer.
RE: Fact #13 (Pleasure Control Experiments in 1950s) – They banned Joywire on the Glitterworlds for a reason.
RE: Fact #31 (Captain Cook’s Maps Used Until 20th Century) – Head up to Anchorage, Alaska and check out the Captain Cook hotel – they’ve got some amazing murals.