Random Fact Sheet #169 – 35 Quirky Fun Facts

In the UK, a White Christmas is defined by as “one snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December somewhere in the UK.”

27. During an annual toad migration in Germany, volunteers set up a “toad fence” along the sides of the road to protect the amphibians from getting run over. The animals are trapped in a bucket and carried to the other side of the road each day. More than half a million are saved each year.

28. There is a guest house named Rayanne House Guesthouse in Belfast that serves the same 9-course dinner that was offered to first-class passengers of the Titanic.

29. Laika, the first Soviet Space Dog died within hours due to overheating. This fact was not made public until 2002. It was widely reported that she died when her oxygen ran out on day six or, as the Soviet government initially claimed, she was euthanized prior to oxygen depletion.

30. The 'Turn-about Ranch' which is frequently recommended by Dr. Phil for troubled children has many reported cases of children being severely abused and humiliated.

Pluto is still a planet in New Mexico since the man who discovered it was from New Mexico.

32. Scotland's (unofficial) national anthem, "Flower of Scotland", can't be played properly on the bagpipes because it contains a note - a flattened seventh - that the pipes cannot produce.

33. In 1989, President Bush sent troops to Panama to capture Dictator Manuel Noriega. When the troops approached he managed to flee to The Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See, so the troops couldn't get in. But they surrounded the place and blasted Rock n' Roll music for days until he gave up.

34. The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 caused enough economic difficulties that aircraft manufacturers were forced to define specific limits on how much ash is considered acceptable for a jet engine to ingest without damage.

35. The Overjustification effect is a psychological phenomenon in which being rewarded to do something diminishes the motivation to perform the action. For example, playing an instrument for a reward is not as motivating as playing an instrument just for fun.