Random Fact Sheet #172 – Explore the Extraordinary With These 40 Facts

In Russia, flavored instant-mashed-potatoes in a cup are a popular snack, similar to instant ramen cup noodles in Japan and North America.

27. A restaurant named Sweet Dixie Kitchen in California was secretly serving its customers Popeyes Chicken for months.

28. Malaysia has a unique ceremonial monarchy system where in nine monarchs each take turn being king. Malaysia has nine states with traditional Malay kings. The top throne of the country is rotated amongst them as a power compromise.

29. George Eastman, the Founder of Kodak insisted the company use a 13 months, 28 days per month calendar. This system would be used by Kodak as the official date system from 1928 to 1989.

30. A British explorer named Sir Samuel White Baker owned a gun he named the “Baby.” The 2 bore rifle so absurdly powerful that it was almost unusable. As the largest caliber ever built for a shoulder gun, it fired a half pound shell that would outclass even a .50 BMG in terms of sheer force.

Jasmine rice isn't actually scented and flavored with jasmine. It's just a distinct variety of rice that naturally has a fragrant, floral aroma.

32. At about 30 feet underwater, blood appears green, due to red light having been filtered out by the water.

33. A single almond requires a gallon (3.8 liters) of water to produce. California produces 80% of the planet's almonds using more water than Los Angeles and San Francisco combined and generating $11 billion in 2014 to the Californian economy.

34. James Bond was originally half Scottish half Swiss. Also, Flemming named him after an ornithologist as it was the "simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name".

35. The photo of Pope John Paul II torn to pieces by Sinead O’Connor on SNL in 1992 was not a prop: She said, “The photo itself had been on my mother’s bedroom wall since the day the f*cker was enthroned in 1978.”

In the early 20th century, film reels were often destroyed after their theatrical release, either by accident due to the use of flammable silver nitrate or on purpose in order to recover the silver contained in the film. As a result, an estimated 75-90% of all silent films are lost.

37. J.R.R. Tolkien was a supporter of the constructed language ‘Esperanto’, believing it could help unite Europe after World War 1. He also created new languages like Elvish, calling it his “secret vice”, and explained that for him the purpose was aesthetic rather than pragmatic.

38. Elephants have a specific call to warn the herd of the presence of angry bees.

39. Mapmakers deliberately put slight mistakes in their maps (fake streets, towns) so that they can tell when someone copies them. They are called map traps.

40. Psychosocial dwarfism is a condition where a child can stop growing due to an extremely stressful environment. It can cause the body to completely stop growing but it is generally temporary. Regular growth will resume when the source of stress is removed.