Random Fact Sheet #262 – 40 Surprising Facts About Everything and Anything

After the success of Snow White, Walt Disney bought his parents a new home in Burbank. His mother frequently complained about the furnace, so Disney studio workers were sent to fix the broken furnace and failed to, resulting in Flora Call Disney dying in her sleep due to asphyxiation in 1938.

27. Apollo 12 was hit by lightning twice within a minute of launch, knocking out the command module instruments, lighting up nearly every warning light on the control panel, and garbling the telemetry to mission control. Earlier training simulating such a failure allowed them to restore power.

28. There are 6 Korean Female Pro Golfers who all share the same name, Jeongeun Lee. To prevent the mix-ups and confusion, they have been named Lee1, Lee2, Lee3, Lee4, Lee5, and Lee6. 

29. “Cow Tools,” was a cartoon that has been described as the most loathed Far Side strip ever. It confused so many readers that the newspaper’s phones didn’t stop ringing for 2 days. The author, Gary Larson, issued a press release explaining the joke after receiving hundreds of letters.

30. The common chicken does not exist in the wild. They are the result of the domestication of another species of bird called the “Red Junglefowl” that lives in South Asia. They look like chickens except they live on trees and can actually fly.

Childhood trauma is actually relatively common. 60% of the population experiences trauma by the age of 16. Research suggests childhood trauma has life-long impacts in the form of diminished health, financial and academic success, and social life.

32. In his songs, Chuck Berry articulated every word, with precise diction and no noticeable accent, leading some listeners and concert promoters, used to a different kind of rhythm-and-blues singer, to initially think he was white. Teenagers didn't care about his race.

33. There are no muscles in your fingers. Their function is controlled by muscles in your palms and arms.

34. The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty, refers to the paradox that countries with an abundance of natural resources (such as fossil fuels and certain minerals), tend to have less economic growth, less democracy, and worse development outcomes than countries with fewer resources.

35. Dorothy Stang was an American nun who dedicated her life to preserve the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. She helped the poor by teaching them how to harvest products from the forest and sought to protect peasants from gangs working for farmers. She was murdered by criminals hired by a rancher.

Queen Victoria was irritated at being, as a mere Queen, notionally inferior to her daughter Princess Victoria, who was the wife of the reigning German Emperor and hence an Empress - so the British government created for her the title of Empress of India.

37. Ancient Egyptians built King Ramses II statue with precise accuracy to be illuminated by the Sun only twice a year, once on February 22nd to coincide with his coronation day and again on October 22nd to coincide with his birthday.

38. Boeing once made a top-secret spy plane named the “Bird of Prey” after the Klingon starship in “Star Trek.”

39. In 2002, a former footballer named Lloyd Scott completed the London Marathon while wearing a 130lb (59kg) deep-sea diving suit. Finishing the entire race took him 5 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes, and 46 seconds.

40. Butterflies do not urinate or defecate, but the caterpillar almost continually defecates. When there are enough caterpillars in the same place, their defecation is audible.