Random Fact Sheet #271 – 45 of the Most Obscure and Intriguing Facts

Almost all the royal families of Europe are related to each other and while family trees are complicated and there are many ways that Europe's royals are related to each other, they all share a common ancestor in King George II who was the King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 until 1760.

27. Applejack is the name of an apple brandy that was popular in Maine due to liquor laws. Apple orchards were plentiful and applejack is easy to make by freezing fermenting cider, draining the ice, and keeping the high concentration liquor that stayed liquid.

28. Categories for hurricanes as high as "Category 7" have been proposed but are "not necessary" as almost all human structures are obliterated at Category 5 anyway.

29. Physician-assisted suicide is a constitutionally-protected right in Canada since 2015. When a Supreme Court decision ruled that people with "grievous and irremediable medical conditions", and whose natural death is "reasonably foreseeable" or "incurable", are entitled to assisted suicide.

30. Prominent mathematician Leonhard Euler had a botched eye surgery which left him almost totally blind at 59. Despite this, he still used his mental calculation skills to contribute more work to mathematics, and he could recite epic poems from memory.

The song 'The Night Chicago Died' by Paper Lace references an east side of Chicago, which does not exist. There are North, South, and West Downtown Chicago but the east is occupied by Lake Michigan. Songwriters Peter Callender and Mitch Murray had never been to Chicago.

32. There are "secret poems" written on sidewalks in Boston, that can only be seen when it rains or when liquid is poured on the lettering.

33. Thumb sucking is a behavior found in humans, chimpanzees, & captive ring-tailed lemurs. Anatomical and neurophysiological data analysis found that sucking the thumb is said to stimulate receptors within the brain which causes the release of mental and physical tension. 

34. The sounds made by the bugs in the movie Cars are sped-up VW Beetle engine sounds.

35. Orthosomnia is a disorder in which you are so obsessed with getting the correct amount of sleep that you can't sleep.

Meatloaf (who was a vegetarian for 10 years) was once asked about meeting singer and dedicated animal rights activist k.d. lang, but she refused because his stage name wasn't vegetarian friendly.

37. Tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis died at the age of 40 while visiting a friend's home in Southampton, New York. An improperly installed pool heater caused carbon monoxide gas to seep into the guesthouse where he was sleeping, causing his death by carbon monoxide poisoning.

38. Friday the 13th occurs at least once a year every year but can occur up to three times in a single year.

39. Carmen Colon, the first victim of the alphabet child killer, was seen running down an interstate wearing no pants, frantically waving for help, by at least 70 people, who assumed the man trying to corral her into his car was her father. She was found murdered near the highway 2 days later.

40. In 1910 pioneer aviator Lilian Bland became one of the first women in the world to design, build and fly an aircraft that she named Mayfly, suggesting it may or may not fly. Her first flight was successful, but her father, concerned for her safety, persuaded her to sell Mayfly, and buy a car.

The worst result in a simultaneous chess exhibition was 2 wins and 18 losses by Joe Hayden. He wanted to set a record by playing 180 people simultaneously but only 20 showed up to play. His 2 wins were scored against his mother and a player who got tired of waiting and left in mid-game.

42. The origin of the word abracadabra has not been determined, but that word has been around since the second century.

43. Velu Nachiyar was the first queen to fight against the British colonial power in India. After her husband was killed by British soldiers, she raised an army and repelled the British in 1780. She is one of the few rulers who regained her kingdom and ruled it for ten more years.

44. For sometimes, billiard balls were made of nitrocellulose and thus had an unfortunate tendency to explode.

45. The music video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Eat It" features a few of the same dancers from Michael Jackson's "Beat It".