Random Fact Sheet #342 – From Trivia to Triumph: 30 Random Facts That Will Impress Your Friends

New Hampshire is the only state in USA with no adult seatbelt laws. Seatbelts are only required by law for minors under the age of 17 in the state. According to the data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2017, it also had the lowest percentage of seatbelt usage among the 50 states, at just 67.6%.

2. In Tibet, it's traditional for a woman to be married to multiple husbands who were usually all brothers to keep the land within the same family under inheritance laws. The practice was technically outlawed in 1981, but it carries no penalties and people aren’t prosecuted.

3. The 1874’s Battle of Liberty Place was an attempted coup against the Louisiana government. After a disputed election, 5000 members of the White League (a paramilitary terrorist organization made up largely of Confederate veterans), attempted to overthrow the government of Louisiana. The insurgency was put down with the help of former Confederate general James Longstreet leading a unit of African-American militia.

4. The New York Mets mascot, Mr. Met, was replaced for one season (1979) by a live mule named Mettle the Mule. The team finished the season with the worst record in their division, and the average attendance was the lowest in Mets history.

5. Karman line is the border that separates the Earth's atmosphere from outer space. It is defined as being 100 km above sea level by the Fédération Aéronautique International. This is regarded as the starting point of outer space, i.e. where the atmosphere is too thin to support flight.

Newark in New Jersey was founded in 1666 by disgruntled Puritans from Connecticut. Wishing to start a theocracy, they named their settlement New Ark believing they were creating a new ark of the covenant. New Ark remained a Puritan theocracy until 1746 when Episcopalian missionaries built a church.

7. George Forster was a convicted murderer who was sentenced to death in 1803 in London. His body was subject to a Galvanism experiment by Giovanni Aldini, where a current was passed through his muscles. Despite being dead, his face contorted and one eye even opened.

8. When a female porcupine is ready to mate, she climbs a tree and vocalizes loudly like a cat. This mating call attracts the males, who then fight brutally with each other. It's not unusual to see a mating male who has won the fight, with a hundred or so quills of rival males' tails stuck in his face.

9. Glass sponges were once thought to be extinct for over 100 million years. They have however recently been rediscovered in the last 25 years, found to be living on reefs at depths of 450-900 meters. It is believed that they can live up to 40,000 years, but due to changing seas levels, most probably only live for 15,000 years.

10. Actor Bert Lahr’s cowardly lion costume from the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz’ was made out of real lion's skin and fur. It sold for more than $3 million at a New York City auction in 2014.

Sokushinbutsu is a practice of self-mummification observed by Japanese Buddhist monks. The monks follow a strict starvation diet until abstaining from eating altogether to lose as much body fat and moisture as possible. They are then finally locked in a tomb while they are still alive.

12. King Cakes are iced, multi-colored cakes that are served during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Inside the cake is a small baby figurine called a fève which represents baby Jesus. Whoever gets the fève is said to have luck and prosperity for the rest of the year.

13. Ancient Chinese doctor and surgeon Hua Tuo was executed by King Cao Cao when he suggested performing surgery by cutting into his royal skull.

14. According to Diogenes Laërtius, Metrocles of Maroneia became a Cynic philosopher after having farted while practicing a speech. He became very upset, but after another philosopher (Crates) himself farted to demonstrate how natural it was, Metrocles was persuaded to let go of his shame.

15. United States Navy’s deep ocean research submersible ‘DSV Alvin’ is a ship of Theseus. Every component of this vehicle has been replaced since it entered service in 1964. It has been used to explore hydrothermal vents, the Titanic, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It was once even attacked by a swordfish. The fish was later cooked and eaten.

William Cunningham was a body snatcher in Ohio, who once responded to medical students playing a prank on him by sending them a corpse that was diseased with deadly and highly infectious smallpox.

17. Daniel Daly was a United States Marine, who received his first Medal of Honor for single-handedly killing over 200 enemy soldiers in a single night during the Boxer Rebellion in China.

18. "Trap Crops" are secondary crops which are planted to block or divert insects/parasites off the main crop. In some cases, even decoys made of plastic or cardboard can be helpful to disrupt insects.

19. Spongebob Squarepants’ exact species of sea sponge is Aplysina fistularis, which is also known as "yellow tube sponge."

20. After World War 2, hyperinflation of Hungary held the record for the most extreme monthly inflation rate ever, at 41.9 quadrillion percent (4.19 × 1016%; 41,900,000,000,000,000%) for July 1946, amounting to prices doubling every 15.3 hours.

Dublin in Ireland once was the Viking Kingdom of "Dyflin", founded by the Norse in the 9th century. "Dubh Linn" means "black pool" in Irish. Under their rule, Dublin became the biggest slave port in Western Europe. The last king of Dublin was killed by the Norman conquerors in 1171.

22. Portuguese Man O'Wars can be left or right-handed. The "left-handed" ones sail to the right of the wind, while the "right-handed" ones sail to the left.

23. Dina Sanichar (1861–1895) was a feral child raised by wolves in India. He was ‘rescued’ at the age of 6 and sent to an orphanage. He went on to live among other humans for over 20 years but never learned to speak and remained seriously impaired his whole life.

24. France and Mexico fought the "Pastry War" after a French pastry chef in Tacubaya complained to France in 1832 that Mexican officers vandalized his business and then denied him compensation.

25. Pearls are produced when an irritant such as a parasite enters a mollusc's shell. The mollusc secretes aragonite and conchiolin that creates nacre (aka mother of pearl) which encases the irritant.