Random Fact Sheet #46 – 40 Amazing and Unexpected Facts from the Past and Present

Linford Christie was disqualified from competing in the 1996 Olympics 100m final due to having a 'false' start with a reaction time of 0.086s. The rules state that the runners must have a reaction time of greater than 0.1s.

27. The Sputnik 1 didn't have any sensors, only a radio transmitter and it was launched 60 years ago.

28. Jagdish Raj, an Indian actor holds the Guinness record for the most type-cast actor. He played a police officer in 144 films.

29. The Danish Language is so difficult to learn, that Danish children take longer to learn to speak than children from other countries.

30. In the first Simpsons Treehouse of Horror (Halloween special), Marge warns parents of the content of the episode advising them to put their children to bed. The warning was put in as a sincere effort to warn young viewers, as the producers felt it was somewhat scary.

An amateur radio enthusiast named Artie Moore in the UK heard Titanic's SOS call using his homemade radio equipment. Titanic's radio company president was so impressed by his homemade radio that he offered the man a job, where he worked for the next 35 years.

32. Cuteness inspired aggression is the reason people want to squeeze cute things.

33. Michael Jackson was once officially crowned King of Sanwi, a small kingdom at the bottom of the Ivory Coast. When Michael Jackson died, the nation mourned for two whole days.

34. In an attempt to reduce poo on the streets, anyone handing in a bag of dog poop in New Taipei City, Taiwan, was entered into a lottery for gold ingots and other prizes.

35. "The Golden Girls", "All in the Family" and "Will and Grace" are the only three sitcoms where every performer in the main cast won at least one Emmy.

Cats can recognize their owner's voices. They just never evolved to care.

37. The Coliseum got its name, not because of its massive size, but because of its proximity to a colossal 'Statue of Liberty' sized bronze statue of Emperor Nero.

38. The record for longest consecutive prison sentence ending with the prisoner's release is 68 years. Paul Geidel was convicted of 2nd-degree murder at the age of 17 and was released at the age of 86.

39. Hawaii affectionately calls Las Vegas "The 9th Island" because more than 300,000 Hawaiians visit it annually.

40. Spain remained neutral in World War 2 largely because of $200 million bribe from British intelligence.