Random Fact Sheet #53 – A Smorgasbord of 40 Surprising Facts

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1Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens

A "devil's advocate" was a person sanctioned by the Vatican to argue against the canonization of a potential new saint by pointing out their flaws and critically evaluating their miracles. Christopher Hitchens served as a devil's advocate for Mother Theresa.


2. Fordite is hardened automobile paint taken off factory floors that is cut and polished and can be made into jewelry.


3. A 40-acre Montana fire was caused by a hawk landing on power lines while clutching a large snake. The wriggling snake touched a second power line, completing the circuit and electrocuting both animals with up to 700,000 volts.


4. "Eye Of The Tiger" was created to be the theme for Rocky III because Queen wouldn't give Sylvester Stallone the rights to use "Another One Bites The Dust".


5. In the original Little Mermaid novel, the mermaid's legs constantly feel as if she is walking on sharp knives. The prince likes to watch her dance, which she does for him, despite excruciating pain. Then he marries someone else and the mermaid kills herself.


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6Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe

The 'Swiss Army Man' directors had a dummy made up of Daniel Radcliffe, assuming he didn't want to do the weird, nude, farting stunts and lay around in the dirt. But he loved it so much, he insisted on doing every scene.


7. The use of bowls to house goldfish comes from a misunderstanding of Chinese display vessels--small, temporary containers to show guests goldfish that were otherwise housed in ponds. Fishbowls are so detrimental to goldfish's health that they are prohibited in places like Rome for animal cruelty.


8. The reason that Cersei and Bronn never appear in the same scene in "Game of Thrones" is that the actors used to date, had a terrible breakup, and now have stipulations in their contracts that they can't be made to act in the same scene together.


9. Beaver's teeth are orange because they contain iron. This gives them strength and prevents against tooth decay.


10. There is a system where cows can choose when they are milked. The whole process is automated, customized for each cow, and has seen cows living 30% longer than those at farms that use traditional methods.


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11Theodore Coneys

Theodore Coneys

A drifter named Theodore Coneys, also Known as the Denver Spider-Man, broke into a man’s house and hid in the tiny attic, ended up murdering the man, then continued to hide in the attic for months during the murder investigation, while the murdered man’s wife still lived in the house.


12. Michael Jackson had an entire shopping mall closed down and had people he knew pretending to be customers, so he could go shopping like a normal person.


13. After the last bucardo (a wild goat species) died, scientists brought a clone to life, making the bucardo the first species to become de-extinct. The clone died after seven minutes, also making it the first species to go extinct twice.


14. There are 2 ATMs in Antartica and only one of them works at a time. The reason for this is so if the working one breaks down, the other can be cannibalized for parts. A repairman also stops by every 2 years to perform routine maintenance.


15. An American psychologist named Timothy Leary was able to get out of prison after he filled in a psych test which put him as low-risk which he himself designed.


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16Humans

Humans

93% of all humans who have ever existed are dead.


17. The actors on Mad Men were smoking Ecstacy herbal cigarettes, that have no tobacco or nicotine in them, partly because actors smoking real cigarettes get agitated and nervous according to the show creator.


18. Every time a dog sees it's owner, its brain secretes those same chemicals as our brains when we are in love.


19. The voice of AOL (Elwood Edwards) (the guy who said "You've Got Mail!") was only ever paid $200.00 for his work and gets zero residuals or royalties. He now drives for Uber.


20. Over 3 million tons of asphalt pavement has been recycled and there is over 99% recycling rate for asphalt.


21Portia

Portia

There's a spider (Portia) that is capable of insight, trial-and-error learning, and puzzle solving due to its source of food: other spiders.


22. J.K. Rowling was the youngest self-made female billionaire.


23. A Swedish man survived for two months in a car that had been snowed over. He ate only snow, and survived due to a "igloo effect".


24. The person who is blind or visually impaired listens to the flow of traffic, determines when it is safe to cross, and then signals the dog to go forward. However, if a car is coming, the dog is taught to refuse to obey the command.


25. The 5 largest power stations in the world are all hydroelectric.

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