26Written Chinese
Because written Chinese uses characters to represent concepts rather than sounds, speakers of different languages such as Mandarin and Cantonese can communicate through writing, but not speech.
27. Because of the way bacon was being packaged layered so as to emphasize the meaty side of the bacon and make it seem less fatty, the federal government intervened in 1974 by enacting strict regulations requiring that a “representative slice” be made visible through a “transparent window.”
28. Pablo Picasso's full name has 23 words and 103 characters. His full name is 'Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.'
29. There's a noticeable uptick in heart attacks immediately following Daylight Saving Time likely due to people suddenly changing their sleep patterns, going against their "internal clock."
30. The Burning Mountain in Australia has an underground coal fire that has been burning for approximately 6000 years and is the oldest known coal fire.
Latest FactRepublic Video:
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
31Wolverine
A single wolverine crossed the ice of Lake Huron into Michigan, where it lived out its days as the only one in the entire state. A local science teacher named Jeff Ford followed and studied her closely for years until her death. Upon finding her dead he said, "I feel like I lost a member of my family."
32. The 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain" originally intended to star Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix but both actors were uncomfortable with the film's sex scenes and declined the parts.
33. Death by misadventure is a legally-defined manner of death, primarily attributed to an accident that occurred due to a dangerous risk that was taken voluntarily.
34. In 2022, we will be able to see a red supernova with a naked eye.
35. A French composer named Georges Bizet died of a heart attack at the age of 37 about a month after his masterpiece ‘Opera Carmen’ premiered to bad reviews and low attendance. Despite dying convinced his work had been a flop, the Opera would go on to become one of the most iconic works of music.
36RAF pilot
In 1968, when the UK government did not celebrate the Royal Air Force's 50th anniversary with a flypast over London, a pilot named Alan Pollock performed his own fly through the Tower Bridge, round Big Ben and was fired.
37. At an art display, live goldfish were placed on display swimming in blenders, and visitors were told they could press the "on" button if they wanted. At least one visitor did end up pressing the button, killing two goldfish.
38. Picasso once famously said: "It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child." Researchers hypothesized that this is because early childhood is a period characterized by "exuberant neural connectivity" that facilitates "arbitrary sensory experiences in infants."
