26Fukuzawa Yukichi
The person on the 10,000-Yen banknote in Japan is Fukuzawa Yukichi, who was among the first Japanese to visit America in 1860, after the end of Japan’s isolation period. He became known as one of the foremost experts on Western culture, and the college he founded, Keio University still stands today.
27. When roosters open their beaks fully, their external auditory canals completely close off. Basically, roosters have built-in earplugs and this helps prevent them from damaging their hearing when they crow.
28. A German Shepard named Rin Tin Tin was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, Lee Duncan. Duncan trained Rin Tin Tin and obtained silent film work for the dog. He was an immediate box-office success and went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films, gaining worldwide fame.
29. Actor Adam DeVine from Workaholics and Pitch Perfect was paralyzed and nearly had his legs amputated at the age of 11 after being run over by a truck. He recovered years later after multiple surgeries and still has scarring. He credits this experience with giving him his ambition and drive.
30. The 369th Infantry Regiment (better known as the Harlem Hellfighters) served on the front lines for 191 days during World War I, longer than any other American unit. In that time they never gave up any ground they captured.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
31The Quaker Oats
The Quaker Oats Company isn’t Quaker and never was. They picked their name based on a religious stereotype about Quakers being honest in business.
32. Puppies removed from their mother before 12 weeks of age experience more behavioral problems and are less healthy than puppies separated from mother after 3 months. Removing puppies early doesn't improve puppies' ability to bond with humans.
33. Predjama Castle was under siege by the Austrian army for almost a year in the 15th Century. The castle lasted so long because it had a secret tunnel in the back which brought food to the castle. The siege ended only when the ruler died on the latrine after getting hit by a cannonball.
34. The “overview effect” is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space. It is the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space. According to astronaut Edgar Mitchell, “You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a b*tch.’”
35. Although most schizophrenics hear voices, the reverse is not true. Most people who hear voices are not schizophrenic (or necessarily mentally ill). Around 10% of people have had auditory hallucinations of some kind and there are many potential causes of auditory hallucinations.
36Madagascar
Madagascar has a larger population than Australia.
37. Sir Ewan Forbes was an intersex British aristocrat and rural doctor who applied to change his sex in 1952. Afraid of possible ostracism, he alerted his patients, priest, and friends in advance and found that they were “universally supportive”. He married his partner in a church a month later.
38. Sausage sizzles are public sausage barbecues generally held either as free community events or as fundraisers that have become a recognized and expected addition to polling booths at Australian elections. The sausages at these events have been nicknamed “Democracy Sausages.”
39. James Cagney in the 1932 film ‘Taxi’ is famous not only for Cagney's dancing, but it’s also the first film where he refused to be shot at with live ammo. This was very common at the time, due to it being much cheaper to use than blanks.
40. The letter Y is not just “sometimes” a vowel. It is almost always a vowel. It is only a consonant around 2.5% of the time.
