1Newgrange Monument on Dec 21
Every December 21, the inner chamber of Newgrange a prehistoric Irish monument that predates Stonehenge is illuminated for 18 minutes by the rising sun.
2. The prototype of the Rolls Royce Ghost was so quiet inside that it made test drivers sick. The engineers had to remove some of the noise-isolating material and create seats that vibrated at specific frequencies to introduce some noise into the interior.
3. Owls cannot move their eyes. This is because their eyes are not balls, but cylinders that are held in place by bones called sclerotic rings. This is also the reason why owls have evolved to be able to rotate their head 270 degrees left and right, and 90 degrees up and down.
4. In 1869, physicist Ludvig Lorenz developed an equation for the relationship between the refractive index of a medium and its density. In 1878, unrelated physicist Hendrick Lorentz independently discovered the same equation. The result is called the Lorentz–Lorenz equation.
5. Olympians can use the OLY lettering on any official documentation after their name much like when one gets a royal honor or Ph.D.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
6Ancient Egyptian Humor
Ancient Egyptians were notorious for their subversive political humor and the Romans banned Egyptian advocates from the law because all of their jokes disrupted the sanctity of the courts.
7. When Clint Eastwood was approached for the role of James Bond he turned it down because he didn't feel it was the right role for him saying “I was offered pretty good money to do James Bond if I would take on the role. But to me, well, that was somebody else’s gig. That’s Sean’s deal.”
8. During World War 2, Heinz invented a self-heating soup can that would frequently explode.
9. IBM donated an International Translator System for use at the Nuremberg Trials, which brought the trial to life through the simultaneous interpretation of English, Russian, French, and German delivered to 600 headsets with five audio channels. Later, IBM sold the proven system to the United Nations.
10. "Rabbit starvation" is malnutrition caused by eating too much protein and not enough fat. It has historically been caused by eating rabbit meat exclusively, which is too lean.
11Adolf Hitler’s Madagascar Plan
Hitler's plan was to relocate all the Jews to Madagascar. This idea later was shelved in favor of the mass genocide of the population.
12. Nicolas Cage was originally given the leading role in The Wrestler (2009), but passed it on to Mickey Rourke, believing he would be a better fit. The film went on to win a Golden Lion and was nominated for two Academy Awards.
13. Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure couldn’t find an Ivory Coast flag so she celebrated her 60 meters gold with the Irish flag given to her by a spectator.
14. 'The Rally' is a phenomenon that occurs when a critical patient is expected to pass away in a few days. At some point during the last days (and sometimes even the final day of life), they appear to be "all better," meaning they will eat more, talk more, and even walk around.
15. It is much debated by its fan base whether or not ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas film. It was actually first released to cinemas in the middle of July 1988. Its distributor, 20th Century Fox, had greenlit the screenplay in June 1987 because they needed a summer blockbuster for the following year.
16JanSporting
JanSporting is the act of putting a backpack on an extremely intoxicated to prevent them from turning on their back while unconscious and choking on their vomit. Though thoughtful, there have been a number of deaths when Jansporting has proved to be unsuccessful. If you think somebody is sick enough to warrant a backpack on their back to keep them from choking on their own vomit, they need medical attention.
17. The movie Kung Pow: Enter the Fist was written, directed, and starred by the same person (Steve Oedekerk). He used footage from a 1976 Hong Kong film and filmed new scenes to create a new plot. He re-dubbed all characters himself (except for the character Whoa).
18. There was a rumor in the 1960s that Japan made products in a town called USA which was then exported to the US with the label "MADE IN USA" to make them appear as if they were made in the US.
19. Gerald Ford had the distinction of being the only person to serve as POTUS without being elected to either the presidency or the vice presidency. He was voted by Congress to be vice president after Spiro Agnew resigned, then filled the presidency after Nixon resigned.
20. For Māori women, the traditional female chin tattoo is considered a physical manifestation of their true identity.
21Stephane Breitwieser
An art thief named Stephane Breitwieser stole $1.4 billion worth of art. He never sold any of the art, he was an avid art fan and hung them in his house.
22. When American animator Adam Reed quit Cartoon Network he stole the master tapes for Sealab 2020. Reed would later use these tapes to make the pilot for Sealab 2021 which was picked up by Adult Swim.
23. American writer Isaac Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books, 380 short stories, and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He was a professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He had a triple bypass in 1983 during which he got HIV from a blood transfusion which was kept secret until 10 years after his death.
24. Betty white's character, Rose Nyland, on The Golden Girls, had a brush with HIV. The show, titled “72 Hours,” centered on Rose after she learns that a blood transfusion she received may have exposed her to HIV. The message of the show was that HIV and AIDS had the potential to affect anyone.
25. Margaret Thatcher's 'Britain Awake' speech in 1976 where she stated the USSR was "bent on world domination", had failed in economic and human terms, its only recourse to become a superpower was military means. Soviet newspapers dubbed her the "Iron Lady" which she adopted.
