Here are 25 kickass random facts. For part 417, click here.
1-5 Kickass Random Facts
1. The NFL made a committee to falsify information to cover up brain damage in their players. – Source
2. About 85 percent of hospitals still use pagers because hospitals can be dead zones for cell service. In some hospital areas, the walls are built to keep X-rays from penetrating, but those heavy-duty designs also make it hard for a cell phone signal to make it through but not pagers. – Source
3. In 2007 a thief drove a $280,000 Porsche through the glass window of a Malaysian luxury car showroom. The car was abandoned nearby, its fuel tank empty. The thief kept the keys and returned with a can of gas to the police station where the car was impounded, stealing the vehicle a second time. – Source
4. Kelly Clarkson didn’t want to win American Idol because the winner was contractually bound to make a musical rom-com. – Source
5. A 1996 federal law allows restaurants to donate leftover food without getting sued, and that nobody has ever filed a lawsuit against a restaurant over donated leftovers. – Source
6-10 Kickass Random Facts
6. Bats and dolphins evolved echolocation in the same way (down to the molécular level). An analysis revealed that 200 genes had independently changed in the same ways. This is an extreme example of convergent evolution. – Source
7. The robbery of the Federal Reserve in Die Hard with a Vengeance is so plausible that the FBI actually questioned the screenwriter on how he had such intimate knowledge of the vaults. – Source
8. A man was cured of HIV in 2007 with a bone marrow transplant from someone with genes resistant to HIV. He’s the first person to ever be cured. – Source
9. In 2015, a Canadian man broke into a home, fed the cats and horses, cooked a meal, did the laundry, wrote in the homeowner’s diary and was apprehended sitting by a stoked fire while drinking a cup of tea. – Source
10. A Portuguese castle enduring a prolonged siege broke the enemies resolve by, in a fake show of plenty, throwing freshly baked bread made from the very last flour in the castle with the message, “if you need any more, just let us know”. Fearing a much more prolonged siege, the Spaniards withdrew. – Source
11-15 Kickass Random Facts
11. The fruit Monstera Deliciosa causes severe throat and skin irritation due to oxalic acid (aka rust cleaner!) unless 100% ripe. Once the green outer scales fall off it’s safe to eat and tastes like a mix of pineapple, banana, and coconut. The scientific name literally means Delicious Monster. – Source
12. Bill and Melinda Gates plan to leave $10 million each to their three kids as an inheritance out of his $80 billion fortune. He is set to give away approximately 99.96% of his wealth to charity and foundations. – Source
13. In the 1700s, Queen Caroline of Great Britain had smallpox inoculation trialed on six prisoners in return for commuting their death sentences. When this was successful, she inoculated her own children, popularising the process. – Source
14. An episode of The Simpsons titled “Lisa The Greek” correctly predicted the outcome of that year’s Super Bowl in 1992 just three days later. When the episode was rebroadcast in ’93 and ’95 it was redubbed and again predicted the winners. – Source
15. In light of the violence caused by kids trying to obtain limited Jordan’s, Hakeem Olajuwon released a cheap, $15 shoe and try and end the appeal of expensive shoe wear, stating: “How can a poor working mother with three boys buy Nikes or Reeboks that cost $120?” – Source
#21 is a little deceiving. It wasn’t so much that he had been treated for depression; it was that he had gotten electric shock treatment for depression.