25 Kickass Random Facts List #461

16-20 Kickass Random Facts

16. An American called Gilbert Bates marched across England after the civil war carrying an American flag on a bet of 1000 dollars that he wouldn’t be insulted along the way. He couldn’t get to London because of the crowds who supported him. – Source

17. 5-10% of Melanesians (a dark-skinned Pacific Island people) have blonde hair. This is not due to the mixture with European populations, but rather due to an independently arising mutation. – Source

18. When two subatomic particles called “bottom quarks” fuse, they release more than 7x the energy of individual fusion reactions in hydrogen bombs. The physicists who made this discovery kept it a secret until they were certain the discovery cannot be weaponized. – Source

19. “Daughter from California syndrome” is a phrase used in the medical profession to describe the situation in which a long-absent family member arrives while a patient is dying to demand inappropriately aggressive care. – Source

20. For decades, the only “premature wards” in the U.S. were carnival attractions at Coney Island and World’s Fairs. From the 1890s – 1930s, the “Incubator Exhibits” saved thousands of babies’ lives, at no charge to the parents. All costs were paid by entrance fees. – Source

21-25 Kickass Random Facts

21. Home Alone was originally financed/produced by Warner Bros. When the budget grew from $13 million to $18 million and no confidence of success, WB dropped the film, which was then picked up by 20th Century Fox. The film grossed $476.7 million worldwide (of which $285.8 million were from America). – Source

22. A man in China sold his kidney to buy an iPhone when he was 17 and is now bedridden for life. – Source

23. According to Graham Nash, Jimi Hendrix was unbeatable at the game Risk, especially while on LSD. – Source

24. While Comic Sans is hated by many people, it is very helpful for those with dyslexia. The irregular shape of letters in Comic Sans allows those with dyslexia to be able to read the letters properly. – Source

25. “Elysis” is a new smelting process for aluminium that releases oxygen instead of carbon dioxide. This new production process cuts operating costs by 15% and increases production by 15%. Apple has invested $11 million in the venture behind it and is offering technical support. – Source