16-20 Kickass Random Facts
16. In February 1335, two Oxford University students complained to the bartender of the Swindlestock Tavern about the quality of wine served. The argument turned into a brawl that escalated into a riot that lasted over three days, killing around 30 townsfolk and 63 members of the university. – Source
17. Scientists placed speakers on dead patches of coral in the Great Barrier Reef and replicated the sounds of healthy coral reef. They discovered that twice as many fish arrived and stayed compared to equivalent patches where no sound was played. – Source
18. When the space shuttle was in operation, it could launch a payload of 27,500 kg for $1.5 billion, or $54,500/kg. For a SpaceX Falcon 9, the rocket used to access the ISS, the cost is just $2,720/kg. SpaceX’s technical advances and cost reductions have changed the direction of U.S. space policy. – Source
19. The Apollo astronauts couldn’t get life insurance for their unique, dangerous jobs…so they signed hundreds of autographs, which their families would have been able to sell if they didn’t make it home. – Source
20. Having two small children means on average someone is sick in a household 29 weeks out of the year, meaning the household has a sickness more often than it is healthy. – Source
21-25 Kickass Random Facts
21. The Anthropologist Ursula G. Bower (aka “Jungle Queen”) led the Naga Headhunters into battle against the Imperial Japanese Army during WWI. Her weapons of choice were twin 9mm Sten SMGs. She was so effective, that the Japanese put a bounty on her. Nobody collected. – Source
22. During the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, the Hungarian Army, officially fighting on the German side, secretly assisted the Polish resistance, launching “ambushes” on the Poles and then “retreating” immediately, leaving behind massive amounts of weapons and supplies for the Poles to “capture.” – Source
23. The Persian Empire counted how many soldiers in a battle died by counting the arrows that each soldier would place in a basket before a battle. When the soldiers came back, they each picked up an arrow and the remaining arrows would be counted to calculate the total amount of deaths. – Source
24. Game designer Sid Meier has a 33/33/33 rule of sequel design, 33% of the game should keep established systems, 33% should feature improved systems, 33% brand-new mechanics. – Source
25. An organism capable of producing oxygen without light was discovered in 2010. Unlike plants, algae and some photosynthetic microbes who all require light, Methylomirabilis oxyfera releases oxygen even in complete darkness. – Source
Number 21, Ursula G. Bower fought in WW2 not WW1