Here are 25 kickass random facts. For part 639, click here
1-5 Kickass Random Fact
1. During World War II, an American lieutenant, realizing his position was inundated with enemy troops, called in an artillery barrage on himself. Following a US counterattack later that day, the lieutenant’s body was found alongside approximately 100 German soldiers. His name was John R. Fox. – Source
2. In 1948, the Nobel Committee did not award the Nobel Peace Prize on the grounds that “there was no suitable living candidate”, implying that Mahatma Gandhi would have received it if it were not for his assassination earlier that year. – Source
3. In 1990, Marilyn vos Savant wrote about the “Monty Hall problem” in her column in Parade magazine, correctly answering the statistical brainteaser. Thousands wrote to her to insist she was wrong, including many people with Ph.Ds. Mythbusters even confirmed she was right in a 2011 episode. – Source
4. Dana Carvey underwent heart bypass surgery for a blocked coronary artery, but the surgeon operated on the wrong artery. Eventually, he won a lawsuit against the hospital and won 7.5 million dollars, all of which was donated to charity. – Source
5. Sometimes Spitfires had to taxi to the take-off position with a person sitting on the tail. In 1945, a pilot forgot about this and took off with mechanic Margaret Horton clinging on the tail. The pilot realized that his aircraft wasn’t handling correctly and landed with Miss Horton still on the tail. – Source
6-10 Kickass Random Facts
6. The population of Rio de Janeiro was so unsatisfied with its politicians during the election of 1988, that a well-known local monkey from a zoo received over 400,000 votes. – Source
7. The Irish parliament recently spent €808,000 on a new printer, and when they discovered it didn’t fit they spent another €236,000 moving walls and reinforcing the building. It remains unused as staff refuses to operate it without a pay rise. – Source
8. The reason the plural of goose is geese but moose isn’t meese is because ‘moose’ is Native American in origin and so follows different language rules than Germanic words like tooth/teeth, foot/feet, and of course goose/geese. – Source
9. Neuroscientists have found evidence to suggest feeling powerful dampens a part of our brain that helps with empathy. Even a small amount of power can have this effect on someone. – Source
10. Abraham Lincoln is the only President ever to have a patent. In 1849, he was granted a patent for his invention of a flotation system for lifting riverboats stuck on sandbars. – Source
11-15 Kickass Random Facts
11. Spiders tune their webs like guitar strings, tightening and loosening strands so they can read the different frequencies caused by intruders and determine where/how big the intruders are, if they are predator or prey, or if they’re just a potential mate flirtatiously strumming their strings. – Source
12. Labi Siffre. Dr. Dre wanted to sample his 1970s song “I got the…” for Eminem’s “My Name Is” but Siffre, openly gay, initially refused, demanding sexist and homophobic lyrics be removed. Dre and Eminem made changes and the song became a massive hit. – Source
13. The human foot is uniquely advantageous for endurance running. Having entirely front-facing and short toe length decreases the amount of mechanical work required to push off the ground, thereby reducing the metabolic cost. – Source
14. The “All persons fictitious” disclaimer that appears in the end credits of films and TV shows is a result of a libel case brought against MGM that had produced a film suggesting that a Russian princess had been seduced by Rasputin. – Source
15. On 18 October 1963, French scientists launched a rocket into space, containing a cat named Felicette. She orbited close to 100 miles above the earth, then descended safely to the ground via a special parachute. Felicette has the high honor of being the only cat launched into space thus far. – Source
