Here are 25 kickass random facts. For part 698, click here
1-5 Kickass Random Fact
1. There’s a local tradition in Akita Japan called Namahage where grown men dress up like demons to scare children into behaving for their parents. They go from house to house yelling things like “Are there any crybabies at home?” or “Are naughty kids around?” – Source
2. In 1993, a French man driving a Citroen car in a remote area of the Moroccan desert had a breakdown and became stranded. To survive he tore down the car, built a motorcycle from the parts, and rode it back to civilization. When he arrived he was ticketed for operating an illegal vehicle. – Source
3. The oldest evidence of humans in the Americas was found less than four months ago and was several thousands of years older than previously thought. – Source
4. The actor who used to play Gaston at Disney World killed himself accidentally by attempting to shoot fireworks off of his head. – Source
5. Betty White holds the Guinness World Record for longest TV career by an entertainer, with credits spanning 80 years (1939 to 2019). – Source
6-10 Kickass Random Facts
6. Radio host Jean Shepherd urged listeners to enter bookstores and ask for a book titled “I, Libertine” that didn’t exist. So many people took part in this hoax that the book was soon on The New York Times Best Seller list. – Source
7. 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. – Source
8. After Marrying his then future ‘White Stripes’ band-mate “Meg White” in 1996, Jack legally changed his surname to hers. In Public, they pretended to be Siblings to keep the limelight on their Music rather than the couple’s relationship! – Source
9. There’s an 18% average mortality rate for catch and release fishing with the rate varying significantly between species. – Source
10. Showman P.T. Barnum got his start by purchasing an enslaved woman named Joice Heth. She was in her 70’s but he claimed she was 161 years old and had been the nanny of George Washington. He exhibited her until her death and then allowed the public to view her autopsy for 50 cents each. – Source
11-15 Kickass Random Facts
11. Steve Irwin and his father discovered a species of turtles that can breathe through their cloaca in 1990. It’s named after them: Irwin’s turtle. – Source
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. – Source
13. Rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival played the 1969 Woodstock festival but refused to allow their performance to be included in the movie or on the soundtrack. The Grateful Dead had just finished a long mellow set so when CCR took the stage after midnight most of the audience was asleep. – Source
14. When Charlie Sheen announced that he was HIV positive in 2015, it resulted in a vast increase of online search queries for HIV prevention and testing, which was later dubbed the “Charlie Sheen effect”. – Source
15. Adolf Hitler’s Madagascar plan was to relocate all the Jews to Madagascar. This idea later was shelved in favor of the mass genocide of the population. – Source
