Here are 25 kickass random facts. For part 812, click here
1-5 Kickass Random Fact
1. Jonathan Goldsmith, AKA The Most Interesting Man in the world from the Dos Equis commercials, has been an advocate for landmine victim support, has assisted the effort to prevent and cure cancer in dogs, save the Siberian Tiger, and end child sex trafficking in Cambodia. – Source
2. In the Shawshank Redemption, when Morgan Freeman’s character is asked “why do they call you Red?” he responds with “maybe it’s because I’m Irish”. It’s because the character in the novel was a red-haired Irish man. They cast Freeman for the part but added the line as a joke. – Source
3. Andy was the goose born with no feet. His owner outfitted him with Nike sneakers to help him stand and move, helping him to become a role model for disabled children before he was murdered in 1991 under mysterious circumstances. – Source
4. The library career of the creator of the Dewey Decimal system, Melvil Dewey ended in disgrace, because of his groping of female librarians. Dewey also insisted on seeing photographs of the women before he would hire them, to determine if they were attractive or not. – Source
5. Texas A&M University used to have an annual bonfire. In 1999, 12 students died when the Aggie Bonfire collapsed upon them during construction. The deaths led to the end of the tradition as the University faced a series of lawsuits and couldn’t afford the expected $2 million per year insurance. – Source
6-10 Kickass Random Fact
6. In 1554, Elizabeth Crofts hid in a wall on Aldersgate Street, where she pretended to be a heavenly voice. Reputedly 17,000 people came to listen to her give out anti-Catholic propaganda. – Source
7. All financial interests (including gifts and donations) for UK Members of Parliament are recorded and open to the public along with the person or business making the donation. – Source
8. George Washington signed the 1794 Slave Trade Act, which banned U.S. ships from participating in the Atlantic Slave Trade, as well as forbidding the exportation of slaves for foreign sale. It was the first major piece of legislation against slavery passed by the United States government. – Source
9. Henry Ford refused for years to make any significant improvements to the Model T. When his designers surprised him with a new prototype, he destroyed it in front of them with his bare hands. – Source
10. Singer Cass Elliot, better known as ‘Mama Cass’, did not like her ‘Mama’ moniker a single bit – to the point where she named her 1973 live album and TV special “Don’t Call Me Mama Anymore.” This is why her solo career in the 1970s is billed as ‘Cass Elliot’. – Source
11-15 Kickass Random Fact
11. Cheetos were designed to be addictive. A 2013 investigation found that Frito-Lay spent $30 million a year on 500 chemists and psychologists to attain the perfect mix of crunchiness, aroma, and “mouth feel.” They melt in the mouth immediately, tricking the brain into thinking it hasn’t eaten much. – Source
12. A thousand years ago Sweden had a guy whose job was to have *ALL* of the law memorized. He was called the Lawspeaker. – Source
13. If we brought a tablespoonful of a neutron star back to Earth, it would weigh 1 Billion tons or the equivalent of Mt. Everest. – Source
14. Most audio recordings contain a background “mains hum” from electric power grid oscillations that can be matched with grid readings to date the clip to the second it was recorded. – Source
15. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian pastor who believed in the power of teaching through an example that he felt would be just as powerful as preaching. – Source
