Here are 25 kickass random facts. For part 827, click here
1-5 Kickass Random Fact
1. The last writers’ strike in 2008 led to the first season of Breaking Bad being two episodes shorter and kept Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) alive. He was originally planned to be killed off the first season. – Source
2. In 2017, several Maryland college students consumed so much alcohol at a house party, that the air in the house registered a reading of 0.01 on a breathalyzer. – Source
3. Contrary to popular belief, INXS frontman Michael Hutchence didn’t die of autoerotic asphyxiation. The rumor was started by his partner Paula Yates, who while grief-stricken, was unable to accept the fact that Hutchence took his own life. The coroner also confirmed that Michael died by suicide. – Source
4. 13% of people who receive CPR outside of a hospital are still alive a year later. – Source
5. “Stars and Stripes Forever” is an emergency alert at the circus. When it is played by the band it usually means there is a fire and that the performers and circus hands should go to their emergency stations and start evacuating people. – Source
6-10 Kickass Random Fact
6. The Tower Bridge in London is a relatively modern bridge that was designed to look medieval. – Source
7. A McDonald’s in the Netherlands once fired an employee for selling a coworker a hamburger and then separately giving them a piece of cheese, arguing that she should’ve charged more for a cheeseburger. Courts ruled in the employee’s favor, ordering the rest of her contract paid out in full. – Source
8. Since 2020, white LED streetlights have been turning purple because of a defect during the manufacturing process between 2017 and 2019. The yellow phosphor coating was delaminating, and the blue LED began showing through, giving off a purplish glow. – Source
9. After the fires that followed the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many insurance companies tried to avoid covering the losses, except for Lloyd’s of London: “Pay all of our policyholders in full, irrespective of the terms of their policies.” This cemented Lloyd’s reputation in the U.S. – Source
10. In the early 1930s, Cadillac’s policy was to not sell cars to black people. In 1933, Nicholas Dreystadt, a middle manager at General Motors, crashed a GM executive committee meeting and convinced them to drop the policy and instead market to black people. Sales increased by 70% within a year. – Source
11-15 Kickass Random Fact
11. Aristotle’s payment for teaching Alexander the Great was the reconstruction and repopulation of Aristotle’s home village, which had been destroyed and enslaved by Alexander’s father. – Source
12. A ‘munchy box’ is a popular takeaway food item in Scotland typically consisting of kebab meat, fried chicken, pizza, chicken tikka, samosas, onion rings, chow mein noodles, pakora, naan bread, garlic bread, coleslaw, other fast foods and sauces such as curry sauce. – Source
13. Seretse Khama, former president of Botswana, managed to transform the poorest nation on earth into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. – Source
14. 100 Americans a year choke to death on pen caps, but the number used to be higher before manufacturers put a hole in the cap. – Source
15. Rabies treatment is only 4 shots in the arm, not 21 shots in the stomach! And it’s been that way for 40+ years. – Source