1. From 7th September 1978 to 9th May 1989 skateboards were illegal in Norway. For 11 years Norway was the only country in the world where it was forbidden to buy, sell or stand on a skateboard. – Source
2. George Washington warned the American Public of four things in his Farewell Address: Sectionalism, Political Factions, National Debt and Foreign Influence. – Source
3. King Tutankhamun’s dagger was made of meteoric iron. – Source
4. There is only one unsolved airline hijacking case in the history of the U.S. D. B. Cooper, the hijacker parachuted out of the plane to an uncertain fate after receiving his demands, and was described as “thoughtful and polite” by his hostage. – Source
5. In 2001, when ythe IT department at the University of North Carolina decided to do a server audit, they realized that they could not find one of their best performing servers. They eventually resorted to following the physical cabling and they hit a wall, literally. For over 4 years, the server had been buried behind a wall during remodeling. – Source
6. There is a library in Estonian Airport, where you can borrow books for your trip and the whole thing operates off an honor system. – Source
7. Putting some dry tea bags in smelly running shoes or a smelly bag when not in use will absorb the musky scents while imparting some of their own more pleasant aroma. – Source
8. NPR posted a link “Why doesn’t America read anymore?” to their facebook page; the link led to an April Fool’s message saying that many people comment on a story without ever reading the article and asking not to comment if you read the link. People commented immediately on how they do read. – Source
9. The makers of Edible Underwear were denied patent protection on the grounds that “candy and pants were incompatible” – Source
10. MLB banned “spitball” in 1920, though they granted exceptions to 17 pitchers. The last “legal” spitball was thrown in 1934. – Source
11. The Game of Thrones writers asked to write an episode of It’s Always Sunny. Rob McElhenney and the other producers accepted the offer. – Source
12. The former Catholic King of the Belgians had himself declared “unable to rule” by the Belgian Government for one day so a law legalizing abortion could be passed without him having to sign it. – Source
13. The Michigan stilt walker in the book of world records and Ripley’s Believe it or Not walks more easily on stilts than he does on his feet because of Cerebral Palsy. – Source
14. In 2012, the founder of McAfee antivirus, John McAfee was asked if he personally uses McAfee anti-virus. He replied “I take it off,” and that “It’s too annoying.” – Source
15. Jacques Préval was Haiti’s first elected head of state to serve a full term in office since its Independence in 1804. – Source
16. In the 1950’s one of the major attractions at Las Vegas was watching atomic bomb tests nearby. For a time Vegas was marketed as ‘Atomic City.’ – Source
17. In Mexico, Black Friday is referred to as El Buen Fin which translates to the good weekend. – Source
18. Incans in Peru would purposely deform infant heads to stretch their skulls out permanently; the nobility would have significantly longer skulls than everyone else. – Source
19. Fingers prune underwater not because of them absorbing the water or washing away the oil, but because of an evolutionary trait directed by brain to enhance the grip of your fingers underwater. – Source
20. A man was once accidentally released from prison 90 years early due to the clerical error. He then started building his life by getting a job, getting married, having kids, coaching youth soccer, being active in his church. Authorities realized the mistake 6 years later and sent him back to prison. – Source
21. Goldcorp once offered $575,000 to anyone who could help find gold deposits. The Canadian mining company eventually paid out a winner and proceeded to unearth $6 billion worth of gold at the location. – Source
22. Some species of bamboo can grow about 3 ft (91 cm) in a single day. – Source
23. The weathervane on top of Faneuil Hall was used to find spies during the War of 1812. If someone could not identify it as being a grasshopper, they were placed under great suspicion. – Source
24. “Greeble” is the name given to the texture applied to Sci-Fi spaceship models for the purpose of making them appear more complex.- Source
25. A woman (Joyce Carol Vincent) was found dead on the couch of her London apartment in 2011, about 3 years after her death. The TV was still running and a mountain of mail had piled up behind the front door. – Source
26. Norway has very strict rules on advertising cars as “green,” saying “cars can do nothing good for the environment except less damage than others.” – Source
27. Leonard Nimoy met many fans who became scientists because of Spock’s example and talked to the ‘Star Trek’ actor as if he were a fellow researcher. Nimoy always nodded and told them, “Well, it certainly looks like you’re headed in the right direction.” – Source
28. During the apartheid era, a South African doctor tried to create a virus that would only affect black people. – Source
29. Director Werner Herzog saved the life of an Oktoberfest attendee when working at the Festival. Werner was required to make sure patrons did not drive drunk, so when one man insisted, he placed the wheel on full lock, passed out and the car continued to drive in a circle until it ran out of gas. – Source
30. A fig tree tricks a certain species of wasp to pollinate it, sends it down a small passage in the fruit where its wings are ripped off, after which it is digested by enzymes. Figs eat wasps. – Source