Facts of the Day
1. The national sport in Iceland is an old Viking sport called Glíma. – Source
2. In 2003, two men stole an empty Boeing 727 from the Luanda International Airport and flew it into the sunset. They have never been found. – Source
3. Leonardo da Vinci believed the moon had an atmosphere and oceans. The Moon was a fine reflector of light, Leonardo believed because it was covered with so much water. – Source
4. “Pretty Boy” Floyd, one of America’s most notorious bank robbers, on bank heists, he was known for destroying mortgage papers, consequently freeing hundreds of people from property debt. – Source
5. In 2014, a new species of vine was discovered in Chile that can mimic the leaves of many different host trees. It can change the size, shape, color, orientation, and even the vein patterns of its leaves to match the surrounding foliage. It’s the only known plant with such abilities. – Source
6. Ants can combine multiple colonies into “Supercolonies” which contain multiple queens. One of the largest on record included an estimated 306 million worker ants and one million queen ants living in 45,000 interconnected nests. – Source
7. One of the ways people kept cool before air conditioning was storing their underwear in the freezer. – Source
8. King Faisal of Saudi Arabia abolished slavery and freed 1,682 slaves in 1962. – Source
9. Nik Wallenda, the last man to cross over Niagara Falls on a tightrope was required to submit his passport to border agents upon arrival. – Source
10. Norman Greenbaum has made a living off the royalties of exactly one song: “Spirit in the Sky.” – Source
11. Portland Oregon has more strip clubs per capita than any city in the country, has more microbreweries inside their city limits than any city in the world, has the smallest city park of any city in the world and is home to the largest bookstore in the country; Powell’s City of Books – Source
12. The Mir diamond mine of Serbia, Russia is so large that it creates air currents strong enough to suck a helicopter into it. – Source
13. Queen Victoria and King Christian IX’s descendants currently occupy the thrones of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. That includes all of the remaining kingdoms of Europe today except for Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. – Source
14. A program called Pets for Vets was started in the US where shelter dogs are paired with returned veterans to help reduce anxiety. – Source
15. The liver is the only human internal organ able to regenerate itself; as little as 25% can regenerate back into a whole liver. – Source
16. The Apollo 11 crew broke the ignition switch on the lander and relied on a pen to get back to earth. – Source
17. The ancient temple in Rome where Julius Caesar was murdered is now a sanctuary for hundreds of cats. – Source
18. Japanese women give chocolates to men on Valentine’s day. Men are supposed to return the favor a month later on White Day (March 14th). – Source
19. Will Smith owed $2.8 Million to the IRS and almost went bankrupt, just before he signed the contract for The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. – Source
20. A female minor league pitcher struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig back-to-back in 1928. Her contract was voided; in 1952 MLB officially banned women, which was not revoked until 1992. – Source
21. Sperm whales are so called because their heads are filled with large amounts of oily fluid, which whalers thought was sperm. Scientists still aren’t sure what it’s there for. – Source
22. On May 2, 1845, a bridge in Great Yarmouth, England, collapsed when thousands gathered on it to watch a clown travel down the river in a tub pulled by geese. “400 people went into the river, 79 died, 59 of which were children.” – Source
23. One of the largest concerts of all time was Monsters of Rock held in 1991 in Moscow. Guests on the show included AC/DC, Pantera, Metallica, Black Crowes, etc. and 1.6 million people attended. It is slightly larger than the population of Philadelphia. – Source
24. Wild almonds are bitter, the kernel produces deadly cyanide upon mechanical handling, and eating even a few dozen in one sitting can be fatal. The domesticated species that humans have been selectively breeding for centuries are the only ones that can be ingested safely. – Source
25. Since 1957, BBC have been playing April Fool Pranks on their viewers. Their last hoax in 2010, was claiming that they had proof Shakespeare was French. Source
26. Speedy Gonzales was banned by Cartoon Network for being an offensive stereotype, only to be returned after mass protest by the Hispanic-American community. – Source
27. Philadelphia Cream Cheese is not made in Philadelphia and has never been produced in Philadelphia in its entire 135-year history. – Source
28. Each American citizen pays on average $2,150 per year towards the national defense budget, the highest of any country. – Source
29. During the Berlin Blockade in 1948, a pilot who was doing supply drops for the civilians became known as ‘Uncle Wiggly Wings’ after he started dropping candy and chocolate from his plane and wiggling his wings so people knew it was him. – Source
30. There is a pizza place in Alaska that delivers pizzas by plane. – Source
