Here are 25 kickass random facts. For part 383, click here.
1-5 Kickass Random Facts
1. The Banana Massacre of 1928 was a massacre where the U.S. threatened Colombia with military invasion if it didn’t end the ongoing Chiquita workers’ strike. The Colombian army fired on unarmed protesters, men, women, and children, killing somewhere between 800 and 3,000. – Source
2. When Queen Elizabeth visited the set of “Game of Thrones” she refused to sit on the Iron Throne because there is a law disallowing her from sitting on a foreign throne. – Source
3. Republicans are called the right, and Democrats are called the left, because of seating arrangements of various legislative parties in France in the late 1700’s. Supporters of the king sat on the right of the Speaker, and supporters of the revolution on the left. – Source
4. The writers of “Parks and Recreation” had no idea Nick Offerman was a skilled saxophone player when they wrote the Duke Silver plot line. – Source
5. Mr. Rogers made Friday the 13th less scary for children by naming the puppet who ruled the Neighborhood of Make-Believe “King Friday XIII (13th)” and regardless of the month or frequency, every Friday the 13th was celebrated as King Friday’s birthday. – Source
6-10 Kickass Random Facts
6. Mexico’s Great Pyramid of Cholula is the largest monument ever constructed on earth, having nearly twice the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza. A pre-classical masterpiece, it was found to be part of a vast complex of interwoven rooms and temples. Excavations are ongoing. – Source
7. New York Yankee’s pitcher David Wells stayed out all night partying until the next morning. While hungover he pitched a perfect game, retiring all 27 batters he faced marking the 15th perfect game in MLB history. – Source
8. Playing cards featuring summaries of cold cases and victims’ photos have been made available to prison inmates in several U.S. states. So far, approximately 40 cases have been solved as a direct result of being featured on the cards. – Source
9. Wealthy Russians hire fake ambulances with luxury interiors for $200 an hour to get through traffic. – Source
10. Foo Fighters were asked to play with Mick Jagger on SNL the same night they had a sold-out show in New Jersey. Instead of canceling on Saturday Night Live or their show, they rehearsed with Jagger, took a helicopter to Jersey, played their show, then flew back to NYC and played SNL. – Source
11-15 Kickass Random Facts
11. Edward Hines got the idea to paint a line in the middle of the road to separate traffic after watching a leaky milk wagon leave a trail down the street. In 1935, he was awarded the George S. Bartlett Award for outstanding contribution to highway progress. – Source
12. After Kanye’s interruption of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech, Comedy Central played a South Park episode mocking Kanye’s ego, four times in a row, back to back. – Source
13. The traditional “last meal” on a death row didn’t begin as a compassionate act but as a way to bribe their ghost not to haunt the executioners. – Source
14. Upon imprisonment, American Psychologist Timothy Leary was given psychological tests designed to aid placing inmates in jobs that were best suited to them. Leary himself had designed a few of them and used that knowledge to get a low-security gardening assignment, and escaped. – Source
15. “Having the guts to fight” used to mean soldiers being diarrhea-free, and thus able to participate in the battle. – Source
