12 Four-Ply, Quilted, Aloe-Enriched Bits of Trivia to Give Your Brain That Signature Fresh, Clean Feeling You’ve Come to Expect From Us
Tired of coming away with itchiness and residue after a trivia dump? Our patented trivia technology will rub your brain raw, leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. The bet that got 70 people killed, the brutal history of the pinky swear, where you can go if you want to kill Bigfoot — these facts are sure to clean your clock like it’s the back end of a Charmin bear.
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A Teacher Got in Trouble for Joking About Crop Dusting His Students
A Kansas comedian had a few videos go viral on TikTok, talking about farting on his students and teaching them false facts. The school district told him to take them down, then fired him when he refused to comply.
Ring Will Give You $1 Million If You Can Prove Aliens Exist
If you happen to record hard evidence on your Ring camera of the most life-altering discovery in the history of humankind, between now and November 3, 2023, Ring will give you a million bucks.
A Russian Pilot Bet His Buddy That He Could Fly Blind, and Killed 70 People
In 1986, a pilot bet his copilot that he could land using only the plane’s instruments. He curtained the cockpit’s windows to prove his point, and ended up literally flipping the plane upside down upon landing. He served six years in prison though, so we’re all good now!
The British Almost Built the Longest Ship in the World (Out of Ice)
Project Habakkuk was a plan to build a World War II aircraft carrier out of pykrete, a mixture of ice and wood pulp. The research and prototyping was becoming too expensive, so the project was canceled. But had it been completed, it would have been 1,969 feet long. For context, the longest ship in the world today is the 1,504-foot Seawise Giant.
Indiana University Got a Federal Grant to Study Memes in 2014
IU received $1 million to “explore why some ideas cause viral explosions while others are quickly forgotten,” specifically in the conservative realm of Twitter. QAnon started three years later, so clearly the right people did not learn the right lessons.
KFC’s Unfortunate Chinese Translation Error
When the first KFC opened in China in the 1980s, “finger-lickin’ good” was briefly translated to “eat your fingers off.”
A Pinky-Promise Used to Mean Something
In 17th century Japan, the pinky promise was known as “yubikiri,” or “finger cut-off.”
The Second Guy to Go Down Niagara Falls in a Barrel Died by Fruiting
Fifteen years after plummeting over a waterfall, Bobby Leach slipped on an orange peel, injured his leg, got an infection, had to get it amputated and died from surgery complications.
It’s Legal to Kill Bigfoot in Texas
According to a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department official, “If Bigfoot did exist, and wasn’t human, then it would (be legal). Bigfoot would be a non-protected wild animal.”
The Guy Who Invented Vaseline Wouldn’t Quit Eating It
It was always intended for topical use, but Robert Chesebrough claimed to have eaten a spoonful of his patented goop every day. He did live to 96, though, so what do I know?
Belgium (Very Briefly) Tried to Make Cats Deliver Mail
In the 1870s, 37 cats were trained to pick up mail and deliver it back to their own homes. One figured it out in about five hours, but the rest took a full day to complete the relatively simple task of going home.
Neil Armstrong’s Barber Sold His Hair
The Guinness World Record holder for biggest collection of celebrity hair kept pestering Armstrong’s barber for a lock, but he repeatedly refused. The barber finally caved in 2004 when he was offered $3,000 for it. Armstrong was pretty pissed when he found out, and sicced his lawyers on the barber.