40 Fascinating Facts About Movie Locations That’ll Make You Go, ‘Huh, Neat’

40 Grizzled Bits of Trivia That Have Seen Things You Could Only See in Your Nightmares

40 Random Bits of Pop-Culture Trivia We Placed Gingerly in the Barrel of the Rifle Being Pointed at Us by a Military Cop

40 Random Bits of Trivia Egregiously Left Out of the ‘In Memoriam’ Segment

Jason Alexander Reveals the Touching Reason Why His Marriage Has Lasted 43 Years

30 Earthly Items That Are Haunted or Historically Significant

Think these are just hunks of random materials? Think again

30 Earthly Items That Are Haunted or Historically Significant

September 06, 2024

They say that things are only as important as the meaning we give them, but these things didn’t need much help in the “meaning” department. Because, like that intimidating, overly confident kid in class, they know they’re important whether you think so or not. They’ve been around the block. They’ve been revered by generations of people. They’ve even seen things.

That’s right. There might be a little spark of life in these collections of metal, plastic or fabric. Freaky stuff, if you ask us.

Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox.

30

For sixteen years, they used the Statue of Liberty as a regular lighthouse. But it wasn't very good at that (it wasn't designed for it), so it wasn't considered critical to navigation in those 16 years in the late 1800s at all. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

29

Elevators

CRACKED.COM Many people who used elevators in the 1800s were so anxious that they reported feeling extreme dizziness and nausea. — Source

28

When the telephone was invented, people were scared that it would attract evil spirits and the Devil. The invention was SO poorly received that newly constructed phone lines would often be sabotaged and stolen. CRACKED.COM — Source

27

Computers, the terror of the '80s. People were afraid of computers to the point that they refused to touch or talk about the machines. CRACKED.COM — Source

26

The eyes of the world are upon you.

In 1878 the New York Times published an editorial that called Thomas Edison's invention, the phonograph, a depraved ingenuity. They claimed that the invention would destroy society because everyone would be too scared about being recorded to trust anyone else. CRACKED COM — Source

25

Mistletoe makes people feel romantic. It should make them nervous. Mistletoe is actually the product of two traditions. In the first, the Viking god Baldur was killed by a mistletoe arrow, so it must always remain suspended in the air. In the second, Celtic Druids thought the berries looked like sperm, so they'd gleefully harvest mistletoe as the testicles of their sacred oaks. So, mistletoe represents death and castration. CRACKED.COM http://www.bartleby. .com/81/9645.html Uewellyn's Sabbats Almanac, 2009 — Source

24

Barber Poles

A barber pole is a candy-striped symbol of small-town America. It's based on a bloody bandage. OZ The pole got its start during the Middle Ages, when barbers doubled as doctors. A common practice at the time was bloodletting, where a patient would grasp a bandaged pole, and the barber would cut into their wrists and let the blood (and evil spirits) run down the bandage. That's what the pole represents. CRACKED.COM http://wordinfo.info/unit/3364/ip:17 — Source

23

The heart symbol isn't shaped like an actual heart. But it As shaped like birth control. If you trace the heart symbol back as far as you can, you win — Source

22

Basquiat was in Blondie's music video for Rapture. Debbie Harry bought Basquiat's first painting for $200. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

21

Hidden Gems

CRACKED The Adoration of the Magi places multiple well-known figures of the time around Christ, including the powerful Medici family and the guy who commissioned the painting. The dude on the far right looking straight at us? Botticelli himself, showing off. — Source

20

THE FAMILY WHO WAS PLAGUED BY GARDEN CERAMICS. A family in Southern California thought it was a prank when a bunch of ceramics appeared in their garden one day, but the creepy things didn't stop coming. Over 50 pieces showed up in about a month, with some in menacing positions as if they were supposed to stare at the family, watching them. CRACKED.COM — Source

19

APPARENTLY THERE'S A HAUNTED FROZEN ELSA DOLL. A family in Houston who purchased a singing Elsa doll claims the thing to be haunted. It speaks on its own without being switched on, and it has never needed new batteries in the six years they've had it. They've thrown the doll out twice, but it kept ending up back at their house. The whole thing sounds like a prank, but the idea is still pretty creepy. CRACKED.COM — Source

18

Royal Underwear Purchasing

There's a market for royal underwear. People exist willing to pay top dollar for underwear worn by famous people - not just celebrities, but also queens. Pairs of Queen Victoria's bloomers have sold for over $15,000, and a pair of Elizabeth Il's (dirty) undies fetched $18,000 on eBay. CRACKED.COM — Source

17

Jackson Pollock

CRACKED.COM A CALIFORNIA WOMAN BOUGHT A JACKSON POLLOCK PAINTING FOR $5 AT A THRIFT STORE. A forensic art specialist helped determine 10625 38.4 W that the painting Teri Horton purchased is THE UNITED -280m W COL an original work by the artist also known - - ISEN 9 as Jack the Dripper. DOLLAR Its estimated value: anywhere from $10 million to $50 million. — Source

16

Ecce Homo

Disrespectful uses of priceless artifacts Monkey Jesus Around 1930, Spanish artist Elías García Martínez painted the unremarkable Jesus portrait Ecce Homo. In 2012, untrained amateur artist Cecilia Giménez just said to herself, Sure, I can restore it, how hard can it be? Such childlike obliviousness gave US the artistic monstrosity our godforsaken age deserves. CRACKED.COM — Source

15

2000-year-old battery CRACKED.COM People thought this artifact was just a pot. It turned out to be a working battery, more than a millennium before batteries were supposedly invented. No one has any idea what it was for. — Source

14

4,000-Year-Old Knife

In a historic move, Canadian authorities returned an Indigenous artifact. illustration The artifact is a 4,000-year-old knife found during a renovation, and its return acknowledges that Indigenous Peoples inhabited the land in question. CRACKED.COM — Source

13

Disrespectful uses of priceless artifacts Blowing up Troy Bombs are cool, the remains of the ancient city of Troy must also be cool, but they are not cool when put together. 19th-century grifter archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found nine ancient cities in 1873, all layered on top of each other. Не then blew them up one by one to get to Troy-b but blew up the actual city. CRACKED.COM — Source

12

Only the Best

CRACKED THE OLDEST WORKED GOLD INCLUDES A FANCY WANG HOLDER. The Varna gold is a collection of artifacts that dates back 6,500 years and includes a penis sheath apparently buried with the Donald Trump of warriors. — Source

11

Mummy's Hand

Disrespectful uses of priceless artifacts Using a mummy's hand as a sci-fi prop In 2013, customs officials at the Los Angeles International Airport found a very realistic prop in a batch of old sci-fi props coming from France. It turned out to be the hand of a 3,000-year-old mummy. The smugglers were arrested, and the hand was returned to Egypt (sadly, with no involvement of Brendan Fraser). CRACKED.COM — Source

10

Mayan Artifacts

In the early 20th century, an American explorer smuggled 30,000 Mayan artifacts. Не took them from a structure in Chichen Itza - basically a giant well - where they had piled up for centuries and smuggled them out of Mexico in his friends', colleagues', and own wife's luggage. CRACKED.COM — Source

9

Alien-made 'Oumuamua'? Sure, why not.

CRACKED THIS OBJECT IN SPACE IS AN ALIEN ARTIFACT AVI LOEB Avi Loeb, a professor at Harvard and well-known astrophysicist, has suggested that the mysterious 'Oumuamua, which flew through our solar system in 2017, might be a creation of an alien civilization. — Source

8

The Wizard of Oz

There are four known pairs of Dorothy's red slippers, worth up to $3 million Leonardo DiCaprio helped the Academy Museum purchase the most expensive pair of Wizard of Oz artifact. CRACKED.COM — Source

7

A Lost 14th Century City

Fishermen uncovered a lost 14th century city when golden artifacts were caught in their nets. Srivijaya ruled Indonesia and much of Southeast Asia for over 600 years but disappeared without a trace, until its location was revealed on the River Musi. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

6

And hey, it’s only ten bones to get in.

The New Orleans Voodoo Museum. B Many Voodoo tours offer walks through cemeteries, ghost stories, potions, Tarot cards, and authentic Voodoo dolls. The museum itself has objects from Voodoo's most famous practitioner Marie Laveau, and is called one of the creepiest places on Earth. CRACKED — Source

5

CRACKED THE SLINKY WAS DEVELOPED FOR THE NAVY. The strong spring was supposed to secure objects on ships, but then its inventor dropped it and realized it was a lot more fun to play with. Slinky COLLECTOR'S EDITION EDITION COLLECTOR LA EDICIÓN DE COLECCIONISTA HECHE MADE - 5+ Slinky — Source

4

Joan Rivers' Dog Bowl

Celebrity Items Sold in Auctions SPIKE Joan Rivers' Dog Bowl from Tiffany & Со After Rivers passed away in 2014, one of the objects in her estate auction was an engraved dog bowl for her pooch Spike, which sold for $14,000. CRACKED.COM — Source

3

NEUTRON STARS ARE THE DENSEST OBJECTS IN THE UNIVERSE (OUTSIDE THE INFINITY DENSITY OF BLACK HOLES) A GRAIN OF SAND MADE FROM A NEUTRON STAR WOULD WEIGH AS MUCH AS 3 EIFFEL TOWERS GRAIN OF NEUTRON SAND CRACKED.COM — Source

2

The first director of the CIA warned Congress about UFOs. Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter stat- ed in a letter that high-rank- ing Air Force officers are so- berly concerned about UFOs. But through official secrecy and ridicule, many citizens are led to believe the un- known flying objects are nonsense. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

1

Pokemon

VOLTORB IS A TSUKUMOGAMI GRAGKED.COM Some tools and other inanimate objects in Japanese folklore may acquire a spirit if enough time has passed, becoming a tsukumogami, or tool kami. In the games, Voltorb is said to have a connection to the introduction of Poké Balls, and if it were a tool kami that would mean it couldn't exist before the devices were invented. — Source

Tags:

Visual

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

Trivia & Jokes

12 Farm-Fresh Trivia Tidbits for Thursday, March 13, 2025

Movies & TV

Here’s A Compliation of Every Time Barney Was Secretly in Love With Homer on ‘The Simpsons’

Trivia & Jokes

39 of the Funniest Tweets from Thursday, March 13, 2025

Trivia & Jokes

40 Random Bits of Trivia We Think the Government Should Spend a Few Billion on to Include in the Crypto Strategic Reserve

Movies & TV

How ‘SNL’ Saved Steve Martin

Science & History

40 Facts About Nostalgic Franchises and Products to Fill Your Veins With the Numbing Nectar of Nostalgia

VIRAL ON CRACKED

1

4 Dark Easter Eggs In Famous Cities (Hiding In Plain Sight)

2

21 Historical Figures Everybody Gets Wrong

3

20 Dream Jobs That People Hated

4

12 Two-Second Solutions To Famous Movie Plots

5

15 Years Later, Conan O’Brien’s Writers and Andy Richter Remember Conan’s Final ‘Tonight Show’