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40 Bits of Bizarro STEM Trivia That Will Inspire You to Go Into the Arts Instead

Bender is packing an OG Apple II microprocessor up in that noggin

40 Bits of Bizarro STEM Trivia That Will Inspire You to Go Into the Arts Instead

November 17, 2024

The Addams Family was the first TV show brave enough to feature a home computer.

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40

Alan Turing

ALAN TURING came up with the idea of a universal Turing machine, which was like a blueprint for a computer, and helped create the first electronic computer-all in the 1940s. CRACKED — Arthur Reginald Chaffin/Wiki Commons
American Scientist

39

Bill Gates

Bill Gates and Paul Allen took advantage of software glitches while in middle school. CRACKED.COM The pair lost computer privileges after obtaining free computer time from the company that provided them. They were allowed back in the computer lab when they offered to de- bug the program. — Source

38

COBOL

CRACKED.COM Finances run on an ancient CASH computer language. $3 trillion moves every day through ATMs, banking services, and other financial systems programmed in COBOL, a computer language from the 50s. Only older programmers are usually trained in it, which is shaping up to be a problem. — Source

37

Scott Thompson

Careers built on a lie Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson: Computer science degree or not? Thompson came under fire for claiming to have a computer science degree from Stonehill College when he didn't, and Yahoo's response that it was an inadvertent mistake didn't cut it. Thompson had used the same bio with the SEC when he was PayPal's сто. CRACKED — Yahoo/Flickr
Insider

36

George Lucas

FULLY CGI SEQUENCE IN A MOVIE 1982 GRACKED COM In 1982, George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic created the first completely computer-generated cinematic image sequence in a feature film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This sequence, which lasted sixty seconds, was created using fractal geometry and was a major milestone in the development of computer graphics. — History of Information / Parent Previews

35

Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin stepped in when a computer docking system failed during a space flight. GRAGKED.COM On NASA's Gemini XII flight, the computer docking system failed and Buzz Aldrin success- fully calculated the dock- ing trajectory using a sex- tant and a slide rule. — NASA

34

Lose/Lose

There is a video game, called Lose/Lose that deletes a random file on your computer every time you-kill-an-enemy. CRACKED.COM Styled after games like Galaga, the player controls a spaceship and can shoot at aliens in their path, each representing a random file on the player's computer. — Venture Beat

33

Futurama

BENDER HAS THE PROCESSOR OF AN EARLY APPLE COMPUTER. 6502 Fry and the Slurm Factory A scan reveals that Bender is powered by a 6502 microprocessor, just like the Apple II computer from the late '70s. CRACKED.COM — Source

32

The Addams Family

The first home computer 1965 CRACKED.COM In The Addams Family, the gigantic family computer, Whizzo, is used to cheat at gambling and help rig an election. Pretty spot-on. — Source: 19 Television Firsts (That We Never Really Recovered From)

31

Ada Lovelace

CRACKED THE FIRST COMPUTER PROGRAMMER WAS A WOMAN. Ada Lovelace, born in 1815, is credited with writing the first algorithm designed to be carried out by a machine, making her the world's first computer programmer. — MPG / Time Note

30

Scotland’s National Animal

The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn. GRAGKED.COM The mythical beasts adorn castle walls, cathedrals, and Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. — Source: BBC

29

The Largest Flying Animal

THE QUETZALCOATLUS WAS AS TALL AS A GIRAFFE Quetzalcoaflus northropi Quetzalcoatlus sp. The Quetzalcoatlus is the largest known flying animal. It was a pterosaur with a wingspan of around 33 feet. CRACKED.COM — Source

28

Gulliver’s Travels

After a major extinction event, the animal species that survive tend to get smaller. CRACKED.COM The decrease in body size in animal species which have survived a major extinction is called the Lilliput effect, de- rived from the island of Lil- liput inhabited by a miniature race of people in 'Gulliver's Travels.' — Online Library

27

Rabid Animals

If you have to shoot a rabid animal, make sure you never shoot the head. Since the virus is heavily concentrated in the brain, shooting the animal in the head can spread rabies (and also make lab testing harder). CRACKED.COM — Source

26

Animal Planet

Disastrous Comedy 2002 Comedians Unleashed Not to be confused with Comics Unleashed, this was Animal Planet's attempt at a stand-up comedy show. Here's the kicker: It was only animal-themed jokes. They only aired one episode. CRACKED — Source

25

Betty White

In honor of Betty White, thousands were donated to animal rescue charities. A #BettyWhiteChallenge appeared on social media in Canada, asking people to donate to local animal shelters --and the response was huge. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

Vervet Monkeys

CRACKED THE ANIMAL: Vervet monkeys were brought to St. Kitts by rum and slave traders 300 years ago, and they constantly steal drinks from tourists. THE PITCH: ANIMAL HOUSE: SPRING BREAK In an Animal House sequel, these literal animals show the frat boys how to boogie down. — YouTube / UNEP

23

Elephants

Elephants CRACKED.COM These giants love nothing more than flexing on the animal kingdom by using their trunks to fling rocks and logs at passersby. Seeing as how they're the heaviest land animal, this just seems like overkill. — 5 Super-Adorable Animals That Can Kill The Hell Out Of You

22

The Largest Animal to Ever Exist

Largest animal to ever exist on Earth 300,000 pounds Blue whales are larger than any animal that has ever lived, At 30 times the size of T-Rex, they can grow over 100 feet long. CRACKED.COM — Source: BBC Earth

21

On-Set Disasters

EVEN WITH AHA OVERSIGHT, THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE ALLEGED ON-SET ANIMAL ABUSES. FOR EXAMPLE: 27 animal THE HOBBIT fatalities Chipmunk fatally FAILURE — Source: Hollywood Reporter

20

Jealousy

A SCIENTIFIC STUDY SHOWED THAT DOGS CAN FEEL JEALOUS. Studies involving other emotions have had inconclusive results. — Source: CNN

19

Cracking Your Knuckles

Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis. False. There's no scientific correlation between cracking your knuckles and developing an arthritis. T

18

A.I. Sexbots

HornyTech AI sexbots Apparently, more and more people are buying sex robots that are powered by Al, and can even be customized with different gender identities and skin colors. CRACKED — Realbotix
Scripps News

17

Invasive Species

A Polish scientific institute has classified cats as an invasive alien species. CRACKED.COM Wojciech Solarz described the growing scientific con- sensus that domestic cats have a harmful impact on biodiversity given the number of birds and mam- mals they hunt and kill. — CBS News

16

Running

Women run faster and men run slower without an audience The lack of spectators had interesting effects: women runners were shown to run faster while men ran slower. However, women were shown to perform better completing complex tasks (like archery) with an audience, as compared to men who performed worse. CRACKED.COM — Source: Psychology of Sport & Exercise

15

Killer Whales

Killer whales hunt blue whales Scientists have discovered multiple instances of killer whales coordinating a hunt and kill of blue whales, despite being the world's largest animal. CRACKED.COM — Source: Flinders University

14

Screen Time

Screen time may have social benefits for kids CRACKED.COM School-aged children who spend more time in front of screens are more likely to have close friends but are slightly more likely to have disturbed sleep, attention disorders, or lower grades. — Source: ScienceDaily

13

Gut Bacteria

Brain development is influenced by gut bacteria GRACKED.COM Very premature babies are at a high risk for brain damage because of their undeveloped gut microbiome. — Source: ScienceDaily

12

Chip Bags

15 Scientific Explanations For Dumb Everyday Problems - — Source: NPR

11

Wire Cable

An exhaustive scientific test has proven that there is no difference between expensive wire cables and cheap ones MOMONSTER CABLE You CAN hear the dif

10

Infidelity

According to a Kenyan study, having a larger penis increases the likelihood of your wife cheating on you. TT'Tp'Tm The study found that women associ

9

Canine Jealousy

A SCIENTIFIC STUDY SHOWED THAT DOGS CAN FEEL JEALOUS. Studies involving other emotions have had inconclusive results. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Dog Facts That Are Pleasant As Hell

8

Stress

A study found that men who are feeling stressed out prefer women with curvier figures. GRACKED.COM The study had one experi- mental group perform a stressful activity, while the other control group did not. Afterwards, the men in the experimental group rated women with higher BMIs as the most attractive. — ResearchGate

7

Pants Fabric

A study shows a connection between pants fabric and sex drive. The study was conducted by Ahmed Shafik and examined the sex drives of mice when wearin

6

Happiness

ACCORDING TO A STUDY, PEOPLE WHO PRIORITIZE HAVING TIME OVER MAKING MORE MONEY ARE HAPPIERS However, the study didn't include participants living at poverty level who may not have a choice for survival. CRACKED.COM — EurekAlert!

5

Emotional Stability

PERSONALITY GROWTH HAS CAREER BENEFITS One study found that developing your rconscientiousness and emotional stability leads to more income and career — Source: EurekAlert

4

Dogs

Dogs can be racist too! In a study from the University of Illinois Springfield, white caretakers reported their dogs displaying more positive behaviou

3

Managers

According to a nationwide I.. study by Career Builder, 58% of managers involved in the study said that they did not receive any management training pr

2

Calves

Calves need study buddies to learn faster. A study at the University of British Columbia found that calves housed in pairs were quicker at familiarizi

1

Nightmares

Women have more nightmares than men. of the In study of 19% 170 volunteers, a of to nightmares compared 30%. reported men study similar the women. Ano

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