13 Awesome Bits Of Trivia To Kickstart Any Conversation
![13 Awesome Bits Of Trivia To Kickstart Any Conversation](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/8/796638_320x180.jpg)
Did you know that the sum of all the letters in “random” is 47? That’s pretty random! And speaking of random, did you know that the chances of being struck by lightning are about 1 in 12,000? Pretty random, right? But what exactly is a random fact?
Random facts are, quite simply, facts that are random. They can be about anything, from history to science to pop culture. And they can be either amazing or totally mundane. For example, did you know that tennis balls are not actually made of rubber? They’re actually made of felt! Or that the state of Texas is bigger than the whole country of France? Crazy, right?
So why do we love random facts so much? Maybe it’s because they help us to see the world in a different light. Or maybe it’s because they’re just plain fun to learn. Either way, there’s no denying that random facts are a great way to add a little spice to your life!
![There's a subtle Cars Easter egg that references Ferrari's factory in Italy. 44.5-10.8 Luigi's license plate isn't a random string of the numbers- it says 445-108, and those are the geographic coordinates of that factory. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/5/796635.jpg)
Source: Disney.com
![A Scanner Darkly was basically inspired by Philip K Dick's strange life. For a year or so, he had pretty much the same life as the lead, Bob Arctor, including the hallucinations, weird paranoias, and wandering conversations. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/3/796633.jpg)
Source: DenOfGeek
![The Shining and The Empire Strikes Back were shot in the same studio. They were shot at the same time, too and when The Shining had to stop using a stage after a fire, it borrowed a new one from Empire. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/4/796634.jpg)
Source: starwars.com
![Japan nearly dropped plague-infested fleas on Southern California in WWII. It was going to be revenge for the US firebombing their cities, and was supposed to involve planes launching from submarines to drop the fleas. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/7/796637.jpg)
Source: navy.mil
![In the Philippines, there's a tattoo artist who's 102 and, amazingly, still working. Whang-Od oggay is a mambabatok, or traditional tattooist of the Kalinga province, and she's the oldest one who's currently active. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/6/796636.jpg)
Source: MyModernMet
![Baby axolotls chew off each other's arms when there's not enough food around. Which sounds awful, but it's not really that bad - - they can fully regrow their arm in a few months, so it's a mild inconvenience to help a bro or sis. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/2/796632.jpg)
Source: Northeastern University
![In Japan, there are actual companies that can help you set up a new life. Yeah, kinda similar to the one in Breaking Bad, apparently - it's a thing, and there's even a word for people who want to escape: jouhatsu. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/2/9/796629.jpg)
Source: BBC
![There's only one mammal that's completely covered by scales: the pangolin. They use those scales to instantly go into what's basically fortress mode if a threat appears, they curl up into a tight, scaly, well-armored ball. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/1/796631.jpg)
Source: WorldWildlife.org
![If honey has always seemed incredibly indestructible to you, you were basically right. keek HONEY Raspberry 16 oz. Bachward Bee 98232 R If it's preserved right, it almost can't spoil - pots of honey found in ancient Egyptian tombs are still A-OK to eat after thousands of years. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/0/796630.jpg)
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
![In Texas, you can learn all about Texas barbecue in an actual college class. The class is offered by Texas A&M, and it's called ANSC 117, Texas Barbecue. It covers everything from food safety to cooking whole pigs. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/2/8/796628.jpg)
Source: Texas A&M University
![An alligator's brain is absolutely tiny it - would fit in half of one tablespoon. It weighs a total of 8 or 9 grams, i.e. not much more than the usual contents of a tablespoon-which kind of explains a lot about gators. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/2/7/796627.jpg)
Source: HowStuffWorks
![The II-American icon Harley Davidson actually... .isn't made in the USA. That is, many of its parts are from abroad - suspension components come from Japan, brake parts from Italy, wheels from Australia, and so on. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/2/6/796626.jpg)
Source: JS Online
![Ariana Grande accidentally tattooed small charcoal grill on her hand. That's not exactly what she was going for with her Japanese tattoo, but fans pointed out that's what it meant - to her credit, she acknowledged it. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/2/5/796625.jpg)
Source: The Guardian