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30 Movie, Science and History Now-You-Know Facts

October 24, 2023

When you study history lessons, it may appear that you’re simply memorizing spontaneous facts and information about historical events. And while knowing the past is essential, uncovering a few odd history lessons makes learning even more enjoyable. The amazingly weird historical trivia tidbits below are amongst the most interesting facts from the previous era — whether you’re hoping to expand the history or become a whiz during your next random history facts trivia night.

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30

The lady who claimed to find a finger in her Wendy's chili was sentenced to 9 years in prison Anna Aayala was released after four years on good behavior. She apologized to the food chain for the attempted scam. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NBC

29

While in space, astronauts see flashes even when their eyes are closed. Those flashes are cosmic rays moving through their eyeballs - on Earth, we don't see them because the atmosphere usually absorbs them. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Universe Today

28

Whitney Houston was originally going to be titular character in Cinderella. The movie took years to finally make, and everyone agreed Whitney, 34, was too old so Whitney made the call to the Moesha star Brandy. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Shondaland

27

In 2016, Mozart outsold Beyonce, Adele, and Drake in CDs Universal released a 200-disc box set for the 225th anniversary of Mozart's death, meaning that each purchase counted for 200 disc sales. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NPR

26

Each time a plane lands, 1 to 1.5 pounds of rubber are left on the runway The rubber needs to be removed regularly to create friction necessary for landing. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Plane and Pilot

25

Cicadas

Ninjas used cicadas to help them sneak up on enemies without being detected. They had a box with a cicada, and they'd use the cicada's sound to drown out their footsteps and any other loud noises they'd end up making. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Japan Daily

24

In Turkey, you can no longer use cryptocurrencies to buy anything at all. Due to rising inflation, people started using crypto for everyday transactions more and more, but the government put a stop to that on April 30, 2021. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Reuters

23

David Greybeard was Jane Goodall's first chimp connection Не trusted Goodall enough to let her study him and introduce her to others within his community, which has greatly increased our understanding of chimpanzees. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Jane Goodall

22

Sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity in children. Over 12 studies showed no behavior change, even among kids with ADHD. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The BMJ

21

This seems very epic

In 1999, lions fought a two-week war with hyenas in Ethiopia. A pride of lions lost six, but killed 35 hyenas and drove off the entire group to take control of the territory -- a conflict that was broadcast on Ethiopian TV and monitored by the police. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — BBC

20

A new whitest-ever paint may cool buildings The paint reflects 98% of sunlight into space. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Guardian

19

Cosplay became a thing in 1939. Sci-fi fan Myrtle Douglas and her husband wore costumes from the 1936 H.G. Wells movie Things to Come to the World Science Fiction Convention that year, and costume contests became an annual tradition at that convention after that. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Racked

18

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

17

Joel Schumacher wanted to cast Drew Barrymore and Rosanna Arquette in a sequel to The Lost Boys. It'd be called The Lost Girls, and he wanted to do it because girl vampires on motorcycles would be sexy and funny and something that I'd like to see. But the movie just never made it out of development hell. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Bloody Disgusting

16

On Groundhog Day, Bill Murray hired an assistant just to troll everyone. The production team couldn't get a hold of him when they needed to, so they asked him to hire an assistant to make things easier. Не agreed, but hired someone who was deaf and only spoke American sign language (which neither Murray or anyone else on set spoke). NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Entertainment Weekly

15

When he was 15, The Rock saved his mom from committing suicide. She left her car on Interstate 65 and just started walking into traffic. The Rock followed her and pulled her back - - and today, he says, she doesn't remember any of that (Probably best she doesn't, he says). NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Men's Health

14

Mohammed V of Morocco protected Jewish people in Casablanca from the Nazis. Не reportedly told them, There are no Jews in Morocco. There are only Moroccan subjects. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — LA Times

13

When The Hobbit came out, fans reported feeling literally sick after viewing it. Apparently the trilogy's 48-per-second frame rate causes nausea. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Guardian

12

Great Britain is annually responsible for 63 Independence Day celebrations around the world. That averages to about one every six days. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Guinness World Records

11

Methamphetamine was used as an antidepressant from the 1930s to the 1950s. Gordon Alles patented the drug after being injected with it. Не said it made him more talkative and imparted a sense of well-being. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Atlantic

10

Batman

In the 1960s Batman series, Batman and Robin buckled their seatbelts before taking off in the Batmobile. This occurred after a complaint by the National Safety Council & the Dynamic Duo set a good example thereafter. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — 12 Movie And General 'Now You Know' Facts To Feed Your Brain

9

Snoop Dogg employs a professional blunt roller he pays $40-50k annually. About employing people with talent, Snoop says, If you are great at something I need, I am hiring you. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — News Hub

8

A Chinese businessman hired a hitman, who hired a hitman, who hired another, who hired another. The fifth hitman simply asked the man to fake his death. Ponzi scheme done. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Know More

7

The Salem witch trials might have been caused by hallucinogenic fungus. Ergot can get into bread and can make you see weird things while suffering spasms - basically, you look bewitched. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

6

Egyptian medicine was. surprisingly specialized, and they even had proctologists. 1 The Egyptian term for those literally translates to shepherd of the anus. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

5

At least on some trails in Texas, about 25% of all cowboys you'd see were Black. Turns out, Black cowboys were a lot more plentiful in the Old West than Western shows and movies would lead you to conclude. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

4

Medieval knights' training regimen could be incredibly physically demanding. One French knight had a regimen that involved things like jumping onto a horse and climbing a ladder on the underside, all in full armor. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

3

The fearsome Blackbeard was only active for a grand total of two years. He's first mentioned as a pirate in 1716 (he was a privateer from 1701 to 1713), and they caught and killed him in 1718 8 - - and that was that. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

2

Meat sealed in a vacuum pack is naturally purple, they just color it red to make it look better. That's done because purple meat looks pretty weird to consumers, of course - so carbon monoxide, rosemary extract and/or nitrite are added. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — MeatPoultry

1

The spikes on the Statue of Liberty's crown don't represent the seven seas. Or the seven continents, for that matter - they're just sun rays, and the circle represents a halo, which indicates she's divine. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NPR

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