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15 Facts To Help Us Flex Our Brain-Biceps

March 25, 2022

Have you ever wondered why humans love trivia? What makes us think trivia is cool? Why does watching game shows fill our hearts with joy?

Is it because we want to see the person holding on to the winning piece of pizza? Is it because watching someone win is a thrill like no other, even if we aren't the one being interviewed on television?

Or could it be because we're so intelligent that trivia is just our natural inclination towards learning something new? Is there some biological drive in the human species that compels us to seek out information about the world around us, especially the things that are not obvious? Perhaps there really is something magical within all of us that makes us want to learn more. Or are these reasons just a cover for the fact that most people like to show off their knowledge in front of others?

We don't have the answers, only more trivia.

15

Washington didn’t live in the White House.

George Washington never lived in the White House. CRACKED.COM Although he oversaw its construction, it was not until 1800 when the White House was nearly completed that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife Abigail, moved in. — Source: History

14

Koalas are extremely sleepy.

The koala is only awake 2 hours a day. GRACKED COM Koalas sleep 22 hours a day, which beat out sloths (20 hours), armadillos and opossums (tied at 19 hours each), lemurs (16 hours), and hamsters and squirrels (tied at 14 hours each). — Source: National Geographic

13

The Kazoo

The kazoo was invented in 19th century Georgia. CRACKED.COM The first kazoo was invented by an African American named Alabama Vest in Macon, Georgia, and manufactured to his specifications by a German clockmaker. — Source: American Profile

12

Twins are identical with everything but fingerprints.

Identical twins do not have matching fingerprints. GRAGKED.COM Though they come from the same fertilized egg and share the same genetic blueprint, their DNA is indistinguishable except for the grooves of their fingerprints. — Source: Healthline

11

We’ve barely scratched the surface of shipwrecks.

There are over three million shipwrecks on the ocean floors. CRACKED COM Of all the millions of wrecks, by way of war, natural disaster, or intentional sinking, we've only explored roughly one percent. — Source: Popular Mechanics

10

Cats can’t taste sweetness.

Cats cannot taste sweet things. GRACKED.COM All cats lack a functional protein (Tas1R2) which is one part of the sweet receptor. Being obligate carnivores, they have no need for a sweet tooth. — Source: NPR

9

It takes 65 feet of wire to make a Slinky.

One Slinky is made from 65 feet of wire. CRACKED.COM The modern Slinky is slightly smaller than the original, which was made from an 80 foot coil of wire when it was released in 1945. — Source: Time

8

Lettuce is always sold fresh.

Lettuce is the only vegetable always sold fresh. CRACKED COM It is the only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any form but fresh. — Source: Indiana Public Media

7

As English as apple pie.

Apple pie is an English dish, not American. CRACKED.COM The first apple pie recipe was printed by Ge,offrey Chaucer in 1381 in England. The ingredients in the recipe included apples, spices, figs, raisins, pears, saffron, and cofyn (a casing of pastry). — Source: Historical Society of Pennsylvania

6

Cassowaries are fast and dangerous birds.

Cassowaries can run at 31 miles per hour. CRACKED COM Though they lack the chest bone that supports muscles used in flight, they make up for it by their speed and ability to jump 5 feet in the air. — Source: Popular Science

5

Don’t paint your nursery yellow.

Red makes us hungry, and yellow makes babies cry. E CRACKED COM Restaurants, especially in fast food, use a lot of red in their logos and decor. Yellow makes babies think they are in sunlight, so they cry to tell their parents that they don't like it. — Source: Business Insider

4

Shakespeare created a lot of the words we use today.

Shakespeare invented over 1700 of our common words. GRACKED COM Не did this by changing nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, adding prefixes and suffixes, and devising wholly original words. — Source: Open Culture

3

A chief justice is on the 0k bill.

Salmon P. Chase's portrait is on the $10,000 bill. B-4270 / CRACKED.COM Born in 1808, Chase was the sixth chief justice of the United States. William McKinley, Grover Cleveland, and James Madison are featured on the $500, $1,000 and $5,000 bill respectively. — Source: Museum of American Finance

2

Space Force just got interesting.

Modern guns can fire in the vacuum of space. CRACKED.COM Modern ammunition contains its own oxidizer, a chemical that will trigger the explosion of gunpowder, meaning a bullet can be fired even without atmospheric oxygen. — Source: Live Science

1

The Babylonians were the first clean peoples.

Soap dates back to 2800 BC Babylon. SAVON de MARSEILLE CRACKED.COM A formula for soap consisting of water, alkali, and cassia oil was written on a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC. — Source: Soap History

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