15 Now-You-Know Facts That Really Tickled Our Fancy

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks got close in 2011, almost ending life on Earth as we know it.
15 Now-You-Know Facts That Really Tickled Our Fancy

The man in black sat on a chair, which was not really much to look at. There was an old, dusty cloth on it; but there were also several other pieces of furniture, and a table covered with books and papers and pens and pencils; so he must have had a place like that at some time before he came here, or perhaps he made them for himself when he got here; he could do anything he pleased to make his life comfortable. He sat very straight, and stared into space. He did not know at all where the chair had come from; perhaps someone else who was dead left it for him to sit in, and perhaps he could go back again, or perhaps this room existed only because someone else was dead; but it did not matter.

Suddenly, and for no apparent reason at all, the man thought of a long list of strange facts. That list went …

The worst Christmas movie is thanks to John Grisham.

John Grisham inspired one of the worst Christmas movies ever. GRACKED.COM The novelist most known for his thrillers also wrote Skipping Christmas, a novel that served as the basis for the 2004 holiday comedy with Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Looper

There are over half a dozen towns named after jolly Saint Nick in the U.S.

There are seven towns in the U.S. named after Santa Claus. GRAGKED.COM There's a town named Santa Claus in Arizona, Georgia, and Indiana, and ones named Saint Nicholas in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.

Stacker

A paleontologist selling fossils on a beach may have been the inspiration for a tongue twister.

She sells seashells by the seashore may be inspired by a paleontologist in the 1800s. CRACKED.COM Mary Anning ran a fossil stand on Dorset Beach in England, also known as the Jurassic Coast, adn was also responsible for finding some of the first dinosaur fossils unearthed in Britain.

Atlas Obscura

Australia’s Lake Hillier is naturally a hot pink color.

Australia's Lake Hillier is naturally a hot pink color. CRACKED.COM While scientists aren't entirely sure why this is, it likely has to do with the carotenoid pigments produced by microalgae in the wa- ter.

Hillier Lake

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks got close in 2011, almost ending life on Earth as we know it.

In 2011, asteroids named after Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks met near Earth. CRACKED.COM An asteroid named 8353 Megryan in 1989 and an asteroid named 12818 Tomhanks in 1996 both made their closest ар- proaches to Earth in September, 2011.

Space

One town in NY is basically all psychics.

A town in Western New York has a population of almost all psychics. CRACKED COM Lily Dale, a town an hour southwest of Buf- falo, New York, has a population of just 275, virtually all of whom are psychics and other spiritualists.

NY Times

Spotted skunks dance before they spray.

A spotted skunk doing a handstand is your final warning to leave it alone. CRACKED.COM If the display doesn't work, the skunk sprays its foul smelling musk from glands surround- ing its anus, aiming for the eyes from as far as 10 feet.

Tree Hugger

Some babies can’t wait to grow a tooth.

1 in 2,000 babies are born with a tooth. CRACKED.COM 'Natal teeth' come in a few forms, either fully devel- oped but loose teeth, loose teeth with no roots, tiny teeth already poking through the gums, or teeth about to cut through the gums.

Healthline

Egypt is not the country with the most pyramids.

Sudan has almost twice as many pyramids as Egypt. GRACKED.COM The 200-255 pyramids in Sudan, which serve as final resting places for members of royal- ty, eclipse the 118-138 pyramids in Egypt.

Independent

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