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25 Oddly Intriguing Facts To Fill Your Lunch Hour
Every day, there is something new to learn and something fun to see. The world and the web are both so full of information, and while no one can learn it all, people can learn a lot. Aside from all of the broad knowledge people have to know, there are millions of small, fun facts to learn about that might surprise someone. From facts from ancient history to gossip in the magazines, there is something for everyone.
Anyone can, and should, take a minute out of their day to discover something intriguing and interesting. There are tons of people who take the time to share something they have learned with the world. These fun facts can impress a crowd, fill a silence, or maybe even help someone out in a very specific situation.
So, for those who want some food for thought or for those who want to test their own knowledge, here is a collection of 25 facts that many people probably didn't know before reading them today.
In 1978, a man mailed himself from Australia to the UK in a wooden crate as cargo, and survived the 63-hour journey.
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Wealthy individuals can use artwork to obtain a loan. Modern lenders offer loan sizes up to $250,000,000 USD solely backed by artworks. While often allowing the collector to keep it in their possession.
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Jeopardy champion-turned-host Ken Jennings was college roommates with author Brandon Sanderson
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About 8% of our DNA comes from ancient viruses and now helps our immune system and placenta form.
(Source: Reddit)
Hawaii has gained over 1,000 acres of land due to the continuous eruption of the Kilauea volcano
(Source: Reddit)
Before every official sumo tournament in Japan, a ceremony is held where officials bury dried squid, chestnuts, and sake in the center of the ring to purify it and pray for the safety of the wrestlers.
(Source: Reddit)
Charles Darwin only worked about 4 hours a day. He worked for two 90-minute periods each morning & then one 60-minute period later in the day. Before the latter, he would take an hour nap & go on 2 walks. On this schedule he wrote 19 books including The Descent of Man & On the Origin of Species.
(Source: Reddit)
In 2010 a guy stranded in Saskatchewan wilderness cut down power poles with an axe to trigger a power outage, attracting utility rescue team
(Source: Reddit)
In order to avoid a $94 AUD excess charge for bringing a second carry-on bag onto his flight, James McElvar (from the group Rewind) decided to empty the bag & put on all of its contents. With 12 layers of clothes on, he became violently sick during the flight & collapsed from heat exhaustion.
(Source: Reddit)
Hulk Hogan claimed in his autobiography that he once wrestled 400 days in a year because of his frequent trips back and forth from the USA and Japan
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Starting in 1760 there was a forced land grab by wealthy landowners in Scotland that evicted thousands called the Highland Clearances, this was a major reason for the Scottish Diaspora.
(Source: Reddit)
HBO didn't submit Alfie Allen (Theon), Carice van Houten (Melisandre), & Gwendoline Christie (Brienne) for Emmy consideration for their work in Game of Thrones' final season, so they each decided to pay the $225 entry fee to submit themselves.
(Source: Reddit)
A 35-yr-old man found an age-progression image of himself on a missing children's site in 2010. Though he knew he was adopted, this would lead to him discovering that his mom had kidnapped him from his dad when he was an infant 34 years earlier.
(Source: Reddit)
In 1900, a physician named Jesse William Lazear wanted to prove that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes. He allowed an infected mosquito to bite him, and he became infected with yellow fever, proving his hypothesis correct. He died 17 days later.
(Source: Reddit)
Buzz Aldrin was known among his fellow astronauts to be very difficult to work with, to the point that Neil Armstrong was offered the chance to replace Aldrin with someone else for the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
(Source: Reddit)
In 2009 an orangutan in an Australian zoo aborted an "ingenious" escape plan. She short-circuited the electric fence around her enclosure by jamming a stick into the wires connected to it & then piled up debris to climb a wall. However she sat on the fence for 30 min before voluntarily returning.
(Source: Reddit)
To become King Louis XV's official mistress, Madame du Barry had a fake birth certificate made to hide her humble origin as the illegitimate daughter of a seamstress.
(Source: Reddit)
Beach towels are designed to have one side for drying off and one softer, less absorbent side for sitting on. They’re also lighter weight so they dry faster than bath towels for multiple uses in a day.
(Source: Reddit)
Eminem used actual information about Anthony Mackie's real life in his final rap battle versus Mackie's Papa Doc in 8 Mile (2002), making fun of his actual upbringing for the scene.
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