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31 Bits of Trivia to Percolate Into Your Brain Kettle

February 18, 2024

Let’s try something new today. Go on ahead and read these facts first, then scroll back up here to this intro paragraph. Okay, now that you’re back, close your eyes and really feel what these facts are doing to your brain. There’ll be a warm quiver as they settle in, followed by a satisfying gulp sensation as your brain locks them in for good. Feel it?

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31

Clue comes from clew, or ball of yarn. It was a reference to Ariadne in Greek myth, who gave Theseus a ball of yarn to find his way out of the Labyrinth. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

30

France

In France, at least 40% of radio songs have to be in French. A 1994 law made that requirement, so that English-language songs don't flood the airwaves. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

29

In the Amazon rainforest, there's a bird that looks like Pikachu. The cream-colored Woodpecker is black and yellow, with red circles on its cheeks. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

28

In Se7en, when Victor coughs and wakes up, the SWAT officer's shock is real. The actor thought he was looking at a prop -- they didn't tell him that it was a person buried under layers of makeup. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

27

A group of peacocks (or peahens) is called an ostentation or pride. The species is called peafowl, and the female birds are peahens. Baby peafowl are called peachicks. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

26

James Gunn's story treatment for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 included a song mix on a CD. Не kept a list of 500 songs he thought Meredith Quill would love, and referenced that list while writing the treatment and script. The CD had the songs he drew on for inspiration. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

25

Vietnam

Vietnam war POW Jeremiah Denton used Morse code to confirm he was being tortured. When they let a Japanese TV reporter interview him, he looked into the camera and blinked the Morse code for torture. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

24

Abraham Lincoln had a surprisingly high voice. It wasn't exactly squeaky, but it was a bit more shrill than you'd expect. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

23

The Universe

The death of the universe will be very, very dark and lonely. The last stars to explode will be so far apart, it'll be physically impossible for light to travel from one to the other, so none will see the others explode. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

22

Dragonflies used to be much more dragon than fly. 300 million years ago, they had a wingspan of 2.5 feet, and they ruled the skies - - there were no birds back then. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

21

After filming Guardians of the Galaxy, they had to melt down the Kyln set and sell off the steel. That was the only way to make the budget for the Kyln scenes work. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

20

People with sexsomnia perform sexual acts while asleep. It's like sleepwalking but, well, horny. People who suffer from it might, say, masturbate or thrust their hips during sleep - and in the morning, they'll have no idea they did that. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

19

James Stewart's despair in It's A Wonderful Life was real. When his character, George Bailey, ends up in a restaurant and, full of despair, calls to God, Stewart felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and started sobbing. Director Frank Capra, a big fan of spontaneous performances, was thrilled. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

18

WEIRD WORLD A Singaporean banned from driving pretended to be his brother, but that backfired. Not because he wasn't convincing, but because his brother was wanted by the police - so he got arrested. CRACKED.COM — Source

17

WEIRD WORLD Usain Bolt said he can thank Mario Kart for all his extraordinary success. For 20% Mario Kart and Mortal Kombat, to be specific - he says his love of gaming really helped him in becoming an Olympic Champion. CRACKED.COM — Source

16

WEIRD WORLD The filming of a heist movie in Winnipeg was delayed by a real-life heist. work Canon XF300 Before shooting could start, all the crew's equipment was taken. The irony is not lost on us, said the director. CRACKED.COM — Source

15

WEIRD WORLD A school in Tasmania tried to resolve a sexual abuse allegations with a ZOO pass. After a mother went to her daughter's school and stated that an older boy sexually abused her daughter, the school offered her a free one-year zoo pass. CRACKED.COM — Source

14

WEIRD WORLD After a parakeet breeding plan went wrong, parakeets crowded an animal shelter. A guy left some parakeets at the shelter in Michigan - he said he'd drop off a few, but there were 497 parakeets. Apparently, his son wanted to breed just a few of them, but had no idea how quickly birds would breed. CRACKED.COM — Source

13

Wow! What a scoop!

WEIRD WORLD Because of a bug, the Tesla Model 3 farts very loudly at times. Apparently, the weird bug makes the car fart every time its doors were opened. CRACKED.COM — Source

12

WEIRD WORLD Apparently, cats are a serious cause of fire in South Korea. Turns out, according to South Korean officials, cats have started over 100 fires in the last 3 years. The officials say cats did this by turning on electric stoves by jumping on them. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

WEIRD WORLD A company can't figure out how it spent 460 million dollars. 6556960 A 390 DOLLA سون RESERVE VISTO THE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA D IK1758282A DERAL 05471231 RESERVE AB NOTE 50 S NOTE sa FirstEnergy was supposed to spend that money on modernizing its electric grid, happened. but there's zero evidence that that actually CRACKED.COM — Source

10

Glenn Close was raised in a cult. Close's parents joined the Moral Re-Armament, a right-wing religious cult, when she was seven and she was in it up until she was 22. The actress says the experience had a profound impact on her life, and that for years after she wouldn't trust any of her instincts because all her beliefs had been dictated to her. CRACKED.COM — Source

9

CRACKED.COM Comedic actor Steve Carrell was originally going to pursue a career in law! Не changed his mind while filling out his law school application: Не couldn't answer the question Why do you want to be a lawyer? — Source

8

The barreleye can look through its own head. The top of this deep-water fish's head is see-through. The fish can rotate its eyes and look at the world through it. CRACKED.COM — Source

7

CRACKED.COM chitons have teeth made of metal. Chitons, that are found in the Gulf of Mexico, are the Wolverine of mollusks. Their teeth are made of a metal called magnetite. No other living organism can make any material that tough. — Source

6

IO, a moon of Jupiter, has tides of rock. lo has no oceans-but that doesn't mean it has no tides. The gravity of Jupiter and the other moons causes the ground to move up and down the height of a 30-story building. CRACKED.COM — Source

5

CRACKED.COM Tea can climb back to the kettle as you brew it. Tiny tea particles can climb short distances from the cup to the kettle. Researchers have found that small waterfalls create counter-flows strong enough for water to go upwards. — Source

4

Polar bears are nearly invisible to infrared cameras. The bear's fur is so good at keeping the bear warm, that almost no heat escapes that can be picked up by infrared sensors. Invisibility cloaks are being researched that copy how the bear's hairs work. CRACKED.COM — Source

3

Space

A planet exists made of burning ice. Gliese 436 b, about 30 light-years from us, is made mostly of ice that would burn you to a crisp if you touched it. The strong gravity keeps water so tightly packed that it remains solid, even at a temperature of almost 1,000 degrees. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

CRACKED.COM Twins can have different fathers. On rare occasions, two eggs are released during the same ovulation cycle, which can be fertilized by different fathers. This is extremely unusual in humans, but it has been known to happen. — Source

1

Itching 3,14 3 CRACKED.COM Itching's a pointless annoyance TV while after the bug has bitten you. Harmful, even. But as a response to a bug possibly crawling on you, it's useful, mg7504 making you instinctively the off. touch the area, brushing bug — Source

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