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How will you know if you don’t try?

35 Random Bits of Trivia That Might Just Be Your Manchurian Candidate Trigger Phrase

April 13, 2024

Best-case scenario: A specific series of words in the following list of facts triggers something in your brain that kicks your training into gear. Worst-case scenario: You learn some cool stuff.

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35

Looking at your pets and your own children releases the same chemical in the brain. Oxytocin triggers feelings of unconditional love and pro- tection, and is released when parents and children look into each other's eyes. This is also seen in canine brains, meaning they feel love for us, too. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

34

Germany wouldn't let Tom Cruise film a movie at their military sites because he is a member of Scientology. Scientology is viewed as a dangerous cult by the German authorities, and thus production of the 2008 film Valkyrie could not include German military sites. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

33

Actual ninjas didn't wear black masks. The mask associated with ninjas is actually an amal- gamation of how a thief dressed in Japan. Ninjas also didn't use shuriken (throwing stars), these were used by Samurai swordsmen. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

32

Deaf servants were favored companions of the Ottoman sultan. Their facility in non- verbal communication made them indispens- able to the court, where decorum re- stricted speech in the sultan's presence. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

31

The same man has been camera 1 operator on Sesame Street since the first episode. Frank Biondo worked with Jim Henson on projects before Sesa- me Street, and ар- peared as himself in a montage in Elmo's World: Cameras. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

30

Barney Rubble's job on The Flintstones was introduced to get people to stop asking about it. A security guard at the Hanna-Barbera studios was so tired of calls ask- ing what Barney did for a living that he would sim- ply answer Не worked in the quarry. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

29

Producer Mel Brooks had choice words for studio executives that tried to tell him what to cut from The Elephant Man. After a screening of the film, Brooks told them: We screened the film to bring you up to date as to the status of that venture. Do not misconstrue this as our soliciting the input of raging primitives. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

28

The Norwegian Lundehund is one of the world's rarest and oldest dog breeds. It has six toes, extremely flexible joints and the breed was originally devel- oped for the hunting of puffins and their eggs on inaccessible nesting places in caves and on cliffs. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

27

Superman vs Batman

Warner Bros. canceled a planned Superman vs. Batman film after Superman Returns bombed. The reboot, which be- came Man Of Steel, was developed specifically to reintroduce Super- man without regard to a Batman and Super- man movie at all. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

26

Up to half of Earth's water is older than the Sun. Much of the water on our planet and around the so- lar system started out as tiny grains of ice floating in interstellar space. Most of it made its way to Earth's on ice-rich comets billions of years ago. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

25

Joe Perry sold his 1959 Les Paul during his divorce and lost track of it until he saw it in a magazine. Slash, from Guns 'N Ros- es, was holding his prized guitar. For years Slash re- fused to sell it back until he finally gave it to Perry as a gift on his 50th birthday. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

24

A German civilian kayaked for so long that he didn't realize World War 2 began. Oskar Speck left Germany in 1932 via kayak to seek work, but decided to see the world instead. When he arrived in Australia in 1939, he was detained as an enemy foreigner. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

23

Dessert

Your body makes your stomach ready for dessert after a meal. Your gut expands upon contact with sugar and therefore makes room for dessert even after having the feeling of being full. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

22

George Michael wrote Careless Whisper at 17 out of sheer boredom while riding the bus. careless whisper Despite its success, he was not happy with the song and in a 2009 interview with the Big Issue, he said he was a bit puzzled why it made such an impression on people. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

21

There is an interdisciplinary field of research to warn humans about nuclear waste 10,000 years from now. 0.68 KW 0.66 км Nuclear Semiotics uses pic- tographs to convey danger, meant to be used far off into the future when all known language disappears but the nuclear waste is still very much a problem. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

20

There probably aren't any true wild horses left on Earth. Wild horses are actually feral horses descended from domesticated horses. Feral mustangs in the US are the descendants from horses introduced by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

19

Oldest Musical Instrument

The oldest known musical instrument is a 43,000-year-old flute that was carved from a bear femur. This is older than the extinction of Neander- thals, domestication of animals, the extinction of Ice Age mammals, and the invention of the wheel. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

18

DJ Khaled's infant son was legally declared the executive producer of his album, Grateful. Khaled used his son Asahd Tuck Khaled's reactions to the sounds to gauge the quality of songs for the al- bum. The best quality was determined when the baby spit up. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

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17

NASA was hesitant to send women into space because of their periods. SALLY They weren't sure how their periods would af- fect their perfor- mance, and it was theorized that a wom- an could bleed to death in microgravity. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

16

There is a Russian cult that worships Gadget Hackwrench from Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers. They pray to posters of her, gather to talk about how incredibly great she is, compose songs about her, and spread stickers of her wherever they go. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

15

Peppers are named so because of Christopher Columbus. ORBEM.COM PENE ER AVEC IN CRACKED COM Chili peppers, bell peppers, and the rest got their English name when Columbus visited the Caribbean and thought they tasted like black pepper. — Source

14

Smile Mask Syndrome is a psychological disorder as a result of prolonged, unnatural smiling. CRACKED.COM The disorder causes subjects to develop depression and physical illness. First described in Japan in 1983, this is attributed to the great importance placed on smiling in the Japanese service industry. — Source

13

Lego produced a line of bricks intended for professional use by architects and planners. 20 CRACKED.COM The Modulex line from the 1970s and '80s had muted colors compared to the recreational line and was based on a 1:1:1 cube instead of the 10:5:3 ratio. — Source

12

The lead designer on a Sega arcade game intentionally messed up the colors to get more time to develop. NOW, WE'RE OFF TO THE FANTASY ZONE! SPACE HARRIER CRACKED.COM The president of SEGA insisted that if the graphics were done on Space Harrier, the game was ready for release. The lead designer rigged a switch on his desk that would mess up the colors whenever giving a demonstration. — Source

11

Dutch cyclist Maarten de Jonge narrowly avoided two separate airplane disasters. malaysia CRACKED.COM Не was scheduled to fly on Malaysia Air flights MH17 (which was shot down over Ukraine) and MH370 (which disappeared). Both times, he changed his plans and booked a different flight. — Source

10

The practice of worker's compensation has its origins in 18th-century piracy. CRACKED COM A system was established as a result of the occupation's high risk of injury and included payments for different types of injuries as well as giving crewmates less strenuous duties when injured. — Source

9

In 1993, Idaho billed a retired couple $1.3 million dollars to put out a forest fire. CRACKED.COM A car towed by the couple's RV blew a tire and caught fire, with the sparks and burning debris left along the road for eight miles until they noticed a problem. — Source

8

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, a barrel of oil cost only 65 cents. CRACKED.COM Massive oil discoveries in Texas, alongside falling global demand for energy, sent oil prices tumbling downwards. — Source

7

Many competitive eaters are so skinny because it allows their stomachs to expand. CRACKED.COM Obese people have more fat in their midsection and around their organs, but a skinny person lacks this which allows their stomachs to expand further. — Source

6

In the 1920s, the Hollywood sign used to be lit by thousands of light bulbs. HOLLYWOOD CRACKED.COM The guy who changed them lived in a little cabin near the sign, and had to replace non-working bulbs with fresh ones every day. — Source

5

Prince's death convinced Chaka Khan and her sister to get clean. GRAGKED.COM Khan says they entered an intensive rehab program for their fentanyl addiction because the tragic death of Prince made them realize it was time to take action to save our lives. — Source

4

A skydiving instructor saved a woman on a tandem skydive by using his body as a cushion. Bonf CRACKED.COM After the main chute failed and the second got tangled, Dave Hartsock placed himself under the woman to absorb the eventual impact. Both survived, with Hartstock becoming paralyzed from the neck down. — Source

3

Alaska

In Alaska, it is illegal to be drunk in a bar. CRACKED.COM Per state laws, a person who is already drunk may not knowingly enter a bar to drink more, or remain in the bar that got them drunk in the first place. — Source

2

The voice of Boo from Monsters, Inc., Mary Gibbs, was just an actual toddler during production. CRACKED.COM The crew couldn't get her to sit still and read her lines, so they had her play in the studio while following her around with a mic. — Source

1

English cricket great Denis Compton was renowned for his absent-mindedness. CRACKED.COM Не once arrived at a match without his kitbag, so he used an antique bat from the stadium's museum. During a celebration in honor of his 70th birthday, his mother called to tell him that he was only 69. — Source

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