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Get some meat on them bones!

34 Random Bits of Trivia to Nourish Your Emaciated Brain

June 10, 2024

One of the deadliest days in World War I was caused by a pot of coffee gone wrong.

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34

The US Postal Service began home delivery during the Civil War. www.usps.com UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE CRACKED.COM After a postal worker be- came so torn up by seeing women lined up in the cold to see if a letter had ar- rived from a son or hus- band at the front lines, he started delivering mail to homes. — Source

33

Farmed salmon could be any color the farmer wants, not just pink. GRAGKED.COM Farmed salmon is actually naturally white in color. It's reddish-pink only because farmers add in a pigment compound to the fishes' food, which makes the meat more appealing to consumers. — Source

32

2 million people in Russia were killed in a volcanic winter in 1600. CRACKED.COM An eruption in Peru from Huaynaputina created a worldwide volcanic win- ter, causing Russia's worst famine, killing 30% of the population be- tween 1601 and 1603. — Source

31

Over 600 WWI German soldiers burned to death when someone tried to heat up coffee with flamethrower fuel. CRACKED.COM The fuel proved to be too flammable and spread to shells which were careless- ly placed right next to the heating element, and a firestorm ripped through Fort Douaumont. — Source

30

Enbrotherment during the middle ages enabled two men to share their lives together. CRACKED.COM The man could share liv- ing quarters, pool their resources, and effectively live as a married couple. The couple shared one bread, one wine, one purse. — Source

29

France sent 800 poor women to Quebec in 1663, called The Daughters of the King. GRACKED.COM These women agreed to go to the mostly male New France colony to marry them. It worked, the popu- lation more than doubled in 10 years, and two-thirds of French Canadians today are their descendants.

28

Comcast charged customers a $5/month service protection plan that did nothing. CRACKED.COM They were ordered to re- fund nearly 50,000 cus- tomers and pay a $9.1 mil- lion fine when a judge ruled that it violated Washington state consum- er protection law hundreds of thousands of times. — Source

27

Greek soldiers would practice sprinting in heavy armor at the Olympics. - - 02 Net and 21 20 19 L.L.Bean GRAGKED.COM The 1,300 foot race young citizen soldiers had to run developed the battlefield tactic of rushing to the Persian lines at a rapid pace so as to counter their archers. — Source

26

The outlaw Black Bart successfully robbed 28 stagecoaches. CRACKED.COM One poem he left after a robbery read: I've labored long and hard for bread/ For honor, and for riches / But on my corns too long you've tread/You fine-haired sons of b*tches. — Source

25

Bill Watterson only licensed his characters once, for a 1993 textbook. TEACHING WITH CALVIN and HOBBES® CRACKED.COM Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes is now so rare that only 7 li- braries in the world have copies. A copy sold for $10,000 in 2009. — Source

24

The doctor performing Einstein's autopsy stole his brain. CRACKED.COM Albert Einstein wanted to be cremated and his ashes scattered to discourage idolaters, but the doctor performing the autopsy put the brain in formaldehyde and kept it for himself. — Source

23

One doctor treated multiple people relating to the JFK assassination. CRACKED.CON Dr. Bob McClelland was the surgeon who attempted to save Kennedy after his as- sassination, and also at- tempted to save Lee Harvey Oswald after his shooting. Не later performed a cancer surgery on Zapruder. — Source

22

Tracked vehicles are called tanks because of the code given to their secretive projects. CRACKED COM In Britain, the project for the vehicles was named ship water tanks, which sounded so boring that nobody would investigate them. They did the same thing for the Man- hattan project, which was called tube alloys. — Source

21

Lithuania competed in the 1992 Olympics wearing tie-dye uniforms from The Grateful Dead. CRACKED.COM Lithuania had to withdraw due to the lack of money after the fall of the USSR. The Grateful Dead agreed to fund transportation costs for the basketball team along with designs for the team's jerseys. — Source

20

The original theatrical trailer for Disney's The Tigger Movie was recalled due to a dirty song choice. CRACKED.COM Parents complained that the background music was Semi-charmed life by Third Eye Blind, a song about crystal meth ad- diction and sex. — Source

19

A fish at the Vancouver Aquarium was given a prosthetic eye so it wouldn't be bullied by other fish. CRACKED COM The copper rockfish had developed cataracts with old age and needed one eye removed, so head vet- erinarian Dr. Martin Haule- na sewed the prosthetic eye to the bone above the fish's eye socket. — Source

18

Orange colored snow fell on Siberia in 2007. CRACKED.COM Tests on the snow re- vealed numerous sand and clay dust particles and high iron content, which were blown into Russia from the upper stratosphere. — Source

17

During the Nazi regime, no one who purchased a Volkswagen Beetle actually received it. KA VW 33H GRACKED COM German workers pur- chased an installment plan where they made pay- ments and posted stamps to be redeemed for the car. Due to the shift of wartime production, no consumer ever received a car. — Source

16

Fig trees eat wasps by forcing them inside the fruit. CRACKED.COM A fig tree tricks a certain species of wasp to polli- nate it, sending it down a small passage in the fruit where its wings are ripped off, after which it is digest- ed by enzymes. — Source

15

US Senator Daniel Webster turned down two offers to be Vice President. CRACKED.COM Webster was offered the position by William Henry Harrison and Zachary Tay- lor, but thought the office was a dead-end position. Both these presidents then died in office. — Source

14

Termites are highly evolved cockroaches Cockroaches and termites share a common ancestor and, after a molecular analysis, geneticists proved they are basically just social cockroaches...in case you wanted a reason to be even more grossed out by them. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

13

The largest cockroach in the world is called the Megaloblatta longipennis (Natural size Megaloblatta longipennis It can grow up to almost four inches, with an eight-inch wingspan. Not the kind of longipennis we want in our life. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

12

Dog fleas jump higher than cat fleas Dog fleas and cat fleas are two separate species. Cat fleas are the most common flea, and can live on both cats and dogs. (Confusing, we know.) CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

11

Termite queens can live for up to 20 years The longest-living queen is that of the Macrotermes bellicosus species. In comparison, workers only live up to a few months. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

10

Some people can smell ants Jury's out on whether it's genetic or just that some people are just paying more attention to the many chemical signals ants release. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

9

Rats may have empathy In a choice between rescuing another trapped rat or eating tasty food, researchers have shown a rat will help another. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

8

Even ants need work-life balance The bigger the colony of ants, the less active ants become. Lazy ants use less resources and make the colony collectively more productive. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

7

Fabric softener sheets repel gnats In one study, researchers found that fungus gnats didn't care for dryer sheets, specifically Bounce Outdoor Fresh Scent. Maybe it was a biased study, or maybe gnats just really hate the idea of soft clothing. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

6

Bedbugs love our dirty laundry If they can't get to us, bedbugs prefer soiled, human-smelling clothes over clean clothes. So stop airing your dirty laundry while traveling, and seal your В.О. clothes up tight. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

5

Bedbugs evolved more than 100 million years ago The worst bedmates were around during the time of dinosaurs. Forget about respecting your elders. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

4

Alberta, Canada, is the largest inhabited area that is rat-free The city's rat control measures are actually working. And don't think about bringing any in...owning a pet rat can cost you $5000. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

3

Sexually rejected fruit flies drink more alcohol When female fruit flies reject their sexual advances, male flies drink far more than their sexually satisfied peers. Let's just hope they don't discover the incel subreddit anytime soon. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW

2

Cockroaches can make decisions collectively They are even stronger together because of differences in their personalities. It'd be a beautiful lesson if they weren't so gross. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

1

Uptown vs. downtown rats in NYC are genetically different Rats that live north of 59th Street are genetically different than those that live south of 14th Street. Like true New Yorkers, they tend to stay close to where they were born. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

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