30 Random Bits of Trivia to Dump Into Your Brain Like Mentos Into a Bottle of Coke

It’s gonna get messy
30 Random Bits of Trivia to Dump Into Your Brain Like Mentos Into a Bottle of Coke

Want to learn more about the earliest documented middle finger? Read on!

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In 1960, soul singer Jesse Belvin played to Arkansas' first ever racially integrated audience. Guess Who? THE КСАЛІСТОК RECORDINGS GRACKED.COM The performance was in- terrupted twice by white protesters. After the show, Belvin was killed in a head-on collision. It was discovered that his car tires had been slashed.
The Tempest Prognosticator kept 12 leeches inside small bottles to predict the weather. CRACKED.COM The leeches attempted to climb out of the bottles when a storm was ар- proaching, causing a bell to ring. The number of times the bell was struck indicated the likelihood of a storm.

Ivan the Cabbage

A rebel leader named Ivan the Cabbage led a peasant uprising in 1277. GRAGKED.COM Ivan formed an army of peasants in 1277, con- quered Bulgaria in 1278, ruled as emperor in 1279, was deposed by the nobles in 1280, and fled to the Mongols who promptly ex- ecuted him in 1281.
Robin Williams was put on speaker phone to cheer up the cast and crew of Schindler's List. CRACKED.COM Williams would call director Steven Spielberg once a week on schedule and do 15 minutes of stand up on the phone. When Williams got the biggest laugh out of Spielberg, he would hang up without saying goodbye.

Degrees

A German student was sued for $3,772 for earning his bachelor's and master's too fast. CRACKED.COM Both degrees usually take 11 semesters, but Marcel Pohl graduated in 2. Не went to one class while having 2 friends share notes from other classes he was en- rolled in at the same time.
The DK Rap was created as a joke for Donkey Kong 64, and the creator hates it. DK CRACKED COM Grant Kirkhope, the composer of Donkey Kong 64, is still embar- rassed by the DK Rap and in 2010 said he still gets made fun of at Big Huge Games for it.
A tobacco company bluffed a patent to plastic-tipped cigars. DE HOYD MONTERRY HABANA NA CRACKED.COM Nat Sherman Tobacco Com- pany introduced plas- tic-tipped cigars to the in- dustry. They bluffed away any competitors for 32 years by putting Patent Pending on the packaging.
Many berries have tiny worms in them that we're probably eating. CRACKED.COM Blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries have little transparent worms in them which eventually turn into fruit flies. The species Dro- sophila suzukii first appeared in the United States in 2008, and are safe to eat.
Tom Cruise can never become an honorary citizen of Paris. CRACKED.COM In 2005, the municipal gov- ernment of Paris passed an official resolution so that unlike in Marseille, Cruise would never be made an honorary citizen, specifically because of his affiliation with Scientology.
There is a futbol stadium split into two hemispheres. EVIA CRACKED COM Zerão is a stadium in Brazil where the mid- field line lies exactly on the Equator, meaning each team defends one hemisphere.
Vin Mariani was a mixture of wine and cocaine that was popular in Europe during the late 1800s. MARIANI CRACKED.COM Two popes were known to drink it and it was so much enjoyed by Pope Leo XIII that he was used on post- ers promoting the product. The creator won a Vatican gold medal for creating it.
Chicago gangs in the 1970s and 80s made business cards with member nicknames. CRACKED.COM These compliment cards also featured associated symbols and turf, and the names and symbols of rival gangs. They were used to show affiliation, recruit new members, and disrespect ri- val gangs.
One of Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflower paintings was destroyed in the bombing of Hiroshima. CRACKED.COM The Japanese collec- tor who owned the painting could not res- cue it from the flames because the elaborate frame was too heavy.
London Bridge is the largest antique ever sold. CRACKED.COM US businessman Robert Mc- Culloch bought the bridge in 1968 for $2,460,000 and moved it to the Arizona desert. US customs de- clared the bridge as an an- tique, thereby avoiding an 11% import tax.
One protester showed up to block 'Harry Potter' from being filmed at the Gloucester Cathedral. CRACKED.COM There was a huge media out- cry in Gloucester when it was decided to use the local Са- thedral as a filming location. Protesters wrote letters by the sack-load to local news- papers, but only a single per- son turned up.
U.S. Congress brings up Hitler 7.7 times per month. CRACKED.COM Republicans bring up the dictator more than their colleagues, by a ratio of about 57-42 percent. Hitler mentions reached a peak in October 2003, with 93 mentions of both parties combined.
Rabies increases its transmission by making the sufferer afraid of drinking water. GRACKED COM Hydrophobia makes the victim unable to swallow the frothy saliva forming in their mouth, which is in- fected heavily with the live virus that can then be transmitted by biting.
Oasis issued concert refunds they hoped fans wouldn't cash. CRACKED.COM After having technical dif- ficulties at a large gig, the band issued refund checks with their branding, hop- ing that fans would keep them as collectibles in- stead of cashing them in. It worked.
'A Clockwork Orange' was written over a period of three weeks. CRAGKED.COM Anthony Burgess was mis- diagnosed with brain can- cer and given a year to live. Не decided to spend that year writing five nov- els to provide for his wife after his death. Ironically, he outlived her.
The sale of psychedelic mushroom spores is legal since they don't yet contain psilocybin. CRACKED.COM Most drug laws prohibit psilocybin rather than the mushroom itself, and psilo- cybin, the active com- pound in psychedelic mushrooms, is found only in the mushroom's cap and stem and not in its spores.
The erupting lava in the 'Revenge of the Sith' Mustafar battle wasn't computer generated. CRACKED.COM In the 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,' the images of the volcanic eruption on Mustafar is real footage of Mt. Etna in Italy, which was erupting at the time of production.
The character Kenny on 'South Park' is based on a real childhood friend of Trey Parker. CRACKED.COM Kenny was the poorest kid in town, wore a large parka that muffled his voice and would frequently skip school, inspiring the run- ning joke that he died by classmates.
The first person captured on camera giving a middle finger was a Hall of Fame baseball pitcher. CRACKED.COM In 1886, an image was captured of Charles Old Hoss Radbourn flipping off a member of the New York Giants in a team photo.
A deaf friend helped Charlie Chaplin pantomime techniques. GRAGKED.COM Chaplin asked his friend Granville Redmond to help him develop the tech- niques Chaplin later used in his silent films. Chaplin even gave Redmond a stu- dio on the movie lot for his paintings.
A Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by Black Friday shoppers in 2008. Walmart CRACKED.COM While other employees at- tempted to help him, the shoppers were unconcerned with the victim's fate and refused to halt their stam- pede, complaining that they were not willing to wait in the cold any longer.

Impersonations

A French man impersonated an American family's lost son for 3 and a half months. GRAGKED COM Frédéric Bourdin imper- sonated American Nicho- las Barclay from San An- tonio, Texas, who disap- peared in 1994 at age 13. Bourdin was caught and deported back to France.

Presidential Races

An American socialist ran for president while in prison in 1920. CRACKED.COM In 1918, Eugene Debs was sentenced to 10 years in prison for criticizing the government's p,articipation in World War 1. Не managed to get 3.4% of the popular vote while behind bars.
A man who worked for Queen Elizabeth in the 1600s went into self-imposed exile after he farted in front of her. Cuz DaughRo ofRouces ler in Coms Jhe and died 2/H & of Junest CRACKED.COM Edward de Vere left England for 7 years. When he return,ed, the Queen greeted him by saying My Lord, I had forgotten the Fart.
Russian cosmonauts urinate on the right rear wheel of the transfer bus before liftoff. CRACKED COM The ritual began in 1961 because the spacesuits didn't have a fly. Female cosmonauts are ex- cused, but some dash a cup of their own urine in solidarity.
One of the first advocates for human rights was a 16th-century Spanish priest. GRAGKED.COM Bartolomé de las Casas, af- ter witnessing the atroci- ties of the Spanish against the indigenous peoples, came to oppose their abuses. Не would go on to spend 50 years actively fighting slavery.

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