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30 Random Bits of Trivia to Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

Breaking: some facts

30 Random Bits of Trivia to Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

August 17, 2024

All those times you’ve been inside of the guy from Operation, you never even thought to ask his name. For shame.

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30

Apples are only harvested once a year in the U.S. If you store an entire apple harvest under con- trolled-atmosphere condi- tions, it'll last up to 10 months. So an apple you eat not in Autumn has been in storage for a while. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

29

Yosemite was named after a group of renegade enemy tribes living in the valley. The word comes from the Miwok tribe and literally means those who kill. The Yosemite people were referred to as killers by these surrounding tribes, who feared them. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

28

A Canadian brewery makes beer with water from before humans invented agriculture. Quidi Vidi Brewery in Newfoundland har- vests water directly from icebergs that are up to 20,000 years old and float down the ar- ea's Iceberg Alley. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

27

Elephants comfort each other with chirps. When Asian elephants are feeling stressed or upset, their peers will at- tempt to provide comfort by caressing them with their trunks and offering chirps of sympathy. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

26

15% of Los Angeles is used as a parking lot. A 2015 study published in the Journal of the Ameri- can Planning Association was able to determine that 14 percent of the city's in- corporated land is devoted to parking. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

25

The magnetic North Pole. moves 10 kilometers a year. The shift occurs under the influence of the dynamo currents in the Earth's core, as well as electric currents flowing in the ion- osphere, the radiation belts, and the Earth's mag- netosphere. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

24

If a snake is born with two heads, they compete with each other for food. First the two heads have to decide they're both hungry at the same time, and then they have to agree to pursue the same prey. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

23

Dunes

Mysterious, 100-feet deep sand dune holes baffled Indiana for years. Scientists discovered that trees, long since covered by sand, were eaten away by fungi under the dunes. The fungi created a cement-like shell that held its shape even after the trees rotted, but those eventually caved in. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

22

A reindeer's eyes can change colors with the seasons. While their eyes are gold- en in the summer, they shift to dark blue in the winter to increase the scatter of reflected light, which accounts for their seasonal vision sensitivity. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

21

The horse on Wyoming license plates is named Steamboat. WYOMING 8 -20 WYOMING 0722561 2 48344 Steamboat was the star horse of the bucking bron- со events from 1901 to 1914, named so because he had a broken bone in his nose which caused him to make a snorting sound like a steamboat. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

20

A 34-year-old British man was hospitalized after attempting to contain his sneeze. Не trapped air in his tra- chea, and essentially ripped a hole in the soft tissue of his throat. Halting a sneeze via blocking nos- trils and mouth is a dan- gerous maneuver. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

19

Operation

The patient featured in the game Operation is named Cavity Sam. ELECTRO PROBE Не is presumably named after what cardiologists call SAM (Systolic Anterior Motion), an ailment that occurs in a ventricular cav- ity of the heart. Why not just Sam, Hasbro? Why Cavity? WHY CAVITY? CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

18

Libraries

A Moroccan library has been operating since 859 A.D. The Al-Qarawiyyin Li- brary in Fez, Morocco is the world's oldest library, and in 2016 it finally opened its doors to any- one wishing to explore its ancient texts. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

17

One area of Canada has a weaker gravitational pull than the rest of Earth. Nearly 20,000 years ago, the weight of massive ice glaciers caused some of the rock beneath to com- press and sink, and in the process displace the un- derlying semifluid mantle. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

16

Lightning can heat the air it passes through to 50,000 degrees. This is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun, which sizzles at a relatively temperate 9,941 degrees fahrenheit. The sun makes up for this measly number by heating up inside to 27 million degrees. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

15

There is a Magic Mountain Hotel in Patagonia only accessible via suspensión bridge. The hotel, surrounded by a dense forest area in Chile, is built up like a mountain, covered in overgrowth with a wa- terfall spilling out the top. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW

14

Cookies

The chocolate chip cookie was invented accidentally by Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1930. Ruth decided to prepare a batch of Chocolate Butter Drop Do cookies, but after realizing that she was out of baker's chocolate she instead added broken pieces of a Nestlé choco- late bar. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

13

Asbestos

Hair dryers used by hairdressers often contained asbestos through the late 1970s. Hair dryers containing as- bestos, including hand-held and hood vari- eties, which were used to insulate the appliances, made up 90% of annual U.S. hair dryer sales. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

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12

There is a dog Oscars for canine actors. The Golden Collar Awards were created in 2012. The winner receives a trophy designed by Simon Tavas- soli, depicting an Italian Leather Collar embedded with Swarovski crystals. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

11

It snows carbon dioxide on Mars-the flakes don't fall, but create a fog-like effect. Snow has not yet been observed in the pro- cess of actually reach- ing the ground on Mars, but it has been seen falling through the sky. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

10

Popped Collars

The popped collar originated as a way to keep tennis players' necks from getting sunburnt. Prolific French tennis player René Lacoste came up with a softer, starch-free polo shirt in 1929, breaking with the stiff tennis gear tradi- tions of the day. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

9

Auctioning Off Virginity

A model sold her virginity for $3 million to an Abu Dhabi businessman. 19-year-old Giselle says she'll use money to pay for college fees and traveling, and a new house. She de- scribed being able to sell her virginity as a 'form of emancipation.' CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

8

George A. Romero got his start making short films for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Romero, who was just out of college at the time, joked that film- ing Mr. Rogers Gets a Tonsillectomy was the scariest thing he ever shot. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

7

Back in the 1800s, composer Franz Liszt was worshiped like a rock star. In fact, he received so many requests for locks of his hair that he eventually bought a dog, only to snip off patches of its fur to send to his admirers. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

6

Dolphin calves are typically born tail first so they don't drown during the birthing process. Dolphins virtually nev- er have twins; they give birth to one baby at a time every 1 to 6 years depending on the species and indi- viduals. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

5

Beaver College changed its name to Arcadia because anti-porn filters blocked access to the school's website. The rise of systems de- signed to filter out sexually explicit material online re- peatedly blocked access to the college's website. Be- cause of its name, the insti- tution appealed to 30% few- er prospective students. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

4

Abraham Lincoln declined an offer to bring in war elephants to the United States. While the letter from the King of Siam was addressed to former President James Buchanan, it was up to Lin- coln and his Secretary of State William Seward to ро- litely decline this offer. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

3

When it comes to wine, a cat pee-like aroma is often indícative of a high-quality vintage. Sauvignon Blancs from warmer countries such as South Africa, California and Australia tend to have less of the 'cat's pee' aro- ma than the ones pro- duced in France, New Zea- land and Hungary. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

2

Black Cats

A black cat crossing your path from right to left is considered good luck in Germany. From left to right is unlucky. The supersti- tion is said to have stemmed from the 17th century where they began to be linked with witchcraft. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

1

Novelist Patricia Highsmith kept about 300 snails as pets. The author of 'The Talent- ed Mr Ripley' and 'The Price Of Salt' would carry them in her handbag to parties, calling them her companions for the eve- ning. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

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