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Facts are useful in more ways than one

36 Random Bits of Trivia We Slingshotted Into the Eye of a Giant Cyclops

September 13, 2024

Whether providing knowledge or protecting you from mythical beasts, a fact’s purpose knows no bounds. Facts can not only teach you about hammers, they can also bang those nails in for you. We’re not exactly sure how just yet, so let us get back to you before you start head-butting nails into that birdhouse.

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CRACKED MARK WAHLBERG WAS TOO HUNG OVER TO DIE ON 9/11. Wahlberg says he just barely missed being on a plane that crashed into the WTC because he chose to go to a party at the Toronto Film Festival the night before. — Source

35

Johnny chose wisely

CRACKED Madisor JOHNNY KNOXVILLE TURNED DOWN SNL. Knoxville decided not to take a job on Saturday Night Live and instead focus on his own show, Jackass. Just think of what might have been. — Source

34

CRACKED HASSAN BENNETT REPRESENTED HIMSELF IN COURT - AND WON. In 2018, Bennett defended himself and was acquitted of second-degree murder after spending 13 years in prison. Не made the jury doubt the government's witnesses and methods, and was freed. — Source

33

CRACKED JONAH HILL: A REMINDER THAT FAME DOESN'T EQUAL HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. Hill was all over social media recently, but not for a good reason. It turns out he had asked his ex, Sarah Brady, to delete her swimsuit pics, stop modeling, and end her friendships with guys he didn't like. — Source

32

CRACKED TWO DRUNKS HAD A BRIGHT IDEA, AND COMEDY CENTRAL SAID, WHY NOT? In 2007, two drunk guys had an idea to make a show about people getting drunk and telling stories about historical events. They filmed the first episode in a backyard, and eventually Comedy Central picked it up as Drunk History. — Source

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The first heating system actually dates to 550 вс, and it's from Ancient Greece. It was constructed at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, and it was powered by a wood-fired furnace. CRACKED.COM — Source

29

Lions

Lionesses can actually get birth control implants that work. And they receive those implants in ZOOS sometimes - that way, all the lions can hang out without new cubs being born all the time. CRACKED.COM — Source

28

The One-Legged Evil Clown

In 1925, a one-legged clown escaped prison and was never found. Не was convicted in 1912 in Chicago, for the murder of an heiress, and was sentenced to life in prison. CRACKED.COM — Source

27

Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola is known as a filmmaker, but he made more money with wine. All I know is that one year we did $9 million. Four years later, $60 million. I was making much more money in the wine business than I ever made in films, he said in an interview. CRACKED.COM — Source

26

US dairy farms produce incredible amounts of excess cheese, it turns out. The amount produced as of 2018 would be roughly the same size as the US Capitol if you placed it in one spot. CRACKED.COM — Source

25

Dwarf goats are really, really smart - way more so than you might think at first. They have object permanence, which means they can remember where objects were placed without seeing or smelling them. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

There's a long tradition of using Alcatraz as a prison, going back to Native Americans. People who violated tribal laws among the Ohlone would get banished to Alcatraz. CRACKED.COM — Source

23

Joseph Stalin

Stalin was actually covered in scars - he'd had smallpox as a child. The reason his pictures don't show that is that he had all his photos heavily retouched. CRACKED.COM — Source

22

In 2018, after 116 years, Barnum Animal Crackers stopped locking up animals. Giraffe Tiger Camel Kangaroo Cougar Rhino Sheep Gorilla Monkey Elephant Bear ? Hippo Seal On their packaging, that is - all that time, they'd been using a design that showed animals in boxcars. CRACKED.COM — Source

21

Puritans were really, really serious about not letting people fall asleep during a service. Anyone who did that would get poked with a long wooden pole to get them to wake up. CRACKED.COM — Source

20

The original author of the Forrest Gump novel wrote a sequel to the book. The Rollicking Sequel to the #1 New York Times Bestseller Forrest Gump GRACKED.COM It was titled Gump and Co, and in it Gump crashes the Exx- on Valdez, helps de- stroy the Berlin Wall, and fights in Opera- tion Desert Storm. — Source

19

A sausage being called a banger comes from WWI food shortages. CRACKED.COM Meat shortages forced sausages to be made with high water content, causing them to burst when being cooked, hence the name. — Source

18

Consumers did not buy tater tots at first because they were too cheap. CRACKED.COM When Tater Tots first hit store shelves in 1956, they were so inexpensive that there was no perceived value. When the price was raised by stores, people began buying the product. — Source

17

Kevin Smith attended a protest for his own movie, Dogma. When an unwitting reporter asked for a comment, Smith said, I don't know, but I've been told, 'not good.''' NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

16

Centuries ago, they believed that witches literally kissed the Devil's ass. It was called the Kiss of Shame, and the belief was that it was how witches said hello to Satan. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

15

Ancient Egyptians mummified cats SO they could follow people in death. Plus, cats represented gods, and gods were happy to get, uh, offerings of cats. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

14

Here Be Dragons wasn't actually a regularly used phrase on medieval maps. It's only been recorded one single time, on a 16th-century globe (Hic sunt dracones, in Latin) - that's it. It doesn't seem any other map ever used it. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

13

A surprisingly high number of 18th-century pirates were actually from Africa. The reason for that is pretty simple - a pirate ship was one of the few places at that time where a slave could actually free themselves. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

12

It turns out that dinosaurs could get arthritis, too, the same way we do. That's what multiple studies say - and, for example, a T-Rex found in 1990 (nicknamed Sue) might have been suffering from gout. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

11

If you eat too much meat that only has protein, you'll eventually die. Apparently, the liver can only process so much protein at once-so you need to add lots of fat, or you'll undergo protein poisoning AKA rabbit starvation. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

10

The hand of the Statue of Liberty sat in an NYC park for six years. They sent the hand (with the torch) to be displayed in the US to raise the funds needed for finishing the statue - it took years, but it worked. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

9

Arby's bought Dunkin for $11.3 billion ROAST Beer Sandwich IS DELICIOUS Arby's Several years prior, Arby's bought Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.9 billion. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

8

Tamagotchi

A pet cemetery in England offered burial ground for dead Tamagotchi ch People shipped their toys from all over the world to their final resting place. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

7

Nicki Minaj worked at multiple Red Lobsters before she was famous She was fired from multiple locations. She once followed a customer who hadn't tipped and taken her pen out to their car. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

6

There are 30 to 60 ships buried under San Francisco. The ships remain from the Gold Rush, during the time the city decided to move the shoreline. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

5

Very soon, quantum computing might be able to totally break Bitcoin's security. Bitcoin only works because, to crack its security, you'd need insane computing power - - and quantum computers could easily provide that by 2027 or so. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

4

Ken Allen the orangutan escaped from his ZOO enclosure multiple times The Hairy Houdini would stroll around looking at other animals in the zoo. Не taught other orangutans how to escape. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

3

Lions are actually surprisingly fast. 27% Their top speed is just over 50 miles per hour. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

2

Greek and Roman sculptures were painted in bright colors The pigments have faded over time. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

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40 Random Bits of Pop-Culture Trivia Assigned to You by the Trivia Distribution System