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Facts the whole family can enjoy

32 Random Bits of Trivia That Are Kid-Tested, Mother-Approved

September 29, 2024

We’d like to start this list with a message for all the parents out there. When your kid asks you a billion questions, it’s okay to not have all the answers. Saying “I don’t know” instead of meandering your way through what you think the answer could be will squash a ton of myths and half-truths before they even get started.

It can be something you learn together, and more importantly, it’ll save us from having to write an extra myth-busting list today. After gathering these full-truths, we’re pretty exhausted.

Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox.

32

Dishonored WWII Servicemen are buried in a hidden cemetery plot. VISITORS ROOM с A SERVICE AREA MUSEUM CHAPEL D GRAGKED.COM 94 US WWII Servicemen executed by the US Mili- tary are buried in Plot E of the Oise Aisne American Cemetery in France. Hedg- es hide it from view, no US flag is permitted to fly over it. — Source

31

A 13th century judge was skinned alive for taking a bribe and passing an unfair sentence. CRACKED COM The flesh of Sisamnes was made into leather and draped over the chair in which the next judge would sit - his son, Otanes. This reminded every judge that would sit in the chair of their judicial duties. — Source

30

The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs did more than just punch a hole in the Earth. CRACKED.COM After the impact, 70% of the world's forests burned, tsu- namis rose to a height of 300ft, and 25 trillion metric tons of debris was ejected into the atmosphere that re- duced sunlight by up to 90% for a decade. — Source

29

Oyster shells were repurposed in 1700s New York to build buildings. CRACKED COM Oysters in the 1700s were so overly abundant and popular in New York City that the discarded shells were repurposed into mortar paste to aid NY's building boom. — Source

28

The Australian Slouch Hat has one side of the brim turned upwards to aid rifle maneuvering. CRACKED.COM The intention of turning up the right side of the hat was to ensure it would not be caught during the drill move- ment of shoulder arms from order arms. — Source

27

Ukrainian soldiers uncovered 4th century urns while they were digging defense trenches. GRACKED.COM Soldiers with the Ukrainian 126th Territorial Defense found the tall, bot- tle-necked jars along with some ceramic shards. The amphorae have been dated to the fourth or fifth centu- ries C.E. — Source

26

One in every 200 men is a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. CRACKED.COM ~10% of the men who re- side within the borders of the Mongol Empire as it was at the death of Geng- his Khan may carry his Y chromosome, and so do about 16 million individu- als alive today. — Source

25

In the 1870s, the city of Liège, Belgium, attempted to use 37 cats as mail carriers. GRACKED.COM Messages were tucked into waterproof bags that the cats would carry around their necks. Most of the felines took over a day to reach their desti- nation, so the service didn't last long. — Source

24

The number of sea turtle nests in Florida has increased more than 85,000% in the past 40 years. CRACKED COM In 1979, there were 62 known North Atlantic green sea turtle nests in Florida. By 2017, that num- ber had climbed to 53,102, thanks to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. — Source

23

Miami installed the first ATM for inline skaters in the '90s. CRACKED.COM There were tons of inline skaters tearing up the pave- ment in Miami Beach in the 1990s, so Citibank installed an ATM at the end of a ramp so customers could grab cash without taking off their skates to head into the bank. — Source

22

It's heat, not sun, that ripens tomatoes. CRACKED.COM Cornell University notes that light conditions have very little to do with ripening. The ор- timum temperature for rip- ening tomatoes is 70 to 75F, any hotter and ripen- ing actually slows down. — Source

21

Countries with ‘The’

Only two countries officially start with The. CRACKED COM Sorry, there is no The United States, or The Maldives. Only The Gambia and The Bahamas formally in- clude the in their names. — Source

20

New Zealanders have more pets per household than any other country. GRACKED COM 68% of households in the country have a pet, which is more than any other nation in the world. The US still beats out every country with the total number of dogs and cats, at 69,929,000 and 74,059,000 respectively. — Source

19

Interpol

Interpol began after a meeting of 24 countries in 1914. CRACKED.COM The International Criminal Police Congress, held in Мо- naco, saw police and judicial representatives from 24 countries get together with the goal of improving the ef- fectiveness of international investigations. — Source

18

The North Star will be temporarily replaced in a few thousand years. CRACKED.COM By the year 13,000 A.D., the star Vega will take its place, accord- ing to NASA. And by the year 26,000, Po- laris will be right back where it was. — Source

17

Adolf Hitler's medical documents showed that he had a big farting problem. CRACKED.COM Hitler had to consume 28 different drugs to keep the toots under control, but some of the anti-gas pills contained a base of strych- nine, a poison that caused further stomach and liver issues. — Source

16

There is a registry for really, really big trees. GRACKED COM In 1940, the American Forestry Association asked the public to nomi- nate large trees in their area and added those trees to the National Reg- ister of Champion Trees. — Source

15

Typhoon Lagoon at Walt Disney World is visited by as many people that live in Houston. GRACKED.COM In 2013, Typhoon Lagoon in Florida attracted more people than any other park. Their total visitor count, 2.1 million, is just a tiny bit short of the entire population of Houston, Texas (2.3 million). — Source

14

The longest attack of hiccups lasted 68 years. CRACKED.COM Charles Osborne fell while attempting to butcher a 350-pound hog in 1922, bursting a blood vessel in his brain. His bout of hic- cups finally stopped in 1990, the year before he died at 97. — Source

13

Human eyes have over two million working parts. CRACKED.COM They also have seven million cones, which are what allow us to see both color and de- tail. 100 million cells, or rods, allow us to see in the dark. — Source

12

Iceland is split between the Eurasian and North American plate. CRACKED.COM Although Iceland is considered political- ly as part of Europe, it is geographically North American and European at the same time. — Source

11

Richie Haven's iconic song Freedom came about by accident. Не just started playing it at Woodstock because he didn't have anything else he could play, but needed to stay on the stage. Later, to learn how to play it, he watched himself in the Woodstock movie. CRACKED.COM — Source

10

America's First Bank Robbery was nearly the perfect crime. DAY GRACKED COM $162,821 ($3.8 million to- day) had been taken from vaults of the Bank of Penn- sylvania in 1798. The cul- prit Isaac Davis was caught because he deposited the money back into the same bank. — Source

9

Fireworks are totally illegal in Florida but are sold to ordinary people in huge quantities. CRACKED.COM Hundreds of stores across the state sell to anyone who signs a waiver saying they are for agricultural use to scare birds away from crops. — Source

8

Peter Pan is the only UK copyright that has been extended in perpetuity. CRACKED COM This means Great Or- mond Street Hospital can receive royalties forever. This has earned it the name The Copyright which never grows up. — Source

7

Birds living in cities perform a type of avian rap that their rural counterparts don't. CRACKED.COM City birds also sing at a higher pitch and will try out different song types. Experts say city birds have adapted to counter back- ground noise and increase their chances of finding a mate. — Source

6

Roly Polies help decompose metal in the soil. CRACKED COM They are capable of taking in heavy metals such as copper, zinc, lead, and cadmium and crystallize these into spherical deposits in the midgut. — Source

5

Rick James once got a custom drawing by Salvador Dali, but he ruined it. Dali sketched him at a party on a napkin, and gave it to James. James left it in his shorts, forgot about it, and went swimming in them the next day. CRACKED.COM — Source

4

Isaac Newton was a member of Parliament, but he was very ineffective. During his 21-year stint there, he apparently only spoke once, and it was to the usher - he asked him to close the window one time when it was chilly. CRACKED.COM — Source

3

The Beatles

In 1968, the Beatles signed a petition to get Mick Jagger in A Clockwork Orange. They sent it to Terry Southern, who was writing the movie adaptation's script, demanding to have Jagger in the lead role. Alas, it was clearly unsuccessful. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

A classic Simpsons Olympics episode is based on something that really happened. MILKS In Lisa's First Word, Krusty Burger offers free burgers if the US team wins, and that comes back to bite him. This really happened to McD's in 1984. CRACKED.COM — Source

1

Aaron Sorkin once hurt his hand by practicing a scene for The Newsroom. Не got up in the middle of the night to practice an idea he had, and that involved lunging at his bathroom mirror - he broke it, and went to the ER. CRACKED.COM — Source

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