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44 Random Bits of Trivia That Your Brain Should Keep on Hand in Case of Emergency

You never know when you might need these

44 Random Bits of Trivia That Your Brain Should Keep on Hand in Case of Emergency

December 19, 2024

Survivalists arm themselves with facts about shelter-building, hunting and fire-starting, but they know what they’re getting themselves into beforehand. At any moment, you could find yourself in one of a billion emergency situations. Wouldn’t it be helpful to know that the first flash mob occurred in June of 2003?

It’s hard to tell what exactly that could help with, but isn’t it better to have a fact and not need it than to need a fact but not have it?

44

Tropic Thunder

Ben Stiller got the idea for Tropic Thunder while he was working on Empire of the Sun. A number of his castmates were getting roles in war movies, and

43

Jason Statham

Jason Statham Jason Statham ENCRACKED.COM Statham made Derbyshire proud as part of Britain's National Diving Squad, making the Commonwealth finals at the 1990 Auckland Games. — Source: 14 Startlingly Athletic Hollywood Actors

42

South Africa

SOUTH AFRICA TRIED TO CONVERT GAY SOLDIERS. TREATMENT COMBINED GAY PORN WITH ELECTRIC SHOCKS. After this horror movie method, there was always the ultimate solution: forced sex changes. They tried that on an estimated 900 people, sometimes at the pace of 50 surgeries a week. The operations were ... not always executed with the utmost skill. CRACKED.COM — Source

41

The Pastry War

The Pastry War CRACKED.COM In 1838, a French baker living in Mexico had his pastry shop damaged by Mexican soldiers. The owner got French King Louis-Phillipe to demand repayment; when Mexico refused, the French navy blockaded the entire Gulf coast, leading Mexico to declare war.

40

Memes

Drew Scanlon, AKA Blinking White Guy, is using his status as a meme to raise money to fight MS. Cw FUNDRAIS He's participating in Bike MS, a fundraise

39

Matthew Broderick

44 Random Bits of Trivia That Your Brain Should Keep on Hand in Case of Emergency — Source: LA Times

38

Canada

Churchill, Canada residents keep their car doors unlocked. Locals keep their cars accessible in order to provide other resi- dents a quick escape, should they encounter a polar bear. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

37

Spam

A UK man set up his own 0871 line so that he would earn money from spam calls. O Y O MADE de Incoming Call Unknown Decline In 2011, every time a bank, gas or electricity supplier asked Lee Beaumont for his details, he submitted the toll number as his con- tact number, which cost money to the caller. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

36

Office Space

44 Random Bits of Trivia That Your Brain Should Keep on Hand in Case of Emergency

35

Invisibility Cloaks

A biotech corporation is developing an invisibility cloak called Quantum Stealth. Quantum Stealth oper- ates similar to fiber optic cable technology in that it bends light waves around it, so the wearer is hidden from view. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

34

Spiders

The venom of the Brazilian wandering spider can cause an erection that lasts for more than 4 hours. CRACKED.COM Erections resulting from the bite are uncomfortable, can last for many hours and can lead to impotence. Priapism is generally treated by jabbing a large needle in the penis and draining the blood. — Source

33

Philly Customs Officials

Philly Customs Officials Reference Seinfeld Joke Upon Finding Molly In Soup Cans la Potagère Bisque de BISQUE DE HOMARD BISQUE™DE BISQUE DE HOMARD BISQUE DE HOMARD HOMARD belle-iloise ® ي belle-iloise le belle-ilaise I S la bell U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents seized 24 pounds of liquid ecstasy hidden in soup cans from the Netherlands. The 12 cans of soup were leaking a purple liquid which agents found suspicious. After reporting their findings the CBP announced no soup for you! CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — PhillyVoice

32

Black Panther

BLACK PANTHER took inspiration from THE GODFATHER. a man's Ryan father Coogler dies, and suddenly he has to step into realized that this position of power was pretty much a summary of The Godfather - so he watched all the Godfather films, taking notes. — Source: Esquire

31

Octavio Dotel

Least Job Security MLB CRACKED.COM Octavio Dotel probably spent a lot of time in hotels -- he played for a new team in a new city, every single season of his 13-year career. — Source: 15 Embarrassing Sports Records No One Wants To Break

30

Good Will Hunting

Matt Damon wrote the first act of Good Will Hunting for a playwriting class. CRACKED.COM After being assigned to create the first act of a play, Matt Damon turned in the 40 page script and said, Look, I might have failed your class, but it is the first act of something longer. — Source

29

The Ravenmaster

There is a full-time position at the Tower of London called the Ravenmaster. MICHAEL PAI,IN HOVE La BELLA FIGURA EREBUS BY - - MOSS I A PARKS CRACKED.COM This person is the care- taker for the flocks of Ra- vens that inhabit the grounds there. They let the birds out at first light, clean their cages, feed them, and put them to bed at night. — Source

28

MAS*H

M*A*S*H WAS ON THE AIR FOR 3816 DAYS, MORE THAN THREE TIMES THE LENGTH OF THE KOREAN WAR (1128 DAYS). CERNE WARD 18210717 GRACKED COM — Source: 23 Eyebrow-Arching Time Spans Side By Side

27

Birds

Woodpeckers CRACKED.COM Several varieties of woodpeckers have been documented pecking their way into the skulls of baby birds in order to eat their delicious brains. Woody Woodpecker's maniacal laugh seems all the more devious now. — Audubon

26

Forrest Gump

In Forrest Gump, Gump receives a letter from Apple congratulating him on his investment - in 1975. Apr Computer Which is impressive, because Apple wasn't founded until 1976, and by 1977 the company was still operating out of Steve Jobs's garage. GRACKED.COM — Source: 27 Movies And Shows That Need Help With History

25

China

China had the second largest death toll of World War II. China's involvement in the war is rarely talked about in the media, but they played a very important role of defending against the Japanese. Approximately 20 million Chinese people died in the war, with 16 million of those deaths being civilians. CRACKED.COM — Source: 18 Perspective-Shifting Historical Statistics

24

Dangerous Jobs

CRACKED POLICE OFFICERS DON'T EVEN CRACK THE TOP TEN MOST DANGEROUS JOBS IN AMERICA. PIZZA Delivery drivers, loggers, and crossing guards all beat out police officers when it comes to workplace danger. — Source

23

John Travolta

John Travolta's passion cost him a major role in the '80s. AAN The studio wanted him to do An Officer. and a Gentleman, but he chose to study aviation

22

MLK

CRACKED.COM Martin Luther King Jr. had an advice column. In the '50s, Reverend King had a column in Ebony magazine titled Advice for Living. He'd often talk about black issues, but he also gave personal advice (which sometimes, um, wasn't very good). — Source: 18 Random Facts To Spice Up Your Brain Diet With Some Variety

21

The Little Mermaid

We almost got a Sofia Coppola adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Her version was supposed to adapt the original fairy tale, and she wanted to shoot underwater. They did some underwater shooting tests, but she left the project when too much money started pouring in, because she couldn't make the movie she wanted to make. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

20

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Greetings From The OX Secret B DEZ TENN City During WWII, Oak Ridge TN was commissioned to develop and build the first atomic bomb. The vast majority of the city's workers had absolutely no idea what they were working on and only found out after the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. CRACKED.COM — Source

19

Dogs

CRACKED FRENCH POODLES ARE ACTUALLY FROM GERMANY. They remain the national dog of France. — AntonMaltsev/Shutterstock
American Kennel Club

18

The Social Network

Natalie Portman consulted on The Social Network. When she heard David Fincher was doing the movie, Portman (who went to Harvard from 1999 to 2003) called him over for dinner. She told him about how final clubs worked and how prestigious they were for underclassmen -- which made its way into the movie, as it starts with Zuck talking about how much he wants to join one. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

17

Denmark

Denmark tried to pimp their women to tourists. Ag In 2009, a video went viral of a Danish woman looking for her baby's father, a foreigner she had a o — More: The 4 Most Misogynistic Marketing Campaigns Of All Time

16

Newton’s Apple

Source: The 7 Most Ridiculous Rough Drafts of Famous Brand Logos

15

Failed Inventions

THE Trrbine Turbine n2 CAPSULA biiolabues CRACKEDG Italdesign debuted this modular car, whose cabin could be swapped out to make a totally different k — Source: Autoweek

14

Buffalo Bill

Italian cowboys challenged Buffalo Bill when his troupe toured in Italy. CRACKED.COM The Butteri, led by Au- gusto Imperiali, chal- lenged his troupe in 1890 when they came around - and won, proving far more expe- rience. — Source

13

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs insisted he was infertile when his girlfriend became pregnant. When Jobs's girlfriend at the time got pregnant in 1976, he insisted that he was infertile and the child couldn't be his. His daughter's mother had to go on welfare and juggle several jobs to support her until she could get a DNA test to prove Jobs' biological responsibility. CRACKED.COM — Source

12

South Park

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS THE ART STYLE WAS INSPIRED BY TERRY GILLIAM. SOUTH PARK The art style of the earlier seasons was inspired by Gilliam's Monty Python animation. Both Trey Parker and Matt Stone were huge Python fans since childhood. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

Hawaii

Hawaii tried to solve homelessness by providing one-way plane tickets out of the state. GRACKED COM To qualify for the trial, participants must com- plete a background check, be mentally sound, and have what the bill calls sufficient personal hygiene.

10

Flash Mobs

GRAOT The first flash mob occured in June 2003. RUG COLLECTION It was created by Bill Wasik, Harper's Magazine senior editor, as a social experiment.

9

Beer

One monastic order went on a beer fast during Lent back in the 17th century. They weren't allowed to eat anything solid during Lent, so they figured they'd drink beer since it was basically liquid bread -- that'd be A-OK. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

8

Chicken

The chicken you regularly eat is actually injected with a saltwater solution before it's sold. The solution accounts for 15 to 30% of a chicken's weight, and it's added because, apparently, the bird would be too dry without it. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: Premier Foods Group

7

Disneyland

Feral cats hunting mice It's estimated that around 200 cats live in Disneyland and California Adventure Park. They're all spayed and neutered, and they're kept around because they, ironically, keep the number of rodents down. CRACKED — Maximillian cabinet/Shutterstock
Los Angeles Times

6

The Simpsons

Left-Field Inspirations For Well-Known Scenes - Mr. Burns' body language is based on a praying mantis. That's — Source: 5 Characters Amazingly Based on Real People

5

Sony

The earliest Sony Walkman models had two separate headphone jacks labeled guys and dolls. SONY AUTO REVERSE 20PRESETS AVLS ISUAR MANGTE TUNING 2 3 5 4 CRACKED.COM In addition to two head- phone jacks, it featured a button where the two people listening could talk to each other, or sing along with each other, on a microphone. — Source

4

Climate Change

CRACKED.COM The genocide of Native Americans might have changed the climate. The Little Ice Age was a particularly cold period after the Middle Ages, and researchers think that massacring the Americas' native population was a big factor. Huge swathes of abandoned farmland were taken over by wild plant life, which absorbed CO2 and lowered the temperature. — Source

3

Nintendo

CRACKED FL ASE MMA WeeWaa was a plush toy you inserted a Nintendo Wiimote into in order to play it - a fun enough idea plagued by logistical issues, licensing issues and the realistic prospect absolutely nobody would want such a thing. — Source

2

The TSA

WEIRD WORLD A TSA officer faked a burglary as an excuse for being late for work. Gates 201-213 Ticketing The agent told her boss that she was late to work because of a violent burglary at her parent's house, during which she used her TSA-issued weapon. She also created a fake police report in an attempt to prove the lie. CRACKED.COM — Independent

1

Milk

Milk won't make your bones stronger. It stands to reason - if your bones are made of calcium, and milk has calcium, you should drink lots of milk, right? It turns out that biology is more complicated than that. Decades' worth of studies have failed to find any benefit to bone health from drinking extra milk. CRACKED.COM — Source: 16 Random Facts That Will Increase Your Approximate Knowledge of the World

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