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45 Random Bits of Trivia That Fell Like Dandruff From Santa’s Beard Onto Our Infant Son’s Head

Our kids better be grateful for every fact they’re gifted!

45 Random Bits of Trivia That Fell Like Dandruff From Santa’s Beard Onto Our Infant Son’s Head

December 19, 2024

It’s hard to teach gratitude to young kids. They wear their hearts on their sleeves, and if something sucks, they’ll let you know. Little by little, we reinforce those “thank yous” to Aunt Linda for the used books and ill-fitting jammies, but their face says it all.

It’s natural for them to take what they have for granted, but there’s something we will never put up with: fact thanklessness. Every little tidbit of informational gold will be respected, appreciated and cherished in this house.

You read that clearly, you little scamps? Of course you did! We’re making you read and love this blurb and every fact on this list. Merry Christmas!

45

Gender

CRACKED GENETIC INFLUENCE ON GENDER OF OFFSPRING According to a Newcastle University study of hundreds of years of family trees, men who had more brothers were more likely to have sons, and those with more sisters were more likely to have daughters. This pattern wasn't seen in women. — Source

44

Grease

45 Random Bits of Trivia That Fell Like Dandruff From Santa’s Beard Onto Our Infant Son’s Head

43

Stand By Me

STRANGER THINGS INSPIRATIONS STAND BY ME According to Kiefer Sutherland, production had to be shut down for two days after Jerry O'Connell snuck into a hippy fair and unknowingly bought some funny cookies. They found him lost and crying in a park. CRACKED.COM — Source

42

King of the Hill

Hank Hill pitched himself to the network. GRACKED.COM Instead of animating a full pilot, Mike Judge opted to produce a short, no-frills, first-person plea from Hank himself. — YouTube

41

Mythology

FILIPINO MYTH MANANANGGAL The aswang is a beautiful woman during the day, but by night, she separates from her lower body, grows wings, and takes flight. She eats human flesh, especially infants and pregnant women. CRACKED — Source

40

Fulton County Jail

MAN DIES IN JAIL, ATTACKED BY BUGS. A man in Fulton County Jail was discovered dead in his cell after being attacked by bed bugs and other insects. That sounds like a medieval torture technique. CRACKED — Akos Nagy/Shutterstock
WJHG

39

Cats

Whiskey distilleries sometimes keep cats around just to catch mice. Distilleries have been using cats for that for centuries and, despite the many alternatives that exist today, they still do. CRACKED.COM — Source

38

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing Public videophone booths have actually existed since 1936, but Bell Labs predicted Facetime's crucial Meemaw demographic 50 years e — Source: Mashable

37

The Death Star

The Death Star was used as a trash can for a while in the 1990s. The model used for shooting effects scenes in A New Hope ended up being put in a building's lobby, with the radar dish missing - they used the hole to drop trash in. CRACKED.COM — Source

36

The Matrix

The flowing, green code from The Matrix is made out of recipes. CRACKED.COM Simon Whiteley, who created the custom code for the Matrix, attributes the design to his wife, who is from Japan. Не said that the Matrix code is made out of Japanese sushi recipes. — Wired

35

Germs

IN SPACE, GERMS CHANGE WEIRDL Y. YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM, MEANWHILE, CRUMBLES. Meds and vaccines also lose potency in space. Oh, you didn't want to go through quarantine? Congratulations! You're now sitting in the space toilet of your luxurious vessel, your weakened body torn apart by a ravenous strand of mutant salmonella. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Horrifying Sides Of Space Travel No One Talks About

34

Volcano Visits

Thrihnukagigur Volcano in Iceland. This volcano near Reykjavik is the only one in the world you can go inside. At 700 feet deep, visitors must hike up to the crater's summit before hopping in an open cable lift that descends 120 feet inside the magma channel. CRACKED — Source

33

Radioactive Romance

Marie Curie was involved in a sex scandal. In 1910, a widowed Curie began an affair with physicist Paul Langevin - who was married. The press dragged Curie's name through the mud over it - but Albert Einstein came to her defense by saying that, uh, she wasn't attractive enough to threaten a marriage. What a great pal! — More: 4 Famous Historical Figures (Who Were Doin' It Nonstop)

32

John Wilkes Booth

John Wilkes Booth's family was obsessed with the play Julius Caesar CRACKED COM CELL John's father and elder brother were both named Junius Brutus Booth after the play's hero. An 1864 production of Julius Caesar was also the only play to star all three of the famous Booth Brothers, months before one of them became an assassin in real life. — Source

31

It’s A Wonderful Life

It was shot during a heatwave. YOU ARE N FALLS Despite the cold winter setting, It's a Wonderful Life was actually shot during an intense summer heatw — BBC

30

Cereal Box Toys

Ghost Detector APPLE JACKS CRACKED.COM Apple Jacks went dark with this one. In 1989, you knew that if this Ghost Detector you found in a cereal box moved around in your hand, there was definitely a ghost in your room! — Source: Mr Breakfast

29

The Hollywood Sign

In the 1920s, the Hollywood sign used to be lit by thousands of light bulbs. HOLLYWOOD CRACKED.COM The guy who changed them lived in a little cabin near the sign, and had to replace non-working bulbs with fresh ones every day. — How Stuff Works / Wikipedia

28

The Abandoned Austrian Man

An Austrian man was taken into custody and forgotten about for nearly three weeks. CRACKED COM Andreas Mihavecz was left in his cell for 18 days by policemen. Не lost 53 pounds and holds the re- cord of surviving the lon- gest without any food or liquids. — Source

27

Cicada Killers

There's a species of wasps that preys specifically on cicadas (called Cicada Killers). These wasps capture and paralyze cicadas, then take them to their own larvae, where the cicadas are left as food for the larvae when they hatch. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

26

John Crowley

A father started a biotech company, with no prior experience, to save the lives of his children. GRAGKED.COM John Crowley was told his two infant children had an incur- able genetic disorder that would kill them in less than a year. Не founded Amicus Ther- apeutics, which pioneered an experimental enzyme therapy that saved their lives. — Pompe Disease News

25

Longest Coach Suspension

Longest Coach Suspension NFL VL BOWL CRACKED COM Saints coach Sean Payton was given a one-year suspension in 2012. And all he did was give his team cash payments for every opposing player they intentionally injured! — Source: 15 Embarrassing Sports Records No One Wants To Break

24

The Green Screen

Historical Firsts in Practical Effects Hg1 Frank Williams: Grandfather 1916 of the green screen 5 Fig.2. 6 Williams' traveling matte system shot actors or vehicles against a black background and isolated them to be placed on other moving images. It could only work in black and white, but is a direct precursor of blue/green screen technology. CRACKED — Source

23

James Cameron

James Cameron sold the Terminator script for $1 just so he could direct it. Не didn't want to sell the script without directing it himself, but no production company wanted an inexperienced director -- so he sold for $1, to Gale Anne Hurd. CRACKED.COM — Source

22

Burger King

Burger King once released the Windows 7 Whopper in Japan to promote the release of Windows 7. 10.22 Windows 7 -- It's your Windows7 regular Whopper, but WHOPPER with seven beef patties. The first 30 burgers cost -- Y777, and the rest of them cost Y1450. **** 130 BURGER 10/220~ 10/280 777 ! KING CRACKED COM — Source

21

Mad Max

Mad Max's Pursuit Special went through several owners. Max Rockatansky's pimped out 1973 Ford Falcon GT was given to the movie's mechanic as payment, and then bought back for the second movie. After several changes of hands, it ended up in Florida, where it was put up for sale again in 2020. — Source: Shannons Club

20

Meryl Streep

METHOD MADNESS THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA MERYL STREEP as Miranda Priestly Her performance was Oscar nominated, but she said it was the last time she'd ever attempt method acting. It was horrible. I was miserable in my trailer. I could hear them all laughing... I was so depressed! CRACKED — 20th Century Studios
BuzzFeed

19

Casablanca

After WWII, they released a version of Casablanca with zero WWII references. It was for the West German market, and they changed the plot so it was about an atomic physicist, Victor Larsen, trying to evade Interpol. CRACKED.COM — Source: 13 Cool Facts To Make You More Attractive To The Opposite And/Or Same Sex

18

Insects

Assassin Bugs CRACKED.COM This crafty insect plucks on a web so the spider thinks a small insect has landed. When the spider comes close enough, the assassin strikes. — The Atlantic

17

Abandoned

Huge and abandoned A swanky Cyprus resort Varosha used to be a really popular resort town in Cyprus. It had tall hotels, fancy shopping areas, and beautiful beaches. But then in 1974, Cyprus was divided and Varosha was blocked off and left empty. It's been like that ever since. - was - - - - WEIT CRACKED — trabantos/Shutterstock
Yahoo Life

16

The Russia-Ukraine War

CRACKED APPLE, DISNEY, GOLDMAN SACHS, AND CITIGROUP After Russia invaded Ukraine, big companies like Apple, Disney, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup said they'd leave the market. But, months later, they were still doing business in Russia. — Source

15

Italy

'Umarells' is a term used in Italy used to describe old men that watch construction sites. GIC GRACKED.COM The elderly men gather to observe, comment and criti- cize, often with their hands clasped be- hind their backs. — The Times

14

George Lucas

The first to credit the full crew. 1977 CRACKED.COM George Lucas decided to list every last crew member in the Star Wars final credit crawl. Before that, only department heads would get their moment in the limelight. — Source: 16 Game-Changing Movie Firsts

13

Ed O’Neill

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM TURNS OUT, ED O'NEILL VERY NEARLY GOT TED DANSON'S ROLE IN CHEERS. At that point, Sam Malone was a former football player who'd gone on to become a bar owner, so the character was kind of different - but in any case, O'Neill auditioned but didn't get the part. — Source

12

Wham!

Wham! George Michael wanted to grow out of the teen pop phase and write more honest music. In 1986, even though their latest hit The Edge of Heaven hit No. 1 in the U.K., they played a farewell show at Wembley called The Final, and called it quits. CRACKED — Source

11

Al Pacino

Best Movies Ever The Godfather The movie turned Al Pacino into an A-lister. Pacino got paid $35,000 for The Godfather, but by the time the sequel came out just two years later, he commanded a salary of $600,000 to reprise the role of Michael Corleone. CRACKED.COM — ABC News

10

Snakes

The first fully confirmed case of a snake swallowing an adult human happened in 2017. CRACKED.COM 25-year-old Akbar Salubiro was killed and swallowed by a reticulated python in Indone- sia. Villagers started searching when he hadn't returned from working on his palm oil crops, which is where they found the 23 foot snake. — Source

9

HIV

CRACKED FRAGILE HIV HIV is a delicate virus that can't live outside the human body, and it can only be passed on through certain bodily fluids. It's unable to penetrate bare skin. — Corona Borealis Studio/Shutterstock
HowStuffWorks

8

Tough Childhood

Arnold Schwarzenegger Не had a difficult family life growing up. Born in Thal, Austria in 1947, he always got along with his mom Aurelia. His father Gustav, on the other hand, was cold and violent, because he thought Arnold wasn't really his child (also,the guy was a literal, card-carrying Nazi). CRACKED.COM — Source: Wikipedia

7

Saturday Night Live

COFFEE TALK WAS NOT A MOVIE, DISCUSS UNPRODUCED BUT IT WAS A SCREENPLAY AT ONE POINT. MIKE MYERS (WHO MUST HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A DOZEN OF 'EM) WAS DEVELOPING A SCRIPT, BUT THE PROJECT WAS AXED AFTER THE JOYLESS FAILURE OF OTHER MID-90S SNL FILMS. NO BIG WHOOP. — New York Magazine

6

Miss Cleo

Miss Cleo wasn't Jamaican, named Cleo, or toll-free. 100 EAT TING ME? Unlike her clients, Youree Dell Harris avoided any charges. She died of cancer at 53. CRACKED.COM — Source

5

The Mona Lisa

More: 5 Random Weird Facts About Random Famous People

4

Bobby Fischer

LEGENDARY CHESS GRAND MASTER BOBBY FISCHER, CONSIDERED BY EXPERTS TO BE THE GREATEST PLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, DEVOLVED INTO A RECLUSIVE, PARANOID ANTI-SEMITE WHO PRAISED NAZI GERMANY AND THE 9/11 ATTACKS. НЕ OCCASIONALLY CAME OUT OF HIDING TO DELIVER RAMBLING INTERVIEWS ELABORATING ON PLOTS BY JEWS TO UNDERMINE HIM AND THE WORLD. CRACKED.COM — Source: 18 Celebs Whose Careers Imploded, Hard

3

Hoodies

at and back shower-proor hood the in thrown pockots, HOODIES HAVE an BEEN AROUND SINCE THE 1930S. F715 No. heavy of made colora. They were originally

2

Anime

The average junior animator in Japan earns around $12,000 per year. The anime industry itself is worth an estimated $24 billion to Japan's GDP, but entry-level animators earn as little as $2 per frame, even though they regularly take an hour or more to complete. CRACKED.COM — 4 Supervillain-Tier Acts Of Evil By Famous Companies

1

Ed Wood

The relationship between Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi CRACKED.COM in Tim Burton's was a reflection of Burton's own relationship with Vincent Price. — Source: 46 Next-Level Movie Facts To Know

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