20 Things People Swear They Actually Did Before It Was Cool

20 Things People Swear They Actually Did Before It Was Cool

40 Random Bits of Pop-Culture Trivia More Irritating Than That Monkey From ‘Friends’

40 Random Bits of Pop-Culture Trivia More Irritating Than That Monkey From ‘Friends’

29 Video Game Facts That Look Better on an Old CRT TV

29 Video Game Facts That Look Better on an Old CRT TV

21 Parts of Adulthood People Weren’t Told About

21 Parts of Adulthood People Weren’t Told About

12 Random Bits of Pop Culture Trivia to Delight the Disconsolate

12 Random Bits of Pop Culture Trivia to Delight the Disconsolate

42 Tempting Bits of Trivia Hanging Here Like Impulse Buys at the Checkout Aisle

Come on. You know you want them

42 Tempting Bits of Trivia Hanging Here Like Impulse Buys at the Checkout Aisle

January 11, 2025

You might think your brain’s cart is full right now, but there’s always room for a few more facts. These should balance nicely on top, but if they start cascading down the sides, you can always put some back from the bottom to make room.

42

The Golden Girls

A 25-year old Quentin Tarantino appeared as an Elvis Presley impersonator in one episode of THE GOLDEN GIRLS GRAGKED.COM — Source

41

Honeypot Ants

Honeypot Ants CRACKED.COM The honeypot ant is a living pantry. It gorges itself on flower nectars during the rainy season then feeds other ants mouth-to-mouth the rest of the year. — Source: 19 Terrifying Real-World Monsters Straight Out Of A Horror Movie

40

Star Wars

Star Wars rips off French comics. If you're familiar with Moebius, or with Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières' Valérian and Laureline, you might have noticed that Star Wars borrows heavily from them. Mézières in particular claimed to be dazzled, jealous and angry about the whole thing. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Random Facts to Water and Fertilize the Brain

39

The FBI

CRACKED BREAKING INTO THE FBI (BY ASKING POLITELY) BT FBY FBI FBI FBI F In 1971, the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI managed to get into an FBI office by leaving a note on the door asking them not to lock it for the night. Man, the FBI is so much more badass in movies. — Source

38

Cinderella

Walt Disney wanted the Fairy Godmother to be tall and regal, but relented when producers scored all-star little-old-lady types Claire Du Brey (model

37

Alex North

Composer Alex North didn't know his music was cut from 2007: A Space Odyssey until he saw the premiere. Stanley Kubrick used classical music (which was originally just a placeholder), and never bothered telling North that he dropped his soundtrack. North was shocked, and always believed Kubrick had totally undervalued — Source: ClassicFM

36

Pan

PAN CRACKED.COM With songs like What Makes The Red Man Red, Disney's Peter Pan did more than enough to offend Native Americans in 1953. Warner Bros kept that offensive tradition going by casting Rooney Mara as Native American character Tiger Lily in 2015's Pan. — Source

35

Donald Duck

YOU MAY KNOW HIM AS MICKEY'S DISGRUNTLED LACKEY BUT IN SWEDEN DONALD DUCK IS KIND OF A BIG DEAL EVERY CHRISTMAS EVE THE PEOPLE OF SWEDEN SIT DOWN IN F

34

Ancient Pregnancy Tests

The ancient Egyptian pregnancy test involved peeing on wheat and barley. GRACKED.COM If both the bags germinat- ed then it would show the woman is fertile and likely pregnant. Also, if wheat grew faster, then it would be a boy, and if barley grew quicker, then it would be a girl. — Harvard

33

Ramen

To combat a rise in the number of accidents by elderly drivers, the Japanese government offered discounts on ramen for those who surrender their licenses. One 97 year-old Buddhist monk publicly handed his in, saying to fellow older drivers, I hope you will surrender your driver's licence and live to the end of your natural lives. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

32

Scrap Metal

CRACKED SELLING SCRAP METAL FROM AN ACTIVE BRIDGE In September 2011, two brothers from New Castle, Pennsylvania broke up a 50-foot steel bridge, which was still being used, and sold off the scrap metal for $5000. They made a pretty penny from the 15 1/2 tons of steel. — NY Daily News

31

Redheads

Redheads are more sensitive to pain than people with brown, black, or blond hair. As a result, they require 20 percent more anesthesia than average to

30

Moscow Mules

Moscow mules were created by three people trying to get rid of vodka, ginger beer, and copper mugs. CRACKED.COM John Martin purchased Smirnoff in the '30s, but had trouble selling the vodka. His friend, who owned a pub in Hollywood, bemoaned being unable to sell his ginger beer, and another patron said she had too many mugs. — Copper.org / Unsplash

29

The Xhosa People

A teenage girl of the Xhosa people in Africa convinced her entire tribe to kill all their cattle. CRACKED COM She claimed it would bring about a cataclysm destroying English colo- nizers. Tens of thousands died in the subsequent famine, and the English were unharmed. — Siyabona

28

Chris Pratt

CRACKED CHRIS PRATT People gave Chris Pratt a pretty hard time for wearing a shirt with the Gadsden flag on it. The Gadsden flag was used during the American Revolution, but it's also been taken up by more conservative and far-right groups. Y — Yahoo

27

Empty Nest

Forgotten sitcoms 1988-1995 EMPTY NEST It's amazing this show is forgotten, considering it lasted for seven seasons (on friggin' NBC!). Originally a Golden Girls spin-off, it was about a widower pediatrician and his daughters. Plus, it featured the actor who played Joe Isuzu in those Isuzu ads (go ask your parents about that). CRACKED.COM — Source

26

Jackson Pollock

A CALIFORNIA WOMAN BOUGHT A JACKSON POLLOCK PAINTING FOR $5 AT A THRIFT STORE. A forensic art specialist helped determine that the painting Teri Horto

25

Farming

Humans having persisting effects on the environment is nothing new. Researchers recently found that the imprint of farming from our earliest agricultural period (The Bronze Age) fundamentally changed the makeup of the earth's soil for thousands of years. CRACKED.co — Source: 20 Bizarre Ways Humans Are Permanently Changing The Planet

29 Video Game Facts That Look Better on an Old CRT TV

30 Wild Times People Realized They Were in Way Over Their Heads

40 Random Bits of Pop-Culture Trivia That Are Right at Least Twice a Day

40 Sentimental Bits of Trivia That Can’t Believe Your Brain Forgot This Very Special Occasion

25 of the Dumbest Things People Said During a Total Brain Fart

23 of the Most Messed-Up Things People Did at Work Without Getting Fired

24

The Goonies

EASTER EGGS IN '80S MOVIES The Goonies SLOTH WAS AN ACTUAL OAKLAND RAIDER. Sloth wearing an Raiders t-shirt was a cheeky reference to the fact that Sloth's actor, John Matuszak, was a defensive end for the team from 1976 to 1982. CRACKED.COM — Source

23

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan got his start in showbiz as a child actor. Не got cast in his first movie when he was just five - it was Big and Little Wong Tin Bar, which was released in 1962. CRACKED.COM — Source

22

Birth Control

According to a study by researchers at Pacific University College of Optometry, women taking birth control pills blink 32% more often than women not t

21

Thomas Gibson

Hollywood feuds CRIMINAL MINDS VS THOMAS GIBSON Gibson had numerous verbal and physical on-set altercations. In 2010 he reportedly shoved an assistant director, and he was fired in 2016 for kicking a writer in the shin because of creative differences. CRACKED — CBS Studios
Looper

20

Solar Panels

CRACKED The solar panel that never was. Solyndra wanted to provide innovative circular solar panels in 2009. They got over $1 billion between investments and federal loans, but the company's business plan was so transparent, it straight-up did not exist. — Source

19

pHAM

PHAM is a coffee filter that reduces the acidity of coffee without changing the taste. It was designed by a group of engineering students and was a fi

18

Heartbeat Rhythm

HEARTBEAT RHYTHM BE CRACKED.COM Our heartbeat syncs with the beat. Slow music stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, decreasing the heart rate, and fast music stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing the heart rate. — Source: msjonline

17

Iguanas

The marine iguana is the only ocean-going lizard on the planet. It can hold its breath under water for up to 60 minutes. These unique creatures can only be found in the Galapagos Islands. CRACKED.COM — 27 Things Which Only Exist In One Place

16

Tori Spelling

TORI SPELLING LIED ABOUT HOW SHE LOST HER BABY WEIGHT. US After giving birth in 2012, Spelling told Us Weekly that she got into shape by doing low-impact cardio and by dieting. In her 2013 book, the actress revealed that that was a lie her publicist told her to say and that she actually lost the weight by starving herself. CRACKED.COM — Source

15

The Joker

Mark Hamill played the Joker longer than any other actor. Не got his start doing the Joker in the Emmy award winning 1992 'Batman: The Animated Series' and has been voicing the Jok- er in various mediums ever since. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Mark Hamill

14

Bad Predictions

Michael Jordan won't carry this franchise. CHICAGO BULLS GM LLS 1 CRACKED.COM General Manager Rod Thorn was almost apologetic that there was no one taller he could have drafted: What can you do? Jordan isn't going to turn this franchise around. — Source

13

JetBlue

Pulse Nightclub 2016, USA jet Blue jetBlue jetBlue After the 2016 Orlando shooting, JetBlue Airlines offered free flight seats to or from Orlando to t — Source: NBC

12

The Ancient Athlete’s Diet

ANCIENT ATHLETES' DIET From 500-400 В.С, ancient athletes and warriors would eat deer livers and lion hearts, hoping it would give them strength and coruage. CRACKED.COM — Source: The Journal of Nutrition

11

Medicinal Clowns

Medicinal clowns. CRACKED.COM Certain indigenous tribes in the Great Plains region had a custom that elicited humor as a cure for psychic illness. If their leader was visited by the Skeleton Being, he'd enlist a crew of 10 guys to wear raggedy costumes and long-nosed masks, and put on a show: They'd dramatically hunt a real animal, and then pretend to be extremely afraid of it after it was dead. — Source

10

Pink Floyd

pink Floyd's The Dark Side of The Moon was on Billboard's Top 200 charts for a staggering 736 weeks. This is longer than the American Civil War, World war I and World war II combined. CRACKED.COM — Source: 22 Wild Stats Wafting Through Everyday Life

9

Merry Christmas

The first text message was sent December 3, 1992. It was Merry Christmas. 1 2ABC 3DEF 4OHI 5 JKL 6MNO 7PAS в TUV 9WXY * OOPR # GRAGKED.COM ACL STO CLA END PWR VOL FCN END M MOTOROLA DIGITAL COMMUNICATOR — Source

8

Wild Dogs

African wild dogs vote on important pack matters by sneezing. CRACKED COM African wild dogs take part in high energy greeting ceremonies that occur before the pack moves, and they gauge pack interest with audible rapid nasal exhalations. — Royal Society Publishing

7

Canary Islands

The aborignal inhabitants of the Canary Islands 'spoke' a language made entirely out of whistles. CRACKED.COM The Guanches commu- nicated using a whistled form of the Guache lan- guage that died out around the 17th century, long before the arrival of Spain. — Source

6

Drockling

There's a name for repeatedly waking up and falling asleep in the morning. It's called drockling, and it can be harmful - if you do it a lot, you're confusing your body and putting pressure on your nervous system. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: Careica Health

5

Your Body Isn’t Permanent

Almost none of your body is permanent. Only a few cells in your eyes, heart, and brain will be with you your whole life. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED COM

4

Django Unchained

Will Smith and Tarantino disagreed about what the lead role was. DJANGO UNCHAINED ect CRACKED.cO Smith was nearly given the role of Django, but insi

3

GEICO

WEIRD WORLD After a woman got an STD in a GEICO-insured car, she actually sued GEICO. In 2017, she had unprotected sex with a man in his (improbably appropriate) Hyundai Genesis, and she thinks his insurance should cover her STD. CRACKED.COM — Source: Insurance Journal

2

Green Witches

The only reason witches have green skin is because it looked good on film. In MGM's The Wizard of Oz, producers wanted an unusual skin color to portray the ugliness of being a witch. They could have chosen any color, but green showed up really well on film with their new technicolor process. This led to the image of a witch we know today. CRACKED.COM — Source: 23 Eyebrow-Arching Facts About Legendary Monsters

1

Irish Seagulls

The plan to feed contraceptive pills to seagulls has been called problematic. CRACKED.COM Politicians in Ireland have suggested leaving pill-laced pellets for aggressive gulls that attack people for their food, but some of the birds are protected species and the laced food may affect other animals. — Source

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