12 Farm-Fresh Trivia Tidbits for Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Who knew that a “Super Sewer” could have such a sweet smell of success?
A Cat That Got Lost on a Plane Caused a Two-Day Delay
Crew members on a Ryanair jet from Rome to Germany luckily heard meowing before takeoff, and found a cat hiding in a vast maze of electrical wiring. They had to wait for it to voluntarily leave, and then meticulously check all the wiring to make sure it hadn’t screwed anything up.
A Bird Dropped a Severed Hand Onto a Playground
A human hand was discovered on a playground in Ireland, and CCTV footage showed it plummeting from the sky, likely dropped by a bird.
Vikings Weren’t Exactly the Posterboys of Health
“Strong as a Viking” doesn’t have the same ring to it that it used to, as a new study found a ton of problems in their skulls alone: from abnormal jaw growth to osteoarthritis, among other diseases and ailments you don’t want in your noggin.
Birkenstocks Are Officially Not Art
The sandal company tried to copyright their designs as works of art in order to tamp down on competition in the dork-ass hippie footwear sector, but a German court has ruled that they can’t.
A Father and Son Got Stranded on a Utah Cliffside
Two hikers were airlifted from a narrow, remote cliff in Utah’s Snow Canyon State Park after spending the night sitting in place. They were able to survive the night because a hiker who had previously been rescued from the same area had left his backpack, which was full of food, water and blankets.
Which U.S. National Parks Bring in the Most Revenue?
National Park visitor spending reached a peak in 2023, at $26.4 billion. The biggest money makers were Blue Ridge Parkway ($1.4 billion), Golden Gate National Recreation Area ($1.5 billion) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park ($2.2 billion).
Fast Food Places Don’t Sell Alcohol Partly Because It Would Mess With Their Predatory Hiring Practices
To be fair, liquor licenses can be annoying and serving alcohol is way harder than maintaining a soda fountain. But another reason more places don’t sell alcohol is that 30 percent of the workforce is under 21 due to low wages. It’s essentially a gamble that they’ll save more by paying minimum wage than they’d gain by selling booze.
Water Doesn’t Have a Set Boiling Point
Elevation and pressure have a big impact on the boiling point of water. The rule of thumb is that it boils at 212 degrees F (100 degrees C), but it’ll boil at 203 degrees F in Denver (5,280 feet) and 162 degrees F at the top of Mount Everest (29,000 feet).
London’s Super Sewer Is Keeping Millions of Tons of English Breakfast Out of the Thames River
After a decade of construction, the “Super Sewer” is online and already diverting an estimated five million tons of sewage from the Thames.
Eating Celery Burns More Calories Than It Consumes, Right?
It depends on how slowly you chew. Chewing on a piece of gum will burn about 11 calories in an hour, and a stalk of celery contains about 10. So if you chew on one celery stick for an hour, sure, you’ll beat the system.
Two Guys Bought a Winning Lottery Ticket With a Stolen Credit Card and Now the Victim Wants to Split the Winnings
The ticket is worth $523,000, but there’s a conundrum: If the thieves come forward, they’ll probably be arrested. Meanwhile, the victim has filed charges that he promises to drop — if the thieves get in touch and give him the winning ticket. His lawyer has said, “You risk nothing... we will share with you.”
Someone Hacked HUD to Show a Disturbing A.I. Video
In a protest against a return-to-office policy and DOGE’s meddling in general, someone posted an A.I.-generated video of Donald Trump slurping on Elon Musk’s toes, with the words “LONG LIVE THE REAL KING” superimposed, on all the screens inside the headquarters of the Department of House and Urban Development. Building managers couldn’t figure out how to stop it, so they sent people scrambling to individually unplug every TV screen.
