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40 Elastic Bits of Trivia That Can Stretch Any Tiny Informational Tidbit Into An Entire Essay

Hope you’re not in a rush, because each of these facts is about to take you on a deep dive

40 Elastic Bits of Trivia That Can Stretch Any Tiny Informational Tidbit Into An Entire Essay

March 07, 2025

A random tidbit is a lot like the trailer of a movie. It’s a quick slice of a topic that’s so jam-packed with its informational goods that you can’t wait to learn more.

So clear your schedule, because these 40 tiny tidbits are about to turn into a full-length tidbit binge!

40

The Pony Express

CRACKED.COM THE PONY EXPRESS WAS VERY SHORT-LIVED. Despite the huge role it plays PONY EXPRESS in the lore of the Old West, the Pony Express operated for only a year and a half, from DOLLAR, March 1860 to October 1861. WELLSFARCO & CO — Source

39

Smuggling

A man tried smuggling rare moth eggs through a Detroit airport, claiming they were seeds for medicinal tea. CRACKED.COM Some larvae and pupae were collected and kept for study. The USDA con- firmed it is the first time this type of moth, which hasn't been seen since 1912, has ever been collect- ed for study. — WoodTV

38

The Lost Boys

Joel Schumacher wanted to cast Drew Barrymore and Rosanna Arquette in a sequel to The Lost Boys. It'd be called The Lost Girls, and he wanted to do it because girl vampires on motorcycles would be sexy and funny and something that I'd like to see. But the movie just never made it out of development hell. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

37

Pirates

A surprisingly high number of 18th-century pirates were actually from Africa. The reason for that is pretty simple - a pirate ship was one of the few places at that time where a slave could actually free themselves. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

36

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leo DiCaprio's organization donated $3 million to fight Australian wildfires. Earth Alliance, the organization in question, said that all donations went to support for the communities affected by the fires, efforts to fight the fires, and attempts to rescue wildlife. CRACKED.COM — Source

35

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart was a puppeteer. His puppet show aimed to teach kids how to behave towards disabled people. CRACKED

34

Ventriloquism

ventriloquism used to be considered a supernatural thing. It wasn't just because dummies look like they could come alive and murder you. Long before ventriloquism was entertainment, it was widely believed that the belly talkers were channeling the words of gods, spirits, or demons. This belief didn't die out until the 18th century. CRACKED.COM — Source

33

Mantis Shrimp

Mantis shrimp have great poker faces In territorial disputes, mantis shrimp will actively bluff by trying to initiate fights, especially if they're we

32

Brains

You have more synapses in your brain than we have stars in our galaxy There are between 100 to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way, but there are more than 125 trillion nerve connections just in the brain's cerebral cortex. CRACKED.COM — Source

31

Burger King Fragrance

Celebrity Colognes and Perfumes FLAME by Burger King In a fragrance fit for a king, His Royal Majesty of Burgers presented a limited edition body spray that had one primary feature: the smell of flame- broiled meat. Just take Axe body spray and add liquid smoke to it. BURGER FLAME. KING CRACKED.COM — Source: Fast Food Geek

30

Ancient Rome

Hobbies older than we knew Some time ВСЕ Being mean on social media UNDVAL UNIVROC (LOI Graffiti in Herculaneum and Pompeii shows Romans had a sense of humor pretty much like us, and all the graffiti taken together kind of read like an ancient version of Twitter. One reads, Amplicatus, I know Icarus is buggering you. Salvius wrote this. CRACKED — Source

29

Friends

Warner Brothers makes $1 billion a year from syndicating Friends. Each of the main cast members gets 2% of that, or $20 million a year. NOW YOU KNOW — Source: USA Today

28

Sociopaths

SOCIOPATHS IN FICTION Myth SOCIOPATHS ARE SOULLESS MONSTERS. Truth That's probably what their parents told them. Often it's abusive parents, not innate darkness, that causes Antisocial Personality Disorder to arise. CRACKED.COM — Source: MentalHealth.gov

27

David Petraeus

David Petraeus' insecurity: 2012 CRACKED.COM The director of the CIA started hooking up with his biographer, and thought he could keep the whole thing secret by... sharing a Gmail account with his mistress. It's not cheating if you're only sexting in drafts, we guess? — Source: 14 Smart People Who Said And Did Utterly Dumb Things

26

Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown

Jerry Lee Lewis & Myra Gale Brown 9 YEARS 22-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis married his first-removed cousin when she was only 13 years old. When the press found out, it caused a (brief) uproar. CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Eyebrow-Arching Celebrity Relationship Age Gaps

25

The Doors

THE ACTOR: Val Kilmer THE ROLE: Jim Morrison in The Doors THE PREP: Kilmer spent six months learning and rehearsing 50 Doors songs, 15 of which he act

24

Penn Jillette

Penn Jillette CRACKEDCON Penn lillette's one red fingernail is a sign of respect and remembrance for his mother. The color is lelly Apple Red. He al — Source: Penn Jillette

23

Deja Vu

For a guy in Britain, Groundhog Dayis a terrifying reality. The feeling of déjà vu usually goes away after a few seconds. But it came out in 2015 that an otherwise healthy young Brit had been in a constant state of déjà vu for years-living like he was stuck in a time loop, without even the advantage of knowing what was about to happen. 6 00 CRACKED.COM — Source

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22

Beef

The difference between Wagyu and Kobe beef is all about the location. Wagyu is a Japanese breed that can be raised worldwide while Kobe cattle must be

21

New York City

The hand of the Statue of Liberty sat in an NYC park for six years. They sent the hand (with the torch) to be displayed in the US to raise the funds needed for finishing the statue - it took years, but it worked. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

20

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

HALLOWEEN treats Harry Burnett Reese named two candy bar creations after his children, the Lizzie Bar and the Johnny Bar, before creating and naming his biggest hit after himself: REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUP. eese PEANUT BU eanut bu d'arachi col ola CRACKED.COM — rustycanuck/Shutterstock, Marshmallowz/Shutterstock
Mental Floss

19

Super Soakers

The Super Soaker was invented by a Nasa Engineer. In addition to the Super Soaker, Dr. Lonnie Johnson also invented the Nerf Gun and holds over 100 patents. CRACKED.COM — Source

18

Chernobyl

Abandoned constructions Abandoned Chernobyl-era relic This unfinished nuclear plant was supposed to provide electricity to the whole Crimean peninsula, but it was closed in 1987 after the Chernobyl disaster and the USSR's economic crisis. Now it's a popular spot for people who like exploring abandoned buildings. CRACKED

17

Hawaii

Because of the ongoing volcanic activity, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is constantly changing Hiking trails are even closed and reopened depending on how the landscape has changed. CRACKED.COM — Source: National Parks Traveler

16

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

MARILYN MONROE COULD HAVE STARRED IN CRACKED.COM BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S. Truman Capote's novel had a more tragic tone than the Paramount production, and the author always pictured the character of Holly as a blonde. However, producers chose to put a more positive, innocent spin on the role, and chose Audrey Hepburn. And just like that, the world missed out on a breathy, sultry rendition of Moon River. — Source: 19 Roles That Were Almost Played By Waay Different Actors

15

Burger King VIPs

12 people have a VIP Burger King unlimited food card. BURG KING Crown Cardholders include George Lucas, Jennifer Hudson (who worked at Burger King before she was famous), Greg Garcia, Jay Leno, and Robert Downey Jr. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

14

MC Hammer

MC Hammer is an ordained minister. The rapper, known for songs such as'2 Legit 2 Quit' and 'U Can't Touch This,' now gives sermons at the Jubilee Chri

13

Swords

Iron swords didn't replace bronze swords because they were better. There wasn't much of a quality difference between bronze and iron weapons. Iron swords, however, were much easier to make, as iron ore was readily available everywhere. CRACKED.COM — Source: MartialArtSwords.com

12

Bacon

YOUNG INVENTORS AN 8-YEAR-OLD KID GAVE US BACON. Alright, bacon existed way before, but in 1993, an girl in Minnesota had a brilliant idea while watching her parents' messy way of microwaving bacon: a rack to hang bacon strips while the excess grease falls in a pan below. It's like hanging clothes to dry, but with bacon-and you've surely seen the TV ads for the final product: Makin' Bacon. CRACKED.COM — Glenn Price/Shutterstock, Makin' Bacon
Great Business Schools
Wikipedia

11

The Charging Bull

The Charging Bull has become a symbol of the greediness of Wall Street... FILN NE YOR ACTING AADT but it was made by an immigrant to thank the country

10

The Space Race

France successfully sent a cat to space during the Space Race. CRACKED COM When France sent the first cat to space in 1964, they referred to the tuxedo kitty as С 341 so astronauts wouldn't get too attached. The media dubbed the cat Felix, but the French space agency clarified she was female, so Felix turned into Félicette. The feline was rocketed to 500,000 feet and came back to earth successfully. Two months later, she was put down SO scientists could poke inside her brain. — Source: 15 Random Facts That Will Fill Your Life With Purpose

9

The Oldest Known Door in Europe

CRACKED THE OLDEST KNOWN DOOR IN EUROPE WAS UNEARTHED IN SWITZERLAND. Tree rings suggest the door was made in 3063 BCE - around the time of Stonehenge. — Source

8

Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh's gun sold for $182,000 The weapon believed to be used in his suicide sold for double what was expected. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

7

Pegasi B

It rains iron on the gas giant 51 Pegasi В. CRACKED.COM The planet is located 50 light years away from us and has temperatures reaching 1000 to 2000°C (3632 degrees Fahrenheit). The gasses that make up the planet would be so hot that it would glow red. — Source

6

Snake Bites

One in three snake bite victims is drunk. One in five is tattooed CRACKED.COM Researchers found male victims outnumbered females 9-to-1. The aver- age age was 24, 57% were handling a venom- ous snake, and 28% had appeared intoxicated. — LA Times

5

Work

CRACKED THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN GENERAL Many students in the U.S. are not being given work that is appropriate for their grade level. This has led to many college students needing to take remedial courses, and employers reporting that high school graduates are often not ready for work. — Fast Company / Shelton Herald

4

Parcel Post Bank

An entire bank in Utah was sent by mail. In 1916, bank director William Horace Coltharp realized that bricks to build a new bank in Vernal, Utah were cheaper to ship by mail than by truck. Through a series of sneaky loopholes, he got 1,500 parcels (each containing 50 pounds of bricks) delivered all the way from Salt Lake City. CRACKED COM — More: When A Businessman Mailed Himself A Whole Bank (Brick By Brick)

3

Dirty Harry

Clint Eastwood only became Dirty Harry after everyone else said no. The role first got offered to Steve McQueen, Burt Lancaster, and Paul Newman, among others, but they all thought Harry was too right-wing. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

Marine Life

Peeing in the ocean is helping marine life! Research has found that a chemical found in people's urine reacts with the ocean water to produce ammonium which helps to feed ocean plant life. This in turn provides food and shelter for marine animals. CRACKED.COM — Source: 20 Bizarre Ways Humans Are Permanently Changing The Planet

1

Sky of Ghosts

SKY FULL OF GHOSTS CRACKED.COM In 1802, William Herschel discovered that a telescope is like a time machine. The sun's light takes just over 8 mins to reach us, so when we look at the sun, we see it as it was 8 mins ago. Не stated, Some stars are so far away that by the time their light reaches Earth, they are already dead. We see their light, but their bodies perished long ago. — Source

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