Useless Facts

[01dragonslayer]

One Time, Kanye West Sold a $120 Plain White T-Shirt​

Shutterstock
Maybe just to show off how foolish some of his fans are, the rap superstar once offered up a boring white t-shirt, with a $120 price tag on it (promoting such attributes as "Short sleeves" and "Egyptian cotton") and it still sold out immediately. You can't beat the power of branding, it seems.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Muhammad Ali Starred In a Broadway Musical​

While Ali was suspended from boxing, for not joining the army during the Vietnam War, he found a very different way to keep busy: taking the stage on Broadway. He starred for five days in Oscar Brown Jr. and Jean Pace's adaptation of Joseph Dolan Tuotti's play Big Time Buck White. Perhaps most surprising: He was apparently pretty good! As the New York Times critic wrote at the time, Ali, "He emerges as a modest, naturally appealing man. He sings with a pleasant slightly impersonal voice, acts without embarrassment and moves with innate dignity."

 

[01dragonslayer]

Burger King Once Tried to Sell Cologne​

Shutterstock
In 2008, the fast food chain Burger King launched the cologne "Flame," a men's body spray. The restaurant where the Whopper was born described the spray as "the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat." Do you want fries with your tongue-in-cheek marketing stunt?

 

[01dragonslayer]

Almost All Languages Follow a Certain Law​

Shutterstock
Known as Zipf's law, this linguistic idea holds that the second-most common word is used half as much as the most-common word, while the third most-common word is use one-third as much as the most-common word, and so on. For example, in English, "the" is the most common word and accounts for 7 percent of all word occurrences, while "of," the second-most common, clocks in at 3.5 percent. "And" follows after that.

 

[01dragonslayer]

There Are Hydrogen-Operated Trains​

Hydrogen is becoming an option for the future of fuel to cut down on carbon emissions—look no further than what's going on in Germany. In 2018, the first hydrogen-powered train went operational in the country. Two trains built by the French train manufacturer Alstom are now operating on a 62-mile stretch of line in northern Germany. While it's costlier, it is more eco-friendly.

 

[01dragonslayer]

The World's Largest Family Is in India​

A 73-year-old man in India's remote northeast has 39 wives, 94 children, and 33 grandchildren. And, get this, they all live under one roof: a four-story building with 100 rooms. Imagine trying to shower in the morning.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Lamb And Sheep Are Born With Long Tails​

Shutterstock
Weird as it seems, lamb and sheep are actually born with long tails. However, these tails can be too long for these animals to even lift. As such, sometimes these tails need to go through a process called "docking," or trimming the tail. It sounds cruel, but the process actually can help the animal in the end.

 

[01dragonslayer]

There's Only One Letter That Is Never Silent​

Shutterstock
The letter "V" is the only letter in the English language that is never silent. Many words have a silent letter or two. V will never be that letter, though.

 

[01dragonslayer]

South Park Creators Wore Designer Dresses to the 2000 Oscars​

Talk about a fashion statement. The creators of the satirical show South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, wore designer dresses to the 2000 Oscars. Oh, and did we mention they were tripping on acid, too? No? Oh. Well, they were. Clearly, they take the awards season very seriously. They were nominated for Best Original Song: "Blame Canada."

 

[01dragonslayer]

"Gut Feelings" Are Actually a Thing​

According to a 2014 study in the Journal of Neuroscience, yes, gut feelings are real: emotional intuitions get transmitted from your gut to your brain via the Vagus Nerve. In other words, yes, trust your gut.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Turkeys Were Once Worshipped Like Gods​

Shutterstock
While the turkey these days is little more than the centerpiece at American Thanksgiving, in 300 B.C.E., these big birds were heralded by the Maya as vessels of the gods and were honored as such, so much so that they were domesticated to have roles in religious rites! They were symbols of power and prestige, and can be found all over the place in Maya iconography and archaeology.

 

[01dragonslayer]

The U.S. Government Poisoned Alcohol During Prohibition​

During the 1920s, the U.S. government poisoned its citizens in order to enforce Prohibition. When people continued to consume alcohol despite its banning, law officials got frustrated and decided to try a different kind of deterrent: death. They ordered the poisoning of industrial alcohols manufactured in the United States—products that were regularly stolen bootleggers. By the end of Prohibition in 1933, the federal poisoning program is estimated to have killed at least 10,000 people.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Elephants Have A Specific Call to Warn the Herd of Bees​

It's a real threat, it turns out. Oxford scientists discovered that elephants have a specific call to warn the herd about angry bees. While scientists have known from previous studies that elephants will make specific noises for other events, like the birth of a calf, they wanted to see if any other perceived dangers had a call. Turns out, there was: Bees.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Pope Gregory IV Declared War on Cats​

Pope Gregory IV was apparently a dog person. He officially denounced cats in the 13th Century, saying black cats were instruments of Satan. Because of this belief, he ordered their extermination throughout Europe. However, the plan backfired, as it resulted in a steep increase in the population of plague-carrying rats.

 

[01dragonslayer]

President Abraham Lincoln is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame​

Shutterstock
Before the 16th president took office, Abraham Lincoln was a declared wrestling champion. The 6'4" president had only one loss among his around 300 contests. He earned a reputation for this in New Salem, Illinois, as an elite fighter

 

[01dragonslayer]

There is an Extra Rare Blood Type​

Shutterstock
Chances are that you don't have it, since just 43 people in the world carry Rh-Null, this crazy-rare blood type. Consider yourself lucky, though: those 43 people would have an insanely difficult time obtaining blood in emergency situations. See? It pays to be unremarkable. And for more info that will take you to Trivia Night gold, check out these 50 Fast Facts So Interesting They'll Crush Your Boredom.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Humans are the Only Animals That Enjoy Spicy Foods​

It's an evolutionary mystery that scientists have had trouble explaining, but humans are the only animals who actually enjoy eating spicy food. There does not seem to be any health benefits to eating painful peppers (though some research finds that it may fight off fungus), so the best reason some have suggested is the thrill factor—no different than the fact that we are the only animals that like rollercoasters and scary movies.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Humans Are Also the Only Animals Whose Brains Shrink​

Shutterstock
As we get older, our brains tend to shrink and can suffer from cognitive dysfunction like Alzheimer's disease and dementia. But as best researchers can tell, we are the only animals to whom this shrinkage happens. Tests on other animals have found no similar phenomena—even close evolutionary relatives like chimpanzees and rhesus monkeys.

 

[01dragonslayer]

Potato Chips Cause More Weight Gain Than Any Other Food​

ADVERTISING

Shutterstock
A Harvard University study of more than 120,000 people found that potato chips were to blame for the gain of an average of 1.69 pounds per person over four years. Other fatteners: potatoes (1.28 pounds), sugar-sweetened beverages (1.00 pounds), and unprocessed red meats (0.95 pounds).

 

[01dragonslayer]

That Fish is Probably Labeled Wrong​

That salmon is probably not salmon. Researchers estimate that about one-third of all fish sold in restaurants and grocery stores is mislabeled—often to deliberately mislead consumers and get them to buy more expensive fish (getting tilapia while paying red snapper prices). Snapper was found to be mislabeled 87 percent of the time, tuna was mislabeled 59 percent. It's far too common an occurrence to be a fluke.