Random Fun Facts

Postings of facts on random things

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Random Fun Fact #207

Your foot is the same size as the distance between your wrist and elbow.

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Random Fun Fact #206

Duct tape was developed in 1942 for use by the U.S. Army as a waterproof sealing tape for ammunition boxes.

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Random Fun Fact#205

In 1726, Mary Toft convinced British doctors that she was giving birth to rabbits.

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Random Fun Fact #204

The first Dunkin Donuts and the first Howard Johnson's were both in Quincy, Massachusetts.

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Random Fun Fact #203

Both the flesh and the pit of avocados are toxic to most species of birds.

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Random Fun Fact #202

Trees do not grow higher than 130m as it is physically impossible for the water to rise higher.

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Random Fun Fact #201

Despite its name, Equatorial Guinea doesn't lie on the Equator, but just north of it.

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Random Fun Fact #200

Despite being nominated five times, Gandhi never won the Nobel Peace Prize. Although posthumous awards aren’t given, the Nobel Committee came as close as possible in 1948, the year he died, when they didn't give out an award because “there was no suitable living candidate.”

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Random Fun Fact #199

The male satin bower bird, found on the east coast of Australia, builds its bower (ground nest) with twigs and then decorates the nest with blue (sometimes yellow or shiny) objects it finds to attract a mate. Many people who live nearby have found long lost objects in the bowers such as car keys, toys, clothes pegs etc.

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Random Fun Fact #198

A 1975 slang dictionary defines “gay-cat” as a hobo not wise to the ways of hobo life, and considered unacceptable by his fellows.

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Random Fun Fact #197

Not only are all automobile tail lights in the U.S. red, they're a specific shade of red (with a specific color wavelength and intensity) mandated by the federal government.

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Random fun fact #196

Reggie Jackson's nickname, "Mr. October," was coined sarcastically by Thurman Munson after Reggie hit .125 in the 1977 ALCS. Reggie went on to win the World Series MVP that year and the name stuck.

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Random fun fact #195

Tattoos have been around for a long time. Ancient Greeks used them to brand spies, Romans used them to mark slaves, Mori used them as symbols of rank and lineage, and Ainu women were tattooed as a prerequisite for marriage and the afterlife.

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Random fun fact #194

Leonard Maltin's complete review of the 1948 film Isn't It Romantic?: "No."

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Orange

The word orange comes from the Sanskrit word naranga. In the early Christian church, orange was a symbol of glory and fruits of the earth. It was also called the wisdom ray. The orange is a citrus fruit and is a hybrid of the pomelo and mandarin.

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Random Fun Fact #193

In 2003, the European Union came up with a novel solution for lowering soaring unemployment levels in Italy’s Campania region. With a grant of 1 million euros, the EU opened First Tel School, a program designed to train students to become game show hostesses. Unfortunately, fewer than 100 spots were made available to the 1,200 Vanna White wannabes who applied.

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Random Fun Fact #193

The Gideons, who went on to place millions of Bibles in hotels, prisons, hospitals and military bases, first did so at the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Montana, in 1908.