15 Thunderingly Weird Bits of Trivia We Stumbled Upon This Week
Every day, we hunt for facts, with one goal in mind: building them into Cracked articles. Not all facts lend themselves easily to such articles. For example, Under Armour chose its name for a strange reason. Which article gets that fact? “Five Strange Reasons Behind Company Names”? “Five Dumb Decisions From Famous Brands”? “Five Facts About Underpants”?
Maybe we will write all those articles one day. But for now, here’s a collection of facts that share just one thing — we think you’ll find them interesting…
1. A President with Experience
A doctor named Chester Southam wondered whether injecting cancer cells into healthy people would trigger an immune response. He tried this on a couple dozen patients, without informing them. The American Cancer Society later elected him as their president.
2. Nike’s Bad Ad
In 1989, Nike put out a TV ad showing Samburu tribesmen with Nikes, and as one speaks, the subtitles read, “Just do it.” An anthropologist saw the ad and contacted the company, saying the man was actually saying, “I don't want these. Give me big shoes.”
3. White House Riot
When President Andrew Jackson was inaugurated, a crowd entered the White House and got so drunk and loud that Jackson fled out the window. They did thousands of dollars of damage and only left when staff moved the liquor to the lawn.
4. Magic Loophole
Due to Australia’s history with invasive rabbits, Queensland bans them as pets. But some exceptions exist. You can own one if you are a scientist. Or if you are a magician.
5. Most Boring Sport
The Olympics used to have an event in which swimmers would simply stay still for 60 seconds after jumping in the water, moving forward by just inertia. It was called the “plunge for distance,” and critics said it merely rewarded whoever weighed the most.
6. Interstellar Travel
Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky proposed that for us to travel the galaxy, we should move the Sun using nukes, so it can drag Earth along with it. To our knowledge, his plan has not been put into practice.
7. Prima Facial
Supreme Court Chief Justice Melville Fuller faced quite a bit of pushback during his confirmation hearing. Critics feared that he may undermine the dignity of the court. The reason: He had a big bushy mustache.
8. The Two Bradys
Just a couple years ago, a doctor performed elbow surgery on a 6-foot-4 redheaded minor league pitcher named Brady Feigl. Shortly after, he found himself performing elbow surgery on a 6-foot-5 redheaded minor league pitcher named Brady Feigl. They were two different men, and they are not related.
9. The Truth Behind Under Armour
The company Under Armour spells its name with a u, even though “armor” is spelled without one in American English. The reason? They wanted the number “1-888-4ARMOR,” realized it was one digit too short and so they added an extra letter to their name.
10. Sorry, Jason Momoa
Trout fake orgasms. A female trout will pretend to release eggs (which isn’t literally an orgasm, we know, but it’s the climax of trout sex), fooling a male trout into ejaculating and then leaving. The male looks very confused afterward.
11. Down With Carrots
In 2013, Miami Shores Village banned a couple from growing vegetables in their yard. The law targeted just them, as no one else was growing vegetables. It required a six-year legal battle, but they eventually got the law changed.
12. Microsleep
Sometimes, a driver will fall asleep for 30 seconds at a time. This may happen to you, too. Microsleepers often don’t even realize they fell asleep.
13. The Ringling Bros. Suit
You might have heard a lot about how circuses mistreat animals, particularly elephants. But critics like the Humane Society were unable to prove their allegations against the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, and instead, had to pay the circus a $16 million settlement.
14. Tall Ants
Scientists stuck stilts to ants’ legs. These taller ants walked right past their nests on their way home. The scientists claimed this proved ants locate their nests by counting the number of steps it takes to get there.
15. Double Agent
In 2014, the Republic of Congo soccer team noticed something strange about a player on the opposing team from Rwanda. He was actually one of Congo’s own players, playing for Rwanda under a different name. Rwanda was disqualified from the African Cup qualifying tournament as a result.
