Ernie Kovacs Was the Secret Father of Counterculture Comedy

Meet the guy who inspired ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Monty Python, the ‘National Lampoon’ and Dave Letterman

Authors: By Matt Solomon
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 1

John Cleese Refuses To Cut ‘Life of Brian’ Scene From Stage Show After Asking Actors If He Should Cut The Scene

The non-controversy over a non-cut from a Monty Python stage adaptation started with a simple question from Cleese

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 3

Mike Myers Wanted to Cut All the Funny Parts From ‘Wayne’s World’

This would have been a good idea… NOT.

Authors: By JM McNab
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 4

15 Trivia Tidbits About ‘Search Party’

The show that can be described as ‘Gone Girl’ meets ‘Girls’ meets...Hitchcock?

Authors: By Zanandi Botes
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 2

An Uninterrupted Oral History of The Interrupter from ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’

‘It’s me! The Interrupter!’

Authors: By Brian VanHooker
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 0

30 Essential Movie And General Now-You-Know Facts

By:: Timon DJ Spajic; Cracked Writers

October 01, 2021

30 Essential Movie And General Now-You-Know Facts

Turns out all you have to do to get into Paul McCartney's house is announce yourself as Jesus Christ.

Here's more about that and 29 other interesting tidbits about celebs, history, science, and more:

30

Nobody knows who actually invented Bitcoin (and cryptocurrencies in general). TROYOZ INTERNATIONAL MJB EUSTER bb ITALYOZ BITCON. NTRAL METALS B MAJIENDO The inventor went by the name Satoshi Nakamoto online, but the person (or group) behind the handle never came forward and has never been identified. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Business Insider

29

Harriet the tortoise was collected by both Charles Darwin and Steve Irwin. The 176-year-old tortoise was also one of the oldest animals at the time of her death in 2006. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NBC

28

There's no evidence to support drinking eight glasses of water a day. With the exception of strenuous physical activity, long airplane flights, and a hot climate, you're probably drinking enough. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Journal of Physiology

27

If a lion is castrated, he soon loses his mane. 27% That happens because testosterone is needed to grow a mane, and castrated lions can no longer produce testosterone. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — New Scientist

26

Metallic car paints were originally made with fish scales. It took 40,000 herring to make one kilo of paint. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Consumer Report

25

101 pages were cut from Dracula before it was published. Bram Stun DRÁCULA They were taken from the start of the novel, and a bunch of other changes were made, including to what happened to Dracula and his castle. Those missing 101 pages still haven't been found -- we just have a few scattered pieces, that were published elsewhere. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — TIME

24

Before he was an artist, Jeff Koons was a commodities broker on Wall Street In case you needed more reasons to dislike him, Koons made bank before he made millions off his art. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Complex

23

A guy got into Paul McCartney's house by saying he was the son of God. Не rang the doorbell and McCartney answered it, and the guy told him he was Jesus Christ. McCartney thought Well, it probably isn't. But if he is, I'm not going to be the one to turn him away, so he let him and gave him a cup of tea. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Rolling Stone

22

An 1889 novel predicted parts of 2000 surprisingly accurately. Hnno Domini Written by Julius Vogel, a former New Zealand prime minister, Anno Domini 2000 features instant communication technology, widespread travel in aluminum air cruisers, and great changes to the environment as a result of industrial technology. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NZHistory

21

Thousands of people of Jewish descent served in the Wehrmacht during WWII. That includes 2 field marshals and 10 generals. Hitler personally signed declarations stating that 77 high-ranking officers of mixed Jewish race or married to a Jew, according to German military documents, were actually of German blood. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — LA Times

20

A fan of Peking Duk added himself to their Wiki page as a relative. peking duk @pekingduk som1 edited our wiki 2 say he was our family. showed security, got in2 the green room and had a beer with boys.. Security bought it, and let him backstage. The band was super impressed, and they had a bunch of beers with the guy. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Time

19

Sam Neill asked that the Australian flag on his uniform in Event Horizon be modified. Instead of the Union Jack, he wanted an aboriginal flag. SA EIR Не thinks it's a change that'll happen by 2047, when the film takes place. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Junkee

18

In lieu of a tip, Albert Einstein gave a Japanese courier a handwritten note. It sold in 2017 for $1.56 million. Hiller bescheidenes Leben gift mehr glick als erfolyriches straben verbunden unit Unrella Albert LT 7922. Tokyo. The note read, A calm and humble life will bring more happiness than the pursuit of success and the constant restlessness that comes with it. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — BBC News

17

In 1984, a policeman asked a NYC pizza joint waitress to pick his lottery numbers, saying he would split the winnings. own Pizzeria & Restaurant FREE DELIVERY 237-777 SCHARESTEN DOI BRASIL OPEN TWT 100 UNITED STATES KB94571448I NDRED DOLLARS Не won, and true to his word, gave her $3 million dollars. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — People

16

Peter Lassally produced Johnny Carson, David Letterman and Craig Ferguson. In his youth, he survived a concentration camp and went to grade school with Anne Frank. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NPR

15

The average silverback gorilla is four to nine times stronger than a human. Silverbacks can deadlift 1800 pounds. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Animal-wised

14

Pink Floyd's name comes from two American blues musicians. Syd Barrett had records by Pink Anderson & Floyd Council in his collection. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Now You Know: 12 Mega-Facts For Your Edification

13

Contrary to popular wisdom, witch burning wasn't really a thing in the Middle Ages. It only got going after the Middle Ages ended, and really kicked off around 1500. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

12

Apparently, noble women in Ancient Egypt weren't given to embalmers right away. Their families waited a few days, so that embalmers wouldn't get horny and try anything - all according to the ancient historian Herodotus. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source, Source

11

The US government tried to introduce camels into the Wild West. The idea was that the hardy animals would help explore the frontier, but it didn't work, and fugitive camels ended up roaming the West for years. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

10

Medieval plate armor was actually surprisingly comfortable on the inside. It wasn't just bare metal - it was lined with cloth, both for comfort and to reduce wear and tear, and that significantly contributed to its cost. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

9

Dinosaur fossils don't have to be bones - sometimes, you get the whole dino. In at least one case, a dinosaur - a nodosaur - was preserved with its bones, armor, and skin, looking like an animal that died pretty recently. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

8

Whether chicken meat is white or dark depends on the amount of iron it has. Dark meat is the meat of muscle that's rich in iron - and the iron is held in myoglobin, which is the actual source of the muscle's dark color. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — BestFoodFacts

7

The Statue of Liberty is actually walking forward, breaking free of shackles. You can only see it from above, but her right foot is stepping off the ground, and there's a broken chain around her feet and beneath her robes. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Battery

6

In-N-Out managers make $160,000 per year IN-N-OUT BURGER Of all large fast food chains, In-N-Out is believed to have the best wages and benefits. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — USA Today

5

Apparently, all astronauts tried to move around the ISS propelled by their farts. Astronaut Chris Hadfield said that everyone tried to do it, but it didn't work - - too muffled, not the right type of propulsive nozzle :) NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Huffington Post

4

Jock Jams was created because the songs were easy to license. JOCK JAMS VOLUME The songs were chosen based on qhat audiences for Knicks and Rangers NHL games were responding to. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — HuffPost

3

Terrible weather hit the UK, New Zealand, and Romania when Umbrella topped their charts This became known as the Rihanna curse. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Paper Magazine

2

Thomas Selfridge was the first person to die in a plane crash Orville Wright was the pilot of the 1908 crash. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — National Aviation

1

There's a fungus that lives inside cicadas and feeds them vital nutrients. The fungus cordyceps synthesizes nutrients, including essential vitamins, that the cicada can't get from its diet - without it, the cicada would die. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Atlantic

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

The New Season of 'I Think You Should Leave' Has More Comedic Fury Than Ever — But That Might Not Be A Good Thing

An angry Tim Robinson is a funny Tim Robinson. But he also runs the risk of becoming pretty one-note

Authors: By Matt Solomon
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 0

5 Infuriating Cases of Hospital Incompetence

Wait, no. Don’t stick that there!

Authors: By Ryan Menezes
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 3

12 Of The Most Accident-Prone People in History

One man survived both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear blasts.

Authors: By JhallComics, Andrea Meno
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 3

15 ‘Far Side’ Comics for the Comedy Hall of Fame

These strips from ‘The Far Side’ have been thagomized into our brains

Authors: By Erik Barnes
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 4

4 People Who Accidentally Confessed to Murder

No takesies-backsies

Authors: By Eli Yudin
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 1

15 Trivia Tidbits We’ve Been Dropping Behind Us One By One As We Trek Through The Dark Forest, Sure Hope Nobody Consumes Them When We’re Not Looking, Because How Else Will We Ever Get Home?

Pennies aren’t gross, you are.

Authors: By Reba C, Andres Diplotti
Published: May 29, 2023
Comments: 6

MUST READ

Ernie Kovacs Was the Secret Father of Counterculture Comedy

Meet the guy who inspired ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Monty Python, the ‘National Lampoon’ and Dave Letterman

Authors: By Matt Solomon
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 1

John Cleese Refuses To Cut ‘Life of Brian’ Scene From Stage Show After Asking Actors If He Should Cut The Scene

The non-controversy over a non-cut from a Monty Python stage adaptation started with a simple question from Cleese

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 3

An Uninterrupted Oral History of The Interrupter from ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’

‘It’s me! The Interrupter!’

Authors: By Brian VanHooker
Published: May 30, 2023
Comments: 0