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30 Obscure Now-You-Know Facts About Movies, Animals and More

October 21, 2023

Everyone knows ground-level facts. For example, the temperature that water freezes at, that Greenland is actually icy and Iceland is actually green, blah blah blah.

So we’re not here to waste your time with basic tidbits everyone already knows. We want to take things up a notch with obscure, next level, now-you-know facts about movies, animals and more. Case in point: It turns out the first woman in space was sent up in a ship that wasn’t programmed to descend. Fortunately, ground control was able to get her back home safely.

Here’s more about that and 29 other interesting facts about art, movies, history and more…

30

Cicadas

A parasite fungus disintegrates cicadas butts and then makes them super-horny. The fungus replaces their butt with a blob-like mass of, well, fungus, and makes males seek out other males for sex (to spread the virus). NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NPR

29

The first woman in space was sent in a ship that wasn't programmed to descend Ground control was able to send and install a new program which allowed her to safely return. They also forgot to give her a toothbrush. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Guardian

28

Clara the rhinoceros inspired songs, poems, and fashion In the 18th century, Clara toured Europe to the delight of many people who had never seen a rhino before. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Mental Floss

27

Space

The Great Wall of China isn't the only man-made object visible from space. No man-made object is visible with the naked eye from the moon, but from orbit, astronauts can see city lights. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — NASA

26

Lions can tear off an adult human's weight in one go. 27% Once they sink their teeth into their prey, they can bite off up to 110 Ibs of flesh. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Kruger Park

25

Indigenous tribes who paint their bodies protect themselves from insect-borne diseases. Striped body paint provides protection against blood-sucking insects. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Lund University

24

Heroin

The Treaty of Versailles took away Bayer's trademarks on Aspirin and Heroin. That applied in the U.S., UK, and France. Bayer is a German company, and this was one of the consequences of Germany's defeat. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — BBC

23

One man rescues cats in Fukushima's nuclear zone. Sakae Kato stayed behind when the 2011 Fukushima earthquake happened, and now he saves cats abandoned by their former owners. He's currently looking after 41 cats, and says I want to make sure I am here to take care of the last one. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Reuters

22

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 — Art Net

21

Conservation

A Canadian conservation officer was fired for refusing to kill bear cubs. In 2015, he was sent to kill a black bears that had entered a mobile home - - he killed a female black bear, but not her cubs, since they weren't seen eating food. Не got fired for not following orders, and fought that decision for years. Не only won in 2020. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The Guardian

20

Female trout fake orgasms. During trout sex, the male and female both quiver, and release the egg and sperm at the same time. But sometimes, the female doesn't release her eggs, so she can keep them for another mate (plus, having more fake orgasms apparently attracts more male trout). NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — ABC

19

We've only known that other galaxies exist for 100 years. Before 1920, we just figured the Milky Way contained every star in the universe. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Space.com

18

Tenet

The plane wreck in Tenet was filmed by wrecking an actual Boeing 747. Turns out that option was cheaper than CGI or miniatures. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Cinema Blend

17

A man tried to rob a woman standing outside her apartment in Rio. U The woman turned out to be ММА fighter Polyana Viana, who kept him handily subdued until the cops arrived. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) News

16

Bob Marley

Bob Marley gave his friend Vincent Ford a songwriting credit on several songs, including No Woman, No Cry. Marley knew any royalties would be used to keep the soup kitchen Vincent Ford ran open. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — The New York Times

15

U.S. Weather

The United States has the world's most violent weather. It receives more high-impact weather events than anywhere else on Earth. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — USA Today

14

The 'Shirts vs. Blouses' with Prince that Charlie Murphy described on the Chappelle's Show actually happened. According to guitarist Micki Free, Prince was every bit as good a basketball player as Charlie Murphy said he was. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Esquire

13

Ernest Hemingway survived two plane crashes 24 hours apart. Presumed dead after the second, he emerged from the jungle with a bottle of gin & some bananas. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Time

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12

Eye of newt in a witch's potion recipe isn't a part of an actual animal. It's actually just another name of mustard seed, and many other witch's potion ingredients are also just various herbs and so on. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

11

Ancient Egyptians had pregnancy tests of a sort as far back as 3,500 years ago. A woman would pee over a bag of barley and a bag of wheat, and if either one sprouted, the woman was pregnant. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

10

Generally, guns were more strictly regulated in the Old West than they are today. For example, you usually couldn't openly carry guns in towns - you could only do that if you were outside town limits or inside your home. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

9

We think of medieval dentistry as crude, but it was surprisingly advanced. Dentists at the time could do things like filling cavities, handling facial fractures, basic teeth whitening, and even spotting oral cancer. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

8

Treasure Planet

The standard pirate speech comes from a 1950s pirate movie - Treasure Planet. Robert Newton played Long John Silver, arrr'd a lot, and used phrases like shiver me timbers. That's how the whole thing got started. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

7

The chicken you regularly eat is actually injected with a saltwater solution before it's sold. The solution accounts for 15 to 30% of a chicken's weight, and it's added because, apparently, the bird would be too dry without it. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Premier Foods Group

6

The Statue of Liberty was designed to recognize the abolition of slavery. Edouard de Laboulaye wanted to give the US a gift that would both recognize abolition and commemorate Abraham Lincoln's death. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — VICE

5

White Castle

White Castle is the oldest fast-food burger chain, originating in 1921 White Castle WhiteChotte.com el Castle Save dron The company's assembly line style food preparation helped to lead the the entire fast food industry. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Consumerist

4

NASA

NASA tried to recreate the smell of space for astronaut training simulations. They asked Steven Pearce of Omega Ingredients, a fragrance company, to recreate the odor (it smells kind of like spent gunpowder). NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

3

Sarah Michelle Gellar was almost Amber in Clueless. While on All My Children, Gellar's producers refused to accommodate the movie's filming schedule so the role was given to Elisa Donovan. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — ScreenRant

2

J. Cole was a first-chair violinist in high school. From 5th to 12th grade, the emcee played violin, earning the top spot at Terry Sanford High School. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Capital Xtra

1

The London Necropolis Railway used to carry dead bodies. SOUTHERN RAILWAY. LONDON NECROPOLIS COFFIN TICKET WATERLOO to BROOKWOOD From 1854 to 1941, the train ran from London to the Brookwood Cemetery. Family and friends of the departed could also ride. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — BBC

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