15 Fascinating Facts That Improved Our Overall Mood
![15 Fascinating Facts That Improved Our Overall Mood](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/9/837649_320x180.jpg)
"You have to understand, this was not easy for us, the day Ben almost died. You're a soldier like I am, only better, and you had the courage to do something so many men are afraid to do when they find themselves in mortal peril — you saved the life of a fellow warrior."
Two men stood facing each other at opposite ends of the long, shallow trench. One held his M1 Garand at a high port, while the other rested it on a sandbag. Both soldiers wore heavy camouflage clothing.
The soldier who was holding the rifle continued "You weren't even in our foxhole. In fact... " he hesitated, then inhaled. "What were you doing that night when you found Ben and saved his life?"
The other man let his head fall, then began to speak: "I was looking for my letter from home ... the one I thought I'd lost."
"You mean the one with the ... ?"
"Yes. The one with the fifteen facts. You know, the ones that go .... "
You can vote from space, if you have a Texas ballot.
![Texas residents can cast absentee ballots from space. x ОЛ VOTED VOTE VOTEL VOTED OTED VOTED VOTED VOTED V GRACKED.COM In 1977, the state of Texas passed a law allowing votes from space to be legally counted, using an absentee ballot system specifically created for astronauts.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/5/837645.jpg)
LEGO headquarters has an underground vault.
![There is an underground vault with every LEGO set ever created. GRACKED.COM The LEGO headquarters in Billund, Denmark house a temperature controlled vault with practically every set the company has ever made. 27%](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/7/837647.jpg)
The Queen has a special handbag language.
![Queen Elizabeth II uses her handbag to send her helpers coded messages. GRAGKED.COM If she places it on the table, she wants the dinner to end in the next 5 minutes. If she places the purse on the floor, it means she is tired of the conversation and wants to leave as soon as possible.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/3/837643.jpg)
Best Picture nominated “Taxi Driver” was written in 5 days.
![Paul Schrader wrote Taxi Driver in two weeks. BE x CRACKED.COM Schrader was in a dark place at the time, and pulled from that experience to pen the script in 15 days. The Martin Scorsese film went on to be nominated for an Academy Awar, , and won the prestigious Palme d'Or award.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/4/837644.jpg)
Lucas’ dog inspired Chewbaca.
![Chewbacca was inspired by George Lucas' dog. CRACKED.COM George Lucas had a pet Alaskan Malamute, and said that the dog, Indiana, would regularly join him in the front passenger seat of his car and act like a co-pilot.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/6/837646.jpg)
Supermarkets in France can’t throw out good food.
![It's illegal for supermarkets in France to waste food. B x CRACKED.COM France does not allow grocery stores to throw away unused food. Instead, all food that they think they can no longer sell must be given to the poor and donated to charities.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/2/837642.jpg)
Chicken soup is good for the soul, and for boning.
![Chicken soup was considered an aphrodisiac in the Middle Ages. CRACKED.COM At the time, chicken broth was known to both cure illnesses and improve people's moods. The Kama Sutra also suggested ingesting a paste made from asparagus before getting bendy with your partner.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/0/837640.jpg)
7 trees are saved with every one ton of recycled paper.
![Every ton of recycled paper saves about 17 trees. В x CRACKED.COM The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/8/837638.jpg)
The moon lifts you up a little when it’s above.
![You are ever-so-slightly lighter when the moon is directly above. CRACKED.COM The moon pulls you upwards slightly, due to its gravity. Although it is basically imperceivable, and not a recommended method of weight loss, you do weigh less with the moon right overhead.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/7/837637.jpg)
Otters have pockets for their favorite rocks.
![Otters have pouches on their chests for food and rocks. CRACKED.COM Under each arm, the sea otter has a loose pouch of skin that extends across the chest. In this pouch, the animal stores collected food to bring to the surface. It also holds a rock that is used to break open shellfish and clams.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/9/837639.jpg)
Most adults don’t see 20/20.
![65% of adults need some kind of eyesight correction. x CRACKED.COM Only about 35 percent of adults have 20/20 vision without glasses, contact lenses or corrective surgery. With corrective measures, approximately 75 percent of adults have 20/20 vision.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/4/1/837641.jpg)
We have been in the Holocene for a few thousand years.
![We are currently living in the Holocene Epoch of the Quaternary Period. GRACKED.COM An epoch is a subdivision of the geologic timescale that is longer than an age and shorter than a period. Classifications of ages feel like they should only be describing ancient times, but we never stopped naming them.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/6/837636.jpg)
A third of September was lost on the first leap year.
![Britain lost 11 days in September during the first 'leap year,' in 1752. DailBuilding stands م بله Spume the Your in S وزارة Summar lya high will the Good hia - carefully - francia 4 دارة is kind end Other Shuddingi are She Cool ك the Body of the House are 7 Know bow - Ford das Ford high - mm One Chanch me My the etherpe the Simple Court behaves Suppire Church, with in Centry mohe Calvinist Church, Arena Sain من اج Council Am Church the mith Room mith - Quakme SchoolNowe She is - Publish facilited officer Anno long are Gallery give hope](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/5/837635.jpg)
Crickets can tell you the temperature if you listen closely.
![You can estimate outside temperature based on how often a cricket chirps. CRACKED.COM Cricket's increase their chirping the warmer it is outside and decrease their chirps when it is cold. Adding 37 to the number of times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds will give you the current temperature.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/4/837634.jpg)
“Electric Knifefish” sounds so much more badass.
![Electric eels are not eels. В CRACKED.COM Electric eels are a species of knifefish, very closely related to the catfish. This species of eel is so unique that it has its own genus: Electrophorus. They can create up to 760 volts of electricity with one shock.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/3/3/837633.jpg)