35 Random Facts That We Had to Get Out of Our Brains
![35 Random Facts That We Had to Get Out of Our Brains](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/3/7/854837_320x180.jpg)
It's chaos! There's been a leak at the fact factory! All of the pipes are bursting, and facts are falling out everywhere! We know this isn’t convenient, but could you grab a bucket and help our crew pick up all of these loose facts up off of the floor before our boss finds out? Just go ahead and grab as many as you can and shove them into your brain to keep in mind for like a boring dinner party, or, you know, wherever else you might need to bust out a cool fact that you learned.
How much food is wasted in a year? What’s up with the rings on a narwhal’s horn? What was the purpose of the original roller coasters? What was the real moral of the story of Beauty and the Beast? Where did the magic that is ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos' come from? All of this and more below!
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Wasted Food
![Nearly 1 billion metric tons of food is wasted on the planet every year. CRACKED.COM The majority of wasted food (61%) comes from homes, while restaurants and other food services produce 26% of wasted food. Grocery stores make up just 13% of food waste.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/3/3/854833.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Narwhal Rings
![Like the rings of a tree, a narwhal's tusk tells us about how it lived. CRACKED.COM Each year, layers of the tusk are added, and they offer insight into the whale's age, the level of pollution it lived in, tem- perature levels, and what its diet consisted of.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/3/0/854830.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Beauty and the Beast
![The original 'Beauty and the Beast' was meant to help girls accept arranged marriages. CRACKED.COM It was written in 1740 to encourage girls into forced marriages, for an alliance that required ef- facing their own desires and submitting to the will of a monster.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/3/2/854832.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Roller Coasters
![The first roller coaster was created to distract the public from debauchery. GRACKED COM In 1884, disgusted with the uprising of hedonistic amusements like saloons and brothels, LaMarcus Adna Thompson invented the Switchback Gravity Railway at Coney Island.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/3/1/854831.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
The Netherlands Funerals
![The Netherlands sends poets to a funeral if the deceased has no one else. CRACKED.COM The country implemented the ritual of 'lonely funer- al poems,' where poets research the deceased and write a poem in their honor to recite at the fu- neral.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/9/854829.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Brigham Young
![It was against Brigham Young University for students to grow a beard until 2015. CRACKED COM Exceptions at the Mor- mon flagship school were given to students with medical conditions, actors who need a beard for a role, or for reli- gious reasons.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/8/854828.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Flamin' Hot Cheetos
![A janitor pitched the idea of Flamin' Hot Cheetos to Frit-Lay. CRACKED.COM Richard Montañez had the idea to add chili powder to the cheesy treat, and has since risen up the ranks to serve as a PepsiCo executive. The movie Flamin' Hot about these events is cur- rently in post production.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/7/854827.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Koko the Gorilla
![Koko the gorilla instinctively knew to help Mr. Rogers out of his shoes when she met him GRACKED.COM Mister Rogers' Neighbor- hood was Koko's favorite show, so it stands to rea- son why she would know to help untie his shoes when they met. She also cradled him in her arms because who wouldn't?](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/6/854826.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Traffic Cone Hotline
![Britain had a hotline to report errant traffic cones in the early'90s. CRACKED.COM The Cones Hotline was launched in 1992 for citi- zens to report traffic cones on the road for no appar- ent reason, and then shut- tered in 1995 for being a waste of government re- sources.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/5/854825.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Winston Churchill
![The acronym 'OMG' was first recorded in a letter to Winston Churchill. CRACKED.COM A retired British admiral of the Royal Navy wrote to Winston Churchill to share his take on the headlines of the day, some of which were so exciting, he wrote, O.M.G. (Oh! My! God!).](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/4/854824.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
New Zealand
![New Zealand was put up for auction on eBay. CRACKED COM An Australian man in 2006 put the country up for sale for just $0.01 AUD, and bids got all the way up to $3,000 before eBay put a stop to it.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/2/854822.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
An executed pig
![A pig was executed in France for leading to the death of a child in the middle ages. CRACKED COM The young pig attacked a three-month-old in the French village of Fonte- nay-aux-Roses in 1386, who died after surgery complica- tions. The pig stood trial and was publicly executed.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/1/854821.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Quaker Oats
![Quaker Oats was sued by a woman who thought Cap'N'Crunch had real berries. CRACKED.COM Jeanine Sugawara felt tricked that the Crunch Berries cereal didn't have a single real berry, so she sued Quaker Oats on the grounds of false advertis- ing. The case was quickly dismissed.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/9/854819.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Roald Dahl
![Roald Dahl was a super sexy spy for the Brits. CRACKED.COM The 'Charlie and the Choc- olate Factory' author gath- ered intelligence for the British Security Coordina- tion during World War II, using his charm to seduce congresswomen, actresses, and oil heiresses'.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/3/854823.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Road lines
![The idea of using lines in roadways to create lanes was inspired by a milk wagon. CRACKED.COM Edward Hines in 1911 came up with the idea, consid- ered the most important single traffic safety de- vice, when he saw the dotted drippings from a leaking milk wagon.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/7/854817.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Fake ambulances
![Wealthy Russians hire fake ambulances to speed through traffic. 03 CRACKED.COM С827АУ The ambulance-taxis are equipped with plush interiors and are being rented our to VIP commuters too good to sit in traffic like the rest of us.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/6/854816.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Buried Treasure
![Buried treasure may be hidden in Bedford County, Virginia. CRACKED.COM Of the three texts known as the Beale Ci- phers has been cracked, revealing the possible location of $43 million in gold, sil- ver, and jewels.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/2/0/854820.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Lightning strikes... seven times?
![A Virginian park ranger was struck by lightning seven times. CRACKED.COM Between 1942 and 1977, Roy Cleveland Sullivan was struck by lightning on 7 different occasions, earn- ing him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records and the nickname Human Lighting Rod.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/8/854818.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Missing wallet
![A wallet from 1972 was returned to a plane crash survivor. 1 AND LAKE you I cta take CHIC il Class LOCOL Date I Sampley S a DONOR PRODUTO CRACKED.COM All but 16 passengers died in a plane crash in the An- des in 1972. Hiker Ricardo Peña found the wallet of one survivor, a Uruguayan rugby player, and returned it to him after tracking him down.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/4/854814.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Incan knots
![Incan people tied knots in rope to keep records. GRAGKED.COM Called quipu, the types of knots and their loca- tion relative to the top of the cord would modi- fy the meaning of the apparatus.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/3/854813.jpg)
Source: 20 Facts That Are Like A Road Trip To Knowledge Town
Beethoven
![Beethoven always made coffee with exactly 60 beans. GRACKED.COM Beethoven went out of his way to ensure his morning coffee was made with the optimal number of beans per cup.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/5/854815.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Teddy Roosevelt
![Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice had a pet snake named Emily Spinach. CRACKED.COM She liked to carry it around the White House in her purse and take it out at unexpected moments.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/2/854812.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Africa's hemispheres
![Africa is the only continent with land in all four hemispheres. CRACKED COM It's the only continent that has its land crossed by both the Prime Meridian and the Equator. The Equator divides Africa into almost two halves.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/1/854811.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Bats & Birth
![Female bats give birth while hanging upside down. CRACKED.COM Bat-ter up; the mommy bats catch the baby in their wings as it drops.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/5/854805.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Bagpipes
![Bagpipes were invented by Persians, not the Scots. GRACKED.COM Bagpipes have been annoying ancient Persian shepherds since 900 A.D.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/7/854807.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Corn Flakes
![A 1907 ad campaign for Corn Flakes asked readers to 'wink at your grocer and see what you get.' CRACKED.COM The ad campaign for Kellogg's Corn Flakes offered a free sample of cereal to any customer who would wink at their grocer, which increased sales by a factor of fifteen.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/1/0/854810.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
President John Tyler
![The grandson of the 10th president of the United States is still alive. CRACKED.COM President John Tyler was born in 1790, and is survived by his 93 year old grandson, Harrison Ruffin Tyler.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/6/854806.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
St. Patrick
![St. Patrick wasn't Irish. CRACKED.COM Не was born to Roman parents in either Scotland, England, or Wales.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/9/854809.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Scottish Unicorns
![The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn. GRACKED.COM The mythical beasts adorn castle walls, cathedrals, and Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/1/854801.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
No insulting your colleagues
![The U.S. Senate's Rule XIX states that a U.S. senator cannot insult their colleagues. GRACKED.COM The rule states: No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/2/854802.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Green eyes
![Only 2 percent of the population has green eyes. CRACKED.COM Green eyes are more common in females than males. Less than 1 percent have gray eyes.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/8/854808.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Ben's turkey
![Benjamin Franklin thought the turkey was a much more respectable bird than the eagle. CRACKED.COM Franklin never lobbied for the turkey to become the national bird, but he did write that the bald eagle was a scavenger of bad moral character.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/0/854800.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Swiss Guinea Pigs
![You can rent guinea pigs in Switzerland. CRACKED.COM It's illegal to own only one guinea pig in Switzerland since they are social animals, so a service was created to provide a rental pig when one kicks the tiny bucket.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/3/854803.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
![Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons used to be released into the air. CRACKED COM Starting in 1927, the large balloons that replaced live ZOO animals used to just be let go at the end of each parade.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/9/9/854799.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go
Catnip for Big Cats
![Big cats love catnip, too. CRACKED.COM Lions and jaguars of reproductive-age react most positively, with tigers, cougars, and bobcats reacting a little less.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/0/4/854804.jpg)
Source: 15 Travel Sized Facts That Are Perfect For On-The-Go