15 Now-You-Know General Knowledge Facts

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15 Now-You-Know General Knowledge Facts

There are many ways to enjoy this list of interesting facts, but for me the most entertaining way is to think of a few facts that you'd never considered before, and then contemplate the reasons why they are not true. I find this to be more enjoyable than contemplating the reasons why they are true, because the latter gives you an answer and the former leaves you with a mystery. There are a few points of clarification before I begin. The definition of ‘interesting fact’ is quite loose. I'm including anything that has caught my interest and made me think, even if I have no idea of why it is interesting or what the significance of it is. If I had to put a number on it, I would say there are about four hundred interesting facts in this list. Some are very strange indeed, and some are so mundane that you could write them down and enjoy this list of interesting facts in the waiting room of your doctor's surgery. But all of them are curious in one way or another.

Oasis issued checks with their branding so they wouldn’t be cashed.

Oasis issued concert refunds they hoped fans wouldn't cash. CRACKED.COM After having technical dif- ficulties at a large gig, the band issued refund checks with their branding, hop- ing that fans would keep them as collectibles in- stead of cashing them in. It worked.

The Guardian

The ‘Clockwork Orange’ author was given a year to live.

'A Clockwork Orange' was written over a period of three weeks. CRACKED.COM Anthony Burgess was mis- diagnosed with brain can- cer and given a year to live. Не decided to spend that year writing five nov- els to provide for his wife after his death. Ironically, he outlived her.

Herald Scotland

Rabies makes the victim afraid to drink water.

Rabies increases its transmission by making the sufferer afraid of drinking water. CRACKED.COM Hydrophobia makes the victim unable to swallow the frothy saliva forming in their mouth, which is in- fected heavily with the live virus that can then be transmitted by biting.

NCBI

CGI was not used to create an eruption volcano in ‘Star Wars.’

The erupting lava in the 'Revenge of the Sith' Mustafar battle wasn't computer generated. CRACKED.COM In the 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,' the images of the volcanic eruption on Mustafar is real footage of Mt. Etna in Italy, which was erupting at the time of production.

Star Wars Wiki

Magic mushrooms can be sold in spore form.

The sale of psychedelic mushroom spores is legal since they don't yet contain psilocybin. CRACKED.COM Most drug laws prohibit psilocybin rather than the mushroom itself, and psilo- cybin, the active com- pound in psychedelic mushrooms, is found only in the mushroom's cap and stem and not in its spores.

JHU

A baseball pitcher was the first person on camera giving the middle finger.

The first person captured on camera giving a middle finger was a Hall of Fame baseball pitcher. CRACKED.COM In 1886, an image was captured of Charles Old Hoss Radbourn flipping off a member of the New York Giants in a team photo.

American Inno

Kenny from ‘South Park’ was inspired by a real friend of Trey Parker.

The character Kenny on 'South Park' is based on a real childhood friend of Trey Parker. CRACKED.COM Kenny was the poorest kid in town, wore a large parka that muffled his voice and would frequently skip school, inspiring the run- ning joke that he died by classmates.

South Park Wiki

A Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by Black Friday shoppers in 2008.

A Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by Black Friday shoppers in 2008. Walmart CRACKED.COM While other employees at- tempted to help him, the shoppers were unconcerned with the victim's fate and refused to halt their stam- pede, complaining that they were not willing to wait in the cold any longer.

NY Daily News

A French man pretended to be an American family’s lost son.

A French man impersonated an American family's lost son for 3 and a half months. GRACKED.COM Frédéric Bourdin imper- sonated American Nicho- las Barclay from San An- tonio, Texas, who disap- peared in 1994 at age 13. Bourdin was caught and deported back to France.

Telegram

A 16th-century priest spent 50 years fighting slavery.

One of the first advocates for human rights was a 16th-century Spanish priest. CRACKED.COM Bartolomé de las Casas, af- ter witnessing the atroci- ties of the Spanish against the indigenous peoples, came to oppose their abuses. Не would go on to spend 50 years actively fighting slavery.

OSU

Congress likes to bring up Hitler, a lot.

U.S. Congress brings up Hitler 7.7 times per month. CRACKED.COM Republicans bring up the dictator more than their colleagues, by a ratio of about 57-42 percent. Hitler mentions reached a peak in October 2003, with 93 mentions of both parties combined.

Daily Dot

Cosmonauts have a ritual where they pee on their transfer bus.

Russian cosmonauts urinate on the right rear wheel of the transfer bus before liftoff. CRACKED COM The ritual began in 1961 because the spacesuits didn't have a fly. Female cosmonauts are ex- cused, but some dash a cup of their own urine in solidarity.

ABC News

A man farted in front of the Queen and ran away for 7 years.

A man who worked for Queen Elizabeth in the 1600s went into self-imposed exile after he farted in front of her. Cuz Daughter of Rouces ler in Coms Ita and died 24 of June JG CRACKED.COM Edward de Vere left England for 7 years. When he return,ed, the Queen greeted him by saying My Lord, I had forgotten the Fart.

Brief lives

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