15 Now-You-Facts That Really Spliced Our Genes

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15 Now-You-Facts That Really Spliced Our Genes

I enjoy this list of interesting facts, not because they're necessarily “fun facts” (which I often find to be the case, in that they're often stupid or trivial), but because they are all things that I have discovered by accident. They're a mix of things I found in books, and things I found out in other ways. The majority of them are also things that I find surprising or surprising that people would not know. The only thing I'm not sure about is whether it should be a list of interesting facts that are interesting to me, or whether it should be a list of interesting facts that are interesting to the general reader. If you enjoy this list of interesting facts, then I hope it is the latter, and I'd appreciate feedback from people who enjoy the former. I'm not sure which way to go on this. If you like the idea of a list of interesting facts, then maybe it is the latter, but I hope that people will enjoy reading it regardless of what they are interested in.

“Dr. Death” was the most prolific serial killer in history.

The most prolific serial killer in recorded human history was a doctor. CRACKED.COM British doctor Harold Shipman (also known as 'Doctor Death') was prov- en to have murdered at least 250 of his patients but may have killed as many as 459 people.

BBC

The Tower of Pisa isn’t expected to lean anymore.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is expected to stay stable for at least 200 years. GRACKED.COM After 10 years of effort and $40 million, the Leaning Tower of Pisa stopped moving in 2001 for the first time in its 800-year history.

BBC

There is an official Scottish tartan for Domino’s Pizza.

Domino's Pizza locations in Scotland have official tartans. Domino's PICKNIG RDER OPEN LARGE $70 5° ANY TWI CRACKED GOM For employees that pre- fer to wear a kilt, Scot- land Domino's officially registered a tartan inte- grating the brand's well-known colors of blue and red.

Tartan Registry

The sun from Mercury appears to make a loop in the sky.

If you were on Mercury's surface, you would see the sun pause in the sky and reverse direction. CRACKED COM This happens as the plan- et's angular orbital veloci- ty and angular rotational velocity flip as it crosses perihelion - the point in the orbit where the planet is closest to the sun..

Space

One village in India plants 111 trees every time a girl is born.

The Indian village Piplantri celebrates the birth of each girl by planting 111 trees. GRACKED.COM The parents must nurture the saplings until they're mature and also sign an affidavit saying they would not marry off their daughters before 18 years of age and that no one in their family will indulge in foeticide.

Hindustan Times

More than half of British teens think Sherlock Holmes was real.

In a 2008 survey, 58% of British teenagers thought Sherlock Holmes was real. CRACKED.COM 23% thought Winston Churchill was a myth, as was Florence Nightingale. Gandhi and the Duke of Wellington were also in the top 10 of people thought to be myths.

ABC

King Philip II of France and King Richard I of England were very close.

In 1187, King Philip II of France and King Richard I of England slept together. CRACKED.COM Professor John Gillingham notes that there was noth- ing sexual about King Phil- ip and (then Prince) Rich- ard sharing a bed over- night, it was merely sym- bol of unity between the two countries.

The Guardian

A 3-year-old girl named Karina Chikitova survived 11 days in the Siberian wilderness with her dog.

A 3-year-old girl named Karina Chikitova survived 11 days in the Siberian wilderness with her dog. GRACKED.COM She ate wild berries and drank from a river, curling up next to her dog for warmth. She was saved when her dog went back to her village and guided rescuers to her.

Huffington Post

A viper has evolved a tail that looks and moves like a spider.

The spider-tailed horned viper has a fleshy appendage at the end of its tail that it moves like a spider. CRACKED.COM The bulb-like end to its tail is bordered by long drooping scales and is waved around and used to lure insectivorous birds to within striking range.

GBIF

A cartoonist forged Norman Rockwell paintings so his ex wife didn’t get them.

A Norman Rockwell painting was discovered in a secret compartment inside the walls of a cartoonist's house. CRACKED.COM Don Trachte had forged several paintings he owned to stop his ex-wife from getting them in a divorce settlement and had hidden the originals. It'd been hid- den there for 35 years.

The Guardian

Helmets had nets in WWII to reduce shine.

Allied forces had nets on their helmets during WWII for camouflage. CRACKED.COM This was to reduce the helmet's 'shine' when wet and it would also allow soldiers to place burlap scrim or vegetation to help them blend into their surroundings.

H

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