10 Random, Obscure Facts

1) In his first year of college at age 17, Edgar Allen Poe gambled away all of his scholarship aid, and often showed up in class drunk-even during examinations. In spite of his slovenly behavior, Edgar had the highest
grades in his class. 

2) In Bhutan government policy is based on Gross National Happiness. Therefore most street advertising is banned, as are tobacco and plastic bags.

3) WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. That’s how many tries it took Norm Larsen, a chemist, to concoct a formula that would prevent corrosion by displacing water.

4) More than a third of the time, Icelanders don't show up for work, which could account for why research also shows that Iceland is the world's happiest nation.

5) Uma Thurman’s father was the first American to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk.

6) The prized Himalayan Gogi Berry contains, weight for weight, more iron than steak, more beta carotene than carrots, and more vitamin C than oranges.

7) By some unknown means, an iguana can end its own life.

8) Coco Chanel inadvertently started the trend for sun-tans in 1923 when she got accidentally burnt on a cruise, thus aiding America in developing much higher rates of sun cancer.

9) The lion costume in the film Wizard of Oz was made from real lions, tsk, tsk.

10) The Mona Lisa used to hang on the wall of Napoleon’s bedroom.

Comments

[Sean]

Number one is not true.

Poe never took a degree, despite attending UVa and West Point.

[Billy]

No resources cited, so I would dispute most of them out of hand, though I know #9 to be true.

[Billy]

Oh, and re: #9, why "tsk,tsk"? Did you add that yourself? Are you deigning to pass judgment on societal norms *70* years ago? Who knows, 70 years from now, saying "tsk,tsk" could be an egregious insult. Better get editing.

Hey, Billy: Lightn' up, dude! If you think killing lions for their skins 70 yrs ago although socially acceptablle behavior, was a good thing, we respectfully disagree. Good thinking trumps "good editing"... : ) Cheers, Casey.

[wayne]

hey sean, number one says nothing of him taking a degree but only of the actions taken during a his first year attending.

[mediator]

These are pretty interesting. I would also cite it "pretty interesting" that most of the comments on this board simply question the validity of the post. Sure, these "facts" might not be true, but aren't they cool? I lament the cynicism present in the world today.

[Psh...]

I'm sorry, this page seems to be interesting. Weather or not the writer added a few words, or (Heaven forbid) "Tsk Tsk" should be his or her own business.

Who are you to pass judgement on the writer? Something more pressing on my mind is who gives a damn about what you think? What makes you so important that reading a few false comments gives you the right to pretend you've never said or done anything incorrect yourselves.

I believe every fact on this page. Weather I'm right or wrong in doing so matters little because in the real world, as soon as I stand up from this chair I'm sitting on, the facts on this page matter very little.

You shit stinks too pals.

[jesse]

you all need something better to do than waste your already pathetic lives critiquing another person's pathetic attempt to get attention. have a good day losers.

[Lurker]

Absolutely right, we should not question anyone else's ideas lest they question ours. Let us instead all strive together for ignorance and mediocrity!

[Gary]

11. The Haddock is the only fish that can program a DVD player.

12. The majority of males over 30 in Togo state they have seen a talking dog.

13. The last Dodo killed the sailor that hunted it.

14. Mount Kilimanjaro grows by 2.13m in odd numbered years and shrinks back in even ones.

15. In 1943, Prof. Sergei Aronovich Slyushoi of Moscow Science Institute published a scientific paper mathematically showing that the aero-jet engine was impossible. Russian research was ended and they only produced jet engines after the Krogers gave them the secrets.

16. In 1876 Prof. Kurt Weiligebrandt of Heidelberg University attempted to show that grasshoppers hear through their rear legs. To test this he struck the table behind a grasshopper and it jumped away. He then cut off the rear legs and hit the table - the grasshopper did not move, proving that they hear through their legs.

However, later research showed that grasshoppers do have their ears in their hindmost legs.

[lolz]

Number one doesn't say he got a degree. it said he had the highest marks...... there's a bit of a difference