This article contains Random Facts. I am pretty sure that you”ll find some useful / interesting info here. Feel free to use these facts to start conversations or to impress your friends… Knowledge is power!
Here are 101 Random Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
1. A YouTuber who goes by the name of Funk Turkey ran the lyrics to every AC/DC song into a piece of artificial intelligence software normally used to analyze things like thermodynamic states and stock market trends. The result was a track called “Great Balls” and featured lyrics like “She got great balls and big balls / Too many women with the balls / Seems like a bone givin’ the balls / A whole lotta woman ‘cuz I’m a ball.”
2. Chess is a compulsory subject in schools in Armenia. All students have to take chess as a compulsory subject in school and there are even exams for it.
3. Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash claims in his memoir that he was once so high that he thought the titular alien from Predator was trying to kill him. In 1989 he punched through a glass door at an Arizona golf course, completely naked and in fear for his life, and grabbed a hotel maid to use as a “human shield” against the imaginary assailant.
4. To date 14 Springboks (South African Rugby Players) have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. The list includes Naas Botha, Danie Gerber, Danie Craven, Nelson Mandela and Kitch Christie.
5. KISS guitarist Ace Frehley once allegedly chugged perfume in a drunken stupor. According to bandmate Paul Stanley, Frehley was already intoxicated during a limo ride and purposely drank the entire bottle of perfume after learning that it contained alcohol.
6. The Iconic “How am I funny?” scene in GoodFellas is actually based on something that really happened to Joe Pesci back in the day. Picture this: Young Pesci working in a restaurant, he tells a mobster that the guy is funny. But instead of a warm response, he gets something less than enthusiastic. So, Pesci shared this hilarious real-life story with Martin Scorsese, and guess what? Scorcese decided it had to go in the movie!
7. The destructive antics of The Who drummer Keith Moon reportedly got the band banned from every single Holiday Inn in the world. On his 21st birthday in 1967, Moon was said to have driven a Rolls Royce into the swimming pool of a Michigan Holiday Inn.
8. The Namib desert (in Namibia) occupies an area of around 80 900 square kilometres (31 200 square miles) stretching for about 1600 km (1000 miles) along the Atlantic Ocean coast of the country.
9. While on tour with Mötley Crüe in 1984, Ozzy Osbourne reportedly snorted a line of live ants after being unable to find any cocaine. Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx witnessed the inhaling of innocent insects while Osbourne has gone on record as stating that he has zero recollection of the incident.
10. Zimbabwe has five UNESCO World heritage sites. There are three cultural sites: the Khami Ruins, Great Zimbabwe National Monument, and Matobo Hills and two natural sites: Victoria Falls and Mana Pools. The Khami Ruins is an extensive complex of stonewalled sites and once was the capital of the Butua State.
11. Boston brawlers The Dropkick Murphys are named after John ‘Dropkick’ Murphy, a Massachusetts pro-wrestler and sanatorium owner.
12. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off takes place in the same high school, the fictional “Shermer High.” Exterior shots from The Breakfast Club show the school’s name, a poster in the Ferris school reads “Go Shermer” and the same high school, Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois, was used for shooting both films.
13. New wave pioneers Joy Division got their name from the 1955 novella House Of Dolls by Jewish writer and Holocaust survivor Yehiel De-Nur, AKA Ka-tzetnik 135633. The book tells the tale of the ‘Joy Divisions’, groups of Jewish women in the concentration camps used for sexual pleasure by Nazi soldiers.
14. Cairo holds the unique distinction of being the sole city where one of the ancient wonders of the world still stands. Among the famed Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which included the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia in Greece, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, only the Great Pyramid of Giza in Cairo endures to this day.
15. The punk rock band Black Flag‘s name was suggested by guitarist Greg Ginn’s brother. He said that if a white flag stands for surrender, a black flag must stand for anarchy.
16. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy visited a car manufacturer in Germany. While there, they saw cars being dipped in and out of huge tanks of paint by robotic arms. This imagery inspired the Vitruvian man from the Westworld TV show‘s opening credits.
17. British band Coldplay get their name anthology of children’s poems called Child’s Reflections: Cold Play.
18. The inaugural zoo in London was located within the Tower of London and operated for an astonishing six centuries. It housed a fascinating array of exotic creatures, including polar bears, elephants, lions, ostriches, kangaroos, and various others, some of which were presented as royal offerings.
19. Dan Smith from Bastille‘s birthday is 14 July. That’s Bastille Day (and obviously where the band gets their name).
20. Argentina has been playing football since 1893. The country has hosted and won the FIFA World Cup in 1978. They also won the FIFA World Cup in Mexico in 1986 (against Germany) and in Qatar in 2022 (against France). They were knocked out by Germany in the quarter finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa though.
21. On April Fool’s Day in 1915, in the midst of World War I, a French aviator flew over a German camp and dropped what appeared to be a huge bomb. The German soldiers immediately scattered in all directions, but no explosion followed. After some time, the soldiers crept back and gingerly approached the bomb. They discovered it was actually a large football with a note tied to it that read, “April Fool!”
22. Marlon Brando was paid $2 million to cameo as a priest in Scary Movie 2, but had to drop out when he was hospitalized with pneumonia. “He wanted to go for it. He had an oxygen mask and we were like, ‘Yo, we gotta let him go. This guy is not healthy.’ For that one day, Brando had an assistant in the next room read his lines into an ear piece.” according to producer and writer Shawn Wayans.
23. Brazil is the only country that has competed in every FIFA World Cup tournament since 1930.
24. According to scientists, the Moon is about 4.5 billion years old. It’s believed to have been formed from debris flung into space when the Earth collided with another planetary structure, Theia.
25. Tom Petty was the third member of 1980s supergroup Travelling Wilburys to pass away. Roy Orbison passed away in 1988, George Harrison passed way in 2001 and Petty passed away in 2017. Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne (ELO) are the only 2 surviving members of the supergroup.
26. In 1986, a volcanic lake in Cameroon, Africa burped a C02 gas cloud that killed 1,746 people in minutes.
27. The battle to contain the contamination caused by the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster (in 1986) to avert a greater catastrophe ultimately involved over 500,000 workers and cost an estimated 18 billion rubles.
28. According to a 2019 study, drinking more coffee may reduce risk of developing gallstones.
29. Frances Hayward was the first woman to run South Africa’s Comrades Marathon in 1923. She ran unofficially because her entry was refused. She finished in a time of 11 hours and 35 minutes and did not receive a medal.
30. According to a study published in 2006, people develop first impressions of you in a tenth of a second.
31. In Ancient Rome, the punishment for killing one’s father (parricide) was poena cullei or “penalty of the sack.” The punishment consisted of being sewn up in a leather sack, with an assortment of live animals including a dog, snake, monkey, and a chicken or rooster, and then being thrown into water.
32. According to a 2019 report, McDonald’s buys about 2 billion eggs every year for their US restaurants alone.
33. To create the sound of the heavy lid of the Ark being slid open in 1981’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark, sound designer Ben Burtt simply recorded him moving the lid of his toilet cistern at home.
34. Latin had about 800 obscene words; English has only about 20.
35. Sofia Vergara may seem like a natural for the role of Gloria (a vivacious and va-voomy trophy wife in Modern Family), but she was nearly a dentist. She was pre-dental in her native country of Colombia but dropped out two semesters before she graduated.
36. Black Racers also known as Coluber constrictors are interesting creatures. These snakes have a diverse diet that includes insects, small mammals, birds, lizards, amphibians, and even other snakes. They are skilled hunters and use their speed to outmaneuver and capture their prey.
37. WhatsApp turned down a $10 billion acquisition offer from Google, but eventually accepted a $19 billion offer from Facebook in February 2014.
38. One of the world’s largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons is located at a US Navy base near Seattle, Washington. The base is partially defended by trained dolphins.
39. Andorra is the only country in the world that has Catalan listed as an official language. Catalan is a language derived from Vulgar Latin. It’s also spoken in various regions of Spain, parts of Italy and parts of France. Spanish and French are the other languages that are spoken in the country.
40. During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Air Force One was outfitted with jellybean holders to keep the US president’s favorite snack from spilling.
41. South Africa is the only country that has won the IRB Rugby World Cup four times. They beat New Zealand in the 2023 tournament final by one point to achieve this milestone.
42. Did you know that “Fall Out Boy” was the name of a short-lived character in The Simpsons? The phrase emerged as the favourite tag for Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump’s newborn band. They tried to rechristen themselves with a smarter name for their second gig, but as it tripped off Wentz’s tongue, a wag in the crowd shouted, “F*** that, no, you’re Fall Out Boy!” Obviously there was no escape.
43. In the Melody Maker singles column in May 1993, writer Dave Jennings described Darlin”s ‘Cindy So Loud’ as a “daft punky thrash”. Darlin’ members Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo were reading and nabbed the phrase for their new band’s name. Daft Punk was born.
44. Dolly Parton is full of slaying surprises! The country music icon and all-around American treasure was an uncredited producer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While it was never top secret, fans of the show are freaking out after realizing Parton played an important role in helping produce the show from 1997 to 2003. (Thanks Potskerf Potgieter).
45. Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez used to make YouTube videos together.
46. Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury supposedly had a falling out because the king of pop brought his pet llama to the recording studio. According to Jim “Miami” Beach, who was Queen’s manager, Freddie gave him a call during the recording sessions and said: “Miami, dear, can you get over here? You’ve got to get me out of here; I’m recording with a llama.”
47. David Bowie’s eyes weren’t actually two different colours. After getting into a fight as a kid, he developed anisocoria, which caused his left pupil to become permanently dilated. So while both of his eyes were blue in colour, the left one always appeared darker because of the blackness of the dilated pupil.
48. Alice Cooper is an avid golfer and credits the sport to “saving him from his demons”.
49. Panic! at the Disco started out as a Blink-182 cover band.
50. Dolly Parton once entered a drag queen celebrity impersonator contest as herself and lost. She exaggerated her features (think bigger-than-usual hair, an exaggerated beauty mark and bold-ass makeup) but ended up getting the least applause from the crowd.
51. Freddie Mercury helped Princess Diana sneak into a bar by disguising her in an army jacket, a cap and sunglasses. Diana supposedly insisted on accompanying Freddie Mercury and Kenny Everett to a bar in London. They obviously had to disguise her, so they ended up putting her in an army jacket, cap and sunglasses, which worked a treat.
52. Muddy Waters helped Chuck Berry to get his first recording contract. Cherry Berry travelled to Chicago and met with Muddy Waters, who sent him to audition for Chess Records. Berry came with a Country & Western tune, “Ida Red”, and Chess was sold — except they renamed the song “Maybellene”.
53. James Brown is the most sampled artist of all time. His music has been sampled more than 5200 times. His track, “Funky Drummer” and its beat (created by Clyde Stubblefield) has been sampled 1584 times by artists like Public Enemy, Run DMC, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Dr Dre and even George Michael, Madonna and Britney Spears.
54. Aretha Franklin performed at the three US Presidential Inaugurations: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack H. Obama.
55. Elvis Presley has more multi-platinum album sales than any other performer. 12 of his albums have sold over two million copies.
56. When he was 10 years old, Jerry-Lee Lewis got a piano of his very own. His father mortgaged the family farm to buy the instrument. He gave his first public performance at the age of 14.
57. Lemmy Kilmister was inspired to create Motörhead after seeing The Beatles and Cavern perform live in concert when he was just 16 years old.
58. The oldest acoustic guitar is over 3500 years old. It was found in Egypt and was in the court of Queen Hatshepsut; the player was the bard of the royal court and was buried by the queen. The guitar was made of cedar wood and had three strings as well as a plectrum. Guitars are still being made with wood today. Feel free to check out this acoustic guitar wood guide (in case you need to find out how it affects a guitar’s tone).
59. Jimi Hendrix could not read music. He learned to play the guitar by ear.
60. Depsite the fact that they’re famous for a song titled “American Woman”, The Guess Who actually hail from Winnipeg, Canada.
61. Bring Me The Horizon got their name form a line in Pirates of the Caribbean. Matt Keane told EastScene this story “At the time there were a lot of bands that had names that you would associate with this kind of music. They just stayed away from all the pretentious or predictable stuff. And they were sitting around one day watching the movie and heard the line and thought it would be a laugh.”
62. In The Usual Suspects, Kevin Spacey’s character explains that his nickname is “Verbal” because he talks too much. In the DVD commentary, Bryan Singer points out that the nickname is a clue, since Keyser Soze is said to have a Turkish mother and a German father. According to Singer, in a mix of German and Turkish, “Keyser Soze” can be roughly translated as “King Blabbermouth.”
63. Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers, drew inspiration from a variety of classic sci-fi and horror movies from the 1980s, including E.T., The Goonies, Poltergeist and The Thing. They were inspired by Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and John Carpenter,
64. Apollo 13 failed to make it to the Moon in 1970. This NASA misson was supposed to be the American Space Administration’s third trip to the Moon and was launched in April 1970. 2 days into the mission the crew notified CapCom of issues with the now infamous words “Houston, we have a problem”. 3 hours after this, all of their oxygen stores were gone and there was a loss of water, electricity and the propulsion system.
65. Former South African republic (Zuid-Afrikaanse Republiek) president Paul Kruger bought a farm outside Rustenburg in 1863. The homestead on his farm called ‘Boekenhoutfontein” is now the Paul Kruger Country Museum.
66. The poodle in The Secret Life of Pets is apparently a metalhead, as his introductory scene shows him head banging to the band’s song System of a down‘s “Bounce” once his owner leaves. It’s ironic that such a song would be included in the soundtrack of a children’s movie, considering its lyrics — “Everyone gets to play / Runaway, expose / It was so exotic / But just one pogo stick.”
67. Initially reluctant to reprise his role as Worf on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine due to the taxing daily make-up application, Michael Dorn was relieved to put the character behind him. He reconsidered when presented with a salary offer that prompted him to revisit the decision.
68, Harrison Ford was paid $20 million for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
69. Zambia declared its independence on the day of the closing ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics, thereby becoming the first country ever to have entered an Olympic games as one country, and left it as another.
70. Pretoria’s College Radio Station Tuks FM had its first transmission on 9 February 1981. It only broadcast to the University of Pretoria Cafeteria and launched with a live performance from David Kramer. Tuks FM’s signal was later extended to all university residences as well as the Onderstepoort and Medical Campuses. The station was one of the first community broadcasters to be granted a FM licence in the 1990s in South Africa.
71. The distinctive sound that Royal Blood is known for is crafted by Kerr’s bass playing technique. He employs a combination of effects pedals and amps to create a unique blend, allowing his bass guitar to emulate both electric and bass guitar tones simultaneously.
72. 1931 was a pivotal year for Las Vegas. During that period, Nevada legalized casino gambling and reduced the residency requirements for divorce to six weeks. Simultaneously, construction on the nearby Hoover Dam commenced. The arrival of construction workers and their families played a vital role in preventing economic downturn in Las Vegas during the Great Depression. The construction was successfully completed in 1935.
73. Cat Stevens performed at the Nelson Mandela’s 46664 concert in 2003. It was his first English performance after a 25 year hiatus. He re-recorded ‘Peace Train’ along with David Bowie and Paul McCartney.
74. Before finalizing on the band name The Who performed under two other names: The Detours and The High Numbers.
75. According to Billboard, Backstreet Boys are the best-selling boy band of all time . To date they have sold more than 130 million records worldwide.
76. Tina Turner’s “The Best” was a cover version of song that was originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler.
77. “Don’t You (Forget About Me” was written and composed by producer Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff while scoring The Breakfast Club. Both were Simple Minds fans and wrote the song with the band in mind. The band were reluctant to do it because they preferred to record their own material. According to one account Simple Minds “rearranged and recorded ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ in 3 hours in the north London studio and promptly forgot about it. They believed that it would be a throwaway song on the soundtrack to a forgettable movie. They were wrong…
78. Amy Winehouse dropped out of school when she was 15 and began pursuing music full-time. Her brother taught her how to play guitar and she began writing her own music. Winehouse would play her songs at local jazz clubs, until a friend was able to give her studio time to record demos. Eventually this resulted in a deal with Island UK in 2002.
79, Rag’n’Bone Man’s real name is Rory Charles Graham.
80. Britney Spears came under fire in 2011 for the music video for her song “Criminal”. The video featured her and her boyfriend at the time, Jason Trawick, on the streets of London. British politicians took umbrage with the fact that they carried guns in an area that had been affected by the infamous 2011 London riots. Spears’ team responded by saying that the song had been written long before the riots ever happened.
81. On Rage Against The Machine‘s first album, the cover is a Pulitzer prize winning photo of a burning monk. The Vietnamese Buddhist monk is Thich Quang Duc, who burned himself to death. This act of self-immolation was protesting against the Prime Minister Ngo Dih.
82. Miley Cirus was actually born as Destiny Hope Cyrus. She legally changed it to “Miley” (which is actually based on her childhood nickname “Smiley”.
83. The world’s oldest wooden wheel has been around for more than 5,000 years. It was found in 2002, approximately 19 kilometres (12 miles) South of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and is now housed in the city’s museum. Radiocarbon dating was used to determine the wheel’s age, which is somewhere between 5,100 and 5,350 years old.
84. Sudan has more pyramids than any country in the world. Not only does Sudan have more pyramids than Egypt, but the numbers aren’t even close. While 138 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt, Sudan boasts around 255.
85. German chocolate cake was invented in Texas. The “German” part of German chocolate cake comes from an American man—not a European country. Specifically, it’s named after Sam German, who in 1852 created the formula for a mild dark baking chocolate bar for Baker’s Chocolate Company, which was subsequently named Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate. Fast-forward to June 13, 1957. The Dallas Morning Star published the recipe for the cake, invented and submitted by a reader identified as Mrs. George Clay, according to What’s Cooking America.
86. Satanic Dagga Orgy‘s beards and moustaches are all fake in order to protect their real identities as high ranking members of the Freedom Front Plus.
87. Craig Pietropaolo suffers from a rare genetic disorder called “Marfan Syndrome,” which 1 in 3000 to 10 000 people have. One of the problems it has given him was severe scoliosis (curvature of the spine) which had him in a back brace for 4 and a half years.
88. International band Seether have performed at Blue Moon (in Nelspruit, South Africa) twice. They also performed here three times when they were still known as Saron Gas.
89. A one-way trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway involves crossing 3,901 bridges. Not only is the Trans-Siberian Railway the longest railroad in Russia, but it’s also the longest one in the world. The journey takes seven days, during which time passengers pass through eight different time zones.
90. The Golden Girls was supposed to have a different theme song. Instead of Andrew Gold’s iconic “Thank You for Being a Friend,” the show’s producers wanted to use Bette Midler’s song “Friends,” according to Jim Colucci, author of the book Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind the Lanai. The rights to the Bette Midler’s song were too expensive – the rest is sitcom history.
91. South African Legend Hugh Masekela released a total of 49 studio albums between 1962 and 2016.
92. Some Pretorians had their hands in the air when Bittereinder referred to Pretoria as “Kerkorrel se Snor City” in their song “A Tale of 3 Cities”. The Snor City term was first coined by Afrikaans artist Bernoldus Niemand (aka James Phillips). Subsequently the Afrikaans Electro Rap outfit have been correcting this bit during their live shows.
93. To ease Chris Shifflett into the group, the Foo Fighters played three secret shows in Los Angeles under the name Stacked Actors.
94. People once ate arsenic to improve their skin. You’ve probably heard about how a lot of the Victorians’ favorite cosmetics were riddled with arsenic, but it gets worse. There were also products on the market in the late 19th century, like Dr. James P. Campbell’s Safe Arsenic Complexion Wafers, that were meant to be eaten. They claimed to get rid of freckles, blackheads, and other “facial disfigurements.”
95. Bad Religion‘s logo features a black Christian cross with a red prohibition sign over it. It was created by guitarist Brett Gurewitz by drawing it on a piece of paper and showing it to the rest of the band.
96. Japan has one vending machine for every 40 people. The country is thought to have one of the highest densities of vending machines in the world. While most sell various types of beverages, others feature ice cream, noodles, and even disposable cameras.
97. The first time the word “period” was used on TV in reference to menstruation was 1985. It came via a line in a Tampax commercial: “Feeling cleaner is more comfortable. It can actually change the way you feel about your period.” And the actor who made pop culture history was Courtney Cox of Friends fame.
98. There’s only one letter that doesn’t appear in any U.S. state name. You’ll find a Z (Arizona), a J (New Jersey), and even two X’s (New Mexico and Texas)—but not a single Q.
99. Scotland has 421 words for snow. Some examples include “sneesl” (to start raining or snowing); “feefle” (to swirl); and “flinkdrinkin” (a light snow).
100. Long Island, New York based musician Brian Kroll had approximately 3,000 hours of psychotherapy / psychoanalysis, over ten years of acupuncture treatments.
101. The Builders & The Butchers‘ song-writing process involves Ryan Sollee writing the lyrics out and presenting it to the other members, who then start playing and putting the music around these lyrics.
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