Information lives at the tips of your fingers these days, so it’s hard to believe there could be an entire list of random facts that could blow your mind. Well, I consider myself a fairly educated and well-read person and…yeah. I was sitting here with my brain all over my laptop.
Does anyone have a good cleaning product they could recommend? I hope so, because it’s possible you’re going to need it to.
#10. Stegosauruses existed before grass.
Stegos (as my toddler calls them) were around 140 million years ago but grass evolved 80 million years ago. The stegosauruses in Jurassic Park must have been confused!
#9. The Michelin Star restaurant rating system was created to sell more tires.
The Michelin Star system is a system that gives restaurants coveted stars – 1 star is excellent, 2 is worth going out of your way for, and 3 is a restaurant so good it’s worth a special trip. It was dreamt up with the intention of getting people to drive more and wear out their tires faster.
#8. Buzz Aldrin’s mother’s maiden name was Moon.
Crazy coincidence, considering he was one of the first men to set foot on the moon, no?
#7. People who receive a blood transfusion of the wrong blood type report a sense of impending doom.
Medical professionals describe their patients’ feeling as a sense that they’re at risk of dying. Other symptoms include fever, aches, chills, and burning at the injection site.
#6. The phrase “hands down” comes from horse racing.
It comes from the instance when a jockey is so far ahead in a race he can lower his hands (and the reins).
#5. Actor J.K. Simmons has been the voice of the yellow M&M since the 90’s.
Not quite the gig you’d expect for an Oscar winner, right?
#4. Brett Favre’s first completed NFL pass was to himself.
And he lost 7 yards. Hardly an auspicious start.
#3. England drives on the left side of the road because of knights.
Given that the majority of people are right-handed, it made sense to ride a horse on the left side of the road to keep your sword hand free to joust. Napoleon encouraged (kind word for it) the rest of Europe to switch to the other side and knights were never a thing in the States, making England the only holdout.
#2. If you make more than $32k annually you’re part of the 1%.
You make more money in a year than 99% of the people in the world.
#1. There are no actual muscles in your fingers.
The muscles in your forearms and palms pull the tendons in your fingers to make them work.
Did you learn something new today? I hope so!