Curious mind blowing facts - 12
Will make you say "No way".
In the movie 'The Matrix' (1999) Neo's passport has an expiration date of 9/11/2001.
Today 28 years ago was the day (April 3/24) Theodore Kaczynski AKA The Unabomber was arrested. Does it seem like 28 years ago?
In 2023, 10% of Anguilla's GDP came from registration fees for .ai domain names.
The Ambassador Bridge is currently the busiest international border crossing in the world. It’s between U.S. (Detroit) and Canada (Windsor) with more than 10,000 semi trucks passing over it daily. In September 2025 (or so) a new super bridge will replace it. The new bridge is named “The Gordie Howe International Bridge.” It is celebrating 2000 days and over 12 million hours worked since the first shovel hit the ground (2018) on this legacy infrastructure project. The Ambassador bridge may still operate for 5 years after the new one opens. Amazingly, it was owned by an individual named Matty Maroun. Maroun has since passed away (2020), and his family business still operates it. https://pau1.substack.com/p/-the-ambassador-bridge-linking-the
When Little Richard saw the engine of his plane on fire, he swore that if the plane landed he would give up "the devil's music" and become a minister. The plane landed. He kept his word... for five years. Then he was persuaded to go on tour again. He did and the Beatles opened for him on some tour dates.
Bummer. In some areas in China, when you go to a toilet, it only gives up Toilet Paper after scanning your face and identifying you. Otherwise, you must bring your own paper.
The character Sir Bronn of Blackwater Bay - played by actor Jerome Flynn in the Game of Thrones - was the Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Reach, and the Master of Coin. He was a main character who played in 36 episodes of the show.
Flynn was a pop star and played in a pop duo named Robson & Jerome in the latter half of the 1990s. “They released a version of "Unchained Melody",
which stayed at number 1 for 7 weeks on the UK Chart, selling more than a million copies and becoming the best-selling single of 1995. The duo had two further number 1 singles: "I Believe"
and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted".
Their self-titled debut album and the follow-up Take Two both reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart”.
You can hear his awesome Australian voice as he performs calm sleep stories to lull you into a deep slumber.
Plastics. Before we ban all plastics, think about this type of plastic: It is bank note polymer. Canadian Money in bill form is made from plastic. Polymer can be used for all sorts of everyday objects, from clothing to electronics, diapers, food packaging and shampoo.
Also consider that all of our water is plumbed into - and through your home - using PVC plastic. To remove the sewage from your home, the pipe generally used is made out of black ABS plastic.
Every letter ‘c’ in Pacific Ocean is pronounced differently.
The odds are 100,000 to 1 of a man getting breast cancer in Canada in any year. The odds of an amateur golfer making a hole-in-one are 12,500 to 1. Golfers who have played for over 25 years have a 60% chance of getting a hole-in-one. Surprisingly, I have had both.
Greenland sharks don't reach sexual maturity until they're 150 years old.
Unusual Girl’s Names:
Marijuana,
Shanda - last name - Lear,
Portabella - a fun gal
Phelony
$helly
Moon Unit
Rumer (daughter of actors Bruce Willis and Demi Moore)
Diva Muffin
Cricket
Wealthy
Vanity
Girl
North - last name - West
Tu Morrow
Oranjello and Lemonjello
Unusual Boys Names:
X Æ A-Xii (pronounced ‘Ex Ash A Twelve’)
Dweezil (Frank Zappa’s son)
Version 2.0
Slayer
Rider
Derfla (say it backwards)
Blanket - now goes by Bigi. (Michael Jackson’s son)
Man
Apollo
Zowie - David Bowie’s son’s former name
Sage Moonblood - Sylvester Stallone’s eldest son.
Branch
Winner and Loser
The Star Trek theme song has lyrics.
The Aldgate Pump, a historic water pump held as marking the start of London’s East End. Long famed for its “sparkling, agreeable” water. It was later found that this rich mineral taste came from the calcified flesh and bones of nearby cemeteries leeching into the water. The tainted water killed hundreds. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldgate_Pump)
The Ethiopian calendar is seven years behind the rest of the world.
If all of the water on Earth fell as rain at once, the entire planet would get 1 inch of precipitation.
There's a desert in Canada. The grasslands and bald hills outside the town of Osoyoos, BC, are an extension of the Sonoran Desert. Osoyoos is 75 miles from my home in Kelowna, BC.
Chicago's nickname has nothing to do with the weather. According to the Chicago Historical Society, the term "Windy City" was first coined by 19th century journalists to describe the people who find themselves in the city's elite. It was meant as a criticism, referring to this particular designation of people as "full of hot air."
Giraffe tongues are nearly two feet long. They have to have these to navigate around the long spikes of the Vachellia and Senegalia plants they typically consume for sustenance.
The Incredible Hulk was originally supposed to be gray.
The U.S. has 16 nuclear-grade submarines deployed all around the world. Each has anywhere from 60 to 90 nukes on board. These subs are so shrouded in secrecy that, according to retired Vice-Admiral Michael Conner (US Navy-Ret.) stated it would be easier "to find a grapefruit on the moon" than plot the location of any of our nuclear force submarines. Thanks for this Jim Geschke:
The first group of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - inducted on January 23, 1986, included Elvis Presley, James Brown, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
The phrase "umop apisdn" is "upside down" spelled upside down. (Go on - Flip. your laptop now)
Oxford University is older than the Aztecs.
More people drown in deserts than die of thirst. “Though precipitation in the desert is infrequent, when it does rain, it comes on suddenly and very heavily. Since deserts don't have water drainage systems in place, and the rains fall too fast for the dry, clay-like soil to absorb the rainfall, water overflow becomes excessive. This also results in quicksand and sandstorms, which can lead to drowning by sand.”
The world is facing a shortage of sand. It is the world’s second most consumed natural resource. Water is first.
Minnesota has more shoreline than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined.
The temperature on the moon at the Apollo 11 landing site was 200ºF (93ºC).
Of the top 5 largest cities in the United States by land area, 4 of them are in Alaska. The largest city, Sitka, has a population of just 8,458.
In 2004 the average TV screen size was 25.4" and the average selling price was $552, whereas, in 2019 the average screen size had increased to 47" while the average selling price had dropped to $336.
Do you remember the rumor that Beatle Paul McCartney had been killed in a 1966 car crash and replaced by a double? It seems to have started on college campuses before spreading to the general public, largely through the efforts of radio disc jockeys. Paul is of course is still alive and well.
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Which fact made you say “No Way“?
As always there are a slew of "No ways!". The Aldgate Pump is fascinatingly weird and creepy. Thanks, Paul.
Sir Bronn ... maybe my favorite character from GOT (other than the dragons). Supposedly Flynn and Lena Headey (Cersei) had a relationship that ended up badly, and the two were never on set together during shooting.