Gates at Microsoft
26. Shortly after Bill Gates left to launch Microsoft, a Harvard professor who had worked with him remembered, “He had moved to Albuquerque… to run a small company writing code for microprocessors, of all things. I remember thinking: ‘Such a brilliant kid. What a waste.'”
27. The “ZIP” in ZIP Code stands for Zone Improvement Plan, a label chosen because mail would not only move more efficiently but also because it would comparatively zip right to your address.
28. Mount Everest’s original height “was calculated to be exactly 29,000 feet (8,839.2 meters) high, but was publicly declared to be 29,002 feet (8,839.8 meters) in order to avoid the impression that an exact height of 29,000 feet (8,839.2 meters) was nothing more than a rounded estimate.”
29. The Navajo have a custom focused on honoring a baby’s first laugh. When a baby is about three months old, family members keep a close watch for the child’s first real giggle, which is regarded as a significant milestone. The person lucky enough to prompt that first laugh must then arrange a celebration to recognize the baby’s entrance into the social world.
30. In Victorian London, mail was delivered to homes 12 times a day. “Return of post” was a widely used phrase for asking that a reply be mailed at the next scheduled delivery. It was very common for people to complain if a letter did not arrive within a few hours.
31. The well-known helicopter photo from the end of the Vietnam War was not taken at the US embassy but on the roof of an apartment building that was home to senior CIA staff.
32. Eating duck medium rare can be just as dangerous as eating chicken that is not fully cooked. In 2015, the UK Food Standards Agency warned that duck should be cooked until it is steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat and clear juices. The agency said campylobacter, the same food-poisoning bacteria often linked to chicken, can also contaminate duck.
33. There were 2 DC heroes known as Dogwelder, whose power was to weld dogs to people. Dogwelder II gave up his life to save the universe by welding two suns together.
34. Sylvester Graham, who was known for inventing the Graham Cracker and promoting clean eating, vegetarianism, and avoiding alcohol, meat, and even white bread, died at age 57. Ironically, he died from complications after an opium enema.
35. The insides of spitting cobras’ fangs have ridges like those inside a rifle’s barrel, which help them shoot venom farther.
Greenland’s Clever Name
36. Norse explorer Erik The Red, who discovered Greenland, named it Greenland despite its ice cover because people would be more likely to go there if it had an appealing name, and he used that as a trick to attract settlers to Greenland.
37. During WWI, the Belgian King (Albert I) personally commanded the army, the Queen worked as a nurse, and the 14-year-old Prince joined as a private and fought in the ranks.
38. It is basically impossible to make a hamster drunk because their livers process alcohol so efficiently.
39. Before anti-venom was invented, the black mamba had a 100% fatality rate, and its victims would die in about 20 minutes.
40. Deaf people who have schizophrenia still experience auditory hallucinations. However, instead of hearing voices, they see hands signing at them.
41. Frank Miller once considered writing a Wonder Woman origin comic in the style of his own “Batman: Year One,” with the title “Wonder Woman Bondage,” and some pretty offensive artwork was created to gauge DC Comic’ comfortability with the project, but it was eventually abandoned.
42. In 2011, Oprah Winfrey learned that she has a sister she never knew existed, and she now supports her financially because Oprah was so impressed by her sister’s loyalty. Her sister had spent 4 years trying to reach Oprah without success and never once tried to sell the story to the press.
43. In San Antonio, Texas, lynchings were once carried out in front of the San Fernando Cathedral until the priest cut down the trees where the hangings happened.
44. In Eastern Canada, 1923 is called “The Year of Free Beef.” The name came from the Maritimes’ shift from driving on the left to the right-hand side of the road. Because oxen could not be retrained to walk on the right side, they were sent to slaughter, which caused a major drop in beef prices.
45. The original script for Wayne’s World had Robert Patrick’s cameo as T-1000 saying to Wayne, “You’re speeding.” But the line was changed at the last second after a producer’s son said it was not funny.
Oates’ Final Sacrifice
46. Antarctic explorer Lawrence Oates gave up his life for the sake of his crew by walking to his death in −40 °F. His last words were “I am just going outside and may be some time.”
47. As the legend goes, a woman called Pope Joan ruled for several years in the middle ages while disguised as a man. After she was discovered, prospective popes had to sit on a chair with a hole in the seat, and a cardinal would reach through it to verify that the new pope had testicles.
48. JRR Tolkien typed the whole of “The Lord of the Rings” using a two-finger pecking style.
49. “Lazy eye” or “Amblyopia” can be improved by playing Tetris. This is more efficient than an eye patch because it uses both eyes together and uses rapid eye movement to help inspect the pieces and where they should go.
50. Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury worked together in the 80s, but Mercury ended it because Jackson kept bringing his pet llama into the recording studio.
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