Tag Archives: random facts

Franklin Roosevelt Was the First U.S Presidents to Start Using an Armored Vehicle For Transportation, Al Capone’s Cadillac

Text Version: Franklin Roosevelt was the first President to have an armored car.  But why he would need one, and where he got it, might surprise you.  In 1941, the secret service found themselves in a bit of a jam.  The Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt needed a ride to address both houses of congress.  Normally, they would’ve […]

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1/6th of the Time Spent Filming Alfred Hitchcock’s Movie Psycho was Spent Shooting the Shower Scene

Text Version: In Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Psycho, the shower scene was made up from 90 different shots using 70 different camera angles. The entire movie only took six weeks to shoot, however, that one shower scene took just over 1 week to complete.  It was believed that Hitchcock used cold water in the shower to make Janet Leigh scream seem more […]

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The Russian Olympic Team Arrived 12 Days Late to The 1908 London Olympics Because They Hadn’t Updated to Using the Gregorian Calendar

Text Version: In the 1500’s most Roman Catholic countries & Scotland adopted the Gregorian Calendar (established by Pope Gregory XIII to compensate for the errors in time that had built up over centuries) over the Julian Calendar (introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC) . A lot of protestant countries however, ignored this new calendar for another 200 or so […]

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Chewing on The Bark of White Willow Tree Alleviates Fever and Pain

Text Version: Before aspirin was introduced, people would chew on the bark of the white willow tree to reduce fever and inflammation. White willow contains salicin, a chemical similar to acetylsalicylic acid  found in today’s aspirin. In fact, in the early 1800s salicin was used to make Aspirin. The tree has anti-inflammatory effects and although it may be slower acting, the effects […]

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Cheerleading Started As An All-Male Activity

  Text Version: Organized cheerleading started as an all-male activity. On the 2nd of November 1898, student Johnny Campbell of the University of Minnesota, directed a crowd at a football game into cheering “Rah, Rah, Rah! Ski-u-mah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!”, making Campbell the very first cheerleader. From then, the University of Minnesota organized a “yell leader” squad […]

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Listerine Popularized the Phrase “Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride”

Text Version: The phrase “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” first originated in a music tune by Fred W. Leigh which had a line in it stating, “Why Am I Always A Bridesmaid?”. However, the mouthwash brand Listerine is responsible for the phrase’s widespread popularity. In 1924, Listerine launched a series of advertisements with slogan “Often a bridesmaid, never a […]

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Black Pepper Was So Expensive In Ancient Times, It Was Used As Currency

Text Version: Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is commonly dried and used as a spice the world over. In earlier times, although pepper was widely well-known as a seasoning, it was very costly which only the affluent could afford. In fact, the Dutch even today use the expression “peperduur” in their language, meaning ‘pepper expensive’ for  something that is very expensive. […]

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