Facts You Probably don’t Need
- After the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, a rumor came about that the bridge was unstable and was going to collapse. To prove it was safe, P.T. Barnum led 21 elephants across it on May 17, 1884.
- Battle for Castle Itter was a battle in World War II in which Americans and Germans fought as allies.
- American company Segway sued a Chinese company Ninebot for selling knockoff units, so the Chinese company acquired Segway.
- Former U.S. Presidents Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt were fifth cousins. However, Franklin’s wife, Eleanor, was Theodore’s niece (the daughter of his brother Elliot).
- Thailand, as part of their family planning program, has police officers who pass out condoms in a campaign called “Cops and Rubbers.”
- Several anonymous donors pay for the college education of every public student in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
- Buddhism was adopted in the Indo-Greek kingdom up to 200 years before it was spread to East Asia.
- Joseph Vittori killed over 200 enemies in three hours during the Korean War before being overrun and killed.
Facts by Sean McVeigh, factologist.
