January 9, 2024 | Eva Blanchefleur

Bone-Chilling Facts That You Can't Unlearn


Let's get twisted, everybody.


1. Bad Influence

There have been incredible advances in the field of artificial intelligence in past years, but at this point, computers can only learn what humans teach them. Computers learn indiscriminately, and can pick up some pretty bad habits. IBM created a supercomputer named Watson—famous for becoming a champion on Jeopardy!—and after the computer synthesized information learned from Urban Dictionary, an online compendium of slang, they found that Watson’s language was starting to run a bit blue. The computer was fed Urban Dictionary definitions to help it understand slang like “LOL,” but after it began responding to questions by saying “bullshit,” Watson’s handlers had to purge the bad language from the computer’s memory.

Bone-Chilling Facts

2. Strange Statistics

After Jaws came out in 1975, Americans were gripped by a panic of shark fear. But where is the movie about vending machine deaths? According to statistics, the risk of being ended by a shark is 1 in 250 million—not very likely. But the risk of being ended by a vending machine is 1 in 112 million, meaning you’re twice as likely to be liquidated by vending machine than by shark attack!

Twisted FactsEater

Advertisement

3. The Real Deal

Shirley Temple was an incredibly famous and popular child star, and, like all celebrities, was subject to the rumor mill. One persistent rumour suggested that she was not actually a child, but a 30-year-old “dwarf”—fed by her body type and the fact that she never appeared to lose any teeth. In fact, she lost her baby teeth regularly and wore a dental plate in her films. During the height of these rumors, the Vatican even dispatched an investigator, Father Silvio Massante, to verify that she was, in fact, a child. The Vatican.

Shirley Temple factsPicryl

4. Miseducated

A 2008 study uncovered some glaring misconceptions among British teenagers in their understanding of history. 47% of the 3,000 teens polled thought that Richard the Lionheart, a real English King, was fictional. 58% thought that Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective in Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, was real, while 20% thought that Winston Churchill—Prime Minister during the end of World WII—was made up!

Screenshot: Richard I wearing armor is looking at front  from - Richard the Lionheart: Rebellion (2015)Wonderphil Entertainment, Richard the Lionheart: Rebellion (2015)

5. Living Exhibit

In 1846, a desert snail was sent from Egypt to England, where it was glued to a card and exhibited in the British Museum. In 1850, after noticing some discoloration on the card, a museum staffer immersed the snail in a warm water bath, whereupon the little guy woke up! He had spent four years in hibernation in the museum exhibit before it was discovered that he was still alive!

Twisted FactsScenic Overlook

Advertisement

6. Hardy Little Fellows

Four years in a museum hardly compares to the conditions that a tardigrade can survive. The tiny creatures, known as “water bears” or “moss piglets,” can survive radiation, boiling water, and pressures up to six times that of the deepest depths of the ocean. Tardigrades can even survive for 10 days exposed to the radiation and vacuum of space!

Twisted FactsBBC

7. Altered States

Viking warriors are renowned for their strength and fury in battle. A sect of Viking warriors called “Berserkers” are thought to have worked themselves up into a trance-like state during battle by consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms, though other modern scholars chalk their vicious rage up to the emotional distress and post-disturbing stress they’d endure in battle.

Vikings  RolloMGM Television, Vikings

8. What a Party

Rock goddess Janis Joplin passed tragically of a drug misuse on October 4, 1970. She must have known her hard-partying lifestyle would catch up with her—just before her passing, she made changes to her will. She set aside $2,500 to pay for an all-night party, "so my friends can get blasted after I'm gone". Such a shame to lay out for a party she wouldn’t be able to attend.

Jim MorrisonWikipedia

Advertisement

9. Swim Suit / Birthday Suit

Many public pools won’t even let you swim without a bathing cap or hair net these days, but the YMCA actually used to require that all bathers swim uncovered. Uncovered swimming was the norm in the 1800s and first half of the 20th century, when swimsuits were made of wool and could clog pools. Even still, when parents in Menasha, Wisconsin petitioned to allow boys to swim in swim trunks, they were voted down because it was thought that swimming uncovered would “build a man’s character". By the mid-1970s, uncovered swimming all but a thing of the past.

A diving block in a swimming poolAmy Kerkemeyer, Shutterstock

Factinate

Sign up to our newsletter.

History’s most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Making distraction rewarding since 2017.

Thank you!
Error, please try again.

10. Taking A Bite

Atlantic fishermen from Cape Cod to the coast of Brazil might get a creepy surprise if they catch a sheepshead fish and look in their mouths. The sheepshead—also known as the convict fish—are up to 90 cm in length and can weigh 20 lbs, and have three rows of human-like teeth! Like humans, the fish are omnivores, and use their incisors and molars for biting and chewing on smaller creatures and ocean plants.

Twisted FactsMarco news

11. After Effects

Some parts of Laos were so heavily blasted during the Vietnam combat that explosives are still being discovered 40 years later. Many people supplement their income by collecting and selling scrap metal leftover from combat time munitions and damage—and there is so much scrap metal from shrapnel and rubble that some people can rely on it for their entire income.

Twisted FactsInhabitat

Advertisement

12. Mob Justice

In Kasturba Nagar, India, a mob of 200 women charged and liquidated serial rapist Akku Yadav. Five women were taken into custody for the offence, but they had to be released after every woman in the village came forward and claimed responsibility.

Twisted FactsThe Wire

13. Inebriated Daddies

The Founding Fathers are renowned for their intelligence, their rationality, and their foresight in drafting the Constitution of the United States of America, the document that laid the foundations of one of the world’s great nations. But documents newly unearthed suggest they might have been a bit in their cups while drafting the famous document. A bar tab from one evening two days before they signed the constitution ran up 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, eight bottles of booze, 22 of porter, eight of hard cider, 12 of brew, and seven bowls of alcoholic punch. All for only 55 people.

Twisted FactsSites at Penn State

14. Sneaky Pests

It can be incredibly hard to pest-proof your home, especially if you live in an older building. To ensure no critters sneak into to snack on your food, chew on your furniture, or nibble on your toes, be sure to seal off all cracks and crevices no matter how small. A tiny mouse can fit through a hole the size of a ballpoint pen! Mice are very flexible, and their size comes mostly from fur. The only limitation a mouse has is the size of it’s skull—if a little mouse head can fit through a hole, the whole mouse can squeeze through!

Twisted FactsJyotish and Devi

Advertisement

15. Method Acting

Eli Roth played Donny Donowiz, aka “The Bear Jew” in Quentin Tarantino’s World WII flick Inglourious Basterds. To psyche himself up to play his violent and erratic character, Roth came up with a strategy to get in an “insane” headspace: he’d listen to the music of Hannah Montana to get to his “psycho place".

GettyImages- 87872270 CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 20: (Left to Right) Actors Eli Roth,Michael Fassbender,Brad Pitt, Actress Diane Kruger,Director Quentin Tarantino and Actress Melanie Laurent attends the Inglourious Basterds Premiere held at the Palais Des Festivals during the 62nd International Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2009 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)Getty Images

16. May I Have This Dance?

In Strasbourg in 1518, a form of manic group hysteria broke out, causing townspeople to compulsively dance. Known as “The Dancing Plague,” the episode began with a single dancer who danced for four to six days. Within a month, 34 had joined the dancing, and after a month, 400 people manically danced in the streets. Up to 15 dancers per day passed from heart attacks, strokes, or exhaustion. Neither disease nor psychology were well-understood at the time, and modern scholars have blamed the episode on ergot intaking(which causes hallucinations and hysteria). The cure recommended by authorities at the time? More dancing!

Twisted FactsEs Vision Times

17. Blucifer’s Revenge

There are quite a few conspiracy theories floating around about Denver International Airport since it was opened in 1995 by the New World Airport Commission. One suspicious detail is the 32-foot statue of a giant blue rearing stallion with glowing red eyes that stands in front of the Rocky Mountain airport. Nicknamed “Blucifer” by locals, the statue hadn’t even been installed before it took its first life: a portion of the statue toppled on its creator, artist Luis Jiménez, severing an artery in his leg and ending him.

Blucifer at the Denver International AirportMike Sinko, Flickr

Advertisement

18. Alternative to Doping

Sporting leagues exist for those with physical disabilities, with wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby (aka “murderball”) very popular amongst disabled athletes. The level of athleticism required is high, and competition can be fierce. The International Paralympic Committee had to ban the practice of “boosting,” wherein an athlete with a spinal injury would self-harm in order to raise their blood pressure and boost their athletic performance. Methods such as overly tightening leg straps, administering electric shocks, or even breaking toes aren’t felt by the athletes because of their spinal injuries, but noticeably improve athletic performance.

Twisted FactsWikipedia

19. Old Wound

In 2007, a Bowhead whale was discovered with the head of an explosive harpoon embedded deep under its neck blubber. The 4-inch brass projectile was manufactured in New Bedford, Massachusetts in approximately 1890. The whale would have been at least 118 years old, but some whales can live to the age of 200!

Twisted FactsUS whales

20. In Attendance

2016 saw the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest battles in human history, let alone World WI. More than 3 million men lost their lives, and another 1 million were wounded. Among those who were not liquidated were some famous names: J.R.R Tolkien and Adolf H. both fought in this battle, on opposite sides!

J R R Tolkien.Getty Images

Advertisement

21. Ancient Impulse

Adolescent boys may think they’re uniquely scandalous when they draw explicit graffiti, but the urge to deface a wall with a drawing of male genitalia is almost as old as civilization itself. Archaeologists discovered graffiti carved into a rock on an Aegean Island in Greece that is almost 2,500 years old! The inscriptions included drawings of phalluses along with some choice racy poems. Said Dr. Andreas Vlachopolous, a visiting archaeologist, "They were what I would call triumphant inscriptions".

Twisted FactsRFI

22. Systematic Problem

New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people make up only 15% of the population of New Zealand, yet count for 50% of the island nation’s incarcerated population. Despite New Zealand’s reputation for social justice and harmony, the small country has the second highest rate of imprisonment in the western world.

Twisted FactsNews hub

23. White Gold

Hawaii’s white sand beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world. But how did they get so white? Thank the parrotfish, a species that crunches up coral with its powerful beak. Parrotfish don’t have stomachs—the organic matter and nutrients in the creatures that live in coral are absorbed, and the coral’s hard shells are passed right through and excreted as, you guessed it, beautiful white sand. A single parrotfish can poop out 840 lbs of sand per year!

Twisted FactsNews week

Advertisement

24. Calling From The Grave

A researcher once played a recording of an elephant that had passed to its relatives. The family went wild calling, looking all around. The gone elephant’s daughter called for days afterward. The experiment was never repeated.

Sabu FactsShutterstock

25. Rest In Pieces

Adolf H is widely believed to have taken hos own life by ingesting cyanide capsules and hitting himself, but a declassified CIA document revealed that the CIA received reports that AH survived and fled to South America. The document included reports by informants that Adolf H was alive and living in Columbia in 1955—almost a decade after the conflict ended. One memo included a photo of an alleged Adolf H that did strongly resemble the dictator. The CIA was skeptical of these reports at the time and, according to available records, did not attempt to locate the alleged Adolf H. One CIA spokesperson commented on the release, stating that the chances that Adolf H. escaped were “about 5%".

Dictators factsWikimedia Commons

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27


More from Factinate

Featured Article

My mom never told me how her best friend died. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery.

Dark Family Secrets

Dark Family Secrets Exposed

Nothing stays hidden forever—and these dark family secrets are proof that when the truth comes out, it can range from devastating to utterly chilling.
April 8, 2020 Samantha Henman

Featured Article

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.

Madame de Pompadour Facts

Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress

Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark history—or the chilling secret shared by her and Louis.
December 7, 2018 Kyle Climans

More from Factinate

Featured Article

I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life.

These People Got Genius Revenges

When someone really pushes our buttons, we'd like to think that we'd hold our head high and turn the other cheek, but revenge is so, so sweet.
April 22, 2020 Scott Mazza

Featured Article

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but few people know her even darker history.

Catherine of Aragon Facts

Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s First Wife

Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIII’s rejected queen—but very few people know her even darker history.
June 7, 2018 Christine Tran



Dear reader,


Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? We’re always looking for your input! Please reach out to us to let us know what you’re interested in reading. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from “Life” to “Compact Cars and Trucks” to “A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius.” We’ll get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics you’re interested in. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your time!


Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? At Factinate, we’re dedicated to getting things right. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. We want our readers to trust us. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. Please let us know if a fact we’ve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect it’s inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. Thanks for your help!


Warmest regards,



The Factinate team




Want to learn something new every day?

Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter.

Thank you!

Error, please try again.