Category: Fun Facts

Just over 500 years ago, the Duke of Bavaria put a law, Reinheitsgebot, into effect, limiting what ingredients could be used in the beer making process. The law was created in 1516, with the goal of protecting consumers from outrageous prices, keeping brewing companies from using toxic ingredients, and preventing the use of wheat in […]

While Alcatraz has long been thought of as one of the worst prisons in United States history, home to only the most horrible offenders, another prison has been making a name for itself. The US Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility, also known as ADX, is now the highest-security prison in the country. Its nickname? Fittingly, it […]

The national anthem of Greece is based off a poem, “Hymn to the Freedom,” written by Dionysios Solomos. It was inspired by the events of the Greek Revolution in 1821, when Solomos was just 25 years old. Though the version sung today is just one verse, the entire Greek national anthem is much longer: 158 […]

The 75th Precinct of the NYPD in Brooklyn saw one of the most shocking cases of corruption and cover-up between 1986 and 1992. Michael Dowd, a police officer at the precinct, was the leader of a group of corrupt officers known for robbing drug dealers and selling drugs. The wrongdoing was obvious, with Dowd flaunting […]

While food is generally not allowed in the US Senate chamber, George Murphy, a California senator, started a unique tradition in the 1960s. Murphy began to fill one of the drawers in his desk with candy and sneak pieces of candy from the desk throughout the day. Each time a colleague would catch him with […]

Churches in the 19th and 20th centuries had a tradition that many today would scoff at: they would charge parishioners rent for their pews. Members would pay an annual rent, which would allow them to sit in the same pew each week at Sunday services. Not all pews at a church would be rented, to […]

A study was done in 2012 to break down the demographics of those who purchase lottery tickets in the United States. Men were found to play the lottery much more frequently than women, with 18.7 days per year for men, compared to 11.3 days per year for women. A whopping 79% of those between the […]

Today, hypnosis is used as a psychological technique, and—let’s be honest— sometimes as a party or event activity. Hypnosis dates back thousands of years, with documents supporting the idea that a form of hypnosis was round in the days of the Ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians, and Egyptians. At that time, it was used to cure […]

Before Disneyland was such a family-friendly tourist destination, a unique store was located on Main Street. The Intimate Apparel Shop, part of Hollywood-Maxwell Brassiere Company, was opened in 1955, with brassieres, corsets, and petticoats. The store made headlines in publications ranging from the Long Beach Press-Telegram to the Santa Ana Register, advertising its featuring of […]

Films like Jurassic Park have long intrigued Florida residents, who question where they can visit archaeological sites and see dinosaur remains. When Jurassic Park Orlando opened in Florida in the 1990s, scientists received hundreds of phone calls from people asking where the dinosaurs in the film could have been found. Unfortunately for them, the answer […]