150/601
Alice Cooper Band Disbands, Lead Singer Adopts Name for Solo Career

In 1975, the band Alice Cooper disbanded. Subsequently, their lead singer, who had previously performed under the stage name “Alice Cooper,” legally adopted the name Alice Cooper to avoid any legal complexities and pursue a solo career under the same name.

149/601
Japan Plans to Build the Next Tallest Building in the World

Japan has plans to build the next tallest building in the world, called the Sky Mile Tower. It is proposed to be completed in 2045 and would stand some 5,577 feet tall–twice the height of the Burj Khalifa–with 421 floors.

148/601
Magic Johnson Regrets Turning Down a Nike Deal

In 1979, basketball legend Magic Johnson turned down a deal with Nike that offered him 100,000 shares in stock options and $1 for every pair of shoes sold. Instead, he decided to go with Converse, which offered him $100,000 a year. In declining the Nike deal, Johnson missed out on about $5 billion.

147/601
Hawaiian Pizza Was Invented in Canada

Hawaiian Pizza was invented in Ontario, Canada in the 1960s by a Greek immigrant who was inspired by his experience with Chinese food, which typically mixes sweet and savory flavors. In 1999, this became the most popular pizza in Australia.

146/601
Wrigley’s Started Off as a Soap Company

Wrigley’s began as a soap business that offered baking powder along with its soap. Later, it switched to a baking powder business that offered chewing gum with the baking powder. Then, when the chewing gum began to seem more promising, it switched to just selling gum.

145/601
Mark Henry is Arguably the Strongest Man Ever

Mark Henry holds the all-time record for combined lifts totaling 3,324.5 lb. for the snatch, the clean-and-jerk, the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. He achieved this after a lifetime of being drug-free, which arguably makes him the strongest man ever.

144/601
Antilia in Mumbai is the most Expensive Private Residence

Antilia in Mumbai is the private residence of a billionaire and his family. It is considered the most expensive of its kind, costing over $1 billion. The 27-story home has amenities like a 168-car garage, a ballroom, a theatre, a swimming pool, a snow room, and space for 600 staff members. The land it stands on once housed an orphanage.

143/601
In the Swedish Culture, “Fika” Means Coffee, Chit Chat, and Sweet Treats

“Fika” is a Swedish concept that roughly translates to “drinking coffee, munching sweet treats, and chatting.” It is deeply ingrained in their culture, and some companies even provide mandatory fika breaks.

142/601
The People Who Packed the Apollo Parachutes Were Forbidden from Traveling Together

Only three people in the country were licensed to fold and pack the Apollo parachutes. They were considered so indispensable that they were not allowed to ride in the same car to avoid all of them being injured in a single accident and crippling the space program.

141/601
Alfredo Binda Was Offered Money to Stay Away from a Race

The Italian road cyclist, Alfredo Binda, was so dominant in the sport that he was paid to stay away from the 1930 Giro d’Italia race. The amount offered to him was the same as what the first place rider would have won that year.

140/601
A British Retiree Accidentally Found a Hoard of Roman Treasure

In 1992, a British retiree was out searching for a lost hammer using a metal detector. He then found a huge load of Roman treasure, including 15,234 coins, for which the British government gave him £1.75 million. Later, he found the hammer as well.

139/601
A Dutch Bike Company Put the Image of a TV on its Shipping Box

When VanMoof, a Dutch bike company, began shipping its bicycles to the US, they noted that many of the bikes were being damaged. So, they decided to put the image of a big, expensive, flat-screen TV on their bike boxes. Their shipping damages dropped by 70%.

138/601
A Bear, a Lion, and a Tiger Were Friends for About 15 Years

In 2001, a bear, a lion, and a tiger were rescued as cubs from a drug dealer’s house in Atlanta, Georgia. The cubs had bonded as a trio and remained together for about 15 years. It is unusual for animals to maintain such strong bonds well into adulthood.

137/601
Why Do You Weigh Less in Canada’s Hudson Bay Region?

In Canada’s Hudson Bay region, you would weigh slightly less than you would elsewhere because this area has less gravity than other parts of the world.

136/601
Father’s Day Celebrations in Germany Involve Men Pulling Wagons of Beer

In Germany, Father’s Day celebrations often involve groups of men pulling wagons filled with al;l kinds of beer and getting extremely drunk.

135/601
A Utah Father Designed a Unique Tombstone for His Son

In 2000, a Utah father decided to make a tombstone for his son, depicting him to be “free from his earthly afflictions.” The son had been born blind and partially paralyzed, and spent most of his life in a wheelchair.

134/601
The Three Gorges Dam in China is the Largest Hydropower Project

China’s Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydropower plant, with 20 times the generating capacity of Hoover Dam. It was built using 463,000 tons of steel, at a cost of 200 billion yuan ($28.6 billion). In 2005, NASA scientists estimated that the filling of this reservoir would result in a shift of water mass that would increase the length of the Earth’s day by 0.06 microseconds!

133/601Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Could Explain the Existence of Haunted Houses

Carbon monoxide poisoning has reportedly been linked to haunted houses since at least the 1920s. This theory could explain the hallucinations and sickness of the occupants since many haunted houses are older buildings that are more likely to have faulty appliances.

132/601
Residents Complained of Ailments from a Non-functional Cell Tower

The residents of a neighborhood complained of various ailments that they attributed to a new cell phone tower. However, the tower company revealed that the tower had been off for over a month. The complaining residents failed to show up to the followup meetings.

131/601
A Brazilian Mom Won FIFA Fan Award 2019

Silvia Grecco, a Brazilian mom, was given the FIFA Fan Award 2019 after she was seen narrating the match to her then 11-year-old blind son.

130/601
An Elderly Woman Cutoff the Internet to an Entire Country

In 2011, a 75-year-old woman accidentally sliced through fiber optic cables and cutoff Internet services to an entire country.

129/601
The Banana Plant Is an Herb

Bananas are not trees because there is no wood in them. Rather, they’re herbs and the banana is actually a berry.

128/601
How General Motors Unveiled the Camaro in 1966

In 1966, when General Motors unveiled the Camaro name, the automotive press asked Chevrolet product managers, “What is a Camaro?” The reply they received was that it was “a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs.”

127/601
FedEx Founder Saved the Company by Playing Blackjack

FedEx founder, Frederick Smith, saved the company from bankruptcy by flying to Las Vegas and playing blackjack with the last $5,000 the company had. He won $27,000, which kept FedEx operating for one more week while it gathered more funds.

126/601
In 2010, a Couple Purchased a Town in the State of Washington in the USA

In 2010, a couple bought the town of Wauconda in Washington for just $360,000. It came with a café, a gas station, a post office, a four-bedroom house, and its own zip code.

125/601
Fungi that “Eat” Radiation Are Growing Around Chernobyl

Fungi that “eat” radiation have been spotted growing around the ruined Chernobyl nuclear reactor. These fungi contain melanin (a pigment also found in human skin) that helps them harvest the energy from radiation.

124/601
In Churchill, Canada, People Leave Cars Unlocked Due to Polar Bears

In Churchill, Canada, it is common for people to leave their cars unlocked so that others have somewhere to escape in case they encounter a polar bear.

123/601
An Under-construction Pyramid in Germany Will Be Completed in the Year 3183

A pyramid being built in Germany is scheduled to be completed in the year 3183. It is being made by placing one concrete block, weighing over six tons, every ten years. The fourth block will be installed on 9 September 2023.

122/601
Why Does it Get Quiet After a Snowfall?

Freshly fallen snow can trap sound from our surroundings because it has tiny gaps of air between the snowflakes. This is why it gets really quiet after a snowfall.

121/601
The Longest-lasting Bulb Has Been Burning Since 1901

The world’s longest-lasting light bulb has been glowing for over a hundred years, since its installation in 1901. Its filament, made from carbon, is eight times thicker than those in contemporary incandescent bulbs.

120/601
Most Dives into the Mariana Trench Have Occured in the Past Four Years

About 91% of all dives into the depths of the Mariana Trench occured in the past four years. The only visitors before that were the original explorers (in 1960) and James Cameron (in 2012).

119/601
What Do the Terms “Tramp,” “Bum,” and “Hobo” Mean?

A “tramp” is someone who travels and works only when necessary. A “bum” neither travels nor works. A”hobo” is a willing worker who travels.

118/601
A Chinese Passenger Drank a Bottle of Alcohol Instead of Surrendering it

In 2015, a Chinese passenger was stopped at the Beijing Airport for carrying a bottle of cognac. Rather than surrender it, she chose to down the entire bottle. She was later barred from flying because she’d become too drunk.

117/601
Watching TV Shows and Movies on Repeat Can Be Beneficial

Watching TV shows and movies over and over again can be good for us. The repeated viewings can comfort us because knowing the outcome of the story gives us a sense of control over our lives when things feel unpredictable.

116/601
Japan Uses Warm Water Sprinklers to Melt Snow

Japan has sprinklers that spray warm water to melt snow on the streets.

115/601
Who Was Dale Schroeder?

Dale Schroeder was an Iowan man who lived frugally, worked 67 years for the same business, never married or had kids, and owned only two pairs of jeans. His $3 million estate paid for 33 people to go to college.

114/601
This NY Restaurant Employs Grandmas

In Staten Island, New York, there is a restaurant called Enoteca Maria that employs grandmas. In addition to a regular Italian menu, grandmas from around the world also prepare dishes that honor their native cuisine.

113/601
Flatworms Can Regrow Brains and Retain Memories

If a flatworm’s head is cut off, it can regrow its head and brain, and even retain memories from its old brain!

112/601
Sony Sold Waterproof Walkmans in Water Bottles

Sony once sold its waterproof Walkman in bottles of water to show that it was actually waterproof.

111/601
A Rat Ate About $18,000 From an ATM

In 2018, a rat got inside an ATM and ate about $18,000 worth of cash.

110/601
A Man Lost at Sea Survived on Ketchup and Seasonings

A man from the island nation of Dominica was lost at sea for more than 20 days and survived on just ketchup and seasonings!

109/601
Burritos Are Common in Space

Burritos are popular among astronauts in space because the tortillas they are wrapped in don’t produce crumbs that could float around and damage equipment.

108/601
Eminem’s Fastest Rap Verse

Eminem holds the record for the fastest rap verse in the third verse of his song “Godzilla,” having rapped 11 syllables per second, or 222 words in 30 seconds!

107/601
MRI Scans Suggest Rejection Is as Painful as Physical Pain

Rejection may not be all that different from physical pain. MRI brain scans have shown that when someone experiences rejection, it activates brain areas tied to the feeling of pain.

106/601
The Fuggerei in Germany Has Had the Same Rent for 500 Years

The Fuggerei in Augsburg, Germany, is a small, gated community where rent for each of its housing units is just €0.88 a year. This rent has remained unchanged since the 1500s when it was first built.

105/601
Humans Are Great Endurance Runners

Four-legged animals might sprint faster than humans, but when it comes to running long distances, humans can outrun them because of our ability to stay cool through sweating.

104/601
Scorpions Can Withstand Extreme Conditions

Scorpions can withstand such extreme conditions that researchers have frozen them overnight, put them in the sun the next day to thaw out, and watched them walk away.

103/601
More Dogs Watch TV Now Because of Higher Resolution Screens

There are more dogs watching TV now because of the higher definition on newer TVs. Older TVs showed fewer frames per second, but the modern high-resolution digital screens allow dogs to watch things as well as humans.

102/601
MIT Scientists Have Developed a Prototype for the “FingerReader”

Scientists at MIT have developed a prototype for the “FingerReader,” a camera that can be worn like a ring on the finger to allow the visually impaired to read without Braille. It scans text and reads it out loud, and even vibrates to let users know that they have strayed from a line.

101/601
A Flight of Human Power: The Gossamer’s 1979 Journey

On June 12, 1979, the Gossamer Albatross became the first human-powered aircraft to cross the English Channel. The 70-lb aircraft that was powered using pedals to drive a large, two-bladed propeller completed the 26-mile flight in 2 hours, 49 minutes. In still air, the aircraft required 300 watts of power, about as much power as a household blender uses.