The "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that applies to homosexuals in the U.S. military has been used for centuries by the Freemasons.

See also:
- Freemasonry
- U.S. Department of Defense

keywords: history, sexuality, religion, government, masons, freemasonry, military, soldier, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Famously secretive inventor Nikola Tesla devised a binary code based on Pig Latin, with which he encrypted some of his most important work.

See also:
- Tesla: Master of Lightning

keywords: science and technology, history, famous people, language, encryption, secret, scientist, tesla coils, electricity, serbian, physicist, magnetism, industrial revolution, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The pop music duo Hall & Oates originally planned to call themselves "Dreamboat."

See also:
- Hall & Oates official website

keywords: entertainment, music, rock, daryl hall, john oates, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

There really was an "Old MacDonald." Tragically, the subject of the childrens' song killed his wife and then himself in a 19th century murder/suicide.

See also:
- The Crime Library
- Old MacDonald lyrics

keywords: entertainment, history, famous people, music, folk songs, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, is traditionally credited with the invention of sweet pickle relish.

See also:
- The tomb of Qin Shi Huang

keywords: history, food and drink, famous people, culture and places, government, asia, cuisine, cucumber, condiment, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The U.S. "Duck and Cover" campaign of the 1950s was conceived by a U.C. Berkeley improv group. They submitted the idea to Civil Defense as a prank.

See also:
- Civil Defense: Duck and Cover

keywords: entertainment, history, government, cold war, nuclear bomb, fallout shelter, atomic bomb, thermonuclear, cuban missile crisis, kennedy, california, college, university, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Famed frontiersman Daniel Boone never wore a coonskin cap. He did, however, suffer from a medical condition that caused his breasts to lactate.

See also:
- The Daniel Boone homestead
- Male lactation

keywords: history, famous people, explorer, old west, alamo, early america, male lactation, mammary, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

"Queen" Latifah can trace her ancestral roots to a real queen - from the 15th century Danish Royal House of Oldenborg.

Submitted by Scott H.

See also:
- The Danish Monarchy
- Queen Latifah official site
- VH1 artist bio

keywords: entertainment, history, famous people, rap, royalty, hip hop music, film, movies, actress, denmark, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The lungs, when removed for transplant, can survive outside the body longer than any other organ.

See also:
- United Network for Organ Sharing
- Mayo Clinic Lung Transplant Program
- Gray's Anatomy

keywords: nature, medicine, anatomy, transplant, surgery, organ donor, hospital, medical, doctor, surgeon, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The can of Pepsi briefly visible in The Empire Strikes Back (during the attack on Hoth) was deliberately planted on set by a disgruntled technician.

See also:
- Lucasfilm Ltd.
- Movie Mistakes

keywords: entertainment, food and drink, star wars, movie, cinema, film, blooper, mistake, goof, soft drink, pop, soda, cola, taun taun, pepsico, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The Alamo was prefabricated at a quarry in San Juan Bautista, then taken apart and carried by wagon train to San Antonio for final assembly.

See also:
- The Alamo

keywords: history, culture and places, government, mission, san antonio, spanish, texas, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Just 48 hours before Charles Lindbergh's historic flight, a rival pilot was caught trying to pour sugar into the fuel tank of Lindbergh's plane.

See also:
- The TIME 100: Charles Lindbergh

keywords: science and technology, history, famous people, aviation, spirit of st. louis, sucrose, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Only 35 percent of the edible beef produced annually in the United States is ever actually consumed – the rest is discarded as waste.

See also:
- National Cattleman's Beef Association

keywords: food and drink, cattle, cow, meat, food, nutrition, agriculture, farm, farming, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Jazz/rock virtuoso Frank Zappa died before he could complete what he hoped would be his masterwork – an album recorded entirely underwater.

See also:
- The official Frank Zappa site

keywords: entertainment, famous people, music, dweezil, moon unit, arts, sonic, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The broken pieces of limestone that once formed the nose of the Great Sphinx are stored in a warehouse in Sicily.

See also:
- Tour Egypt
- NOVA online adventure: The Great Sphinx of Giza

keywords: history, culture and places, egypt, pyramids, giza plateau, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

In 1994, a fungus killed most of the roses in the White House Rose Garden. The garden was dressed with artificial roses until new blooms grew.

See also:
- White House gardens

keywords: nature, government, roses, flowers, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Hammurabi, king of Babylonia (1792-1750 BC), likely had poor eyesight. He is depicted in ancient murals wearing a primitive version of a monocle.

See also:
- The Code of Hammurabi

keywords: science and technology, history, famous people, culture and places, government, mesopotamia, babylonians, eyesight, corrective lenses, glasses, king, ruler, cradle of civilization, tigris and euphrates, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The first gay character in the history of comics was a pink-shelled tortoise named "Georgie." He made a single appearance in a British comic in 1952.

See also:
- History of comics

keywords: entertainment, sexuality, literature, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The Atlantic Ocean is slightly saltier than the Pacific Ocean.

See also:
- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

keywords: nature, sea, water, salt, sodium chloride, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Contrary to popular belief, bagpipes originated in India.

See also:
- Bagpipes and supplies

keywords: entertainment, history, culture and places, music, musical instruments, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

New York City officials denied a request by Harry Houdini to perform a public stunt that involved a straightjacket, a hand grenade and a hive of bees.

See also:
- Harry Houdini: The man behind the myth
- NYC.gov

keywords: entertainment, history, famous people, government, magic, magician, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Spike, the dog actor who played Old Yeller in the classic Disney film, was buried at sea.

See also:
- Old Yeller

keywords: entertainment, famous animal actor, actors, death, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

A government laboratory in Beijing uses electric eels to predict the time and location of earthquakes. In 2005, its accuracy rate was 89 percent.

See also:
- CIA World Factbook: China
- Earthquake forecast program

keywords: science and technology, nature, culture and places, government, natural disasters, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

To conclude the Statue of Liberty's dedication ceremony, President Grover Cleveland broke a bottle of French absinthe on the statue's toe.

See also:
- National Park Service: Statue of Liberty
- Absinthe guide

keywords: entertainment, history, food and drink, famous people, culture and places, government, alcohol, absinthe, wormwood, thujone, president, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Pablo Picasso created some of his greatest works while wearing nothing but an apron and his favorite sandals.

See also:
- Picasso official site

keywords: entertainment, history, famous people, art, artist, master, paint, painter, painting, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Salt Lake City International Airport was built on sacred Native American (Shoshone tribe) burial grounds.

See also:
- Shoshone Indians

keywords: native american, death, burial, airport, airplane, transportation, culture and places, government, shoshone, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Elected officials in Mexico's Oaxaca state receive one free case of tequila every month for the duration of their terms.

See also:
- Guide to Mexico

keywords: food and drink, culture and places, government, alcohol, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Famed Italian explorer Marco Polo never learned to swim.

See also:
- Biography of Marco Polo

keywords: history, famous people, culture and places, swimming, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

A random sampling of dollar bills from major U.S. cities found that more than 70 percent tested positive for the virus that causes genital warts.

See also:
- Human Papillomavirus
- U.S. Mint

keywords: currency, sexuality, medicine, sexually transmitted diseases, std, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The game of hopscotch originated as a mockery of the Catholic funeral procession.

See also:
- Official Vatican web site

keywords: entertainment, history, religion, culture and places, Rome, catholicism, death, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, was also the target of the first federal wiretap.

See also:
- Alexander Graham Bell

keywords: science and technology, history, inventors, invention, famous people, government, bug, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day