In the pilot of the classic television sitcom "Mister Ed," the talking horse was played by a mare.

See also:
- IMDB: The Internet Movie Database

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Louis Armstrong's first trumpet was stolen from his hotel room in New York City in 1926. Thirty years later, he found it in a Detroit pawn shop.

See also:
- Satchmo.net

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The pope's official barber, who cuts only the pope's hair, earns an annual salary equivalent to $250,000 (US).

See also:
- The Papacy: An Encyclopedia

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NASCAR was once courted by Japanese investors in a bid to launch "NASCAR Japan," which would have featured full-sized cars driven by radio control.

See also:
- NASCAR Official Site

keywords: entertainment, auto racing, automotive, culture and places, government, land of the rising sun, trivia, fact of the day, fun fact

"Bingo," which is spelled/clapped repeatedly in the traditional children's song, is actually the name of the man - not the dog.

See also:
- Scout Songs Virtual Songbook

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Henry VIII of England traveled to every country in the known world before his 16th birthday.

See also:
- History of the Monarchy: Kings and Queens of England

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The Inca devised an effective method for refrigerating foods using nothing more than clay, corn husks, spring water and feces.

See also:
- MNSU Latin American Prehistory

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The cancellation of the short-lived NBC series "Manimal" (1983) was hastened by rumors of subliminal Satanic messages hidden within the show.

See also:
- IMDB: The Internet Movie Database

keywords: entertainment, television, history, Dr. Jonathan Chase, shape-shifter, shape shifting, animal, religion, sci-fi, crime, tv, drama, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The "M" on M&M's candies were stenciled by hand until WWII labor shortages forced the confectioner to automate the process.

See also:
- The Straight Dope

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Johnny Cash was an avid quilter.

See also:
- Johnny Cash Official Site

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Edgar Allan Poe was a volunteer firefighter.

See also:
- Poe Museum

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The oldest paved road in the world is located in Turkey.

See also:
- Turkey Ministry of Tourism

keywords: science and technology, history, culture and places, transportation, commute, turkish, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Civil rights activist Malcolm X owned a pet poodle named "Num-num."

See also:
- Quotations by Malcolm X
- American Kennel Club

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Blackbeard often fired incendiary cannonballs filled with beeswax, fat and gunpowder. They exploded upon impact, burning with the ferocity of napalm.

See also:
- North Carolina Maritime Museum

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The modern urban slang phrase "Oh, snap!" actually originated in 18th century London.

See also:
- Slang Dictionary

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Champion sharpshooter Annie Oakley carried a purse that was rumored to be made from the tanned scalp of Sioux chief Crazy Horse.

See also:
- Women in History: Annie Oakley
- Crazy Horse Memorial

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New evidence suggests that Socrates' death may have been caused by a spider bite, not a cup of hemlock (as traditionally believed).

See also:
- Philosophy Pages: Socrates

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In 1986, a Russian submarine almost launched a nuclear attack on the U.S. when its radar erroneously identified an arctic seal as an incoming torpedo.

See also:
- Nuclear submarine accidents

keywords: science and technology, government, military, war, u.s.s.r., ussr, submarine, arctic, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

While trying to set a record as the world's heaviest hang glider pilot, wrestler Andre the Giant crashed so violently that he lost his sense of smell.

See also:
- Andre the Giant official site
- Healthlink: Lost Sense of Smell Q&A

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Irish author Bram Stoker and Hungarian-born journalist/publisher Joseph Pulitzer were pen pals as children.

See also:
- Bram Stoker biography and works
- History of the Pulitzer Prizes

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Many of the elephants in zoos throughout Europe are direct descendants of the war elephants Hannibal marched across the Alps in the Second Punic War.

See also:
- Bioparco Zoo of Rome
- Hannibal Barca

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The character of Optimus Prime on the popular 1980s animated television series "Transformers" was originally written to speak with a Jamaican accent.

See also:
- Transformers archive

keywords: entertainment, tv, robots, autobots, decepticons, more than meets the eyes, robots in disguise, science fiction, cartoon, anime, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Fable writer Aesop, who married/divorced at least fifty women, was fond of nontraditional unions. He wed his daughter, his sister and his own mother.

See also:
- Aesop's fables

keywords: entertainment, history, famous people, marriage, incest, author, literature, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

Two of Easter Island's iconic Moai statues emit dangerously high levels of radiation.

See also:
- Mysterious Places: Easter Island
- National Atomic Museum

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Because of the rotation of the Earth, a sound wave moving from East to West will travel slightly farther than the same wave moving from West to East.

See also:
- University of Manitoba: Sound waves

keywords: science and technology, nature, sound, hear, hearing, doppler effect, acoustic, noise, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

In Cambodia, male prostitutes outnumber female prostitutes by a ratio of three to one.

See also:
- Tourism: Cambodia

keywords: sexuality, culture and places, asia, homosexuality, illegal, crime, sex trade, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

A fistfight broke out during Paul Revere's funeral when his casket was dropped by a drunken pallbearer.

See also:
- Paul Revere House

keywords: entertainment, famous people, midnight ride, one if by land, two if by sea, revolutionary war, politics, government, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day

The Olmec Indians of ancient Mesoamerica believed it was bad luck for a mother to raise her own child. They often swapped or sold their newborns.

See also:
- Olmec Indians

keywords: history, religion, culture and places, custom, south america, central america, mexico, native, birth, baby, mexico, trivia, fun fact, fact of the day