Barnorama All Fun In The Barn
“The city of Cincinnati has a subway system that was built and never used. It is recognized as the largest abandoned subway tunnel in the United States. ”
“While he was writing the score for The Last Samurai, composer Hans Zimmer felt that his knowledge of Japanese music was very limited even after doing extensive research. When he took what he had written to Japan for feedback, he was shocked when he was asked how he knew so much about Japanese music.”
“Having bridesmaids in a wedding wasn’t originally for moral support. They were “intended to confuse evil spirits or those who wished to harm the bride.””
“There is an island called Just Enough Room located at the Canadian-US border on the St. Lawrence River east of Ontario. There is just enough room on the island for a tree, a house and two wrought-iron chairs.”
“There was a movie made in 2009 consisting only of paint drying, as a rebuttal to critics who often mention that they “would rather watch paint dry” than a particular film. ”
“When filming the movie “Space Jam”, Warner Brothers built an indoor gym nicknamed the “Jordan Dome.” Michael Jordan used it to get back into playing shape for his return by playing pickup games against other NBA players and celebrities. ”
“One of the richest men of all time, J. Paul Getty, had a pay phone installed in his house after visitors racked up his phone bill.”
“The first word spoken over the internet was “lo.” It was supposed to be “login” but the computer crashed after the first two letters.”
“The first ever comic convention was held in New York City in 1964. It was hosted in a small hotel room and had about 30 guests. The first person that signed up for attendance was a teenager named George R.R. Martin.”
“On their way to an expected easy victory in Greece, the Persians brought a block of marble along to make a victory memorial in 490 B.C. After their defeat at the Battle of Marathon, the marble was used for a statue of Nemesis, the goddess of divine justice who strikes down those who suffer from hubris and pride.”
“Before his days as a supernatural detective, Norville “Shaggy” Rogers was once a track star and gymnast, “both of which hint at his uncanny skills in quickly evading villains.””
“Research shows that students who write out their notes on paper actually learn more than those taking notes by typing.”
“The Irish respected their dogs so much that if a Warrior or King gained the loyalty of a hound, they would be given the prefix “Cu” meaning ”Hound” added on before their own name to show others they were worthy of the respect and loyalty of a dog. ”
“There is a rare snail that was named in honor of Steve Irwin, “Crikey steveirwini.””
“A Starbucks white hot chocolate has 78 grams of sugar (2 cans of soda), and over 500 calories, more than a McDonald’s Big Mac. ”
“In 2012, a man intentionally jumped off of the monorail at the Bronx Zoo into the tiger exhibit, to be ‘one with the tiger.’ He was mauled by the tiger, but survived, and when the police asked him why he did it he replied “everyone in life makes choices.””
“In 2013, a California couple found over 1,400 Double Eagle gold coins from the late 1800s stowed in tin cans on their property. The value of the coins is estimated at $10 million.”
“Mexico is named after its capital Mexico City, not the other way around.”
“The prosthetic testicles Will Ferrell used in Step Brothers cost $10,000 to make, and are now one of his most treasured keepsakes.”
“Until 11,000 years ago milk was toxic to humans. The only way we could consume it was lowering the lactose levels by turning it into cheese. Today only one-third of the adults are lactose tolerant and the closer you get to the equator the lower the tolerance level is.”
“During the first Gulf War, the Iraqi military dispensed propaganda pamphlets and radio spots aimed at US soldiers that said that while they were in Iraq fighting, “their wives were in bed with Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, and Bart Simpson” back at home. ”
““Biweekly” means both “twice a week” and “every two weeks.”’
“Alexander Bell never called his wife or his mother after inventing the telephone because they were both deaf.”
“Over 1,000,000 Euros are thrown into the Trevi fountain in Rome, Italy every year. The money is used to subsidize a supermarket for the needy.”
“Thelma Schoonmaker, Director Martin Scorsese’s editor, when asked how it was that such a nice lady could edit such a violent movies, she answered, “Ah, but they aren’t violent until I’ve edited them.””
“The Smokey Bear Effect is a bad thing. Decades of preventing small fires leads to the accumulation of undergrowth that fuels massive super fires today.”
“In 1990, disabled activists got out of their wheelchairs and crawled up the steps of the Capitol, inconveniencing Senators to encourage a vote on the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
“Steven Spielberg asked to do a James Bond movie, but was refused. When he told George Lucas he was going to ask again, Lucas said “I’ve got something better than that. It’s called Raiders of the Lost Ark.””
“Due to wasabi’s high cost, most of the ‘wasabi’ people eat is actually a mixture of horseradish, mustard, starch and green food coloring.”