Really TRUE odd factoids

[Ming the Merciless]

The summer olympics had zero viewers in 2020

 

[classic33]

Since the very first tour de France in 1903, average speeds of cyclist have almost doubled. The average speeds for the tour of 2003 was 40.94 kilometres per hour compared to 25.67 kilometres per hour in 1903.

The increase in speed is made possible mainly due to the dramatic changes in equipment, diet, roads, training, Tour rules and sometimes even doping.

 

[classic33]

Goldfinger was the first film in history to feature a laser beam.

 

[classic33]

On this day 75 Years ago

By the time it concluded on the deck of an American warship on September 2, 1945, World War II had claimed the lives of an estimated 60-80 million people, approximately 3 percent of the world’s population.

 

[Chris S]

Private Henry Tandey, a soldier during World War One, couldn't bring himself to kill a wounded German corporal during the battle for Marcoing. The wounded German corporal was probably Adolf Hitler.

 

[Dave7]

On this day 75 Years ago

By the time it concluded on the deck of an American warship on September 2, 1945, World War II had claimed the lives of an estimated 60-80 million people, approximately 3 percent of the world’s population.

And we still haven't learned

 

[classic33]

The first German serviceman killed in World War II was killed by the Japanese.

Whilst

The first American serviceman killed, was killed by the Russians.

 

[classic33]

In World War II, the toilet paper ration was three sheets a day for a British soldier.

The Americans got 22 sheets.

 

[classic33]

The only elephant in the Berlin Zoo was killed by the first bomb dropped on Berlin by Allied bombers.

 

[Beebo]

The Statue of Liberty was originally designed as a Muslim woman for the entrance of the Suez Canal in Egypt.
But Egypt rejected the idea so it was repurposed as Liberty and sent to USA.

 

[classic33]

In December 2012 Jamie MacDonald actually spent 268 hours, 32 minutes to 44 seconds on a static bike. That’s over 11 days nonstop sat on a bike, indoors.

This one is just nuts!
(We can but wonder what state his where in at the end of it).

 

[Beebo]

The term Dixie, referring to the Southern USA derives it’s name from an Englishman, Jeremiah Dixon.
He was one of the map makers who plotted the Mason Dixon line in the1760’s which splits the northern states from the southern ones.

 

[Blue Hills]

Apologies, can't remember the source of this.

But apparently an annotated copy of the Beveridge report, the foundation of the post-war British welfare state, was found in Hitler's bunker.

My source didn't claim that the annotations were in Hitler's own fair hand, but apparently they included:

"our enemies are taking over national-socialistic ideas’
and
‘superior to the current German social insurance"

 

[Dave7]

The term Dixie, referring to the Southern USA derives it’s name from an Englishman, Jeremiah Dixon.
He was one of the map makers who plotted the Mason Dixon line in the1760’s which splits the northern states from the southern ones.

Along with Jeremiah Johnson according to the song.

 

[Beebo]

Along with Jeremiah Johnson according to the song.

Charles Mason?