Interesting & Amazing Facts
People
Behram
Behram, an Indian thug, holds the record for most murders by a single individual. He strangled 931 people between 1790-1840 with a piece of yellow and white cloth, called a ruhmal. The most murders by a woman are 612, by Countess Erzsebet Bathory of Hungary.
Bell, Alexander Graham
Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, never telephoned his wife or mother because they were both deaf.
Beysari, Emir
Emir Beysari (1233-1293), an Egyptian of great wealth, drank wine from gold and silver cups, yet he never in all his life used the same cup twice.
British Royal Family
The British royal family changed their surname (last name) from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, the name of their castle, in 1917.
Capone, Al
Al Capone's older brother Vince Capone was a policeman in Nebraska.
Castro, Fidel
Fidel Castro was once a star baseball player for the University of Havana in the 1940's.
China (Population)
* If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
* Despite a population of over a billion, China has only about 200 family names.
* China has more English speakers than the United States.
Churchill, Winston
Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II, superstitiously feared January 24 because he was certain it was destined to be the day of his death. Churchill's father had died on that date. Churchill did indeed die on January 24, 1965.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra married two of her brothers.
Criminals
80% of arrested criminals are male.
da Vinci Leonardo
* Leonardo da Vinci invented the scissors. He could also draw with one hand and write with the other. He ALSO wrote his notes backwards, going from right to left, just as a mental exercise.
* Leonardo da Vinci was dyslexic, and he often wrote backwards.
Death
* Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people.
* More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.
Diana, Princess Of Wales
Princess Diana was buried in a plot of land once used as the Spencer family pet cemetery.
Einstein, Albert
The parents of Albert Einstein were worried that he was mentally slow because it took him a long time to learn how to speak.
Gore (Al) & Jones (Tommy Lee)
Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones were once roommates.
Queen Isabella
In her entire lifetime, Spain's Queen Isabella (1451-1504) bathed twice.
Ivan The Terrible
In 1555, Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. He was so thrilled with the work done by the two architects that he had them blinded so they could never be able to build anything else more beautiful.
Jahangir
Jahangir, a 17th-century Indian Mughal ruler, had 5,000 women in his harem and 1,000 young boys. He also owned 12,000 elephants.
Jefferson, Thomas
Thomas Jefferson was once given a 1,235 pound hunk of cheese, giving us the term "the big cheese."
Joan Of Arc
Joan of Arc was actually burned alive as a witch in 1431, and only considered a saint in the 20th century.
Lee, Bruce
Bruce Lee was so fast, that they actually had to slow a film down so you could see his moves.
Lee, Robert E.
Robert E. Lee, of the Confederate Army, remains the only person, to date, to have graduated from the West Point military academy without a single demerit.
Lincoln, Abraham
Before winning the election in 1860, Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections for various offices.
Louis XV
Louis XV was the first person to use an elevator: in 1743 his "flying chair" carried him between the floors of the Versailles palace.
Maori
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries collecting tattooed Maori heads became so popular in Europe that many Maoris were murdered to supply the trade.
Mohammed (Name)
The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Although most people think that Napoleon was short, he was actually five feet six inches tall (1.676 meters), an average height for a Frenchman in those days.
Nightingale, Florence
Florence Nightingale served only two years of her life as a nurse. She contracted fever during her service in the Crimean War, and spent the last 50 years of her life as an invalid.
North Americans
Half of all North Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace.
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria used marijuana, to help relieve menstrual cramp pain.
Roosevelt, Teddy
President Teddy Roosevelt died from an "infected tooth."
School Dropouts
* Harry Belafonte
* Cher
* Mary Baker Eddy
* Henry Ford
* George Gershwin
* Adolf Hitler
* Dean Martin
* Steve McQueen
* Al Pacino
* Frank Sinatra
* Marshal Tito
* Orville & Wilbur Wright
Sumerians
The Sumerians, who lived in the Middle East, invented the wheel in about 3450 BC.
Queen Supayalat
Queen Supayalat of Burma ordered about 100 of her husband's relatives clubbed to death. She did this to ensure the throne to her husband.
Taft, Howard
On April 14th, 1910, President Howard Taft began a sports tradition by throwing out the first baseball of the season. That happened at an American League game between Washington and Philadelphia. Washington won, 3-0.
Tibet
In Tibet there is actually a practice called 'polyandry' where many men, usually brothers, marry a single woman? This takes place so that only one set of children will inherit the land.
Washington, George
George Washington grew marijuana in his garden.
Wealth
* The combined wealth of the world's 250 richest people, is greater than the combined wealth of the poorest 1.5 billion citizens.
* Worlds Richest People – 2003
Bill Gates – Microsoft - $40.7 Billion
Warren Buffet – Investments – $30.5 Billion
Karl & Theo Albrecht – Retail - $25.6 Billion
Paul G Allen – Microsoft - $20.1 Billion
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud – Investments - $17.7 Billion
Lawrence J Ellison – Oracle - $16.6 Billion
Alice L Walton – Wal-Mart (Inherited) - $16.5 Billion
Helen R Walton – Wal-Mart (Inherited) - $16.5 Billion
Jim C Walton – Wal-Mart (Inherited) - $16.5 Billion
John T Walton – Wal-Mart (Inherited) - $16.5 Billion
S Robson Walton 0 Wal-Mart (Inherited) - $16.5 Billion
Yurok Indians
If male-female twins were born to a member of the Yurok Indians, the female would always be killed incase the two babies might have committed incest in their mother's womb.