13 Fascinating Facts To Feed Your Brain

1. Since suicide is an unforgivable sin for Christians many people, especially women in 18th century resorted to suicide by proxy. They would usually murder a child, a crime punishable by death and ask for forgiveness right before the execution

2. Ray Lewis grew up using a deck of cards to do push ups and sit ups. If he drew a 7 he would do 7. An ace was 25 and a Joker 30. He would go through the whole deck. In the nfl, he would do it 3 times for each exercise. Also the reason he wore 52 was because of the number of cards in the deck

3. The snow used in the Wizard of Oz was 100% pure asbestos

4. Printer companies embed chips into ink cartridges that force them to stop printing after a set expiration date, even if there is ink remaining

5. The “Flynn Effect” which shows the average IQ is rising steadily each generation. IQ tests are continually made harder to keep the average at 100. Today’s children that take tests from past decades are averaging significantly higher than 100

6. Despite infamously campaigning on “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,” Alabama governor George Wallace later renounced segregationism, publicly apologized to the black community, and appointed record numbers of African Americans to state positions and his cabinet.

7. LeBron James’ “Promise School” where at-risk students have 8 hour days, a longer school year and receive free meals, bikes, and tuition

8. Several computer algorithms have named Bobby Fischer the best chess player in history. Years after his retirement Bobby played a grandmaster at the height of his career. He said Bobby appeared bored and effortlessly beat him 17 times in a row. “He was too good. There was no use in playing him”

9. The quietest place on Earth is in a small studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At -13 dBA it’s so quiet you can hear the internal workings of your body.

10. Most states require car manufacturers to sell through the dealers. Even if your order directly from the factory, the order must go through the dealer. This dealer distribution system adds around 30% to the price of the cars.

11. According to a study, strict parents can turn their kids into more effective liars because children who are afraid to tell the truth learn more deceptive behaviors to avoid getting in trouble.

12. Martin Luther King’s mother was also assassinated. A deranged man who believed Christianity was harming African Americans gunned her down as she played the organ in church. He was sentenced to death but this was commuted to life imprisonment because the Kings opposed capital punishment

13. JFK’s father Joseph Kennedy made much of his fortune through insider trading. FDR later made him chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. When asked why he appointed a crook, FDR replied, “set a thief to catch a thief.” Kennedy proceeded to outlaw the practices that made him rich.