In 1999, Philip Morris attempted to convince the Czech Republic that smoking was highly beneficial to the country, as more people would die earlier, saving the government millions on pensions, hospitals, and housing for elderly citizens. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-05-mn-30831-story.html
Tartle is an old Scottish word for the moment of hesitation when you are introducing someone whose name you can’t remember. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/7936824/Tartle-bufetak-kaelling-the-foreign-words-to-which-English-has-no-answer.html
Recent research found that nearly half of all US food produced is discarded (left in the field to rot, fed to livestock, or hauled directly from the field to landfill) because of unrealistic “cosmetic food” standards. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/13/us-food-waste-ugly-fruit-vegetables-perfect
There’s a species of orchid that looks like a monkey’s face called ‘Dracula Simia’. It is native to the tropical cloud forests of Southeastern Ecuador and Peru as it grows best in elevations above 2,000 feet. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_simia
Japan has installed special concrete tunnels under some of their train tracks to allow for turtles to cross the tracks. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japanese-rail-workers-build-special-tunnels-to-save-turtles-from-train-deaths-a6757466.html
In the late 1600s, London was plagued by a sexual attacker, dubbed ‘Whipping Tom’, who would spank his victims with his hand or sometimes a rod and shout ‘Spanko!’ before running away. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipping_Tom
In 1979, when the Skylab re-entry approached and headed for Australia, the San Francisco Examiner offered $10,000 to the first person to deliver a piece to them within 72 hours. A 17yr old Aussie collected a piece, jumped on a plane to SFO with no passport or luggage, and collected his prize. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/09/the-strange-tale-of-the-skylabs-fall-from-orbit/245332/
The word sarcasm can be traced back to the Greek verb sarkazein, which initially meant “to tear flesh like a dog.” – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarcasm
Studies have shown that removing lead from gasoline is one of the factors that lead to the drop in the violent crime rate in America in the 1990s. Individuals exposed to lead at young ages have numerous conditions and problems with impulse control, all of which may negatively impact decision making and lead to a life of violent crime as they reach adulthood. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead%E2%80%93crime_hypothesis