Random Facts
Do you ever wonder if useless information is really useless? What if knowing some random fact will get you out of a fix, impress your boss, or lead someone to think you’re the most interesting person in the world?
Here are some totally random, useless-seeming facts that might just come in handy some day.
(Pssssst. If you're looking for an even longer list of fun facts, just follow that link right there.)
1. Persistent Headaches
Headaches are nothing new. Neither is the use of salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin. Derived from the bark and leaves of willow trees, salicylic acid was used as far back as 2000 BC by the ancient Sumerians to reduce inflammation.
Writings from ancient Egypt attest to the use of willow in the treatment of pain, and the “father of medicine,” Hippocrates, recommended a willow bark tea for the reduction of fever.
2. Dressed for Success
Nowadays it’s mostly ladies who wear leotards, but the knitted garment was actually popularized by a man named Jules Leotard.
A Frenchman born in Toulouse, Leotard also invented the flying trapeze, which explains his interest in one-piece exercise wear that would allow for maximum freedom of movement.
3. Onions in the Eye
The eyes of Pharaoh Ramses IV, who passed in 1149 BC, were replaced with a couple of small onions during the mummification process. Ancient Egyptians associated the onion with mysticism and though them to possess magic powers.
4. Medicine That Could Make You Sick
In 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first live “medical device” for use on humans: maggots. Since the early 1990s, California physician Dr.
Ron Sherman has been proving the ability of maggots to clean difficult wounds, prevent bacteria growth, and promote healing. Dr.
Robert Kirsner, Director of the University of Miami Cedars Wound Center, reports that he employs maggot therapy in one out of 50 cases. You might not want to bring this up at a dinner party.
