Random Facts (of Queen, Bugs Bunny and Flatulence)

because you know you love random trivia... note: these facts have only been been mildly investigated for accuracy...repeat at your own risk!

freddie mercury, the lead singer of british music group queen, was born in zanzibar and named farrokh bulsara

the purpose of gasoline rationing during the second world war was not to conserve gas, but to conserve tires. the primary source for natural rubber at the time was southeast asia, much of which was under japanese control.

robert lincoln, son of president lincoln, was saved from a nasty railroad accident by edwin booth. edwin was the brother of abraham lincoln’s assassin, john wilkes booth.

america’s first “air force” was equipped with five hot-air balloons and fifty servicemen.

the orange river in southern africa isn’t named for the fruit or the color; it’s named for the dutch royal family who sent explorers to “discover” the area.

habitual singing causes the lungs to release leptin, a protein manufactured by the body’s fat cells that is involved in the regulation of appetite. this may partially explain why opera stars tend to lean toward the heavy end of the scale.

the baltimore ravens football team of the national football league is the only team in history to be named after the title of a poem: “the raven” by edgar allan poe. poe was not from baltimore, but he lived there for short periods. in 1849, he died there while visiting the city on business.

even though he hated their taste, mel blanc insisted on chewing real carrots to provide the chomping sounds for cartoon character bugs bunny.

using an orange-handled coffee pot to denote decaffeinated brew dates back to 1923, when general foods first introduced sanka. As a promotional gimmick, they provided restaurants and diners with orange pots that matched the orange packaging of their decaf coffee.

five to ten times as many people were killed in the peshtigo, wi, fire on october 8, 1871 than in the famous chicago fire on the same day.

according to doctors, humans suffer an average of 14 episodes of flatulence per day.