The world is a weird place, and contained within it are innumerable possibilities. Of course, most things are normal and predictable. But when things turn weird and the abnormal takes precedence, the world can be quite a sight to behold.
Bambi was voiced by a drill sergeant.
Disney tapped a kid named Donnie Dunagan to voice Bambi in their classic movie. While Dunagan was the voice of childish innocence in the movie, his later career as a Marine Corps drill instructor showed how tough he truly was. He managed to keep his earlier work a secret through his entire career.
Viggo Mortensen has a lifelong horse pal.
Most actors regard the creatures they deal with on-set as just animal actors, but not Viggo Mortensen. He made friends with the horse he rode in Lord of the Rings , and decided to purchase his equine pal after filming concluded.
Mr. T demanded respect.
Laurence Tureaud, better known as Mr. T, chose his moniker because he was sick of seeing his family members getting called “boy” condescendingly . Wanting respect, he named himself Mr. T, and fools were pitied.
We’ve bred cognitive impairment into domestic dogs.
Ever wonder how dogs are capable of such unconditional love? Scientists say that, in order to breed loyalty into dogs, we’ve basically given them Williams syndrome , which means they have cognitive problems and a “tendency to love everyone”.
Sweden exports tons of paper, but also has tons of trees.
Sweden cuts down lots of trees, making them the second largest exporter of paper in the world. Despite this, they’re increasing the amount of forest in their country because of a strict policy of planting three trees for every one they cut down.
A guy robbed a bank to get away from his wife.
Usually the prospect of quick money is the prime motivator in a bank robbery, but no always. A retiree once robbed a bank in Kansas because, as he said, he’d rather go to jail than be with his wife. The judge sentenced him to house arrest.
Weird Al sounds like a weird date.
“Weird Al” Yankovic had a cameo in the 1988 movie The Naked Gun . He says he’d take dates to the movie without telling them he was in it, all while wearing the same Hawaiian shirt he wore during filming.
RELATED STORIES
Silly String was a prank gone right.
The inventors of Silly String tried to sell their invention to Wham-O execs by spraying it all over the office. They were asked to leave, unsurprisingly. The next day, though, they received word that Wham-O wanted to buy their idea.
Don’t want to be tracked? Don’t steal tracking devices.
In 2017, a bunch of Silicon Valley thieves managed to steal a bunch of high-value electronics in a heist. The only problem? The electronics were tracking devices, meaning the thieves were caught just hours later.
Ernest Hemingway was tougher than you or me.
The legendary author is renowned for his rugged, masculine prose, but it turns out he came by his tough-guy image honestly. During his life , he survived malaria, anthrax, pneumonia, skin cancer, high blood pressure, ruptured internal organs, a fractured skull and two plane crashes, to boot.
Wyoming was ahead of the curve on women’s issues.
Back in the 19th Century, before women were allowed to vote in the U.S., Wyoming Territory made a bold stand: they wouldn’t join the U.S. if women weren’t allowed to vote. When they joined, they were the only state that let women vote . Nearly three decades later, the rest of the country followed suit.
The Office was more real than you might think.
If you assumed the recurring characters in The Office were just pretending to work away on their computers, you’d be wrong. Phyllis Smith, who played Phyllis, would do random tasks , including holiday shopping and bill paying, during scenes.
Water is, once again, the most popular drink in the U.S.
It stands to reason that good ol’ H2O would be the most popular drink in the U.S. However, for more than twenty years, soda was America’s most popular beverage. In 2013, the trend was reversed and water took top spot once again.
The oldest business has been going strong for 1,300 years.
In the U.S., some businesses are over a century old. Europe has pubs that have been in business since the Middle Ages. But in Japan, a hot springs hotel has been running continuously since 705 AD, making it the oldest continuously running business in the world.
Psy underestimated himself.
Before the South Korean pop star released Gangnam Style to the world, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to put it on YouTube because he didn’t think he had any international fans . Now, 3.2 billion views later, he can rest assured that he has a few followers.
Don’t lowball the king.
When he joined the NBA out of high school, LeBron James turned down a hefty $10 million endorsement deal from Reebok, saying he might get a bigger offer down the road. Just months later, he signed with Nike for $90 million.
