US Military banned from enforcing state laws

Enacted as the Posse Comitatus Act in 1871 post Southern Reconstruction, it prevents the military from being used to enforce domestic law except under authority of Congress (and a few other exceptions).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act

Door to Hell

There has been a natural gas fire burning since 1971 in Turkmenistan that is so large and fiery that it's been called the "Door to Hell".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Door_to_Hell

Fastest growing religion in the jails of England

Buddhism.

This was an oddly-specific fact in the wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claims_to_be_the_fastest-growing_religion

Medal of Honor benefits

In addition to being famous, there are a bunch of neat benefits that go along with  Medal of Honor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor

Namely:

• A monthly pension of $1,237 for the rest of your life, on top of any other payments
• Invitation to all future presidential inaugurations
• By custom, even superiors in the armed forces will salute you

How much do you trust the opposing army? (Battle of Monte Cassino)

This WW2 battle in Italy was famous for being set around a very old, historical monastery.

Due to its significance, the German commander told the allies and the monks that he would not put troops in it, despite its clear value as a high vantage point and defensive position.

The Allies could not believe that he would forgo such an advantage, so they bombed it to the ground anyway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Cassino

WW2 Polish Army Pet Bear

Seriously.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojtek_(soldier_bear)

Adopted by a Polish artillery company, he helped move ammunition with them during the war, played with them, smoked and ate cigarettes.

Mauled by a bear and left for dead with no supplies, mountain man claws his way back to civilization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Glass

"Near the forks of the Grand River in present-day Perkins County, in August 1823, while scouting alone for game for the expedition's larder, Glass surprised agrizzly bear mother with her two cubs. Before he could fire his rifle, the bear charged, picked him up, and threw him to the ground. Glass got up, grappled for his knife, and fought back, stabbing the animal repeatedly as the grizzly raked him time and again with her claws.

Glass managed to kill the bear with help from his trapping partners, Fitzgerald and Bridger, but was left badly mauled and unconscious. Henry (who was also with them) became convinced the man would not survive his injuries.

Henry asked for two volunteers to stay with Glass until he died, and then bury him. Bridger (then 17 years old) and Fitzgerald stepped forward, and as the rest of the party moved on, began digging his grave. Later claiming that they were interrupted in the task by an attack by "Arikaree" Indians, the pair grabbed Glass's rifle, knife, and other equipment, and took flight. Bridger and Fitzgerald incorrectly reported to Henry that Glass had died.

The Odyssey to Fort Kiowa[edit]

Despite his injuries, Glass regained consciousness. He did so only to find himself abandoned, without weapons or equipment, suffering from a broken leg, the cuts on his back exposing bare ribs, and all his wounds festering. Glass lay mutilated and alone, more than 200 miles (320 km) from the nearest American settlement at Fort Kiowa on the Missouri.

In one of the more remarkable treks known to history, Glass set his own leg, wrapped himself in the bear hide his companions had placed over him as a shroud, and began crawling. To prevent gangrene, Glass laid his wounded back on a rotting log and let the maggots eat the dead flesh.

Deciding that following the Grand River would be too dangerous because of hostile Indians, Glass crawled overland south toward the Cheyenne River. It took him six weeks to reach it.

Glass survived mostly on wild berries and roots. On one occasion he was able to drive two wolves from a downed bison calf, and feast on the meat. Reaching the Cheyenne, he fashioned a crude raft and floated down the river, navigating using the prominent Thunder Butte landmark. Aided by friendly natives who sewed a bear hide to his back to cover the exposed wounds as well as providing him with food and a couple of weapons to defend himself, Glass eventually reached the safety of Fort Kiowa.

After a long recuperation, Glass set out to track down and avenge himself against Bridger and Fitzgerald. When he found Bridger, on the Yellowstone near the mouth of the Bighorn River, Glass spared him, purportedly because of Bridger's youth. When he found Fitzgerald, he discovered that Fitzgerald had joined theUnited States Army, Glass purportedly restrained himself because the consequence of killing a U.S. soldier was death. However, he did recover his lost rifle."

Ninja Miners

Not what you might think, but still interesting.  In Mongolia there are illegal minors who carry a green shell on their backs for their finds, making them resemble Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Seriously.  I can't make this stuff up even if I tried.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_miner

Zud!

Did you know the Mongolians have a special name for winters that are so cold or snowy that they prevent their livestock from grazing?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zud

Green crop circles in the desert

They're a product of center-pivot irrigation, which is essentially a water source in the middle that leads to a long, straight sprinkler pipe that rotates in a circle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_pivot_irrigation

Who owns nuclear weapons in the United States?

Oddly enough, the Department of Energy, not the Department of Defense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_control_of_the_military

What's the largest rebellion in the United States since the Civil War?

I bet you can't name it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain

It was a battle between unionizing mine workers and the mine operators (including their paid army and sympathetic government officials).

SEO Contests

Did you know that there are contests out there to test people's abilities to manipulate search engine optimization techniques?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEO_contest

They pick a nonsensical phrase and then race to see who can get to the top of the page rankings first and longest.

Barrier Troops

Did you know the Russian Army had units specifically devoted to shooting men who tried to retreat?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrier_troops

"Not one step back!"

Stobie Poles

Famous in Australia, where parts of the country have very few tall trees, the Stobie Pole is an iconic piece of the landscape.

It's also really useful if you're playing geoguessr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stobie_pole

The right to privacy in a public area

An interesting Supreme Court case in 1967 that ruled that people have a certain expectation to privacy in public areas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katz_v._United_States

This case dealt with a man who was eavesedropped by the FBI while using a public payphone.

Googlewashing

Googlewashing is the term used for manipulating search engine optimization techniques to redirect a theoretically unrelated search phrase to a specific target.

For example, searching Google for "miserable failure" and having George W. Bush show up as the first result.

The wikipedia article is most interesting for the list of previously completed googlewashes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googlewashing

US Army deserters in the Mexican-American War

Did you know a number of (predominately Irish) soldiers deserted from the US Army and served in the Mexican Army in the Mexican-American War?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Battalion

They fought especially well and bravely, outperforming their Mexican brethren in several battles.  Ultimately, they were almost all hung or shot for desertion.

At the Battle of Churubusco:
"Though hopelessly outnumbered and underequipped, the defenders repelled the attacking U.S. forces with heavy losses until their ammunition ran out and a Mexican officer raised the white flag of surrender. Officer Patrick Dalton of the San Patricios tore the white flag down, prompting Gen. Pedro Anaya to order his men to fight on, with their bare hands if necessary.^[31] American Private Ballentine reported that when the Mexicans attempted to raise the white flag two more times, members of the San Patricios shot and killed them.^[42][43] After brutalclose-quarters fighting with bayonets and sabers through the halls and rooms inside the convent, U.S. Army Captain James M. Smith suggested a surrender after raising his white handkerchief."

Fun facts about the English Monarchy

• A law, still in effect, prevents Roman Catholics from being the monarch, or anyone who marries a Catholic
• The monarchs are paid from revenues generated by the Crown Estate, which has long since been ceded to the government
• Since 1993, the Queen has had to pay income and capital gains tax
• The Queen's full title is: "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith"

What's the fourth most populous country in the world?

This one was a total surprise to me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population




...Indonesia!

Stones that move on their "own"

"Sailing stones" are a scientific curiosity- rocks that move across stretches of ground without any human intervention.  Some of them are quite large, and there are those who believe that the primary theory of locomotion (wind) can not possibly move the largest stones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones

Did you know there are giant freshwater lakes under Antartica's surface?

Of these, Lake Vostok is the largest and most well-known:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Vostok

Because the lakes are isolated from the surface by the ice, they've become a unique and extreme environment for the development of microbes separated from the rest of the world.  A deep ice core sample was taken from Vostok in order to study the microbes.

Scrap hunting can be dangerous

There was a famous incident in Brazil when an abandoned hospital was scavenged by locals who came across an old radiotherapy machine.  Still radioactive, it was spread from junkyard to junkyard, contaminating everyone who came in contact with it and killing several, including a six-year-old girl.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident

Did you know there have been naturally occurring nuclear reactors?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_nuclear_fission_reactor

It requires a very special combination of physical factors (especially water) and a high concentration of uranium.  Only one occurrence has ever been discovered, which was in Africa and occurred 1.7 billion years ago.

Deep underground long-term nuclear waste disposal

A long-term nuclear waste storage plant currently under construction is the WIPP in New Mexico:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_Isolation_Pilot_Plant

An interesting fact about it is the labels and warning signs.  In theory, despite the depth and the layers of concrete and metal, someone could stumble across it in the future.  The Department of Energy is working on creating a "warning" label or image that would stand the test of time.  It currently consists of a warning in the six U.N. languages as well as pictograms.

Did you know bok choy is a type of cabbage?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bok_choy

Circle the wagons!

In 1867, Americans "circled the wagons" against a Native American assault.  They used advanced repeating rifles to hold off an attack that dramatically outnumbered them, setting an example for many future stereotypes of frontiersmen holding off Indians on horseback with bows and arrows besieging them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon_Box_Fight

One suitcase brand that you should know

The Zero Haliburton is a very famous suitcase that's known for carrying US nuclear launch codes, in addition to being a prop in many movies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Halliburton

A special security clearance for working with the US President

"Yankee White" is a difficult security clearance to get that is required to work directly with the President.

"The Yankee White clearance includes requirements for U.S. citizenship and unquestionable loyalty to the United States."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_White

One of the most decisive battles you've never heard of

The Battle of Inchon, Korean War:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Inchon

At a time when American troops were being steadily driven backwards, General MacArthur (of WW2 fame) ordered a daring amphibious landing behind enemy lines that quite possibly changed the course of the war.

The most produced ammunition in the world is...

The .22 Long Rifle rimfire.

Inexpensive, used in many guns and with low recoil, this ammunition is extremely popular (~2-2.5 billion rounds produced annually) despite not being widespread in any military application.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_LR

Rimfire vs. Centerfire ammunition

I think everyone is familiar with centerfire ammunition- i.e., a cartridge that, when struck in the center of its rear, ignites propellant and drives the bullet forwards.

Interestingly, there is another (very popular) means of igniting the propellant called rimfire:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rimfire_ammunition

It relies on compressing the side of a "rim" in the rear of the bullet to cause ignition.

Astronauts carry passports and other documentation on shuttle flights?

Shuttle Down was a novel that portrayed the Space Shuttle being forced to make an emergency landing at the most remote airport in the world on Easter Island.  It then went on to discuss how to repair and fly the shuttle back to the United States, which was made difficult by the size of the airport and the lack of documentation on the part of the astronauts (after all, who carries their wallets into outer space?).

"In real life, and shortly after publication of this book, the United States paid the Chilean Government to improve the facilities at Mataveri International Airport on Rapa Nui in case of just such an emergency, and the airport now has a relatively long runway.^{[citation needed]}

In addition, astronauts now carry passports and other documents, including traveller's cheques, in case of emergency landings.^{[citation needed]"}

^{Do I believe that?  Maybe not.  But still a fun thought nonetheless.}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttle_Down

The first country to develop an automatic rifle was...

Mexico!  Bet you didn't expect that.

It was patented in 1887 (for comparison, the next automatic rifle, the Browning Automatic Rifle, was developed in 1917) and was called the Mondragón rifle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_rifle