10 Random Facts - July 2020 Edition

This month it was my baby sister's birthday, and this post will have facts about ten things she's interested in. I purple you sis! 💜💎

1. Beagles used to be pocket sized. 

When the breed was first developed they were only about 8-9 inches from their feet to their shoulders. They died out during the 19th century although some people still claim to sell Pocket Beagles today, don't fall for it though because it's just a scam. Back when they did still exist they were a favorite of the first Queen Elizabeth, she called them her "Singing Beagles." Another surprising fact about these tiny Beagles is that they were still used for hunting, they rode around in saddle bags before they were let loose to hunt.

2. The Once Upon a Time creators brought over some of their old cast.

Before OUAT Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, who are the creators of the show, worked on a show called Lost. And quite a few of the actors from that show popped up in Storybrooke. The list includes Lana Parrilla (who played Regina in Once), Emilie De Ravin (Belle), Rebecca Mader (Zelena), Jorge Garcia (Anton better known as Tiny), Elizabeth Mitchell (Ingrid), and Alan Dale (King George).

3. Some things in Minecraft are not what they seem.

With this fact we're going to have a little myth busting, Minecraft worlds are not infinite. But they might as well be. You'd have to travel to an positive or negative X or Z of 29,999,984 to run into the first world wall. There are three layers, and some people have made it past all of them. But if you decide to try it then you should be aware that the game will crash if you go past the third wall. Another thing in this iconic game that isn't what it seems is the Enderman. Turns out they aren't speaking gibberish, sometimes. If you were to record an Enderman speaking and play it backwards you'd find that most of it's words are from the English language.

4. There are scientific reasons why having sisters is awesome.

According to a study from Brigham Young University people with sisters, no matter the age difference, experience less negative emotions such as loneliness, guilt, and feelings of fear. During that same study they found out that people with sisters reported feeling more loved than others who didn't have sisters.

Bonus Fact: Donna Bobbitt-Zeher (a professor of sociology) says for every sibling you have (bro or sis) your likelihood of getting divorced is cut by 2%

5. Houghs in Harry Potter?

The Hough siblings, Derek and Julianne, are possibly best known for their work on Dancing with the Stars but did you know that they both had cameos in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? It turns out they did, but they belonged to different houses. Derek played a Ravenclaw student holding an owl and heading home for Christmas whereas his sister Julianne played an unnamed Gryffindor.

6. The characters that we know from Titanic could have turned out very differently.

It's hard to imagine anyone else other than Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, but it could've turned out to be Matthew McConaughey. I mean that would've been alright alright alright but DiCaprio as Jack will forever remain superior. It wasn't just McConaughey though, some other stars considered for the iconic role include Tom Cruise, Jeremy Sisto, and Brad Pitt. Some actresses being considered for the role of Rose were just as noteworthy like Nicole Kidman, Jodie Foster, Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Sharon Stone, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

7. Scrabble comes in a lot of languages.

To be exact Scrabble has been translated into 22 languages, there is even a Braille version. The game is sold in 121 countries and over 150 million copies of it has been sold worldwide. And if you think that Scrabble is most popular here in the US then you'd be wrong. In Nigeria the government recognizes it as a sport.

8. Bunny lingo is a little unexpected.

You just might recognize some of the words. Male rabbits are called "bucks" and likewise females are called "does". A baby rabbit is called a "kit", although I know we were all expecting it to be called a fawn. If you're referring to a group of babies, they're called a "litter". And get this, a group of rabbits is called a "herd". Herds of rabbits live in "warrens", which are networks of burrows they've dug.

9. The mysterious origins of QWERTY.

Well maybe not mysterious but definitely up for debate. The QWERTY layout was developed in 1874 for Sholes & Glidden typewriters and is still used today as the standard for English-language computer keyboards. There are multiple theories about why the layout was designed that way, some think it was to reduce the chances of typebars clashing together when you type, others think it was to make it easier for salesmen to type out "typewriter" in order to demonstrate the product since you can type out the entire word using just the first row of keys.

10. BTS's V is ambidextrous.

Which means that he can use either his left or right hand. But in the spirit of full disclosure this fact was really just an excuse to write a bunch of random facts about BTS so without further ado... Let's get it! Jungkook is afraid of microwaves because he thinks they could explode at any moment. Jimin is a Libra which totally makes sense when you think about his charisma. And last but not least (because I have to stop or I would talk about BTS forever) our sunshine Hobi doesn't have any ear piercings, so when he rocks earrings just be aware that they're only clip-ons.