When it comes to things that you love, chances are you know a bunch of relatively useless facts about that subject. Useless doesn’t mean it’s not interesting, however; these little tidbits of information make the world infinitely more enjoyable to learn about, and often fuels people’s passion for the subject in question the more they learn about it. From simple, fun facts to potentially disturbing ones, you can add some mindless information to your arsenal of knowledge.
- The BB Gun: Before the BB gun, Daisy Outdoor Products was originally formed as the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company in 1882. Originally the company sold steel windmills, but in 1888 they started to give away BB guns with each windmill purchase. BB guns became so popular that Plymouth changed its name and began to sell BB guns primarily, establishing itself as one of the most iconic names in its industry.
- Richard Lawrence: A house painter named Richard Lawrence believed himself to be the King of England and, in 1835, attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson at a funeral with two different guns. However, when he pulled the triggers, both weapons misfired, and the 67-year-old president nearly beat Lawrence to death with his cane. Lawrence was then restrained by several people, including the one and only Davy Crockett.
- Testing Superman: In the 1950s, actor George Reeves stared iconically as the Man of Steel himself. This is normally something to be revered, but unfortunately for Reeves, some fans confused him for the comic book hero and wanted to test his “invulnerability.” One public encounter saw a fan pull a pistol on Reeves to see if he really was bulletproof, but thankfully Reeves was able to convince him to hand the gun over by saying that innocent bystanders could be hurt once the bullets bounced off of him.
- Charles J. Guiteau: The assassin of President James A. Garfield, Charles J. Guiteau, put some thought into his weapon of choice before carrying through with his plot. He specifically chose an ivory-handled gun because he knew it would end up in a museum one day, and he wanted it to look good on display.
- Key Guns: During the mid-1850s, jailers had keys that doubled as single-shot guns to use as a last resort self-defense method. These keys unlocked the cell doors, and if something were to happen that involved the need to shoot someone, they could touch their cigar to the gunpowder hole and fire the weapon.