| Sands |
08-24-2009 11:31 PM |
Obscure and Really Odd Facts... Add Yours to the List
1) How Chickens Won the Civil War: The Battle of Gettysburg is widely known as the most violent battle in the Civil War, but what most people don't know is that the North's Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker may have tipped the scales in his men's favor by using an unorthodox tactic: he launched chicken carcasses at the enemy through cannons. The splatter of blood and meat so terrified the Southern troops, convincing them that their comrades were literally being ripped to shreds by a new and powerful cannon ammunition, that they began to retreat in confusion and fear.
2) Beetles Are Responsible for Suicide Bombings: Suicide bombings are a major concern for anti-terrorism agencies nowadays, but we have an odd beetle species to blame for this. The strange bombardier beetle has evolved a reaction chamber in their rear-end that fills with two enzymes when the beetle is in danger. This mixture results in an explosive reaction where the mixture shoots out, at a great velocity, onto any would-be attacker to inflict thermal and chemical burns. Eighth and ninth century Arab slave-traders observed these strange insects that, at first glance, sacrificed themselves to protect their territory.
Keep the list going and add yours. It doesn't have to be as long as these first two. :thumbsup
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