Random Real Facts That Sound Made Up, But Aren't (14 items)

(#6) The Polish Army Employed A Bear During World War II

Polish soldiers in World War II found an unlikely mascot in a brown bear. Wotjek the bear crossed paths with the Polish Army as an orphaned cub. The men adopted him - even going so far as nursing him from a bottle that they had emptied of vodka and filled with condensed milk - and the bear became a soldier.

Wotjek became a beloved member of the corps. As soldier Wojciech Narebski later recalled, "For people who are far from families, far from their home country, from a psychological viewpoint, it was very important" to have Wotjek around.

Wotjek directly helped in the war as well. Though understandably spooked by the sound of shellfire, Wotjek nonetheless bravely helped carry supplies during the Battle of Monte Cassino.

After the war, Wotjek earned a quiet retirement at Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo until his passing in 1963.
(#8) The Man Who Bought Segway, Inc. Passed In A Fatal Segway Accident

In January 2010, British millionaire, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Jimi Heselden purchased Segway, Inc. the company that produced Segways, the personal motorized vehicles that run on two wheels.

But Heselden's enthusiasm for the machines may have been his downfall. Only nine months later, he was involved in a Segway accident that took his life.

Heselden was on his Segway in England when he was trying to move out of the way for a pedestrian. In the process, he apparently lost control of the machine or misjudged his surrounding space - Heselden plummeted off a cliff and into a river. His injuries were fatal.
(#10) The Coolidges Kept A Pet Raccoon In The White House

One of the most surprising presidential pardons came in 1926 when Calvin Coolidge decided to spare the life of a raccoon. The raccoon had been shipped to the White House from a Mississippian to grace the Coolidges' Thanksgiving table.

Rather than feast on it, Calvin Coolidge, his wife Grace, and their son took in the raccoon as a family pet. Named Rebecca, the First Raccoon lived a life of luxury in the White House, complete with lawn games and baths.
(#5) The Dates October 5, 1582, And September 10, 1752, Never Existed In Many Parts Of The World

Calendars are human creations that mark the passing of time. There have thus been different ways that humans have organized and re-organized calendars.

Much of European history has been organized around the Roman Catholic Church. To that end, in October 1582, ten days were skipped over in the calendar to realign it with the equinox: folks in Catholic kingdoms went to sleep on October 4 and woke up on October 15, 1582.

Since England and Scotland were no longer Catholic in 1582, Great Britain had its own date recalibration centuries later. In September 1752, the British world - Great Britain and its colonial holdings - shed 11 days from its calendar.
(#2) American And German Soldiers Fought Side By Side In One World War II Battle

The final months and weeks of a war are often full of surprising turns of events. World War II was no exception. In May 1945, as the war in Europe was wheezing to a halt, German soldiers actually fought alongside American troops in the Battle of Castle Itter.

Castle Itter, a medieval castle in rural Austria, had served as a jail for high-ranking French prisoners. American troops joined German soldiers assisting with Austrian resistance to liberate the French prisoners and fend off an attack from Nazi SS troops.
(#14) The State Vegetable Of Oklahoma Is The Watermelon

There's nothing quite like biting into a nice juicy watermelon on a hot summer day. With that lovely feeling in mind it should come as no surprise that Oklahoma would make watermelon its official state vegetable. Except that it's a fruit.

Oklahoma already had a state fruit, the strawberry, so to honor the state's love of watermelon and its watermelon growing industry a senator introduced a bill in 2007 to name the melon the state vegetable, arguing that it's in the same family as the cucumber, so close enough. The bill passed and watermelon's state vegetable status was here to stay, although it is challenged from time to time.