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

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  (#1) President John Tyler - Born During George Washington's Presidency - Has A Grandson Who Is Still Alive

  John Tyler was the 10th President of the United States, holding the nation's highest office between 1841 and 1845. But even though he was born when George Washington was still President and passed decades before the invention of the light bulb, Tyler has grandchildren who lived well into the 21st century.

  Tyler had a son - Lyon Gardiner Tyler - when he was around 63 in 1853. Likewise, the younger Tyler fathered children into his 70s. Two of them survived into the 2020s: Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. passed in 2020; his younger brother Harrison Ruffin Tyler remains the last surviving grandchild of John Tyler as of 2021.
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  (#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.
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  (#9) Yellow Stop Signs Used To Be A Thing

  Stop signs are red and always have been, right? Wrong. Stop signs were originally regulated as yellow, not red, in the 1920s.  

  Though yellow became the official color, it wasn't the first-choice one. Regulators had initially wanted red signs, but the red dye would have worn away. 

  By the 1950s, technology had changed, and red dye was now able to hold up. So in 1954, red became the new color of stop signs.
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  (#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.
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  (#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.
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  (#13) Astronauts Have Never Eaten Astronaut Ice Cream In Space

  That crumbly, freeze-dried, ice cream treat that graces the walls of gift shops in science museums may call itself astronaut ice cream, but it is not eaten by astronauts. Those crumbs and dust from the freeze-dried bars would actually make it more unsuitable for a space food than regular ice cream.

  It was developed under contract to NASA for the 1968 Apollo 7 mission, and the sole surviving member of that mission, Walt Cunningham, straight up says, "We never had that stuff." Most likely it was tested on the ground before the mission and got the boot before it ever made it on board. When astronauts want an ice cream treat these days, they reach for regular ice cream. Freezers were included on International Space Station resupply missions starting in 2007.

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