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

(#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.
(#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.
(#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.
(#4) The United States Is Less Than Three Miles Away From Russia

The United States and Russia are separated by the Bering Strait - and the tiny Diomede Islands mark the point where the two countries are closest together. The island of Big Diomede is Russian territory, while - less than three miles away - the island of Little Diomede is American.

Though the two islands are technically located in separate countries, indigenous families who called them home historically made little distinction between them. Cold War tensions, however, brought about a stricter border, thus partitioning the indigenous community.
(#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.
(#7) Cleopatra's Birth Happened Closer To The Digital Age Than To The Completion Of The Great Pyramid At Giza

Ptolemaic ruler Cleopatra VII has the distinction of being Egypt's last pharaoh. At the time of her passing in 30 BCE, Egypt became a province of Rome.

Even though Cleopatra is one of Egypt's most storied leaders, her life was chronologically closer to today than it was to other icons of the ancient period. The Great Pyramid of Giza, for example, was completed around 2540 BCE. Since Cleopatra lived from around 69 to 30 BCE, she existed closer in time to the internet age than the Old Kingdoms of her homeland.