Bob Ross’s hair was naturally straight, but he chose to get a perm so he could save money on haircuts when touring the US penniless in his mobile home. Bob hated his curly hair but kept it as it was iconic.
100 Mind-Blowing Iconic Facts
The Golden Girls was supposed to have a different theme song. That’s right: Instead of Andrew Gold’s iconic “Thank You for Being a Friend,” the show’s producers wanted to use Bette Midler’s song “Friends,” according to Jim Colucci, author of the book Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorised Look Behind the Lanai. But the rights to the Divine Miss M’s song were too expensive, and the rest is sitcom history.
The MGM lion roar is trademarked. At the start of any movie made by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio, the iconic lion roars at the audience. While MGM has gone through several iterations of lion mascots, the sound of the roar is always the same. The company trademarked the “sound mark” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the 1980s.
Louboutins’ iconic red soles were inspired by Andy Warhol. The 60s pop artist’s drawing Flowers caught the eye of the famous designer which gave him the idea to add the infamous sole to his designs.
The Easter Island heads have bodies. Those iconic stone heads – you know the ones. In the 2010s, archaeologists found that two of the Pacific Island figures had torsos that measured as high as 33 feet.
The sound of a Star Wars lightsaber is the combined sound of a film projector and noise from an old TV. Sound designer Ben Burtt created the iconic whooshing sound of lightsabers almost accidentally. The sound made when lightsabers make an impact resulted from TV feedback on a shieldless microphone – which Burtt discovered on accident while looking for something to add to the projector hum.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was the first American film to show a toilet being flushed on screen. The groundbreaking flushing took place right before Janet Leigh’s character’s iconic shower scene.
Tom Hanks was not paid for Forrest Gump. This may be surprising for one of his most iconic roles, but Tom Hanks did not receive a set fee for this film. Instead, he signed an agreement that entitled him to percentage points from the film’s profit. Ultimately, his part in the film’s earnings netted him at US$40 million.
Brad Pitt and Edward Norton learned how to make soap in Fight Club. The 90s cult classic had one of its most iconic scenes when Brad Pitt and Edward Norton’s characters made soap. They learned for real.
Elvis Presley’s manager sold hate merch for profit. One of the most iconic marketing fun facts: Elvis’ manager, Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, sold “I Hate Elvis” badges to make money from people who weren’t buying his merchandise.
A waffle iron inspired one of the first iconic Nike shoes. Nowadays, running shoes have a wide range of different technology and materials. However, that wasn’t the case back in the 1950s. Bill Bowerman of Nike wanted to make a lighter running shoe that could be worn on different surfaces. As such, the idea of using a waffle texture sole came to him during breakfast with his wife. Check out the waffle sole on the recently retired Nike Tailwind ‘79.
A common souvenir people bring from the U.S. is red solo cups. For many, this is considered a novelty as many party scenes in movies use these cups. It is also one of the most iconic cups in modern cinematics.
The spiked dog collars are meant to protect their necks from attacks. This iconic accessory was invented by the Ancient Greeks to protect their dogs against wolves when attacked. The spikes would prevent predators from instantly causing heavy damage to their dog’s necks.
Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr. is Snoop Dog’s real name. The famous rapper takes his celebrity name from his mother. According to him, his mother stated that it was because he looked like Snoopy from the iconic Peanuts franchise.
Walt Disney was afraid of mice. Although Disney’s most iconic character is a mouse, Walt Disney feared mice.
Roman Polanski had pee thrown at his face during Chinatown. If you’ve had any experience making a video group project, you’d know the high-tension environment of productions. Fights are pretty much inevitable. One of the most iconic cinema fights and funny facts: During the shoot for Chinatown, Faye Dunaway asked for her character’s motivation in one particular scene. Instead of offering advice, Roman Polanski yelled, “Say the fucking words. Your salary is your motivation.” This friction continued until the director wouldn’t let Dunaway take a toilet break. Fed up, Dunaway threw a coffee cup with her pee in his face.
About 100 people choke on pens each year in the U.S. Roughly 100 people choke on pen caps per year in America, which is why BIC adopted their iconic holed caps. The hole not only serves as a design feature, but it makes sure that a person can breathe even if they ingest it.
The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be in Barcelona. The Eiffel Tower may be an iconic tourist spot for lovers and travellers alike, but it wasn’t so loved in its first years. When Gustave Eiffel pitched it to Barcelona, the officials thought the design looked too ugly, so Eiffel pitched it to Paris instead.
Shaq only made one three-pointer in his whole career. Shaquille O’Neal may be one of the most iconic NBA players in the game, but you’d be surprised that he only made one three-point shot in his entire career.
Bald eagles don’t sound like in the movies. If you’ve seen a Western film, the iconic bird screech comes to mind. However, you’d be surprised that it’s not the sound of a bald eagle. The piercing call that most people associate with the bird is a sound made by another bird of prey: the red-tailed hawk. Hollywood uses the red-tailed hawk’s cry because it has a more dramatic effect. Real bald eagles would chirp rather than screeching.
The Easter Island heads have bodies. We’ve seen those iconic stone heads, but did you know that in the 2010s, archaeologists found that two of the Pacific Island figures had torsos?
Salvador Dalí designed the Chupa Chups logo. The surrealist artist created the iconic design in 1969.
Chris Pratt stole his costume from the set of Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt pinched the costume in the hopes that the film would be successful. He didn’t steal it for any nefarious purposes but a delightfully noble one. The lovably goofy movie star simply hoped to cheer up sick kids in hospitals by wearing the iconic costume.
Panama hats aren’t originally from Panama but from Ecuador! These timelessly stylish hats have been known to the Western world since at least the 1800s and have been seen atop the heads of many famous people ranging from President Theodore Roosevelt to Brad Pitt. They’re made from a type of palm called the Toquilla palm, a native Ecuadorian plant that is painstakingly woven together into the iconic shape. Artisans were struggling to sell the hats in Ecuador, so they exported them to Panama – where they ironically gained their name instead of from the country of origin!
Although the TV show “Friends” is based around life in New York City, the entire show was filmed in California. Whether you love it or hate it, Friends was one of the most iconic TV shows to come out of the nineties and early 2000s. One of the most surprising facts about Friends is that it wasn’t filmed in Manhattan, where it’s set, but at the Warner Brothers Ranch just outside of Los Angeles. That being said, there are a small handful of locations where filming took place outside of LA. One of these is, of course, Monica and Rachel’s apartment building at 90 Bedford St in New York. Several other locations filmed in New York for the serious include the places where the friends all work.
An iconic moustache. As a young man Hitler wore a larger, bushier moustache; he trimmed it to its iconic shape so that it could fit under a gas mask during World War One.
A handful of world-renowned scientists were born in England: Another intriguing fact about England is that it’s been the birthplace of several iconic scientists! Sir Isaac Newton, a household name, was born in Lincolnshire in 1643 and went on to write the laws of motion, gravity and the theory of colour. More recently, Stephen Hawking was born in 1942 in Cambridgeshire. The professor is best known for his theory of exploding black holes which has revolutionised the field of astronomy. These English scientists’ findings are still very relevant for science to this day, with their works being used frequently in education and the industry.
The US is home to the most iconic musical artists of all time i.e. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Beyonce.
Iconic Structure: Big Ben, housed in the Elizabeth Clock Tower, is a notable landmark of the Houses of Parliament.
Big Ben Is Not a Clock: One of the interesting facts about England is that, despite what the general public believes, Big Ben is the name of the thirteen-ton bell, not the iconic clock. And Big Ben is often associated with the entire tower. The tower was officially known as St. Stephen’s Tower until 2012 when it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in honour of Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, which marked 60 years on the British throne.