Here is the common knowledge that is not so common between us:

1) We should never keep goldfish in goldfish bowls:

Goldfish is perhaps the most commonly found fish-pets around the globe. There are special gold fish bowls that you get in the market; however, the ugly truth is that these pretty fish should not be kept in such bowls. No doubt they have a longer life and the power to change their colors all throughout their lives,they should not be kept in the gold fish bowls. The tank does not have enough room for filtration. Also, since goldfish need a lot of oxygen and in tiny bowls the surface does not allow them to get the required amount, they don’t survive for more than three months. People find it difficult to clean tiny bowls and thus, the environment in which the goldfish live is not clean and good or the way it should be. (source)

2. If you want Aspirin to save your life when you get a heart attack, you have to chew it:

Aspirin can help in fighting the symptoms of a heart attack and everybody knows about this; however, what people don’t know is that they need to chew aspirin, instead of gulping it down with water. When aspirin is chewed, it starts working quicker. If you swallow the pills, they take a longer time to start working in your body and thus, in a lot of cases, people lose their life. (source)

3. It is not that water towers are used only to store water, but they are used to maintain the pressure and flow of the entire clean drinking water:

Water towers are available in various shapes as well as sizes. You may think that these beauties are kept to store clean water for various purposes; no doubt this is quite a popular reason for the installation of water towers, but this is not the only reason why you see them everywhere. The good news is that several water towers are installed for the sake of maintaining the pressure as they need a huge amount of gravity pull in taller builders. Without such towers, small cities have to bear a huge amount of price to maintain expensive pumps. (source)

4-The Polaroid picture should not be shaken:

A lot of people have been shaking Polaroid pictures for the sake of developing them quicker; however, what they don’t know is that this is not supposed to be done. There is absolutely no effect that takes place when you shake such a picture. In fact, shaking can damage the image to a certain extent, since several portions pre-mature and thus, you notice some sort of blobs in the picture. The result is not what you expect it to be. (source)

]]> https://factsweird.com/common-knowledge/feed/ 0 https://factsweird.com/questions-and-riddles/ https://factsweird.com/questions-and-riddles/#respond Thu, 25 Jul 2019 08:28:39 +0000 https://factsweird.com/?p=391 You may have read hundreds or thousands of riddles in the past, but the ones mentioned in the list below are going to make you scratch your head, along with your child. It is time for you to get glued to the computer or cellphone screen and start solving four of the toughest riddles that can trick the brain of not only children, but also adults around the globe.

Question 1)

What stays hot even if you refrigerate it?

Answer: The thing that burns your tongue, even though it is cold! The answer is pepper! Freeze it as much as you want to, but it stays as hot as it needs to be!

Question 2)

Which statement out of the two mentioned below is correct? 9 and 5 are thirteen? 9 and 5 are 13?

Answer: It is neither the first statement, nor the second! 9 + 5 is actually 14 and that’s the correct answer. Tricked enough? Well, the next one is tougher!

Question 3)

What would you call a bear without an ear?

Answer: Take the EAR away and it would be a “B”! Yes – that’s the right answer. “B” is the bear without the ear.

Question 4)

Imagine a drawer full of socks. There are four black socks, eight brown socks, two white socks and eight tan socks in this drawer. There is no light in the room and you are supposed to make the choice in a room that’s dark! How many socks do you need to take out to make a perfect match?

Answer: Since there are four differently colored socks, you have to take out only 5 socks to make at least one perfect pair!

When Cottle shot himself in the head, Graham was lucky enough to receive his heart in a transplant. After a few months, he crazily fell in love with Sweat and exchanged vows with her. After a few years, he was found dead in the exact same way in which Cottle had died. When reports came out, it was a clear case of suicide. Since their marriage was rocky, people began blaming the behavior of the woman for the cause of the deaths of her husband.

Some suggest that the organs have memories.What could be the connection between the suicides of the original owner of the heart and the one that had received it as a transplanted organ? Or is something wrong with the woman who forces her husbands to kill themselves due to frustration?

Sonny Graham Committed Suicide the Same Way Terry Cottle had Killed Himself

On 1^st of April 2008, Sonny Graham had killed himself. 13 years go to this day, Terry Cottle had committed suicide, too. The strange thing is that the way in which they both committed suicide was exactly the same. The 69 year old Graham shot himself in the throat by holding a shotgun in his hand.Cottle had shot himself in the head and this is perhaps the only difference in their suicides.

When Graham committed suicide, it was a major shock for his family and friends. He had left the house in the morning to drop his nine year old stepson to school. Instead of going to the school, he straight away went to the storage area on his property, took out a shotgun and shot himself to death. Before dying, he had written his will; however, there were no signs of depression that he showed.

Terry Cottle had Killed Himself after a Terrible Argument

Terry Cottle and Cheryl Sweat had a tough marriage. During March, 1995, the couple had a terrible argument over money. Sweat took off the wedding ring and threw it away. Cottle was told to leave. However, instead of leaving the house, he went into the bathroom, held a gun to his head and shot himself to death. All Sweat remembers is that Cottle said, “Baby, help me, help me. I’m dying.”

Terry Cottle had Survived the Gunshot Wound for Four Complete Days

When Terry Cottle was taken to the hospital, he survived the wound for four days. He was placed on life support. However, after four days, Sweat agreed to take him off the life support so that his organs could be donated to the needy ones.

Sonny Graham Received the Heart he Needed

In the year 1994, Sonny Graham suffered from a virus, which had attacked his heart. He then went on a transplant list and after a year, received Cottle’s heart after his death. Since the heart was a match, the operation succeeded and Graham was breathing through Cottle’s heart.

When Graham contacted the organ donor agency to thank the family of the donor, he developed a relationship with Sweat.

Sonny Graham had New Tastes after the Operation

Terry Cottle was a great fan of beer and hot dogs. After the transplant, Graham had become fond of the same, too. This shows Graham was falling for all the things that Cottle had a thing for, including his widow.

Terry Cottle and Cheryl Sweat had a Terrible Marriage

It was very difficult for Cottle and Sweat to settle the differences with one another and stay true to their marriage. In the late 80s, they both were married to different people. Cottle was an employee of Sweat’s father and even though he was married with two children, he fell in love with Sweat. When the two of them were single again, they married.

For nine years, they were married to each other. Later, their divorces were finalized. Even though everything seemed fine and Cottle had adopted Sweat’s childrenand they had a child of their own too, their financial condition was really bad. Thus, they often fought with each other. When Sweat’s mother came into the picture, their marriage was struggling more.

Cottle had Threatened to Commit Suicide Earlier

Even though Cottle landed up on several jobs, the couple argued all the time. In the year 1995, he called his ex-wife with a gun pointed to his head.

Cheryl Sweat was Married Twice Before she Settled with Graham

When Cottle died, Sweat married for the third time in the year 1998. Graham disliked being a part of the wedding, but he did attend it with his wife, Elaine. In fact, at the wedding, he had taken the place of her late father, which was quite odd to understand.

Despite the wedding, Graham and Sweat carried on an affair. Her marriage to Watkins was annulled. After that, he married another man called John Johnson JR., but their relationship ended in the year 2003. According to the reports, Sweat had faced domestic violence. She also said that Johnson had tried to kill himself with his gun. In the year 2004, Sweat and Graham finally got married.

Graham Faced Financial Issues

Just like she had harassed Terry Cotte, Sweat began harassing her new husband Graham too. Since he didn’t earn well either, she began complaining about their financial condition. Sweat pressurized him to give her a luxurious life, due to which he was under a lot of debt. After his death, a friend recalled Sweat saying that he didn’t leave her a dime.

Cheryl Sweat was Never a Grieving Widow

Even though Graham’s death shocked everybody else, Sweat didn’t look moved by it. There was not much of grief seen on her face. In fact, on her MySpace, she had uploaded pictures drinking beer with her friends. She had also posted a picture of a man she called her “new boyfriend.” It was noticed that Sweat had sent a flirtatious message to this man just a week before Graham committed suicide.

According to her ex-husbands, Sweat always threatened them with violence as well as guns. They said being with her was much more like an emotional roller coaster ride.

John Johnson JR., one of Sweat’s ex-husbands, stated that one day she hated him, the other day she loved him and the next day she hated him once again. He said he was lucky to be alive.

Cellular Memory: What you Need to Know

A lot of people state that the weird case of Cottle and Graham may have been because of the cellular memory. According to this theory, a person can change after an organ transplant. He picks up the characteristics of the donor. This usually happens with heart transplants.

Maybe Cottle not only donated his heart to Graham, but his ill-destiny as well. There are times when you don’t know what you are asking for, along with a random wish you make. When Graham wished for a heart donor, he must have not even thought of getting his destiny along. Having the same cravings like the donor, marrying his wife and then killing himself were surely not the things he had planned for himself.

References : 1, 2, 3,

Several discoveries were made in the past about several things the ancients invented, designed and created, but they don’t stop surprising us. The more we discover about the things they invented, the more shocked we are at present because they did not even have all the advancements we have in today’s world. From special refrigerators that kept the ice cool in the hottest summers in deserts to gorgeous cups that had properties to change colors, there is nothing that is not going to surprise you here.

Check the list below to learn about the top ten ancient technologies that are going to make you scratch your head: 

1) Have you ever heard of storing ice in the desert? The Persian engineers had not only developed, but also mastered the ice storing technique during summers by 400 BC:

Are you all smug about the refrigerators in your kitchens? Do you even know how the Persian people stored ice and ensured that it doesn’t melt all throughout their harsh summers? During winters, the Persian people carried ice from the nearby mountains. They then stored them in pits they had created in the desert. These pits were called “Yakhchal” and were the first inventions in the field of refrigerators. They not only kept ice in these pits, but also food, which remained cool and healthy all throughout the summers. The structure may look like a large dome constructed with mud bricks, but it was not as easy as it seems, especially during those times.

The underground space of this 500 cubic meter pit had windcatchers that kept the temperature low during summers.(1, 2)

2) This hand operated machine, popularly known as the ‘Archimedes Screw’ has been designed in such a way that it can move up the water with the help of gravity. If it is reversed, it generates energy by pushing the water down:

Earlier, this screw was used for the purpose of irrigation. This machine was nothing more or less than a screw with a hollow pipe inside. Earlier, during the ancient times when it was used, it was operated by hand. After a few years, the wind energy was used to operate the same. Even today the same technology exists. However, it is now operated with a motor. Just when the shaft turns due to the motor, the end of the device gets up, scooping the motor. Then, the same water is pushed to the screw top through the rotating helcoid (a spiral arrangement). This process continues until the water comes out from the end of the top.(source)

20) That’s NOT ‘POKE’Mon in his face:

This 39 year old Brazilian Taxi driver named JuaceloNunes de Oliveira as stabbed right in his skull during a strange bar brawl. If this knife blade ran a centimeter more to his jawbone, he would have not only lost his eyesight, but also his sense of smell. Since he was very high on adrenaline and liquor, he did not feel the knife when he was stabbed. Several surgeons had to come together to have this blade removed; it took them three hours to perform this surgery in the right manner.

19) They BROKE Up:

The most difficult thing in anyone’s life is a breakup, but this breakup was very essential. Separating Siamese twins is not a piece of cake and there are several complications that need to be taken care of. Yet, these Siamese twins called Allison and Amelia Tucker were separated by surgeons. The nature had knit their lower chest and abdomen together, letting them share a pericardium and liver. After seven hours of surgery on 7^th of November 2012, these two girls were saved. They are currently leading a very healthy life.

18) Born with Six Fingers:

No doubt a lot of people are born with an extra finger, which is a condition termed as postaxial polydactyl, but it is not every day you get to see their X-rays. 1 individual in 1,339 is born with this condition. Some individuals have a nub, but there are others who have fully developed fingers, too. Artist Jimmy Cliff was born with six fingers and the extra one developed properly, too. Take a look at this X-ray!

17) She Thought It Tasted Good; She Swallowed THESE:

Indiana’s Haley Lent swallowed 30 different foreign objects when she was eight years old. These objects were 20 steel balls and 10 magnets. These were in her Magnetix toy sets. Since they were magnetic in nature, they started sticking to each other, tearing apart her intestines and making her rush for an immediate surgery.

16) Hands that were CRUSHED:

This X-ray is kind of disturbing, but it was taken to find out if any finger could be saved with the help of a surgery. This is of a soldier’s hands; he was hit by an RPG shell in a battle. According to the reports, his hands were somehow saved, but he could barely move his fingers or do anything special with them. They restricted mobility. Salute to such soldiers.

15) She is Now in the PINK of Her Health:

Being obese is a curse, especially if you are going through a lot of health issues because of the same. This obese woman went through a gastric bypass surgery that helped her reduce the size of her stomach. These X-rays compare her earlier condition with the present one. It is possible to see this sort of change only if you switch to a better and healthier lifestyle.

14) He Hid His Phone Right… THERE:

Among the most shocking X-rays ever found, this was listed too. It was said that several criminal often hid their SIM cards as well as cell phones up in their butts or even in their intestines so that they could coordinate with their people even when they are put behind the bars. This X-ray is of a criminal in Zacatecoluca prison, San Salvador. He was a member of the most notorious street gang called Mara Salvatrucha.

13) She ATE your Keys:

Imagine you search the entire house, car and neighborhood for the keys, but you end up finding them safe in her stomach! We think the owner heard some sort of a beep in the stomach of this dog that made him take her for an X-ray.

12) Foreign Implantation in the BRAIN

Such research and experimentation is still done on people. In Clinical Trials that happened in Germany, nine blind volunteers had agreed to have a 3 by 3 mm device somehow planted in their brains. Since it had photodiodes that sent signals to the brain, it enabled the blind individuals to enjoy some sort of vision on different levels, even though all pixilated version of the original images.

11) How did THIS Nail go UP THERE?

It is difficult to learn how the hell the nail ended in the head of this guy, but it was either an accident or some weird intent. Could it be a result of an occult practice? Well, we have no answers, but this shocking X-ray can surely give you a sleepless night. Look at the way in which the nail has passed through his mouth’s roof. That’s a mystery in itself!

10) Pierced with Pruning Shears:

Now you would know why your mother always warned you when you mishandled those sharp objects – we have no idea how this happened. However, we think he was doing something else along with pruning and thus, he ended up hurting himself with the same. Always concentrate on one thing at a time, especially when you are handling sharp instruments.

9) The Scissors in his Throat:

This may seem impossible, but we are sure the man was doing something really weird with the scissors or else swallowing such a big thing is not possible at all. Nevertheless, he ended up swallowing his scissors and this is what his X-ray looks like. Who is having a good night sleep tonight after looking at this picture? We doubt we are sleeping well!

8) This Kidney Stone is of SEVEN INCHES!

Can you imagine the pain that the patient must have gone through because of such a large kidney stone? Even though people assume the kidney must have failed due to this large sized kidney stone of the Hungarian patient, we hope he got it removed and has survived. We don’t have much information about his survival, though.

7) This Prisoner SWALLOWED a Light Bulb:

The doctors have no idea how this prisoner swallowed a light bulb, since it is impossible for anyone to do so. However, this X-ray does prove that he swallowed it, probably to light his “backside.”

6) Nailed SKULL:

Selfie needs to be taken, come what may! Meet Dante Autullo from Chicago. He unknowingly shot a 3 1/4^th inch nail. Want to know where? Right in his skull! When he got his X-ray done, he uploaded the picture on his Facebook. Well, it seems like he is really fond of selfies just like millions of others around the globe.

The first actor from a superhero movie to ever win an Academy Award.

The movie The Dark Knight was nominated for 8 Academy Awards. The Best Supporting Actor award was won by Heath Ledger for his portrayal of The Joker.  This win was the first for any movie based off a superhero. He was also the first posthumous winner of the Best Supporting Actor Award.(source)

Did you know Heath Ledger was down to 150$ at one point in this life?

Once Heath Ledger decided that he had to take his stage/TV acting career to movies, he started refusing every single TV role that came his way. This hurt his bank balance as well. It was only when he was left with just 150$ in his bank account was he offered a role in the movie “10 Things I Hate About You”.

Michael Caine forgot his lines once because he was so scared of Heath Ledger’s portrayal as the Joker! 

Do you remember the elevator scene in the movie The Dark Knight? Michael Caine was in such a fright while The Joker visited the penthouse of Bruce Wayne that he forgot his lines. Michael later stated that Heath’s portrayal of Joker was more of a scary psychopath when compared to what Jack Nicholson portrayed. He compared the latter to be funnier and more of a clown figure.(source)

The second most searched term on Google was “Keith Ledger” the day after the actor passed away on January 23, 2008.

A day after the actor’s death on 22^nd January 2008, he became the most searched person on the popular search engine Google. Some popular search strings included his family, apartment address, famous movies and his daughter Matilda Ledger. What is interesting is that people didn’t know how to spell his name and ended up searching for “Keith Ledger” instead.(source)

Heath Ledger maintained a Joker Diary!

Yes! It’s true. Heath Ledger didn’t leave any stone unturned while preparing for his iconic role in the movie. He stayed alone in a hotel room and jotted down things that Joker would find funny such as injured doctors, landmines, AIDS, blind babies, geniuses with brain damage. Heath said that this diary helped him to switch his persona. According to Kim Ledger, Heath’s father, the diary helped him delve deeper into this character. (source)

Heath Ledger designed his own makeup for the character.

Don’t you still remember the white makeup sported by Heath in The Dark Knight? This became an integral part of the personality of The Joker. What’s fascinating is that this makeup was designed by Heath himself. He used makeup used by clowns and also considered cosmetics from drugstores for his role. His makeup was approved by the team and then the makeup team helped him do the same during each day of the shoot. (source)

Did you know that Heath Ledger was a proficient chess player?

Heath Ledger was an accomplished chess player which is proven by the fact that he won the Western Australia’s Junior Chess Championship while he was just ten years old. He did not give up on this game even while he grew up. He used to play with other enthusiasts at the Washington Square Park. He was actually planning to direct and perform in a chess-related novel by Walter Trevis, The Queen’s Gambit. This would have been his first directorial venture. He seldom had any idea about what was in his fate.(source)

Do you remember what the nurse’s name tag read during the hospital scene?

When the Joker was dressed as a nurse, he wore a name badge. The name   imprinted on the badge read Matilda which is the name of Heath’s daughter.(source)

Heath Ledger requested Christian Bale to beat him as hard as he could.

Once again, we marvel with Heath’s dedication to his role! Do you remember the interrogation scene from the movie? Heath requested his co-star to swing him as hard as Batman would, for the scene. He believed this would give him a real feel of the scene.(source)

Heath was working on a music video before his death.

Before his untimely death, it was said that Heath had started working on his music video for Modest Mouse, an American indie rock band. The unfinished video was then completed by the co-director after Heath’s death. This video was released during August 2009. The clip also showed Ledger who was trying to create awareness about the illegal whale hunts that were being carried out off the shores of Australia. (1, 2)

Have you heard of the Glasgow Smile made famous by Heath?

The scars on Joker’s face from a wound in the movie resemble the Glasgow smile. The term originated in Glasgow and became popular with the street gangs. This was given to the actor Tommy Flanagan while he was attacked in Scotland outside a bar. The Glasgow Smile was one of the many striking features of The Joker. Now, you know where his peculiar smile draws inspiration from. The modern gangsters take a credit card and insert it lengthwise into a person’s mouth to keep it open. The cuts result in a Glasgow smile.(source)

Heath Ledger’s Ad Libs during the movie shoot made the movie a pure genius.

Do you remember the scene when James Gordon received the news that he had been promoted as commissioner? The people around him start clapping and The Joker who is in the jail starts clapping in a mocking and sardonic way. What is interesting is that the clapping part by Heath Ledger was not a part of the original script. This was a purely unscripted action by Heath which just went on to add to the movie’s magnificence.(source)

Heath would skateboard on the set.

While shooting for the movie in Chicago, Heath Ledger would wear his full costume and makeup and would be seen skateboarding. The crew believed Heath did this for his own relaxation.(1, 2)

Colin Farrell, Jude Law and Johnny Depp gave their salaries to Heath Ledger’s Daughter

The actors who played variations of Heath’s character in the movie “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” donated their entire salary to Matilda Ledger who was just 2 years old during Heath’s death. This was a gesture of concern for Matilda’s future because Heath had not updated his will before his death.(source)

Harvey Dent was actually not given an option by The Joker during the Hospital scene.

Another classic scene defines Heath Ledger’s awareness as an actor in all the little things he does. The Joker places a revolver in Harvey Dent’s hand and asks him to either join him or blow off his head. While this may seem like Harvey was given a choice, the truth is that The Joker was still in command and was manipulating Harvey. During the scene, the Joker’s fingers can be seen holding the revolver’s hammer such that even if Harvey had decided to pull the trigger, he wouldn’t have been able to shoot Joker. Truly brilliant indeed!(source)

The action sequences of the movie were choreographed by the legendary Yuen Woo-ping of The Matrix

Are you a fan of martial arts movies? If yes, then you would have certainly watched movies such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and The Matrix. Yuen Woo-Ping is a reputed martial arts choreographer as well as a film director. He supervised the action sequences of Kung Fu Hustle. Yuen Woo-Ping started off his career during 1978 with the movie Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow followed by The Drunken Master.In fact, he was responsible for launching Jackie Chan! He has worked with several prominent actors from the Chinese Film Industry and he’s considered to be a legend. He was hired by the Wachowski Brothers for The Matrix after his impeccable work in the movie the Fist of Legend.(1, 2)

Chow’s childhood memories inspired “Pig Sty Alley” design.

Pig Sty Alley has been portrayed as an impoverished place where one comes across retired Kung Fu masters who have taken up modest jobs in their lives. The alley was the prime location in the movie and Chow made it his first priority to design it. He stated in an interview that this alley was inspired by his childhood memories of crowded, slum neighborhoods of Hong Kong.(1, 2)

Chow spent a considerable amount of time working on the leader of the Axe gang.

The role of “Brother Sum” was portrayed by Danny Chan Kowk-Kwan who is not just a lead singer of a rock band and a dance choreographer but is also skilled at Jeet Kune Do, a martial art form. Bruce Lee is believed to have created Jeet Kune Do. Danny’s dancing skills prove beneficial when Chow was brainstorming ideas for creating a tough character as the leader of the Axe gang in the movie. Chow incorporated the dance sequence in the movie rather than making scenes depicting pure violence.(source)

Chow originally wanted the two assassins to fight with a shark in the movie!

Do you remember the scene in which the two assassins are seen playing a magical Guqin? This seven-stringed instrument was capable of launching invisible blades at the Pig Sty Alley. Originally Chow wanted to show the two assassins fighting a shark. This was not possible people the CGI said they couldn’t do it. Chow had no choice but to use a magical Guqin instead.(1, 2)

Stephen Chow is a trained Kung Fu practitioner.

Stephen is a great fan of Bruce Lee and learned martial arts by imitating him. He gives all the credit to Bruce Lee for inspiring him to be an actor as well as a martial arts practitioner. He did attend Kung Fu classes in school but couldn’t continue because of his financial situation. Instead, he watched the movies of Bruce and imitated his moves.(1, 2)

Yuen Qiu won the role of the landlady while she was watching her friend audition for a role in the movie.

Yuen Qiu was smoking a cigarette while watching her friend audition for a role in the movie. She had a sarcastic expression on her face and was offered the role of the Landlady despite not auditioning for it. Chow wanted his cast to be unusual and atypical. He took his time in auditioning the cast. Chow was inspired by the way Yuen Qiu managed to look snobbish and arrogant which he thought perfectly fit the character.(source)

Bruce Leung was Stephen’s childhood martial arts hero.

Bruce Leung portrayed the character of the Beast in the movie. Leung Siu-Lung assumed the stage name Bruce Leung following the death of the legendary Bruce Lee. Many Chinese filmmakers at that time tried to cast actors who could imitate Lee. Leung is often referred to as the Third Dragon after Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. He eventually retired and came back on screen fifteen years later with Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle.(source)

Chow was looking for an innocent looking girl for the role of Sing’s love interest. Ultimately Eva was picked from a pool of nearly 8,000 girls!

Eva Heung made her movie debut with Kung Fu Hustle. She was a TV actress before that and the movie became her debut. Eva was chosen from a pool of 8,000 girls for the character!(source)

The Landlord and Landlady’s cha-cha dance an ode to Bruce Lee.

The cha-cha dance was incorporated in the movie as a nod to Lee who won the cha-cha championship during the year 1958. This was not the only reference to Bruce Lee in the movie. The Landlady also mimics the gestures of Bruce Lee that he made in the movie Return of the Dragon. The Landlady wags her finger at the Axe gang leader then closes both her fists where you can hear her knuckles cracking. She then thumbs her nose imitating Bruce Lee.(source)

The name Pig Sty Alleyis a play in Chinese based on the Walled City of Kowloon.

The Walled City was actually a military fort. It became enclaved when China leased its territories during 1898 to Britain. When the Japanese occupied Hong Kong, the population of the city rose during 1990 dramatically. The city experienced drug abuse, gambling and high rates of prostitution. The government of Hong Kong then planned to demolish the enclave in 1987. (source)

The martial arts style that Sing learns in the movie as a child is a real Shaolin style of Kung Fu.

If you are a great fan of this movie, you must remember the last fight with Beast where Sing uses the Buddhist Palm. This leaves a hole in the building in the shape of a palm. In reality, the Buddhist Palm style delivers a powerful punch to the opponent utilizing the palm. This belongs to a relatively modern style of Kung Fu which is referred to as the Fut Gar Kuen.  (1, 2)

Most of the names of the character in the movie have been taken from the novels of Louis Cha.

Louis Cha Leung-Yung is a popular Chinese novelist. He has written over 15 wuxia novels withover 100 million copies of his novels been sold worldwide. The names of the characters in Kung Fu Hustle are a comical reference to a popular novel by Louis, The Return of the Condor Heroes.(1, 2)

Kung Fu Hustle surpassed Shaolin Soccer by being the highest-grossing Hong Kong movie in North America.

Kung Fu Hustle became the highest grossing movie made in China during the year 2005. The movie gained a cult following and became the highest grossing foreign language movie in North America. The movie earned HK$4,990,000 on the first day. The movie was released in 2,503 theaters after its success. This is the highest for any foreign language movie ever. Though it wasn’t a blockbuster, it managed to become the highest grossing foreign language movie in North America.(source)

Kung Fu Hustle was described as a supreme achievement in terms of comedy in the modern age by Bill Murray.

Billy Murray during an interview with the GQ magazine, mentioned how impressed he was with the movie. He described the movie as a supreme achievement in terms of action comedy in the modern era. (source)