Three of the first five United States presidents died on July 4.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe all died on July 4.  Even more astounding, Adams and Jefferson both died on the same day, July 4, 1826, 50 years after America was born.

Three of the first five United States presidents died on July 4.

WD-40 was originally used to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile

The product worked so well that several employees snuck some WD-40 cans out of the plant to use at home.  The name of product is a combination of (1) the abbreviation for “water displacement” and (2) the number of tries it took Rocket Chemical Company to the the formula worked out.

WD-40 was originally used to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile

Kim Peek could read two pages at once - one page with each eye

And he could remember everything he read on each page.  It is said that he read over 12,000 books and could recall every word in every book he read.  Peek was the inspiration for the movie Rain Man.

Kim Peek could read two pages at once - one page with each eye

The distinctive "old person" smell is caused by a chemical breakdown in skin glands

The distinctive “old person smell” is produced when chemicals from the skin glands are broken down into small odorous molecules that waft away into the air. The specific chemical that gives old folks their unique odor is a compound called 2-nonenal. Created by the oxidative breakdown of other ch...
The distinctive "old person" smell is caused by a chemical breakdown in skin glands

Star Wars was originally prefixed by the definite article ‘The’

Removing the definitive article from the title made sequels easier to name.

Star Wars was originally prefixed by the definite article ‘The’

Michael Myers mask in Halloween is just a Captain Kirk mask altered slightly and painted white

 
An unaltered Captain Kirk mask would have just been too scary.

Michael Myers mask in Halloween is just a Captain Kirk mask altered slightly and painted white

In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Charlie Sheen stayed awake for 48 hours to achieve a suitably wasted look for his cameo

In the original script, Sheen’s character is named Garth Volbeck, and had a full backstory that played prominently into the movie’s theme.

In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Charlie Sheen stayed awake for 48 hours to achieve a suitably wasted look for his cameo

Sean Connery turned down roles in The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings.

He also declined to play roles in Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones 4 and Blade Runner.

Sean Connery turned down roles in The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings.

Sean Connery wore a wig in every single of his Bond performances.

According to Connery, he had a piece in ALL of the Bond pictures, but a partial one. His hairline over the forehead was the last to go, and the first to go was the hair on either side of his head.  He says that in Dr. No, he had partial pieces at the left and right.

Sean Connery wore a wig in every single of his Bond performances.

William Goldman's original script title for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy.

The names were reversed when Paul Newman took on the role of Butch.

William Goldman's original script title for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy.

In 2002, Steven Spielberg finally finished college after a 33-year hiatus.

He turned in Schindler’s List for his student film requirement.  The picture was assigned a small budget of $22 million, as Holocaust films are not usually profitable.

In 2002, Steven Spielberg finally finished college after a 33-year hiatus.

Marlon Brando refused to memorize his lines in the movie Superman

In the scene were Brando is speaking to baby Superman, he read the lines written on the baby Kal-El’s diaper.

Marlon Brando refused to memorize his lines in the movie Superman

Many of the extras seen in the background of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest were actual mental patients

The film was shot almost entirely on location at a working institution in Oregon and the actors spent time with actual patients before filming and patients also served as extras on the set so there is a definite air of authenticity to the film.  To round up a number of particularly ...
Many of the extras seen in the background of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest were actual mental patients

The concept for the movie Home Alone came from a single scene in the movie Uncle Buck

The Uncle Buck scene portrayed Macaulay Culkin interrogating the babysitter through the mail slot. The scene gets recreated of course in Home Alone, only this time with Culkin using Daniel Stern’s face for target practice.

The concept for the movie Home Alone came from a single scene in the movie Uncle Buck

In the movie Home Alone, Daniel Stern is not actually screaming with that tarantula on his face

A scream would have scared the spider so Stern mimed the screen and the actual shriek was dubbed in later.  Stern was so afraid of spiders, he insisted the shot be done in one take.

In the movie Home Alone, Daniel Stern is not actually screaming with that tarantula on his face

New Line Cinema originally wanted to soften up the shocking ending of the movie Se7en

New Line backed down from changing the tremendous ending after Brad Pitt threatened to quit production if they did.

New Line Cinema originally wanted to soften up the shocking ending of the movie Se7en

The bedroom in The Exorcist was refrigerated and kept at a temperature between 30 and 40 degrees below zero

It was so cold that one morning, the crew arrived and found a thin layer of snow spread all across the set.

The bedroom in The Exorcist was refrigerated and kept at a temperature between 30 and 40 degrees below zero

OJ Simpson was originally sought to play the part of the Terminator

The studio finally nixed the casting call thinking that nobody would buy Simpson as a remorseless killer.

OJ Simpson was originally sought to play the part of the Terminator

The munchkins in The Wizard of Oz were paid a mere $50 per week

Their work week consisted of six long days each week.  Toto, Dorothy’s dog, was paid $125.

The munchkins in The Wizard of Oz were paid a mere $50 per week

For the bedroom scene in The Godfather, a real decapitated horse head was used

The head came from a dog food factory.  John Marley’s scream is real because he was not told that the plastic horse head prop being used had been replaced with a real one.

For the bedroom scene in The Godfather, a real decapitated horse head was used