[Amazing] 25 Penetrating Facts About Bullets That Will Astound You
Bullets are one of those things that the world could certainly have done without but inevitably human nature would have come up with some worse and potentially even more mechanical method of killing. So whether you believe that bullets helped to avoid the untold suffering and sickness that used to kill most soldiers on the battlefield (by ending those battles more quickly), or you believe that bullets were an awful idea and led to unnecessary carnage and warfare, the fact is that they exist and they have certainly changed our world. So you already know everything about them right? Probably not! Did you know that when a sniper is lining up for his shot, he needs to take the spin of the Earth into account? That’s right, the bullet is going to travel so far and so fast that the very spin of the Earth can throw it off of its target. And did you know that every single year Americans buy more than 10 billion bullets? That’s more bullets than there are people on the Earth. And the craziest part? That number is rapidly sky rocketing. Get ready because these are 25 penetrating facts about bullets that will astound you!
Featured Image: pixabay
When China would execute an inmate, the family would be invoiced for the cost of the bullet
Source: timesonline.co.uk, Image: pixabay
A standard lawnmower blade can launch debris at three times the speed of a .357 magnum
Source: scienceagogo.com, Image: wikipedia
American outlaws Bonnie and Clyde were allegedly shot so many times that their bodies were nearly impossible to embalm
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 2011, Americans spent $4 billion on ammunition. 2 years later, in 2013, that number had doubled to $8 billion.
Source: National Shooting Sports Foundation, Image: wikipedia
The Red Baron (full name - Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen) was hit by a bullet while flying. He managed to safely land his plane but died shortly afterwards
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Because JFK had sprained a muscle, he had to wear a brace that restricted his movement. When he was first hit in the neck with Oswald's bullet, he wasn't able to duck to avoid the next shot.
Source: bztv.typepad.com, Image: wikipedia
Sling bullets from around 40 BC have been found to be engraved with messages like "take this" or "ouch"
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In the early 1900s, dueling made a comeback as a sport. The contestants would use wax bullets and wear heavy protective clothing. It was even featured during the 1908 Olympics.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Every year, Americans buy between 10 and 12 billion bullets
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 1864, Abraham Lincoln lost his hat when his horse started all of a sudden. It was later discovered that his hat had a bullet hole through it and that Lincoln had survived an attempted assassination
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 2007, a man in Florida woke up with a bad headache. He went to the hospital where doctors found a bullet in his brain. His wife later admitted to having accidentally shot him.
Source: abc.net.au, Image: wikipedia
Sniper bullets can hit targets so far away that the sniper needs to take the spin of the Earth into account (Coriolis drift)
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
W.V Meadows from West Point, Georgia was shot in the eye during the American Civil War. He coughed the bullet up nearly 60 years later
Source: ripleys.com, Image: wikipedia
Tampons have been used as medical devices since the 1700s when they were used during battle to stop bleeding from bullet wounds
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
When Tsar Nicholas II's family was executed, his daughters had clothing laced with diamonds that served to protect them slightly. Therefore, they didn't die right away and were then bayoneted
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 2008, the celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme was grazed by a stray bullet. He later said he thought he got stung by a bee and continued cooking. It turned out that the bullet had fallen from the sky.
Source: usatoday.com, Image: wikipedia
In 2009, British soldier Craig Harrison made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest sniper shot at 2,475 meters while he was in Afghanistan. It took the bullet 6 seconds to reach its target
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
The US military uses a "self-healing" coating on fuel tanks that allows them to be penetrated by bullets but not leak
Source: youtube, Image: wikipedia
After a $20 gold coil saved Lt. George Dixon's life, he kept it as his lucky coin. It was found nearly 140 years later in the wreck of a confederate sub (HL Hunley)
Source: hunley.org, Image: wikipedia
The US and Russia use depleted uranium bullets to pierce vehicle armor. When the bullet gets through the armor it ignites and causes its target to explode
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Bullets that are fired into the air fall back to the ground and can be lethal. Following the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons, more than 20 people were reported to have been killed by celebratory gunfire
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
The pointy bullets that many modern militaries use are called Spitzers. This comes from the German word Spitzgeschoss, which means "pointy bullet"
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Sandia Labs has created self guided bullets that can hit targets more than one mile away
Source: sandia.gov, Image: wikipedia
Holy Smokes is a company that will take your ashes and turn them into ammunition
Source: npr.org, Image: wikipedia
Bullets fired from sniper rifles are supersonic. This means that the target would have been hit before any nearby observers heard the bang of the shot
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
