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Top 100 Random Fun Facts Everyone Should Know

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So pull up a chair, get your reading glasses on, and enjoy this awesome list of the top one hundred most random, interesting and fun facts.

Don’t forget to click the next page button at the bottom for more interesting facts.

1. Banging your head against a wall for one hour burns 150 calories.

   
   Alternatively, you can walk your dog for 45 minutes, which also burns 150 calories – and is much less painful.
   You can also check out these other bizarre ways to burn calories.

2. In Switzerland it is illegal to own just one guinea pig.

   
   This is because guinea pigs are social animals, and they are considered victims of abuse if they are alone. Why isn’t this a law everywhere?!

3. Pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled by feathers.

   
   It’s also a fear of feathers themselves. The word “ptero” is the Greek word for feather, and “phobia” is also Greek, meaning fear.

4. Snakes can help predict earthquakes.

   
   They can sense a coming earthquake from 75 miles away (121 km), up to five days before it happens.
   Why not check out these other fun facts about snakes.

5. A flock of crows is known as a murder.

   
   Some might say that a group of two crows is an attempted murder!
   Want to know what a group of owls is called? Well here’s anA to Z of animal group names.

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1. The oldest “your mom” joke was discovered on a 3,500 year old Babylonian tablet.

   
   It was discovered in Iraq in 1976, however since then the tablet has been lost, but the text remains preserved.

2. So far, two diseases have successfully been eradicated: smallpox and rinderpest.

   
   The last naturally occurring case of smallpox was diagnosed in October 1977, and the last case of rinderpest was diagnosed in 2001.

3. 29^th May is officially “Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day”.

   
   This strange holiday spans back to the early 1900’s, where families would place a piece of cloth in their larders. It’s celebrated in Europe and the U.S.A to bring luck & wealth to the household.
   Read more about Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day right here!

4. Cherophobia is an irrational fear of fun or happiness.

   
   That’s one phobia I wouldn’t like to have… it would probably mean they would fear these fun facts!

5. 7% of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

   
   I know 7% doesn’t sound like a lot, but that actually works out at 16.4 million American adults. Sounds like a lot now right?

1. If you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground it can’t hop.

   
   Kangaroos use their tails for balance whilst hopping, so if you elevate their tail, they would have no balance and fall over.
   Don’t miss these other fun facts about kangaroos.

2. Bananas are curved because they grow towards the sun.

   
   Bananas go through a process called “negative geotropism.” Instead of growing towards the ground, they start growing towards the sun. The fruit grows against gravity, which gives the banana its familiar curved shape.
   Love bananas? You’ll go bananas over these fun facts about bananas!

3. Billy goats urinate on their own heads to smell more attractive to females.

   
   Billy goats, or bucks is the name given to male goats. Generally they urinate on themselves in late summer through fall, and for humans, it’s not a pleasant smell.

4. The inventor of the Frisbee was cremated and made into a Frisbee after he died.

   
   Walter Frederick Morrison invented the Frisbee in 1948, which was originally called the Pluto Platter. In 2010, at age 90 he died and his family cremated him and turned his ashes in to the Frisbee.

5. During your lifetime, you will produce enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.

   
   An average human produces between 1 to 2 liters of saliva each day, which is a maximum of 730 liters per year.
   The average life expectancy is just over 70 years, which gives a maximum of 51,100 liters of saliva produced in an average lifetime. This is more than enough to fill two swimming pools.

1. If Pinocchio says “My Nose Will Grow Now”, it would cause a paradox.

   
   This is known as Pinocchio’s Paradox. If you think about it, Pinocchio’s nose would have to grow to make his statement not a lie, but then it can’t grow otherwise the statement would not be a lie.

2. Polar bears could eat as many as 86 penguins in a single sitting…

   
   …If they didn’t live at opposite ends of the earth! Polar bears live in the arctic, whereas penguins usually live in Antarctica.

3. King Henry VIII slept with a gigantic axe beside him.

   
   This wasn’t the only lethal weapon he owned. King Henry VIII had a huge collection of weapons, which included 6,500 handguns.

4. Movie trailers were originally shown after the movie, which is why they were called “trailers”.

   
   The problem with the trailers showing after the film was that audience wouldn’t stay around to watch them, making the trailers rather ineffective.

5. An eagle can kill a young deer and fly away with it.

   
   Never underestimate an eagle!

1. Heart attacks are more likely to happen on a Monday.

   
   Okay this isn’t exactly a fun fact, but it is interesting! Heart attacks are increased by 20% on Monday’s. The most common time for them to happen is between 4-10 a.m.
   Don’t worry though, there are positive & fun facts about Monday too!

2. Tennis players are not allowed to swear when they are playing in Wimbledon.

   
   Because of this, line judges have to learn curse words in every language so they know when a player has violated the rules.

3. In 2017 more people were killed from injuries caused by taking a selfie than by shark attacks.

   
   There was only 5 deaths due to shark attacks in 2017, which is lower than the average year. The average amount of deaths caused by sharks is 6. Worldwide, there was 35 deaths caused by taking selfies in 2017.

4. The top six foods that make your fart are beans, corn, bell peppers, cauliflower, cabbage and milk.

   
   It’s probably best if you avoid eating any of these if you’re going on a date!
   You’ll probably like to know some fun facts about thesefoods that make you poo.

5. There is a species of spider called the Hobo Spider.

   
   Most bites from the Hobo Spider (Tegenaria agrestis) happen when the spider is accidentally crushed or squeezed by a human.

1. A lion’s roar can be heard from 5 miles away.

   
   To be more specific, a lion can roar as loud as 114 decibels, which is roughly 25 times louder than a gas-powered lawnmower.
   If you like this fun fact, check out our clothing over at The Fact Shop – A Lion’s Roar Can Be Heard From 5 Miles Away T-Shirt

2. Saint Lucia is the only country in the world named after a woman.

   
   Saint Lucia was discovered by the French after they were shipwrecked on the island. They arrived on December 13^thwhich is the feast day of Saint Lucy – hence, why they named it Saint Lucia!

3. A baby spider is called a spiderling.

   
   Spiders aren’t cute, but this name kind of is! Spiderling is the official name for immature spiders. On top of that, spiderlings are often born in groups of thousands!
   Check out these eight creepy facts about spiders.

4. The United States Navy has started using Xbox controllers for their periscopes.

   
   You read that right – because the control stick for periscopes is so complicated, using Xbox controllers reduces the learning time from hours to minutes. Another bonus: Xbox controllers cost $37,980 less!

5. The following can be read forward and backwards: Do geese see God?

   
   This sentence is what is called a “palindrome.” The word itself is from the Greek “palin” meaning “back,” and “dromos” meaning “direction.”

1. A baby octopus is about the size of a flea when it is born.

   
   You would think this would make them hard to spot, however since eggs are laid by the tens of thousands, it would be hard to miss a massive cluster of pea-sized octopuses!

2. A sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first passengers in a hot air balloon.

   
   You read that right – in 1783, the first hot air balloon was launched carrying a sheep, duck, and a rooster. The flight lasted for 8 minutes before landing safely with its passengers.

3. In Uganda, around 48% of the population is under 15 years of age.

   
   Of the 41 million inhabitants, nearly half of those are youths. If you were to expand the age to just 30, that brings the percentage up to 77%!

4. The average male gets bored of a shopping trip after 26 minutes.

   
   Meanwhile, women don’t get tired of shopping until around 2 hours! So next time you see a couple at a retail store with a bored looking boyfriend, you know they’ve been out for more than half an hour.

5. In the 16^th Century, Arab women could initiate a divorce if their husbands didn’t pour coffee for them.

   
   Today, this would be unheard of. But back then, coffee was an integral part of Turkish society. So much so, that it was “grounds” for divorce. No one knows why exactly this was acceptable, but the fact remains that it was!

1. Recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to watch television for 3 hours.

   
   Yup, that’s how important recycling is! The average person has the chance to recycle 25,000 cans in their lifetime – that’s 75,000 hours of television!

2. After the premiere of “16 and Pregnant,” teen pregnancy rates dropped.

   
   MTV may not have the most wholesome programs, but after the premier of this show, teen pregnancy dropped by 5.7% within 18 months of the show airing.

3. Approximately 10-20% of U.S. power outages are caused by squirrels.

   
   Harmless and cute as they seem, these fuzzy little creatures aren’t as innocent as you think! Squirrels have a tendency of chewing the wires, but luckily it’s a simple fix.

4. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are all banned in China.

   
   Those aren’t the only ones either – over 8,000 domain names are blocked. Other major banned social network sites include Google Plus, Pinterest, and Tumblr.

5. 95% of people text things they could never say in person.

   
   Are you guilty of this? I know I am.

1. Honeybees can recognize human faces.

   
   Whereas before it was thought that only large brained mammals could distinguish faces, but honeybees can do this as well! They see faces in a compilation of 5,000 individual images – kind of like pixels.

2. The Battle of Hastings didn’t take place in Hastings.

   
   The famous Battle of Hastings actually took place 7 miles from Hastings in a town that is today known as Battle. Fitting, right?
   You may also like these fun facts about The Battle of Hastings.

3. While trying to find a cure for AIDS, the Mayo Clinic made glow in the dark cats.

   
   This is due to their use a specific protein that was fluorescent green. They used this protein to find out if their tests worked: if the animal glowed, the outcome was successful.

4. A swarm of 20,000 bees followed a car for two days because their queen was stuck inside.

   
   When the car parked, the thousands of bees swarmed onto the car and had to be taken off by beekeepers. The next day, the bees were back on the car because the queen was still inside and the swarm had to be taken off again.

5. Nearly 3% of the ice in Antarctic glaciers is penguin urine.

   
   Because the temperature in the Antarctic is well below zero, the urine can’t evaporate and just combines with the glaciers.

1. Bob Dylan’s real name is Robert Zimmerman.

   
   Yep, his full name is Robert Allen Zimmerman – he started going by Bob Dylan early on in his career for no real reason. Simply because he wanted to!

2. A crocodile can’t poke its tongue out.

   
   Because their tongues are attached to the roof of their mouths, crocodiles cannot stick their tongues out – although their very similar counterparts, alligators, can.
   If you like this crocodile fact, we have this awesome fun fact printed on our t-shirts: A Crocodile Can’t Stick its Tongue Out T-Shirt.

3. Sea otters hold hands when they sleep so they don’t drift away from each other.

   
   This is a method mostly used by a mother and her pup to prevent them from separating. Other than holding hands, they may also wrap themselves in kelp to keep from drifting away!

4. A small child could swim through the veins of a blue whale.

   
   If you consider how large a blue whale’s heart is the size of a small car, it’s no surprise that a small child, around 3-4 years old, could swim through the massive veins of a blue whale.

5. Bin Laden’s death was announced on 1^st May 2011. Hitler’s death was announced on 1^stMay 1945.

   
   Both of these cruel leader’s deaths were announced on the same day, but due to the time difference, Bin Laden actually died on May 2nd. The announcement was made in the U.S. which was hours enough ahead to still be May 1st.

1. J.K. Rowling chose the unusual name ‘Hermione’ so young girls wouldn’t be teased for being nerdy.

   
   The name Hermione came from Shakespeare’s “A Winter’s Tale.” Rowling says when she chose the name, she “didn’t want a lot of fairly hard-working little girls to be teased if ever the book was published.”

2. Hewlett-Packard’s (also known as HP) name was decided in a coin toss in 1939.

   
   The name was always going to be a hyphenation of the two founders last names, so in order to decide between Hewlett-Packard and Packard-Hewlett, they flipped a coin.
   You may also like these top 100 fun facts about technology.

3. There is a total of 1,665 steps in the Eiffel Tower.

   
   Standing 108 stories tall, there are 1,710 steps to get to the top. However, guests are only allowed to climb the stairs until the first platform. From there, they must take an elevator to the top.

4. The Pokémon Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are based off of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

   
   The third Pokemon of the Hitmons is also named after a martial artist. Hitmontop is named after a lesser known martial artist, Larry Top.
   If you love Pokémon, you’ll love these fun facts about theoriginal 151 Pokémon.

5. A woman once tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Empire State Building. She jumped from the 86^th floor but was blown back onto the 85^th floor by a gust of wind.

   
   Standing almost 1,500 feet tall, there’s no way anyone could survive that fall. However, when Elvita Adams tried to kill herself by jumping, a strong gust of wind blew her to the floor below. The worst injury she sustained was a fractured hip.

1. Pirates wore earrings because they believed it improved their eyesight.

   
   Along with many other reasons! Due to superstitions, they thought it protected them from bad eyesight (or even blindness), seasickness, and drowning.

2. Los Angeles’s full name is “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula.”

   
   The original name was quite a mouthful. It translates to “town of our lady the Queen of Angels of the River Porciuncula.” Now, Los Angeles is just “The Angels.”

3. The Twitter bird actually has a name – Larry.

   
   The name comes from Larry Bird, who is a famous Hall of Fame basketball player. The species of Larry the Bird still remains a secret!

4. Octopuses have four pairs of arms.

   
   The six of an octopus’ tentacles serve as arms, while the other two are their “legs.” They use six tentacles just to eat!

5. In the popular sitcom, Parks and Recreation, the writers had no idea Nick Offerman was a talented saxophone player when they wrote the Duke Silver plot line.

   
   Nick Offerman has played the saxophone his whole life, so when the writer wrote about his character being a secret jazz musician, the coincidence was perfect.

1. It snowed in the Sahara desert for 30 minutes on the 18^th February 1979.

   
   So far, this is the only known time in history that it snowed in the Sahara! Unsurprisingly, the snow melted away very quickly.

2. Mike Tyson once offered a zoo attendant 10,000 dollars to let him fight a gorilla.

   
   As it is, Tyson bribed a worker to open the zoo for just he and his wife to see the animals. While on this romantic stroll, he tried to also bribe a zookeeper to let him fight a gorilla. The zoo attendant said no.

3. ABBA turned down 1 billion dollars to do a reunion tour.

   
   In 2000, ABBA was offered $1 billion dollars to reunite for 100 shows – which would have been $250 million per member. They turned it down because it wasn’t for them.

4. There has never been a verified snow leopard attack on a human being.

   
   Unlike many other big cats, snow leopards are not aggressive towards humans. They are very reclusive creatures, and even if they are disturbed, they are more likely to run away than to attack.
   If you love these big cats, you’ll love these fun facts aboutsnow leopards.

5. The first alarm clock could only ring at 4 a.m.

   
   Invented in 1787, Levi Hutchins needed a way to wake up in time for work, so he made the alarm clock. It took almost 100 years for a wind up alarm clock to be invented that could be set to any time.

1. Birds don’t urinate.

   
   Contrary to what most mammals do, birds convert nitrogen to uric acid. They get rid of this uric acid through the same place as they get rid all their other waste – their anus.

2. Dying is illegal in the Houses of Parliaments.

   
   Strange as it is, this law is in place because anyone who dies in the Houses of Parliaments is entitled to a state funeral. This has been voted as the most ridiculous law by the British citizens.
   You might like to know these fun facts about the top ten most crazy laws in the U.K.

3. The most venomous jellyfish in the world is the Irukandji.

   
   While it’s not the most deadly jellyfish, it is number two! Even more shocking, is that this tiny jellyfish is smaller than your fingernail. Its venom is 100 times more powerful than a cobra’s!

4. The 20^th of March is Snowman Burning Day.

   
   This strange holiday was spawned by American and Swiss citizens to symbolize the end of the winter season.
   If you’re wondering how you actually burn a snowman, we have more fun facts about Snowman Burning Day here!

5. Queen Elizabeth can’t sit on the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones.

   
   Queen Elizabeth visited the set of Game of Thrones, but because of an obscure rule, she wasn’t allowed to sit on it – the ruling monarch can’t sit on a foreign throne, even if it’s fictional, apparently.

1. There is official Wizard of New Zealand.

   
   In 1990, the Prime Minister of New Zealand appointed Ian Brackenbury Channell, who was an old friend, as the Wizard of New Zealand. He is even given an annual stipend.
   If you’re planning a trip to the country where The Lord of the Rings was filmed, you’ll want to check out these fun facts about New Zealand!

2. An apple, potato, and onion all taste the same if you eat them with your nose plugged.

   
   Our sense of taste is 80% made up of our sense of smell. If you were to blindfold yourself and plug your nose, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between these three foods!

3. Vincent van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime.

   
   Just a few months before his death, Van Gogh sold his painting “The Red Vineyard.” It was sold in Brussels, Belgium for 400 francs.
   You may also like these 30 fun facts about Vincent van Gogh.

4. A company in Taiwan makes dinnerware out of wheat, so you can eat your plate!

   
   Not only do they make plates out of wheat, but spoons, bowls, and chopsticks as well. The dishes can be kept for months as long as they stay dry!

5. The average person walks the equivalent of five times around the world in their lifetime.

   
   Assuming the average person lives until they’re 80, they will walk about 110,000 miles in their lifetime. The circumference of the equator is 24,900 miles.

1. Michael Jackson offered to make a Harry Potter musical, but J.K. Rowling rejected the idea.

   
   Rowling defended herself because she says she turned down a lot of adaption opportunities, and Michael Jackson’s just so happened to be one of them.

2. The world record for stuffing drinking straws into your mouth at once is 459.

   
   Manoj Kumar Maharana, from India, broke the world record on 28^th August 2017 for stuffing 459 drinking straws in his mouth at once! In order to break it, he had to keep them in his mouth for at least 10 seconds.

3. Nutella was invented during WWII, when hazelnuts were mixed into chocolate to extend chocolate rations.

   
   In an effort to extend his chocolate rations during World War Two, an Italian pastry maker mixed hazelnuts into chocolate. The final Nutella product was created by his son who decided to perfect the recipe.

4. In 2011, more than 1 in 3 divorce filings in the U.S. contained the word “Facebook.”

   
   References to social networks are on the rise when it comes to divorce cases, as well as child custody cases.

5. According to Genesis 1:20-22 the chicken came before the egg.

   
   Depending on your beliefs, these Genesis verses state that God created birds – not eggs that would hatch into birds. This includes chickens!

1. Honeybees can get drunk on fermented tree sap.

   
   It affects bees in a similar way that alcohol affects humans, causing flying accidents and making it difficult to get back to the hive. Sober bees at the hive will attack the drunken bees to prevent them from entering the hive.

2. Tears contain a natural pain killer which reduces pain and improves your mood.

   
   It’s actually an endorphin, which is why you can tend to feel better after a good cry! So next time you feel the need to break down, don’t be shy!

3. Squirrels forget where they hide about half of their nuts.

   
   While not all squirrels bury their nuts, the ones that do only recover around 26% of their nuts.
   Don’t miss these fun facts about squirrels.

4. Millions of birds a year die from smashing into windows in the U.S. alone.

   
   The actual number is somewhere between 365 million and 988 million! While the exact number of the bird population is uncertain, this comes out to about 2 to 10 percent of bird in the United States.

5. Dolly Parton lost in a Dolly Parton look-alike contest.

   
   Dolly Parton entered a Dolly Parton themed drag queen contest, did her hair and makeup more dramatically, and not only lost, but received the least applause.

1. George W. Bush was once a cheerleader.

   
   Bush was a cheerleader in High School, and continued to be one while he attended Yale. In high school, he was even promoted to head cheerleader!

2. In total, there are 205 bones in the skeleton of a horse.

   
   Even though they are much greater in size to humans (we have 206), horses have just about the same number of bones in their skeleton as we do!

3. Coca-Cola owns all website URLs that can be read as ahh, all the way up to 62 h’s.

   
   A 2013 digital campaign by Coca-Cola spurred the company to purchase all 62 URL’s.
   You can read more fun facts about Coca-Cola here!

4. Each year there are more than 40,000 toilet related injuries in the United States.

   
   Some of these make sense, like a child of infant falling in. Others are attributed to toilet seats falling down, or complications due to bowel movements.

5. Strawberries can be red, yellow, green or white.

   
   This of course refers to the different maturity stages of a strawberry. Before it’s ripe and red, it will be green. Yellow strawberries are a different type altogether – called Alpine Strawberries.
   If you want more fun facts about this fruit, here are seven scrumptious facts about strawberries.

1. Mewtwo is a clone of the Pokémon Mew, yet it comes before Mew in the Pokédex.

   
   Because Mewtwo was in the Pokémon game, but Mew was only acquired through events at the time, Mewtwo was given the number 150, while Mew is number 151.

2. Four people lived in a home for 6 months infested with about 2,000 brown recluse spiders, but none of them were harmed.

   
   While the brown recluse is one of three spiders in North America with venom that requires medical treatment, they are hardly ever aggressive.

3. Madonna suffers from brontophobia, which is the fear of thunder.

   
   This scary sounding word isn’t so complicated – it’s the fear of thunder. Madonna is so scared of it that she has been known to frequently check weather reports before shows.
   The fear of thunder is also known as astraphobia, astrapophobia, keraunophobia or tonitrophobia.

4. In June 2017, the Facebook community reached 2 billion active users.

   
   Meaning, more than a quarter of the world’s population uses this popular social media outlet!

5. Samuel L. Jackson requested to have a purple lightsaber in Star Wars in order for him to accept the part as Mace Windu.

   
   Jackson wanted to be able to find himself on screen in big fight scenes, so he managed to get George Lucas to approve his request.
   See our full list of fun facts about Star Wars here.

1. Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13^th.

   
   A few famous people are stricken with this absurd phobia, such as Franklin Roosevelt, and surprisingly enough, Stephen King.

2. Kleenex tissues were originally used as filters in gas masks.

   
   They were originally been developed as crepe paper and used for gas mask filters. The actual Kleenex product we know of today evolved from that by accident.

3. In 1998, Sony accidentally sold 700,000 camcorders that had the technology to see through people’s clothes.

   
   These cameras had special lenses that use infrared light meant to be used as night vision, but it also allowed you to see through some types of clothing.

4. During your lifetime, you will spend around thirty-eight days brushing your teeth.

   
   This equals out to about 35.5 days in total. At about two minutes per day, this equates to 0.1% of your life!

5. Ronald McDonald is “Donald McDonald” in Japan because it makes pronunciation easier for the Japanese.

   
   Ever since the first McDonald’s opened in Japan in 1971, the mascot has been called Donald McDonald. Often, Japanese people are surprised to learn he has a different name everywhere else.

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Luke Ward

Luke Ward is the founder of The Fact Site. He's a professional blogger & researcher with over 9 years’ experience in fact finding, SEO & web design. In his spare time he loves to travel and drink coffee.

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