At one point, 50% of the CDs produced worldwide had an AOL logo on them. The cost for the marketing campaign was in the billions – and it worked.
There are 30 times more trees on Earth than there are stars in the Milky Way. It’s estimated that there are 100 billion stars and 3 trillion trees.
The first spacecraft to visit Mars was Mariner 4 in 1965.
According to Biblical Scholars, Jesus was more than likely born in a cave, not a stable, as the tale says.
The process by which bread toasts is called the “Maillard Reaction.”
The front paws of a cat are different from the back paws. They have five toes on the front but only four on the back.
The word “barbarian” originally referred to people who don’t speak Greek. The Greeks thought people who spoke a foreign tongue sounded like they were saying “bar bar bar” all the time.
A group of horses will not go to sleep at the same time – at least one of them will stay awake to look out for the others.
Antimatter is the most expensive substance on Earth. It costs roughly $62.5 trillion per gram, or $1.75 quadrillion per ounce.
The word “friends” is said in every episode of Friends.
Alongside Sudoku, chess has been named one of the best ways to improve the mind and memory.
In Utah, birds have the right of way on a highway.
Logan was the most complained-about movie in the U.K. in 2017, as viewers felt that the movie was too violent for its 15 rating.
It was Nicholas Cage who first advised Johnny Depp to pursue a career in acting during the mid-1980s.
While hunting, stoats go crazy jumping, spinning, and twisting to get a rabbit’s attention. This hypnotizes the rabbit until the stoat gets close enough to attack.
Jellyfish are considered biologically immortal. They don’t age and will never die unless they are killed.
Extreme ironing is a sport in which people take ironing boards to remote locations and iron items of clothing. It originated in England.
Mickey Mouse was the first-ever cartoon character to talk. In the 1929 episode, The Karnival Kid, Mickey’s first words were “Hot dogs!”
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 actually hated his curly hair but kept it as it was iconic.
The longer you spend dating somebody before marrying, the less likely the marriage is to end in divorce.
It costs almost $290,000 per year in fees to run a hot dog cart near the Central Park Zoo in New York City. This does not include cart incurred costs.
Around 15% of active Twitter accounts are social bots. This means there are nearly 48 million accounts that are not controlled by humans.
Contrary to popular belief, only 45% of the London Underground is actually underground.
In 2013, a plant was genetically engineered to grow tomatoes above ground and potatoes underground. It is called the TomTato.
In Indonesian, there is a word, “Jayus,” that means “A joke told so poorly, and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh.”
Overwhelmingly, red states have the highest rate of dog ownership, while residents of blue states are more likely to keep a cat as a pet.
Frederick Douglass was the most photographed man of the 19th Century. He wanted to ensure an accurate depiction of Black Americans during the Civil War.
Apple seeds, cherry apricot, and peach pits contain cyanide, but it takes a large amount of each actually to make you sick or kill you.
In Australia, there are nearly twice as many kangaroos as there are humans.
During the Prohibition era, the U.S. Government allowed Whiskey to be sold through pharmacies. As a result, Walgreens grew from 20 retail stores to almost 400.
15% of iPhone users use an iPhone with a broken screen.
Baby owls are called “owlettes.”
The EU didn’t want to showcase any country over another, so the architecture on each EU banknote was created by a computer to make neutral designs.
Elephants can die of a broken heart if their mate dies.
The average person takes 12 seconds to count to 24.
It’s an Australian tradition to eat sausages at polling places on election day called Democracy Sausages. For many communities, this is the biggest fundraising event of the year.
For her part as June Boatwright in the 2008 movie “The Secret Life of Bees,” Alicia Keys learned to play cello within 4 weeks.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has such severe dyslexia that he didn’t read his first novel until he was 38.
Uncle Phil from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was also the voice of Shredder from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon.
The fear of cooking is known as Mageirocophobia and is a recognized phobia.
In Cambodia, rats are being trained to sniff out land mines. They can clear 200 square meters in less than 35 minutes, whereas a de-miner usually takes 2-3 days.
10% of Filipinos (approximately 10 million people) live overseas. The country with the highest amount is the United States, with almost 4 million Filipinos.
The collective name for a group of unicorns is called a blessing.
President Ulysses S. Grant was arrested while in office. He was charged, booked, and released for speeding on a horse and had to pay a fine.
Paddington Bear has 2 birthdays (just like the Queen). Paddington celebrates his birthdays on June 25th and December 25th.
Dogs have a total of 42 teeth when they are fully grown.
Originally, cigarette filters were made out of cork, the look of which was incorporated into today’s pattern.
In the early 1900s, there was a pod of killer whales that helped humans hunt down other whales in Australia. They would do this for the fins and tongues of the captured whales as rewards, and this agreement was known as “The Law of Tongue.”
During 9/11, some fighters took off without live ammo, knowing that to stop the hijackers, the pilots might have to crash their fighters into the planes.
In Halden prison in Norway, guards are encouraged to interact, play sports, and eat with the inmates. This is to prevent aggression and create a sense of family.
The Danish flag is the oldest current flag of a sovereign state. It was adopted in 1370 or earlier. The second oldest is the Netherlands in 1572.
The entire world population could fit in Texas, allotting 330 square feet per person. The area of Texas is about 262,000 square miles.
On average, 97 chickens are killed every 0.05 seconds worldwide.
When Michael Emerson was cast in the major television show Lost, he was only intended to appear in three episodes. However, the producers were so impressed with him that they promoted him to a series regular.
Paul McCartney was paid only £1 for performing at the 2012 London Olympics Closing Ceremony. He willingly donated his performance.
All of the sweaters Mister Rogers wore on his show were hand-knit by his mother. He said he loved wearing them because they always made him think of her.
The maximum recommended consumption for Monster Energy Drink is 16oz in Australia, but 48oz in the U.S.A.
Coca-Cola was first served in 1886. At that time, only 9 colas were served on an average day, 3,285 a year. Today, 19,400 Coke products are consumed every second.
Alexander Hamilton was shot and mortally wounded by Aaron Burr on the same spot that his son had been killed 3 years before and by the same set of pistols.
Sunflowers can help clean radioactive soil. Japan is using this to rehabilitate Fukashima. Almost 10,000 packets of sunflower seeds have been sold to the people of the city.
Medical errors are the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Nicki Minaj is acrophobic, meaning she is afraid of heights.
Ed Sheeran has a ketchup bottle tattooed on his arm.
After a Muslim astronaut had trouble figuring out how to fast for Ramadan in space, a booklet was written to explain how to observe Ramadan while in orbit.
Manatees can get frostbite in water below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20°C). Their fat is not designed to insulate them from the cold.
There is a town in Indiana called Santa Claus.
“Darth Vader” is derived from Old Dutch, meaning “Dark Father.”
In the original Psycho movie, the blood in the famous shower scene was actually chocolate syrup.
There are more storms on Mars when the planet is closer to the sun.
False eyelashes were invented in 1916 when a producer wanted to enhance an actress’s eyes in a movie. The lashes were made of human hair.
The word “Gymnastics” linguistically means “to train naked.” It is derived from the two Ancient Greek words “gumnasía” (athletic training, exercise) and “gumnós” (naked). This is because many Greek athletes would train naked for the Olympic games.
In the film Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith, every single one of the Clone Troopers was produced using CGI effects.
You’re not allowed to swear if playing in Wimbledon. Because of this, line judges have to learn curse words in every language.
It is illegal to play a musical instrument in the Northern Territory, Australia, for the purpose of annoying other people.
Bob Marley’s last words were, “Money can’t buy life.”
America consumes almost 50% of the world’s chocolate.
A study at Florida State University discovered that playing Portal 2 is better for your brain than brain-training games like Lumosity.
People who eat breakfast feel better both mentally and physically throughout the day.
The original Xbox contained edited snippets of actual transmissions from the Apollo missions.
When Pink Floyd designed the “Animals” album cover, the inflatable pig tied to the power station broke free, causing Heathrow Airport to cancel all their flights.
Herring fish communicate by using flatulence.
“Schnapsidee” is the German word for a ridiculous idea that only sounds good when you’re drunk.
Forgiveness is the number one trait linked to happiness in humans.
The police in Belfast, Northern Ireland, used music from an ice-cream truck to calm down angry teen rioters. The music diffused a tense situation, but the officers were reprimanded for it.
Ralph Lauren’s real name was Ralph Lifshitz.
In the 1830s, the ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, wanted to disassemble the Giza Pyramids and use them as pre-cut building materials. Thankfully, the Quantity Surveyor for the project fudged the figures and made it look like it would cost too much to save them.
Pantheism is the belief that God did not create the universe, but rather the universe is God.
By using big data, Wal-Mart determined that people stock up the most on strawberry Pop-Tarts and beer before a hurricane.
The most used hashtags on Instagram are #love, #instagood, #me, #cute and #follow.
Cats can hear ultrasound.
Anna Bågenholm fell through a frozen stream while skiing and was trapped beneath the ice for over an hour. Her body temperature dropped to 56.7 °F (13.7 °C), the lowest ever recorded in a surviving human, and her heart stopped, but she was rescued and made a full recovery.
Aggressive sitting is a sport. It originated in Berlin no later than 2008. You can purchase a special stool for this sport for around 70 dollars.
The whole Harry Potter series contains 199 chapters, 4,224 pages, and 1,090,739 words and has been made into 19 hours and 39 minutes of the film.
Daniel Radcliffe identifies as Jewish, and his mother is Jewish too.
The distance from your wrist to your elbow is the same length as your foot.
A group of parrots is known as a pandemonium of parrots.
On average, PewDiePie receives around 2 million YouTube views on each video after only 24 hours of uploading them.
When Jay-Z was 12, he shot his older brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry. He later referenced it in a song titled “You Must Love Me.”
In Ancient Greece, throwing an apple to a woman was a symbolic declaration of love, and to catch it was to show acceptance of that love.
The average computer user blinks seven times a minute; the normal rate is twenty times per minute.
If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will become pale.
Worldwide, cucumber production was 57.5 million tons in 2010 alone, with 40.7 million tons of production and export happening in China.
When tea started being sold in bags, originally, it was intended to be removed from the bags by customers, but they found it easier to brew the tea still in the bag.
If the electors of the Holy Roman Emperor did not vote within 30 days, they were only allowed to eat bread and water and were forbidden to leave the city.
A woman once tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Empire State Building. She jumped from the 86th floor but was blown back onto the 85th floor by a gust of wind.
The original Star-Spangled Banner was sewn on the floor of a brewery in Baltimore in 1813 by Mary Pickersgill and her daughter.
Cucumber can actually cure bad breath. A slice pressed to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds with your tongue allows the phytochemicals to kill the problematic bacteria.
Wonder Woman has a black sister, Nubia. She was sculpted from black clay. Diana was sculpted from white clay.
Dartmouth’s unofficial mascot is a beer keg called “Keggy the Keg.” Created in 2003, it was initially controversial but is now part of the Dartmouth culture.
27,000 trees are cut down every day to supply the world’s toilet paper.
According to scientists, the weight of the average cumulus cloud is 1.1 million pounds.
Egg yolks are one of the few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D.
The first band to ever perform live on all seven continents was Metallica.
November 17th is known as “Unfriend Day.” On this day, you should unfriend anybody who you don’t know or speak to.
A 2017 survey found Paraguay to be the happiest country in the world for the second year in a row.
In a few Appalachian forests, there are fireflies that glow blue for up to a minute instead of flashing yellow.
Spacesuits take 5,000 hours to make, cost 1 million dollars, weigh about 110 pounds, and have 11 layers of material.
There are more than 70 species of mushrooms that glow in the dark.
There is a Guinness World Record for the longest amount of time needed to create an official government – it is held by Belgium.
Dylan Dauzat‘s fanbase is known as “Dylanators.”
Some butterfly species are extremely fast; the Skipper Butterfly can fly faster than a horse can run.
Canadian law requires citizens to answer a math question when entering sweepstakes. This is done to add some aspect of skill to the contest.
The Empire State Building took only a little over a year to build (410 days) and was 12 days ahead of schedule when completed.
Neptune was the first planet to be found through mathematical predictions rather than telescopic observation.
Foxes have whiskers on their legs. This helps them with their bearings, especially when it’s dark outside.
The call of a Kookaburra is used as the stock jungle sound effect in many movies and shows set in the jungles of Africa or South America, even though they are only in Australia and New Guinea.
Deep snow can sometimes appear blue in color because the extra layers of snow create a filter for light.
Crows can remember the faces of individual humans. They can also hold a grudge.
In 1942, a 12-year-old lied about his age to join the Navy. He became a decorated war hero at age 13, but was thrown out of the Navy after his mom found out.
A Brussels Airlines flight to Vienna was aborted because the pilot was attacked in the cockpit. The attacker was a passenger’s cat.
The least common day to be born is May 22nd.
Reindeer are one of the only mammals that can see UV light.
Angelina Jolie performed her own stunts whilst filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
As per the Shark Tank contract, if you mention the name of any company you own, then Shark Tank automatically owns 5% of that company or gets 2% of the lifetime profits.
Because of its unique tilt, a single night on Uranus lasts for 21 years.
Alaska is the state that produces the most serial killers.
McDonald’s sells an estimated 9 million pounds of French fries every day and around 3.29 billion pounds each year.
The King of Macedon threatened Sparta with, “If I bring my army into your land, I will raze your city.” The Spartans replied: “If.” No attempt was made to capture the city.
85% of Valentine’s Day Cards are bought by women.
Chocolate ice cream has been proven to significantly reduce emotional and physical pain.
Due to paralytics administered, if you wake up during surgery, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell anyone.
In America, it is a federal crime to use your roommate’s or friend’s Netflix account.
Volkswagen owns Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Audi, Ducati, and Porsche.
Facebook causes you to overestimate how happy your friends are and, in turn, makes you more depressed.
Gatorade was invented to help the Florida Gators Football Team stay hydrated.
When Nike first started, it was called Blue Ribbon Sports. The name was changed in 1971.
28 is the atomic number of Nickel and the atomic mass of Silicon.
The modern salute is believed to be derived from the way in which French Knights would greet each other by lifting the visors of their helmets.
In 1937, a major fire broke out at the Fox Film Studios in New Jersey. The fire destroyed 75% of their movies, including most of their silent films.
Fungus is more closely related to animals on a genetic level than they are to plants.
No relationship is ever a waste of your time. If it didn’t bring you what you wanted, it taught you what you didn’t want.
The average person in France sleeps 8.83 hours per day, the most in the developed world.
Akon is the #1 selling artist for ringtones in the world.
Albert Einstein was married to his distant cousin, Elsa Einstein.
In the Pokémon games, Poliwag & Ditto have the same cry sounds.
The Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter movies is a real train in Scotland.
Einstein’s brain went missing when he died in 1955 and was lost for 23 years. The doctor who worked on his autopsy stole it and kept it in a hidden cider box.
When you remember a past event, you are actually remembering the last time you remembered it, not the event itself.
At the 1936 Olympic games, competitors from Liechtenstein were shocked to discover their flag was the exact same as Haiti’s. Liechtenstein added a crown to their flag a year later.
Jada Smith formed a metal band called Wicked Wisdom in 2002, which is still active today.
In Zimbabwe, it is illegal for citizens to make offensive gestures at a passing car.
The word “oxymoron” is itself an oxymoron. This is because it derives from Ancient Greek, where “oxy” means sharp and “moros” means stupid.
“She sells seashells by the seashore” was written about a female paleontologist from the 1800s. She actually sold dinosaur bones and fossilized shells.
Scientists have no idea how dinosaurs mated.
There is a Japanese village called Nagoro, which has 35 inhabitants, but over 350 scarecrows!
Another term for your nieces or nephews would be “niblings.”
Daniel Radcliffe broke over 80 wands while filming the Harry Potter movies because he used them as drumsticks!
The “butterflies” you get in your stomach when you see someone you like is actually a stress response called adrenaline.
The insurance company backing the payouts for “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” sued the show for being too easy.
Jessie J’s full name is Jessica Ellen Cornish.
There is no federally declared official language for the U.S.; English is only the official language of 32 states.
It requires seven to eight trees to provide enough oxygen for just one person per year.
Until the early 2020s, the UK had a larger population than Canada, Australia, Norway, and Iceland combined.
Walking engages 200 muscles with every step.
Give something back to the Earth on March 12th – because it’s officially known as “Plant a Flower Day.”
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the only film in the series not on the 50 highest-grossing films list.
The first known recipe for Angel Food Cake was published in 1878.
Arizona driver’s licenses don’t expire until you’re 65. You then have to renew in person every five years.
The name ASOS is an acronym for “As Seen On Screen.”
In general, people tend to read as much as 10% slower from a screen than from paper.
Rabbits can be literally “scared to death” if approached by a predator when they are totally unaware.
Pistanthrophobia is a common fear of trusting people due to past experiences with relationships gone bad.
September 3rd is International Bacon Day.
The same brain cycles that occur when asleep, still happen when you’re awake, but in smaller sections. Meaning that parts of your brain are always “falling asleep.”
One in every four cranes in the entire world is in Dubai.
The Lion King was originally called “King of the Jungle” before they realized that lions don’t actually live in jungles.
Several African countries don’t like second-hand clothes being imported to their countries because it is destroying their local textile industry.
Pure cocoa can help prevent tooth decay. Naturally occurring chemicals in cocoa beans fight harmful bacteria in the mouth.
Baby rabbits are collectively known as a litter.
All of the suits worn by Neil Patrick Harris on How I Met Your Mother were tailored especially for the actor. After the series finale, he took some of them home.
Iceland has a dating app that stops you from hooking up with your cousin.
NASA stands for “National Aeronautics and Space Administration.”
April 12th is known as “Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day.”
Every day in the U.S., more than 100,000 people get a speeding ticket.
Airport runway numbers actually indicate direction on a compass.
Suriphobia is the fear of mice.
The goliath frog is the largest frog in the world and can grow up to 12.5 inches (32cm) in length, and weigh up to 7.2 pounds (3.3kg).
December 12th is Ding-A-Ling Day – a day to call friends and family that you haven’t spoken to in a while.
There are more volcanoes on Venus than on any other planet within our solar system.
The age of the Universe is estimated to be 13.7 billion years. The oldest stars in the Milky Way, found in globular clusters, are 13.6 billion years old.
