100 Amazing Facts

Amazing Facts Infographics

Tootsie Rolls were used as emergency rations in WWII.

Here’s the first on our list of amazing facts. This candy was added to every soldier’s rations due to their ability to hold out in various weather conditions. This was also one of the first candies at the time to be wrapped individually.

Marie Curie is the only person with two Nobel prizes in different sciences.

The two awards she received were a Nobel prize for the field of physics and chemistry. Her award in physics was shared with her husband, Pierre Curie.

A solar eclipse helped end a six-year war in 583 BCE.

Here’s one of many amazing facts about the solar eclipse for you. The Battle of Halys is the earliest historical event ever recorded where a solar eclipse occurs. This war was also known as the Battle of the Eclipse.

Atlanta has 71 streets with the word ‘Peachtree’ in it.

Some of these roads include Peachtree lane and Peachtree Creek road. This name is used to honor the memory of the Civil War Battle of Peachtree Creek.

The name for the Boston Celtics was chosen over the options of Whirlwinds and Olympians.

Unicorns were also another name choice for the team. The name was decided on in 1946 by the team owner Walter Brown. 

Topeka, Kansas renamed itself ‘ToPikachu’ for a day.

This was done to honor the debut of Pokemon in the U.S. Additionally, the state of Kansas also airdropped Pokemon toys to children.

Culs-de-sac is the plural of Cul-de-sac.

One of the most amazing facts about this french term is that it translates to the ‘bottom of the bag’. However, some dictionaries state Cul-de-sacs is also an appropriate plural form.

R.L. Stine wrote the jokes for the Bazooka Joe wrappers.

R.L. Stine is better known for his work on the Goosebumps series. 

The Northwest Territories in Canada once wanted to rename itself.

One of the most amazing facts about this is that it was considered due to the recent separation from Nunavut in 1999. One of the names that were highly considered during the meeting was ‘bob’.

‘G-mail’ was once the name of a free email service from Garfield’s website.

This was available long before Google launched its webmail service. However, only little record of this service survives today. 

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony was fined for voting.

At the time, women were not allowed to vote. After being charged a fine of $100, Anthony ignored this and never paid it. 

Ice cream headaches have a scientific term.

The scientific term is sphenopalatine ganglion neuralgia, but it is also better known as the brain freeze. It is often caused by the rapid constriction of blood vessels at the roof of the mouth. 

The ‘&’ symbol is called the ampersand.

The word ampersand is a combination of the phrase ‘and per se and’ which was generally accepted as just ‘and’. This symbol was taken from the Latin letter et. 

The term grumble is used to refer to a group of pugs.

Generally, the term used for a group of general dogs is a pack. Different species of dogs will have a different term when in groups of their kind. 

The largest U.S Navy stockpile of nuclear weapons is guarded by dolphins.

This is one of our most amazing facts about dolphins. The U.S Navy owns and specially train dolphins to defend a military stockpile against anyone who comes near it. The U.S Navy has been using animals to protect the Naval Base Kitsap since 2010.

James Naismith invented basketball.

Naismith was also credited with designing the first football helmet. The game of basketball was invented because Naismith needed a game that could be played indoors during the harsh winter seasons. 

Army ants can misinterpret the scents of other ants and go off-trail.

Once they go off-trail, other ants can follow this lead. Often they move in circles endlessly which will eventually cause death for them.

It takes an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a lollipop.

Depending on the size and brand of the lollipop, it may take fewer or more licks to reach the center of the candy. Over 20 people were gathered to conduct this experiment. 

A statue of Nikola Tesla provides free wi-fi.

Here’s one of the amazing facts about a particular statue located in Silicon Valley. This statue of Nikola Tesla not only provides free Wi-Fi but also contains a time capsule that is dated to be opened in the year 2043.

The bent joint in the legs of the flamingo is its ankles.

Flamingos have long legs that they use to balance all day. However, scientists reveal that they stand on their tiptoes and not their feet. Their knees are also hidden by their feathers which are located closer to the body of the bird.

There is a world championship for throwing mobile phones.

This championship has been held annually since the year 2000 in Finland. The sport is judged based on the participant’s length of throw and his performance or technique. World placeholder, Tom Philipp Reinhardt has a record distance of 136.75m.

It is illegal to waste food in French supermarkets.

French stores must either compost their food or donate it to charity. They cannot be thrown away into the trash. The law also states that any unsold food must be given to food banks if it cannot be donated to the homeless.

Harrison Schmitt was allergic to moon dust.

During the Apollo 17 mission, Harrison Schmitt suffered from a severe allergic reaction to the dust found on the surface of the moon. He landed on the surface on December 11, 1972.

Through the seasons, a reindeer’s eyes will change color.

Here’s one of the most amazing facts about reindeers. Their eyes will change from gold to blue to help them adapt to the extreme changes of light levels. This ability also allows them to detect predators in the wild and skillfully escape.

Shaking or waving a Polaroid photo can damage it.

According to the polaroid company, the image cannot touch the air and therefore shaking it has no meaning. Rapid movement can cause portions of the film to separate and distort the image. By shaking the polaroid film right after taking the photo, it creates blobs on the film.

‘The Cat in the Hat’ took a year and a half to finish writing.

Dr. Seuss expected to finish writing this story within a week or so. However, this task proved to be more difficult than it seemed. 

Many playgrounds built for seniors can be found in Barcelona.

Barcelona has now over 300 playgrounds made especially for the elderly. Despite being made for the elderly, anyone can enjoy these facilities for free. 

The tin can was patented by Peter Durand in 1810.

Peter Durand is the first person to patent the idea of preserving food in cans. He was granted a patent by King George III which later proved to be of great use. 

Dum Dums’ mystery flavor lollipops have been revealed.

The flavors come from the last bits of the last batch and parts of the mixture from the new batch. This was done as a way to avoid wasting excess candy. 

New parents lose around 750 hours of sleep in the first year of their firstborn’s birth.

On average, new parents will only get an average of 4-5 hours of sleep a day due to the newborn’s many needs. During the first year of a newborn’s life, new parents will lose about 59% of their resting time to cater to their newborns.

An extra character from Empire Strikes Back can be seen running with an ice cream maker.

The character soon became a favorite among fans. He received a name and even his backstory after he was popularized. This character is now known as Willrow Hood. How’s that for amazing facts?

The Starry Night is drawn from the viewpoint of Van Gogh from the asylum.

The painting was done in 1889 and describes the view facing east of Van Gogh’s asylum window. The setting is painted right before sunrise with the ideal village in addition to the painting.

Eleanor Roosevelt once snuck out of a white house event to go on a joyride in a plane.

Elanor had snuck out with Amelia Earhart while still in their formal attire and reached Hoover Field Airport. They commandeered a plane and flew it over the capital for fun.

Two men bought and buried the hatchet during a Gettysburg reunion in 1913.

Two military veterans reportedly bought a hatchet at a local hardware store and buried it on the site where their regiments fought once before. This occasion marked leaving behind all the hatred and war to make peace with everyone.

Thomas Jefferson passed away 50 years after the Declaration of Independence.

This is considered as a large coincidence for him to die exactly on the same day 50 years later. Two of its founding fathers also passed away on the same day at different years. 

Canned pumpkins do not contain actual pumpkins.

More often, canned pumpkins will contain more extracts of squash. Multiple types of squashes are used to make the puree. However, despite this, known brands such as Libby’s continue to market it as 100% pure pumpkin even if it is not truly the case.

Over 93,000 liters of beer are lost in facial hair in the UK.

Guinness reveals that over 92,370 people have long thick beards in the UK. The Irish Brew estimated that over 162,719 pints of beer are lost each year in facial hair.

The author of Curious George fled Paris before the Nazis invaded.

“The Journey that Saved Curious George” is the story of how its authors fled Paris by bicycle in 1940. Upon hearing that preparation for the Nazi invasion was underway, the couple quickly fled traveling from country to country until eventually settling in their own home. 

The founder of Wendy’s dropped out of high school.

The founder Dave Thomas proved that he did not need a degree to become successful. Today, Wendy’s continues to be one of the top fast-food franchises in the world behind only McDonald’s and Burger King. 

Ronald Regan could have been in Back to the Future III.

After leaving the office, Regan was offered a role in Back to the Future III. He was invited to play the role of Mayor in Hill Valley, but unfortunately, he declined the role. 

Moonshiners wore cow shoes to evade the police.

These shoes were believed to have origins from the stories of Sherlock Holmes where a crook would use fake cow hooves on his horse to escape. Moonshiners decided they could do the same thing and attach cow hooves onto their shoes. 

Bathwater stays warmer for a longer duration with bubbles.

The bubbles help insulate the water and keep it warm. This reduces heat loss by straight diffusion into the surrounding air. 

The voice of Winnie the Pooh is Jim Cummings.

Cummings has appeared in over 400 roles including Tiger, and the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Toons. He has also voiced other familiar characters such as Razoul from the Disney movie Aladdin, and Fuzzy Lumpkins from the Power Puff Girls. 

Abraham Lincoln was a wrestling champion.

Before taking a seat at the office, Abraham Lincoln was once known as a great wrestler and has won many awards from his time in the ring. One of his most famous matches was with his rival Jack Armstrong. 

The pupil of a goat is rectangular.

This allows them to see approaching danger from their peripheral vision. Goats can see up to 320 degrees around them and they also have excellent night vision.

The cookie monster is not changing his name.

Cookie Monster was once called the Veggie Monster for serving as a host on “Healthy Food Day”. After a news reporter claimed this to be so, the Cookie Monster denied this claim by singing “Me Am What Me Am”. This song explained that despite not eating cookies at times, he is still the Cookie Monster.

A double rainbow is a mirror image of the first rainbow.

A double rainbow forms when a raindrop has two reflections where one reflection will be at an angle of 42 degrees. However, the sun’s reflection may also cause a second image off the back of the raindrop.

Take out restaurants have been found in the remains of Pompeii.

The Thermopolium of Asellina was found with traces of old food serving counters in its remains. This can be found on the archeological remains of Via Dell’abbondanza street at the Ruins of Pompeii.

It was Gene Wilder’s idea for Wonka to walk with a limp and do a somersault.

He accepted the role of Wonka only if this condition was met. This was so that “people would not be able to tell if I was lying or not”.

The U.S. Army attempted to make a telepathic ray gun.

Another similar plan involved a ray gun device that would cause artificial fevers to the brain. This plan was released under the US Freedom of Information Act and has been categorized as a non-lethal weapon. 

Request for non-existent books is often received by the Library of Congress.

This includes the President’s Book of Secrets from the 2007 movie. 

Dogs can understand up to 250 hand gestures and words.

Dogs are believed to be as smart as a 2-year-old child. The average trained dog can learn over 165 words or more depending on the breed and how long it has been trained for. 

Children can volunteer to read to dogs in Missouri.

The children will read to trained dogs that are under stress. These dogs are often trained for services to the disabled. 

Watching horror movies increase a clotting protein in the bloodstream.

Dutch researchers have found that acute fear can curdle the blood. This phenomenon is also believed to be an important evolutionary benefit by preparing the body for blood loss during situations that may be life-threatening. 

An eggnog-like drink was served to the guests of George Washington.

This drink was regularly served to visitors which included whiskey, sherry, and rum. The recipe of the President included various alcoholic drinks along with dairy ingredients. 

The Nigerian Civil war was placed on hold for two days to watch a soccer match.

This temporary ceasefire was done so that both sizes could watch Pele in an exhibition match. After the game, the two sides came back to their old habits and began the war again.

An episode of Peppa Pig was banned in Australia.

This was mainly due to the episode’s message that aimed to teach children not to fear spiders. For Australians, spiders found on the continent are much larger and deadlier compared to other parts of the world. This episode was banned in the country so that children would not harm themselves whenever a spider was around. 

Salvador Dali never paid his restaurant tabs.

Dali would pay his tabs by check and scribbled on them. He based this form of payment by his theory that they could never cash in a check with such a valuable piece of art on it. This theory ended up being correct as no restaurant has ever cashed a check given to them by Dali.

Lobsters were not considered a delicacy in colonial America.

By the time that the second world war had begun, lobsters were not rationed. This was because the booming wartime economy allowed wealthy cravers of crustaceans to consume them at amazing rates. 

Harry Burnett invented Reese’s Cups.

This invention eventually became the number 1 best selling candy brand in the United States. These peanut butter cups were invented in the year 1928 and has continued to be exported and loved worldwide. 

Foreign Accent Syndrome is one of the rarest side effects of brain trauma.

Scientists estimate that only under 100 people experience this worldwide. Normally, this phenomenon occurs after suffering from a stroke but it can also be a cause of head trauma or developmental problems. 

Evidence from Seymour Island suggest that penguins were once 6 ft tall.

Scientists discovered old bones that are believed to be related to modern penguins. While the current tallest penguin is recoded to be the emperor penguin that stands at 122cm tall, the bones found is that the size of an average American Adult. 

Captive Ravens can speak better than parrots.

Captive Raven eventually learn how to talk and mimic noises. In the past, Ravens have also been known to imitate wolves or foxes so that they can attract them to carcasses that it cannot open.

Fried chicken came from the Scots.

The Scots were the first in history to fry chicken while everyone else in other parts of the world would normally bake or boil it. After introducing this to Americans, it quickly became the norm to fry chicken for meals.

Chihuahuas have the largest brain in the dog world.

These dogs are quick-witted and are very easy to train. However, because of their small bladders, they are not easy to housebreak. 

A banana is a berry.

This might be one of the most amazing facts about bananas. Bananas develop from the flower of every single ovary on its plant. Because the banana meets all of the botanical requirements of a berry, this fruit is considered as such.

Elephants will comfort each other when sad.

Elephants will often use their trunks to console each other during stressful situations. Some research has found that elephants will also make noises to comfort each other along with touching each other’s trunks. 

The Hollywood walk of fame gave Frank Sinatra three stars.

Each star is awarded to him for three different categories. These categories include film, music, and television.

Crayola means ‘oily chalk’.

It comes from two French words, Craie, and ola. Craie meaning a stick of chalk, and Ola meaning oily. 

Tsundoku is the Japanese art of hoarding books and never reading them.

This is a term used to describe those who have a pile of books in their home but are never used. The term originated in the Meiji era as a slang.

The founders of Google were willing to sell their site to Excite for under $1M.

Excite refused this offer because they did not want to buy it. At the time Google founders had many interesting discussions with the company, but despite that still refused to buy Google from its founders. 

Avocados never ripen while they are still attached to the tree.

Avocados do not ripes despite physically maturing mainly due to the inhibitor located in the fruit stem. This makes it a convenient storage system for farmers. 

There is a mental state in which you think you are the star of a reality show.

This is called the Truman Show Delusion or also known as the Truman syndrome. People who have this mental state believe that they are constantly being watched by a camera and that the events in their lives are all staged. 

Queen Elizabeth II owned over 30 corgis.

Over her lifetime, the Queen had owed more than 30 corgis since taking the throne. She enjoys taking her pets on walks and would often be spotted mothering her corgis.  

There is an underground temperature-controlled vault owned by LEGO.

This vault contains every single lego pieces, parts, and sets ever printed in history. Admission to the entire lego house would cost around $31. 

It is illegal to take rocks from the Petrified Forest National Park.

Despite this, people still take home rocks either way. However, they soon make their way back to the park in the mail along with an apology note from the sender. 

China owns all of the pandas in the world.

Each panda is rented out for a cost of $1M annually. Those who rent the pandas are often under a 10-year contract. The contract also states that if any of the pandas were to have cubs, they would need to pay an additional $400,000 fine as baby tax.

Wisconsin is the badger state.

This is mainly so because it is used as a reference to the lead miners who would dig tunnels like badgers. These caves were described as badger dens and the miners were referred to as badgers. 

The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis published a paper regarding the writer's block.

This paper was a one-page sheet and contained no words at all. 

A bloodhound from Alabama finished a marathon in 7th place.

A wild bloodhound named Ludivine ran a half marathon in 2016. She was able to finish the marathon in 7th place and ran a total of 13.1 miles. 

The voice of the Yellow M&M is J.K. Simmons.

This means that he is also the first M&M to win an Oscar award. Simmons has been the voice of the yellow M&M for over 20 years.

The Zapruder family was paid handsomely for the footage of JFK’s assassination.

They were offered $16M for the footage of the assassination from their security cameras. The film was saved on a silent 8mm color motion picture sequence. 

People from the English Midlands use black cats to bless marriages.

New brides are given black cats as a symbol of good luck as a way to bless their marriage. The Japanese also highly believed that black cats were lucky for single women as well.

Bob Ross once created a monochromatic painting.

One of the most amazing facts about Bob Ross is that he once painted using only gray colors for a color blind viewer. Ross did this so that the viewer would not need to worry about his color blindness getting in the way of his artistic creativity.

The first match made on Tinder was in Antarctica.

The match was between two scientists who were stationed there for research. 

Dolly Parton has donated over 100 million books to children.

This non-profit organization called the Imagination Library has donated books in Parton’s name. Over 1M books are donated each month to children all over the world. 

Fingernails grow at the same rate that the continental drift moves.

This rate is about 2.5 centimeters or 1 inch per year. However, it was noted by scientists that different plates will move at different speeds. 

‘Deja reve’ is the term used for an experienced previously encountered in a dream.

Deja reve translates to ‘already dreamt’. It suggests that this phenomenon can lead us to better understand why dreams occur by physiologically observing the brain during this occurrence. 

Sleep cleans your brain.

When a person sleeps, the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid found in the brain dramatically increases. This fluid washes away harmful proteins that build up between cells in the brain. 

Mariano Martinez invented the frozen margarita machine.

He adapted the idea of the soft-serve ice cream to make margaritas instead. The first machine was tested to be successful in 1971.

The Queen of England is a trained mechanic.

Before becoming the Queen, she was a trained mechanic that served for the Auxillary Territorial Service. She also trained as a driver there during the time.

Portland’s name was decided on through a coin flip.

This name was agreed upon on a two out of three toss contest. If the odds were different, Portland would be named Boston today. 

When he passed away, Bela Lugosi was buried in his full Dracula costume.

Here is one of the most amazing facts about the death of Bela Lugosi. Lugosi died of a heart attack in 1956 and was buried in a replica costume to his role in the famous vampire film, Dracula. This was done so under the request of his fifth wife and son.

Swedish blood donors are given a thank you text when their blood is used to help a person.

Initially, when they donate blood they receive a thank you text. However, when their blood is in another person’s veins, they receive a simple text notifying them of so. 

Good sportsmanship is a big part of the curling.

The goal of curling is to push down a heavy stone down a sheet of ice by sweeping the surface it slides on. The goal is to get the stone in the center of the target known as the house. 

Traditional vampire folklore depicts vampires with arithmomania.

This is known as the obsessive compulsion for counting. Many vampires were said to have such a bad habit of this that you would have enough time to run away from them while they count.

Some trees in Melbourne have their email addresses.

These trees often receive love letters and words of appreciation. 

Some cats have allergies to humans.

Here’s one of the most amazing facts stated by research. Scientists have claimed that cats will also show similar allergic reactions to humans. Often reactions of pets with human allergies will be extreme for them.

The first black female streetcar conductor was Maya Angelou.

Apart from being a streetcar conductor, she was also a writer and poet. She passed away at the age of 86. 

The lamppost in Central Park has a coded navigational system.

Here’s the last, but not the least of our amazing facts. The first two numbers on the post will signify which street you are on. The second two numbers in the sequence will tell you which direction on a compass you are facing.