Cool Facts Infographics

Nike earns $600 each second.

Since being founded in 1964, Nike has dominated the sneaker and sportswear industry. With reputable offerings such as the Jordan line, it’s no wonder Nike makes an estimated $600 per second. Discover Nike history and secrets through this memoir.

Nintendo used to be a playing card company.

Before becoming the biggest video game company, Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Nintendo on September 23, 1889 as a playing card company. Nintendo’s original products were Hanafuda cards. Through the years, Nintendo’s other business ventures also included a taxi service, a TV network, and hotel management. However, with the rise of video games, Nintendo invested on console distribution and arcade games. Eventually, Nintendo grew into the gaming industry giant we now know.

The Universe expands 14.8 km per minute.

Even with all the knowledge we have on space, only 4% of the observable universe has been studied so far. With all the great unknowns of the universe, one of the things we know for sure is that the universe grows at an estimated 14.8 km each minute. Discover more cool facts about space here.

4.54 billion people use the internet.

That’s over half of the world’s population. 

10% of all the photos ever taken came from the past few years.

Yep, we’re talking about all of the photos ever taken since the beginning of photography. Considering how photography started in the 1800s, 10% is a pretty big chunk. This trend is due to the continuous development of digital photography and storage. 

Shakespeare created the name “Jessica.”

Shakespeare is known for being one of the greatest wordsmiths of his time. His legacy not only lives in his timeless literature, but for the words and names he crafted. One such name is Jessica, which Shakespeare created for The Merchant Of Venice. 

The inventor of roller skates crashed a party wearing them as a first demo.

John Joseph Merlin is known as the inventor of roller skates in 1760. He debuted his invention at a fancy party where he skated in while playing the violin. Eventually, he crashed into a  £500 mirror. Sounds like a regular Tuesday night, doesn’t it?

Armadillos always give birth to quadruplets.

When an armadillo gives birth, you can almost always expect 4 genetically identical babies. Armadillos are the only known vertebrates to have this unique quirk. To this day, scientists still haven’t figured out how to explain armadillo quadruplets.

The world’s deepest postbox lies over 30 feet underwater.

The world’s deepest mailbox can be found off the coast of Susami Bay, Japan. This underwater postbox is used by divers to send postcards to their friends and family. To make sure that the waterproof postcards are delivered, a clerk checks the mailbox regularly. This takes snail mail to a whole other level. 

The inventor of the Game Boy was Nintendo’s janitor.

Gunpei Yokoi first created a device like the Game Boy out of boredom. The President of Nintendo walked by and was impressed with his creation. 

A James Bond actor was legally banned from wearing a tuxedo in other movies.

Pierce Brosnan was the fifth actor to play James Bond. from 1995 to 2002, he starred in four Bond films. Throughout this time, Eon Productions contractually prohibited him from donning a tux in any non-Bond film. 

Daniel Radcliffe once wore the same outfit for 6 months to piss off paparazzi.

Following the success of the Harry Potter franchise, Daniel Radcliffe made himself known to the public as a skilled actor with strange tendencies. IIn a 2007 interview, he revealed that he once wore the same outfit for 6 months to spite the paparazzi. Fed up with being hounded every time he was out, he wore only one outfit so that the paparazzi couldn’t sell their “old” shots. Extremely petty, or clever? 

YouTube was created because of the Janet Jackson Superbowl incident.

Former Paypal employees Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim were inspired to create YouTube after having difficulty in finding certain video clips – namely, the Janet Jackson Superbowl slipup and the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. From there, the idea of a video sharing site was first conceptualized. 

The first Youtube video was posted in April 25, 2005.

The first Youtube video of all-time was Me at the zoo, which showed co-founder Jawed Kwarim at the San Diego Zoo. It was posted on April 25, 2005. 

Google Images was created because of Jennifer Lopez.

When Jennifer Lopez wore a green Versace dress to the 42nd Grammy Awards, it was so iconic that the dress became the top search in the history of Google at the time. Because of such high demand that couldn’t be handled by the regular Google search, Google Images was introduced on July 12, 2001.

Orange is the worst color for a job interview.

According to a Career Builder survey, recruiters hate the color orange. 25% percent of respondents believed the bright color was unprofessional.

The moment you were born, you were the youngest person in the world.

However, with 4.3 babies born per second, your legacy is short-lived. Don’t worry, we’ve all been through it.

Water is the only substance on earth that is lighter as a solid than a liquid.

If you’ve ordered an iced soda at your favorite fast food chain, you’d know that ice floats in water. Ice is less dense than water, which also makes it lighter.

The rusty-spotted cat is the smallest cat.

At a meager weight of 0.9 to 1.6 kg, the Rusty-spotted cat is the world’s smallest cat. The tiny cat is native to India and Sri Lanka. You won’t get your hands on one soon, though – these wild cats are already considered a vulnerable species.

364 gifts are mentioned in “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

The song that seems to go on forever must seem like that because of the amount of gift items mentioned in the lyrics: 364 items are listed throughout the song.

The Sahara desert makes 96% of the total land in Egypt.

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world. It’s so big that if you remove the desert from Egypt, only 4% of the country would be left. However, the Sahara isn’t the largest desert of all time: it’s Antarctica. How’s that for (literally) cool facts?

You speak about 4,800 words each day.

The average person speaks about 5,000 words a day. Talk about a mouthful.

Leighton Meester was born in a prison.

Leighton Meester may have risen to fame by playing the darling New York elite in Gossip Girl, but her real-life circumstances weren’t as grand. Meester’s mother gave birth to her while serving a 10-year drug-related sentence. She stayed in her grandmother’s custody until her mother’s release. According to the actress, her unconventional birth humbled her and made her open-minded. This is one of the cool facts that remind us how perspective is everything.

Munchkin cats are the cat equivalent of corgis.

Corgis and the dachshunds charm pet lovers for their short legs and stocky stature. However, cats also have their own compact breed: munchkin cats. The stocky build of munchkins comes from the same genetic mutations in corgis and dachshunds.

Stomach noises have a scientific term.

The scientific name for stomach noises is “borborygmus.” The familiar rumble is a result of gas moving around your empty intestines.

Storing sour cream or cottage cheese upside down can help them last longer.

Storing these dairy products upside down creates a vacuum that prevents bacteria from growing in the culture.

Cuddling is good for wounds.

Among the benefits of cuddling, hugging, and other affectionate contact with loved ones is the release of oxytocin in your system. Oxytocin is a hormone that helps heal wounds faster. 

The average person drinks 30,000 gallons of water in their lifetime.

The average person drinks a gallon of water per day. For a person with an average lifespan, the estimated amount of water drank in their lifetime is 30,000 gallons of water.

The femur is stronger than concrete.

The human body is full of wonders. One of those wonders is how our thigh-bone can resist 40 times more stress than concrete.

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

Try it next time, and see for yourself. 

Your mouth uses 75 muscles when you speak.

Similarly, passionate kissing can engage 23 to 34 facial muscles and 112 postural muscles.

The athletic brand ASICS is an abbreviation.

ASICS is an acronym for “anima sana in corpore sano.” This Italian phrase translates to “a sound mind in a sound body.”

Shoes were called sneakers because of literal sneakers.

When footwear brands shifted to creating athletic shoes with different technologies, people started using them to move around quietly. 

Australia is the only continent on earth without an active volcano.

Almost 1,500 active volcanoes are scattered throughout the Earth’s continents, but you wouldn’t find a single one in Australia. It is the only continent without any active volcanoes. However, Australia has one of the world’s largest extinct volcanoes: the Tweed Volcano.

If the world’s population took a bath every day, we would run out of all fresh water in a day.

If everyone in the world took a bath every day, the world’s supply of fresh water would get dirty in just a day.

The “stripes” on a sports field are caused by the grass.

If you’ve watched a soccer game, you’d probably notice stripes on the grass through the screen. However, this is simply an effect of the sunlight reflecting from the grass blades. 

Ellen DeGeneres is related to Kate Middleton.

Ellen Degeneres and Kate Middleton are 15th cousins – or cousins of the 15th degree. They are very distant relatives. Ellen DeGeneres found out through a letter from the New England Genealogical Society.

Bryan Cranston was once a murder suspect.

Before his iconic roles (more recently as Walter White of Breaking Bad), Bryan Cranston was accused as a murder suspect in 1970. Cranston and his brother had been working odd jobs around America when the head chef at their workplace was murdered. Since they left town the same time as the murder and Cranston often joked about wanting to kill the chef, he was named a suspect. However, his innocence was quickly proved. 

Steve Buscemi is a firefighter.

One of the cool facts about Steve Buscemi (aside from his resemblance to Bill Skarsgard and that cat) is that he is a registered fireman. Buscemi officially became a firefighter in New York City in 1980. He served in the FDNY for four years. When 9/11 struck, Buscemi returned to his post and worked 12-hour shifts for days, trying to rescue survivors in the World Trade Center rubble. As of 2014, he was appointed as the Honorary Battalion Chief of the FDNY. 

Leonardo DiCaprio was named after the painter.

According to his father, Leonardo DiCaprio kicked for the first time as his mother was looking at a Da Vinci painting in a gallery in Florence. From there, they decided to name him after the artist. 

Ryan Gosling was almost a member of the Backstreet Boys.

Before the Backstreet Boys debuted in 1993, Ryan Gosling was living with A.J McLean. Gosling was offered a place in the band, but he declined. 

Katy Perry has had 13 Grammy nominations.

However, she hasn’t won a single one.

Beyoncé was Disney’s first pick for Princess Tiana.

Disney’s first choice for Tiana’s role in The Princess and the Frog was Beyoncé. However, she refused to audition. Ultimately, Tiana was voiced by Tony award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose.

Ariana Grande always wears a ponytail because of hair damage.

Ariana’s trademark high ponytail isn’t entirely a personal choice. For her breakout role as Cat in Nickelodeon’s Victorious, she had to bleach and dye her hair so often that it got permanently damaged. Since then, she always put it in a ponytail.

Kesha broke into Prince's house once.

Kesha hasn’t had the best experience with the music industry, but you’d be surprised at how far she was willing to go. In a 2014 interview, she revealed that she once snuck into the 80’s pop star’s house to plant her demo, in hopes of getting discovered. She may have had a tumultuous experience since, but now she stands to empower female artists in the industry.

Rebel Wilson became an actor because of malaria.

It can be hard to take Rebel Wilson’s word at face value, but the Australian actress revealed in a podcast what pushed her into acting: malaria. During a charity trip to Mozambique, Wilson got the disease at 19. She was so sick that she hallucinated winning an Oscar, which was when she had an epiphany to pursue acting. 

Ellen DeGeneres did not turn down a role in Friends.

A famous TV urban legend is that Ellen declined the role of Phoebe in Friends. However, Ellen has since refuted the claim. It was actually a role for These Friends of Mine that she turned down. 

There could’ve been a Harry Potter x Michael Jackson musical.

According to J. K. Rowling, Michael Jackson once approached her for a Harry Potter Musical. However, she turned the King of Pop down because she didn’t think it’d be successful. As of 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begs to differ. 

Natalie Portman was studying at Harvard during Star Wars.

While filming Star Wars, Natalie Portman was studying for a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Harvard University. Talk about multi-tasking! 

Elvis Presley was a blonde.

Elvis may have been famous for his jet black quiff, but the old King of Pop was actually a natural blonde. He would dye his hair every few weeks to maintain the slick, jet black look. 

Kanye West was rejected for a fashion degree.

Kanye West applied to study fashion at Central Saint Martins in London in 2011. However, he was rejected for being too famous.

Kesha almost got a perfect score on her SAT.

Although some may brand the pop star as shallow for her music, Kesha is actually crazy smart. She has an IQ of 140, which is almost as much as high as Isaac Newton’s estimated 190. Kesha almost scored a perfect 1500 on her SAT. 

Betty White is older than sliced bread.

One of the cool facts that will blow your mind: American comedian Betty White was born in 1922. Sliced bread was not introduced until Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented it in 1928.

Poltergeist used real skeletons.

One of the iconic scenes from the 80’s classic horror Poltergeist is when JoBeth Williams swims through a pool of skeletons. However, one of the bone-chilling cool facts is that there weren’t any props for that scene. Real skeletons were cheaper than buying fake ones, so you do the math.

Natalie Portman was supposed to be Juliet in the original Romeo and Juliet.

Natalie Portman was originally cast as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the tender age of 13. However, the director quickly had her replaced, since her onscreen counterpart, Leo DiCaprio was already 21 at the time. 

Gene Kelly performed Singin' In The Rain with a fever of 39°C.

Gene Kelly shot the title track for Singin In The Rain with a near-convulsion temperature. Other not-so cool facts about this musical? Debbie Reynolds’ feet were bleeding by the end of shooting the Good Morning sequence.

A minute of The Nightmare Before Christmas took an entire week to film.

The Nightmare Before Christmas was shot in 24 frames per second – meaning the animators had to pose the characters 24 times for each second of screentime. 

The Blair Witch project is mostly improvised.

The film that popularized the found-footage film genre was also a pioneer in improv. The cast of The Blair Witch Project were only given outlines of the film’s narrative per day instead of full-fledged scripts. 

Scar from the Lion King was once voiced by Winnie the Pooh.

Halfway through recording Scar’s number, “Be Prepared” for The Lion King, Jeremy Irons experienced vocal problems. To complete the song, Scar was voiced by Jim Cummings who also voiced Winnie The Pooh.

The “I love you, I know” lines in Star Wars were improvised.

One of Star Wars’ most iconic scenes is the culmination of the romance between Han Solo and Leia Organa, AKA “I love you/ I know.” However, this was not in the original script. Instead, Harrison Ford suggested the exchange. 

Charlie Sheen once stayed up for 2 days for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

When Charlie Sheen played a drug addict in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, he stayed awake for 48 hours straight. This was to achieve an “authentic,” worn-out look of a junkie.

James Cameron spent more time on the Titanic than the original passengers.

To prepare for his film, James Cameron made 12 dives to the wreck of Titanic. His diving excursions would usually last 15-17 hours.

James Cameron got the constellation scene wrong in Titanic.

If you look into the development of Titanic, you’d know how dedicated to it James Cameron was as well as his attention to detail. One of the cool facts about the Titanic film: When an astrophysicist notified James Cameron of an incorrect constellation during a scene, he re-edited it for the 10th Anniversary Director’s Cut. The night sky you see on the latest edit is exactly what the sky and stars looked like after the Titanic sank. 

60 lipsticks are produced every second.

Since lipstick was invented in 1884, lipstick now sells 800 to 900 million pieces throughout the world per year. Truly one of the cool facts that’ll make you pucker up.

500,000 chemical reactions take place in our cells every 5 seconds.

From enzymes breaking down our food, to the red blood cells transporting oxygen throughout our bodies, our bodies are a constant orchestra of chemical processes that keep us alive.  

1,800 stars explode every minute.

When you look at the stars in the night sky, you are actually looking into the past. Because light travels at a different rate from space to the Earth, we don’t see stars in their present state. Rather, what we see in the sky are what the stars looked like thousands of years ago. 

Pelé has won the most FIFA World Cups.

By the end of his career, Pelé won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil. This is still the world record for the most World Cup by any player.

Sultan Kösen is the tallest living man in the world.

Standing over 8 ft, Sultan Kösen currently holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest man alive. With his shoe size over a foot long, Kösen was so huge that he wasn’t allowed to play in his school’s basketball varsity. 

3 Barbie dolls are sold every second.

When Ruth Handler invented Barbie in 1959, she created the image that defined the girl’s section at toy stores for generations. Now, Barbie sells an average of 3 dolls per second, which amounts to over a billion dolls per year.

Saliva can travel up to 80 km per hour.

When we sneeze or cough, we expel thousands of saliva droplets at speeds of over 80 km/h. 

You can take a beer bath at the Czech Republic.

If you’re serious about your alcohol, you can give this bath a try. The Czech beer bath is exactly what it sounds like: you’ll take a dip in a tub filled with beer. You can also drink a pint while you’re at it, too. It is reportedly good for the hair, skin, and circulation.

Optimus Prime, Eeyore, and Mario were all voiced by one person.

Their voices may sound drastically different, but that just shows Peter Cullen’s skills as a VA. The Canadian voice actor once voiced Mario for a TV show, as well as autobot leader Optimus Prime and gloomy Eeyore. 

The Peanuts comic series was supposed to be named Li’lfolks.

When Charles M. Schulz debuted his first comic strip, it was called Li’lfolks. The Li’lfolks strip featured characters similar to the Peanuts protagonists. However, Schulz renamed the comic Peanuts for further issues due to its popularity with children at the time.

Fred and Wilma Flinstone were the first cartoon couple to sleep in the same bed.

Upon its 1960 release, The Flintstones was the first cartoon to depict a couple sleeping in the same bed. The Flintstones was also the highest-earning cartoon before The Simpsons came along.

Toy Story could’ve had very different names.

Before settling on Toy Story, Pixar played with many concepts for the name of the animated film. Such names include: Made in Taiwan, Moving Buddies, and Toyz in the Hood.

The first Super Man comic, costs over 3 million dollars.

Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1, which sold for 10 cents in 1938. Now, decades later, the first Superman comic sells for a whopping $3.2m. The better condition, the higher resale value.

The inventor of the upside-down ketchup bottle earned $13 million.

Most of the time, thinking outside the box pays off. At a time where ketchup was stored in upright bottles, Paul Brown had the idea of making an upside down bottle. With this concept, Brown earned US$13 million for his invention. 

The Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition sells for US$2,999.

This horror-sci fi first-person shooter is currently the most expensive XBOX 360 game in the market. At almost 3 grand, it was purchased over eBay. Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition was released in 2008 with only 1000 copies ever made. From the $150 original retail price, the value obviously climbed up for coveted collectors.

The most expensive rice sells for US$109 per kilo.

Toyo Rice Corporation bagged a Guinness World Record in 2016 for their Kinmemai rice: the most expensive rice in the world. This Japanese rice is made of 6 different rice varieties. 

A gold-dusted keyboard costs US$4,240.

The Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional HP Japan features keys hand-coated in Urushi lacquer, dusted with gold. The Happy Hacking Keyboard is now known as the most expensive keyboard at almost 5 grand.

The most expensive watch costs US$55 million.

The Hallucination watch is the most expensive watch in the world. It was completed in 2014 by London jewelry artisans Graff Diamonds. It took 110 carats to create the platinum quartz watch with yellow, pink, blue, gray, and orange diamonds. 

Only 4 people own the most expensive car in the world.

The most expensive vintage car to date is the Ferrari 250 GTO, selling for US$70 million. Only 39 of these sports cars were built by Ferrari between 1962 and 1964. Currently, the only known owners are WeatherTech CEO David MacNeil, Ralph Lauren, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, and billionaire Lord Anthony Bramford. 

The world’s most expensive skincare product sells for US$1,800 an ounce.

For your reference, an ounce of liquid is about 1 tablespoon. The JK7 Rejuvenating Serum is an anti-aging serum that costs $1,800 per ounce. The hefty price is due to the rare natural ingredients in this concoction.

Sushi with diamonds and gold costs US$1,978.

Prepared by Chef Angelito Araneta Jr., Nigiri sushi is the most expensive sushi in the market. Nigiri sushi comes garnished with diamonds and wrapped with a 24-carat gold leaf. Isn’t that one of the cool facts you wish you could taste?

The world’s most expensive feather sells for US$10,000.

Last seen in the 1960’s, the Huia bird was native to New Zealand but is now extinct. Now, its feathers are considered the most valuable ones on the planet – selling for 10 grand at a recent auction.

The most expensive cocktail in the world costs US$12,970.

If you want to try the most expensive cocktail in the world, Australia would be your go-to. Featured in Club 23, The Winston is a cognac cocktail that costs over 12 grand per serving. It was created by Joel Heffernan. The cocktail contains 60 ml of 1858 ‘Cuvee Leonie’ cognac — coincidentally the most expensive cognac ever sold at an auction.

A golden LEGO brick costs US$14,450.

Originally given as a complimentary gift to LEGO employees in the late 70’s, a 14-carat gold LEGO brick sold for over 14 grand on Brick Envy. The brick was a standard 2 x 4 made entirely of 14K gold.

Potato chips were invented out of spite.

It is widely believed that potato chips were invented in 1853 at a Saratoga Springs restaurant. After a customer complained that his fries were too thin, Chef George Crum cut potatoes into paper-thin strips and cooked them to a crisp. Despite the petty intent, “Saratoga Chips” quickly became a crowd favorite. These chips were said to be the predecessor for the mass-produced potato chips in the 1920s.

Nestle Thai bought the world’s most expensive mug.

Nestle Thai Ltd. purchased the world’s most expensive mug for US$33,000. The mug was made of 23-carat gold and produced by the Yoo Long Kim Kee Gold Store in Bangkok, Thailand.

The inventor of golden rice wanted his product to be free.

Gold may be associated with luxury, but the inventor of golden rice doesn’t want that. Ingo Potrykus created golden rice to solve Vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. The increased amount of beta-carotene gives it a bright yellow appearance, hence the name. Since its invention, he has called for the free distribution of his product to poor farmers.

Benjamin Franklin never patented his inventions.

Benjamin Franklin was one of the world’s most brilliant minds, having invented swim fins, the Franklin stove, lightning rod, flexible catheter, 24-hour three-wheel clock, glass armonica, bifocals, and the long arm (shelf grabber). However, he never patented any of these inventions because he believed it was an honor to serve people with his work.

The inventor of the smiley was only paid $45 for the design.

Nowadays, smileys are like a universal language. However, you’d be surprised to know that the man behind the smiley graphic was only paid a meager amount for the design. Harvey R. Ball was only paid $45 for the smiley face graphic.

The inventor of the first beer tap also invented the modern toilet.

Joseph Bramah was an English inventor with a wide spectrum of work. Bramah both created an improved toilet in 1775, and the first beer tap in 1797. 

The Gatling gun was invented to discourage people from war.

When Richard Jordan Gatling invented the Gatling gun in the 1860’s, he hoped that the tremendous power of his invention would discourage people from war. However, the U.S. army simply adopted the Gatling gun and used it throughout the Civil War. a prime example of fighting fire with fire. 

Tortilla chips are American.

Tortilla chips were invented by an American tortilla company as a way of saving imperfect tortillas. They fried the tortillas and sold them for 10 cents a bag. Bet you thought they were Mexican, huh? That’s cool facts for you.

The inventor of the water bed couldn’t patent it because of sci fi novels.

In 1968, Charles Prior Hall designed the modern waterbed. However, he was denied a patent because the water bed was already featured in Robert A. Heinlein’s sci-fi novels and considered “prior work.”

Cars with flamethrowers were invented to prevent carjacking.

One of the cool facts you’d want to see for yourself: In 1999, South African inventor Charl Fourie was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for inventing Blasters or cars with flamethrowers to prevent carjacking. 

Benjamin Franklin is in the Swimming Hall Of Fame.

It may sound surprising, but Benjamin Franklin was inducted in the Swimming Hall of Fame for inventing swim fins when he was 11. 

Thomas Edison had wheelchair races with Henry Ford.

Towards the end of his life, Thomas Edison was wheelchair-bound. His friend, Henry Ford (Yes, the Ford car founder) reportedly bought a wheelchair too, so they could race each other.

Thomas Edison helped invent the tattoo pen.

On 1891, Samuel O’Reilly was credited with the invention of the tattoo pen. However, the mechanisms for his machine were based on an earlier 1976 invention by Thomas Edison: the electric pen.