50 Fun Facts That’ll Blow Your Mind

Do you like to collect random information? These 50 fun facts are sure to satisfy. Keep this tab open on your phone to whip out at parties.

Bananas Are Berries — Strawberries Aren’t

You’d think that the fruit with the word “berry” at the end of it would be the berry here, but nope. Professional botanists would beg to differ.

According to Stanford Magazine, a berry refers to a fruit that stems from one flower with one ovary. While this applies to bananas, it doesn’t apply to strawberries.

Strawberries are technically “aggregate fruits.” These are similar to berries, though the flowers they originate from come from plants with multiple ovaries.

Octopuses Boast Three Hearts

There’s no doubt about it — octopuses are incredibly cool. Most sea creatures are cool, but they’re in a league of their own.

Not only are they super smart, but they also boast three hearts. Why is that, though? If we can function with one, why do they have three?

Well, they’re underwater, so they have different needs. Each heart serves a different purpose. One heart is for pumping blood, while the others are for picking up oxygen.

Ancient Honey Never Spoils

Worried about that bottle of honey you’ve had in the back of your pantry for years? Don’t be. Honey just doesn’t go bad.

That doesn’t mean that honey is always at its peak, though. If your honey starts solidifying or crystalizing, it’s probably past its prime.

But it doesn’t actually spoil, especially if it’s tightly sealed away. King Tut’s 3,000 year old tomb came packed with jars of still-edible honey.

Eiffel Tower is Taller in Summer

For those not in the know, this doesn’t make any sense. How can a tower grow based on the seasons? Well, it’s not drastic.

Still, it happens! According to the tower’s official website, this iconic structure grows a few millimeters taller during the summer months. It also tilts to the side.

This is because of thermal expansion, a totally natural phenomena. The change is so slight you probably won’t notice it, but it’s there alright.

Australia Exports Camels to Saudi

This is one of our 50 fun facts that’ll actually change your worldview. Camels are usually associated with the Arab world, but they run rampant in Australia.

Camels were first introduced to Australia in the 19th century (per Hindustan Times). Nowadays, they’ve got hundreds of thousands of wild camels roaming their deserts.

Don’t get it twisted — Saudi Arabia still has camels. However, the Australian ones are plumper, and seen as better for eating and milking.

Venus Rotates in Reverse

Venus, the second-closest planet to the Sun, has an unusual rotation. Earth (and most other planets) rotates counterclockwise. As you might’ve guessed, this isn’t the case with Venus.

Venus is the only planet in our solar system that rotates in a clockwise direction. It also spins at a much slower rate than other planets.

According to NASA, it’s referred to as “Earth’s evil twin.” That’s mostly because of the toxic gases, though, not because of the weird rotation.

Cows Stress Without Best Friends

Cows are so much more than your next burger. Their behavior is largely understudied, but from what we know, they recognize each other as individuals and form attachments.

Krista McLennan, a scientist, spoke to the Daily Mail in 2011 about her findings. She said that cows penned with friends are much less stressed than isolated ones.

Reducing cows’ stress levels also benefits humans. Happier cows mean better milk and (probably) better meat. The study was intended for dairy farmers, however.

Frisbee Inventor Became One

Out of the 50 fun facts here, this one might be the most morbid. Frisbees are a lot more than just toys for young kids.

They’re also a fascinating invention that you can have your ashes molded into after you die. Bet you thought that was going in a much different direction.

Walter Morrison, the inventor of Frisbees, had his ashes compressed and molded into a Frisbee. That’s definitely one way to handle human remains.

Immortal Jellyfish Exist

Out of all the creatures to be immortal, why are we not surprised that it’s jellyfish? They just have the look of an ethereal, otherworldly, and immortal being.

It’s not all jellyfish, though. Most jellyfish, we’re sorry to say, are not immortal. There is one species of jellyfish that (kind of) lives forever.

According to the American Museum of Natural History, this jellyfish — Turritopsis dohrnii — can recycle its cells. This lets it “reset” itself when faced with life-threatening harm.

Flamboyance: a Group of Flamingos?

Any bona fide fun fact lover knows that groups of animals have some really strange names. Case in point: multiple flamingos are called a “flamboyance.”

That’s a lot better than crows’ official group name (we’ll get into that one later). It actually makes some sense, when you take a closer look.

The words “flamingo” and “flamboyance” both refer to different words for flames (per Birdzilla). It all comes down to their uniquely fiery pink feathers.

Penguins Propose With Pebbles

Okay, so penguins don’t share our human concept of marriage, but they do give pebbles as gifts. This largely depends on the penguin and its environment.

Gentoo penguins are particularly known for this. Since these penguins live in rocky environments, they usually build their nests out of pebbles.

Gentoo penguins gift their partner pebbles, so they can start building a nest (per BBC Earth). It’s not unlike a proposal (though with a different kind of rock).

Fake Flamingos Outnumber Real Ones

Yay, we’re talking about flamingos again! Well, in a way. You know those pink plastic flamingos people like to put on their front lawns?

Apparently, those decorations outnumber real flamingos. The numbers may have changed, but according to a 2015 Thrillist article, there around two million real ones.

Now compare that to millions upon millions of plastic flamingos. Crazy, right? Take this with a grain of salt, though. It may not be true anymore.

Bubble Wrap Was Meant as Wallpaper

That’s right. The stuff that’s meant for packaging (but is actually just really fun to play with) was first intended as wallpaper.

Apparently, its inventors wanted to make textured wallpaper, but it sold poorly (per Mental Floss). So, they pivoted…to greenhouse insulation. Yeah, that failed too.

Third time’s the charm, though, right? After their first two failures, the inventors decided to market their product as packaging material, and that worked!

Unicorn: Scotland’s National Animal?

Scotland’s national animal isn’t a real animal at all. According to the National Trust for Scotland, the Scots’ affinity for unicorns goes way back to the 16th century.

This mythological creature’s image was used in Scotland’s royal coat of arms since the 1500s. They’re also drawn to its symbolic meaning of independence.

Unicorns may not exist, but that doesn’t take away their impact. Scotland even has a National Unicorn Day, celebrated on April 9th. We’d love to join.

You Can’t Hum With Nose Closed

Start off humming, then pinch your nostrils shut. It’ll immediately stifle it. You can still make a noise, but it won’t sound anything like humming.

If you think you can be the exception, trust us: you’re not. So, what gives? Alana Mantie-Kozlowksi, a professor at Missouri State University, gave the rundown in 2021.

She told The Standard that humming requires air to “resonate in the nasal cavity.” When you pinch your nose, you prevent that from happening.

Cats Have 5 Front, 4 Back Toes

If you’re obsessed with your cats’ toe beans, you probably knew this already. For those without cats, though, this may come as a surprise.

Why do cats have a seemingly uneven amount of front and back toes? Well, it doesn’t seem like anyone knows the exact reason, though it is the standard.

Just because it’s the standard doesn’t mean that it applies to every cat. Some cats are polydactyls, with six toes in front instead of five.

A Single Spaghetti = Spaghetto

If you speak Italian, this was probably obvious to you. For non-Italian speakers, though, this is a pretty interesting fact. “Spaghetti” is actually a plural word.

It refers to multiple “spaghettos” (we know that’s not proper grammar, just bear with us). That’s the Italian word for a singular spaghetti noodle or strand.

This is actually a fun fact about Italian language basics. If the singular ends in “o,” then the plural version will end in “i.”

Anglo-Zanzibar War Lasted 38 Mins

This is the shortest ever war recorded in human history. When Britain went to war with Zanzibar, the latter surrendered pretty much immediately. Shots were still fired, though.

We’re going to give you as brief a rundown as possible. Britain went to war with Zanzibar when a pro-Britain official was murdered.

The British bombarded Zanzibar with cannons for over half an hour. The fight was mostly relegated to the coastlines. Zanzibar surrendered in less than 45 minutes.

Ants Once Matched Human Weight

Back in the day, there were a lot of ants. So many ants, that the combined weight of all the ants on Earth matched that of humans.

This is another fact that you might want to take with a grain of salt. It’s hard to figure out how many ants there are in the world.

Basically, this is just down to estimation. It’s probably not as close nowadays, though there is upwards of about a trillion ants on Earth.

Twitter’s Bird Was Named Larry

Most people don’t know this, but he actually had a name. Of all the names, though, why did they choose “Larry”? There’s a reason for this.

If you’re a basketball fan, then you might’ve already guessed why. Larry got his name from a basketball player, Larry Bird, who played for the Celtics.

Rest in peace, Larry the Bird. You had a good run. The actual Larry Bird is still alive, though, at the age of 67. Good for him.

Froot Loops Taste the Same

The colors (and the name) might have you believing that each loop has a different fruit flavor. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Each individual Froot Loop actually tastes exactly the same. Collectively, they’re supposed to taste fruity, but there’s no unique taste from loop to loop.

It would probably cost a lot more to flavor each loop, so it makes sense that Kellogg’s wouldn’t go through the trouble. The cereal still tastes good.

Crows’ Group Termed a Murder

We said we’d get back to it. It’s a lot more ominous-sounding than “flamboyance.” Crows aren’t evil birds, though their tendency to eat carrion hasn’t done them favors.

Other than the carrion-eating, there aren’t any big reasons for this. Honestly, it’s kind of unfortunate and unfair. It gives them a bad rep.

We’ll talk more about crows later. They’re actually really cool! Corvids in general are super smart. The Bird Naming Police (not a thing) apparently just hate them.

Shrimps’ Hearts in Their Heads

If you couldn’t tel by now, sea creatures have some pretty weird anatomy. Case in point: shrimps. Their hearts are stored in their heads.

There’s a little more to it than that, however. “Head” refers to the upper half of their bodies, though since they’re so small, it’s pretty much their head.

Most of their vital organs are actually in this part of their bodies. That’s because their tail isn’t as well-protected as the upper half (per American Shrimp).

Rats Laugh When Tickled

I have a “rats are cute, actually,” agenda, and this only supports my claim. Of course, they don’t laugh like humans do — that’d be creepy.

They squeak in a way that could only be described as laughter. The part of the brain linked to laughter also lights up when they’re tickled (per Science).

You know what that means — tickle a rat! Just kidding. The rat probably wouldn’t appreciate that. It’ll bite you. Or it’ll laugh. Who knows at this point?

Snails Can Sleep for Three Years

God, I wish I was a snail. That’s a sentence I never thought I’d write, yet here we are. However, this isn’t something they do regularly.

This long sleep is usually triggered by the weather around them. Since snails need a certain amount of moisture to function, they fall asleep when it’s too dry.

Again, this isn’t a regular sort of sleep. It’s more akin to a long hibernation, and is a survival tactic for harsh conditions.

“i” Dot: a.k.a, “Tittle.”

Ever wondered what the dot on a lowercase “i” is called? It’s one of those things that you don’t think too much of, but it’s got a name.

It’s called a “tittle.” Weird, but oddly fitting. I can’t imagine it being called anything else. It doesn’t just apply to lowercase i’s, either.

A tittle can refer to the dot on a lowercase “j,” as well. We don’t have these in English, but it also refers to dots on other letters.

Most Disney Characters Wear Gloves

You probably never thought anything of this, but once you notice it, you can’t unsee it. Mickey, Goofy, several Disney princesses — all gloved. What gives?

Apparently, it’s an animation hack that lots of animators use. Gloves can round out a character’s otherwise angular hands, which is easier to animate.

However, this trick is now considered to be outdated. Not only has animation advanced, but the gloves are connected to racist minstrel shows (per Vox).

Wombat Feces Are Cube-Shaped

Not all poops are equal. Wombats, for instance, poop out cubes. According to CNN, this is pretty rare. Not many animals poop cubes nowadays.

Unlike (most) humans, wombats don’t poop every day. It takes a while for them to fully digest their food, typically a few days.

While their poop is in their colon, muscle contractions shape the poop into a cube. Aren’t you glad you know that now? You’re welcome.

Jupiter and Saturn Have Diamond Rain

Hallelujah, it’s raining…diamonds? On Jupiter and Saturn, rainy weather is anything but gloomy. During intense lightning storms, methane in the skies undergoes a serious transformation.

The theory goes that methane is turned into carbon which, as it falls, transforms into graphite. By the time it hits the planet’s surface, it’s diamonds (per BBC).

We should note that this is still a theory. While some scientists have wholly embraced it, others are a little more skeptical. We believe it, because it’s cool.

“Jiffy” Means 1/100th of a Second

The odds that you’ll be back in a jiffy are pretty slim. “Jiffy” isn’t just a weird turn of phrase — it refers to a length of time.

However, that doesn’t mean that you’ve been using this word incorrectly your whole life. “Jiffy,” while being 1/100th of a second, has a double meaning.

According to Merriam-Webster, “jiffy” can also be defined as a very short period of time. Turns out that the technicalities don’t matter too much.

Duck Quacks (Allegedly) Don’t Echo

You’ve probably never thought of this before. Like, everything echoes. If you’re in a cave, and a duck quacks, the sound has got to echo…right?

Well, you’re not wrong. Back in the day, this was popular belief. However, in the early 2000s, it was disproved (per The Guardian).

Ducks’ quacks do, in fact, echo. However, the myth didn’t come out of nowhere. While quacks echo, the sound is really hard to hear.

“Mob” = Group of Kangaroos

A group of crows is a murder, a group of flamingos is a flamboyance, and kangaroos are…a mob? Not as bad as “murder,” but still unfair to kangaroos.

So, why a “mob”? Well, we should say that it’s not the only name. A group of kangaroos is also called a court or a troop.

But back to “mob.” This word has a much different connotation in Australia than in the States. It can be used to describe a community, particularly with Aboriginals.

Octopuses Sport Nine Brains

Octopuses have nine brains, like the three hearts weren’t enough. Out of our 50 fun facts, this is the least surprising. No wonder their heads are huge.

We know that each of their hearts serves a purpose, so what do their brains do? Well, not every brain is the same.

There’s a main brain, and eight smaller brains controlled by it. The eight small brains control each tentacle, meaning that each tentacle can act on its own.

Hitchcock Found Eggs Revolting

This goes so much deeper than a vague dislike. Alfred Hitchcock — yes, the Alfred Hitchcock — was seriously disturbed and frightened by eggs.

According to The Independent, he couldn’t stand the sight of them. He thought it was really weird that they didn’t have any holes, for some reason.

To Hitchcock, the yolk was the worst part. He compared it to blood, saying that an egg yolk’s yellow color made it much more revolting.

“Strengths” = Longest Vowel-Sparse Word

The word “strengths,” as you can see, only has one vowel: the letter “e.” In English, it’s necessary for every word to have at least one vowel.

What makes the word “strengths” special isn’t just the single vowel. It’s actually the length of the word. Name a word longer than “strengths” with just one vowel.

Did you do it? We thought not. “Strengths” is the longest word in English that only uses one vowel. The longest word with no main vowels is “twyndyllyngs.”

Bees Recognize Human Faces

Maybe don’t swat that bee. Apparently, the bee could recognize you. Bees are a lot smarter than we humans tend to give them credit for.

Not only can they recognize faces — they’re intelligent in a number of other ways. Stephen Buchmann, ecologist, told News Register that they’re self-aware and can navigate mazes.

Oh yeah, and they can use tools. Simple tools, but tools nonetheless. Who knew? The next time you encounter a bee, try to make friends with it.

Crows Can Hold Grudges

And not just against other birds. Crows can recognize human faces (just like bees!) and tend to steer clear of those they deem dangerous.

It’s not reserved to individual crows, either. Crows pass on information to their fellow birds and descendants. If one crow dislikes you, you’ll be avoided by most crows.

Also like bees, crows are more intelligent than you might initially assume. Scientists theorize that they have an IQ equivalent to a seven year-old human.

Peanut Butter Can Turn Into Diamonds

You might not be able to make diamonds out of it at home, but with carbon, anything is possible. Well, sort of. You can’t do this at home.

A scientist named Dan Frost figured this out. In his lab at the Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Germany, Frost subjected peanut butter to intense heat and pressure (per BBC).

The result? Diamonds! The downside to this fun fact is that Frost is currently the only person to have tried this out and found success.

Orcas Can Speak Dolphin

According to a 2014 study, orcas housed with dolphins in captivity shifted their communication to sound more like dolphins’. But what about the wild?

Both killer whales and dolphins speak their own languages (and have dialects). We don’t know if they regularly communicate in the wild, but they hang out sometimes.

Whether or not they get along largely depends on the orca. Dolphins prefer the company of fish-eating orcas (residents) over their mammal-eating counterparts (Bigg’s) for obvious reasons.

Ants Go to War

No, we don’t mean little fights. We mean all-out war. It’s been going on for years, and is the largest animal war in history.

The more you learn about nature, the crazier it gets. Trust us — out of our 50 fun facts, this is one of the wildest.

The Argentine ant has been gradually colonizing the entire world since the 19th century. They attack rival ants on sight, and can be found nearly everywhere.

Freshly-Cut Grass’s Smell is a Distress Signal

Mowing your lawn is a routine activity you probably don’t think twice about. Turns out, though, your lawn doesn’t like being mowed all that much.

If it’s a distress signal, then why does it smell so good? Well, it’s not meant as a signal for humans. The smell is meant for bugs.

According to Science Daily, the smell repels bugs. Grass evolved to emit this before lawn mowers were invented and hungry bugs were their biggest threat.

Rhino Horns Are Made of Keratin

No, it’s not ivory, or any sort of bone. It’s a protein, and humans have it, too. You might’ve seen the word “keratin” on fancy shampoo bottles.

There’s a reason for that. Keratin is a protein that can strengthen your hair and nails, and is found throughout the animal kingdom, in lots of species.

There’s a common misconception that their horns are made entirely of hair, but that’s not true. Still, with keratin’s purpose, we can see where that came from.

Pop-Tart Wrappers Can Be Used for Eclipse Viewing

If you procrastinated on buying eclipse glasses, layered Pop-Tart wrappers may offer an alternative solution. They’re made of Mylar, which doubles as a solar filter.

It works best for taking pictures of solar eclipses, though. Still, I used it to look at a partial eclipse, which wasn’t my best moment, but I’m fine.

Key word here is “may.” Don’t look directly at an eclipse with only a Pop-Tart wrapper to protect your eyes. Most scientists warn against this.

Gentoo Penguins Can Swim 22 MPH

If you learn anything from these 50 fun facts, it should be that Gentoo penguins rock. At a max of 22 mph, they’re the fastest penguins in the world.

They usually don’t swim at their max speed, though they’re uniquely built for swimming. Their flippers have evolved specifically for underwater movement.

They’re also fairly small, especially when compared to Empire penguins. This could be a factor in their speed. According to Oceana, fully grown adults are 30 inches tall.

People Used Bread as an Eraser

The rubber eraser wasn’t always around. So what did people do before that? Apparently, they used bread. This still works, too, if you’re curious.

This method was particularly popular throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. People used small pieces or crumbs of white bread to erase pencil marks.

People weren’t going to just waste food, though. According to Reader’s Digest, people tended to use stale baguettes instead of fresh ones; writers would carry them around regularly.

Pringles Can Inventor is Buried in One

We didn’t expect two of our 50 fun facts to include weird burial methods, either. Post-cremation, Frederic Bauer, Pringles can inventor, was buried in a Pringles can.

Per his wishes, Bauer’s family placed his remains inside of his invention. Not all of his ashes were stuffed into the can, though.

The rest of them were stored inside of a traditional urn. According to The Guardian, the two receptacles are placed alongside each other at his gravesite.

A Cow-Bison Hybrid is Called a “Beefalo”

Cows and bison have been purposefully crossbred for centuries, mostly for their meat. However, beefalo have been found in the wild as well.

According to NPR, beefalo meat is leaner than your typical beef, much like bison meat. Bisons are hard to domesticate, so they’re bred with cows for their docility.

Some people are against their existence, with the opinion that bison meat is fine on its own. Whatever your specific opinion is, hybrid animals are pretty cool.

Tomatoes Are Technically Fruits

This is an interesting point of discussion. Out of our 50 fun facts, this is one of the most commonly known, though there’s so much more to it.

Tomatoes are botanically classified as fruit, no doubt about it. They develop similarly to bananas, actually, from a flower with one ovary (which makes them berries!).

However, they taste nothing like traditional fruits, and are typically served alongside vegetables. A nutritionist or chef might see them as veggies. So, they can be both.

Africa’s in All 4 Hemispheres

Even though Asia is the largest continent on Earth, Africa is the only continent on the planet that holds this position. This is because of its central location.

Africa is also the second largest continent in the world, which is another contributor. It’s the only continent that the Prime Meridian and the Equator run through, too.

The Prime Meridian runs through the Northwestern part, which is also the region that’s in the Western Hemisphere. The Equator cuts through the center.

Australia is Wider Than the Moon

We’ve made it to the end of our 50 fun facts, so let’s go out with a bang. Since we’re talking geography, here’s something that’ll blow your mind.

Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, and is around 2,485 miles wide. The moon, by contrast is, about 2,112 miles wide.

We knew the moon was tiny, but we didn’t think it was that small. According to the European Space Agency, it has more surface area since it’s spherical.

50 Fun Facts: Conclusion

We couldn’t possibly cover every single bit of information out there — that’d be impossible. Still, we hope that these 50 fun facts managed to entertain.

From cool facts about nature, to interesting tidbits on history, some of these facts were seriously unbelievable. Like, why was Hitchcock so afraid of eggs?

Whatever the case, though, it’s undoubtable that we live in a wild world. If you want to check out more fascinating content, visit our blog!