The lead singer of The Offspring started attending school to achieve a doctorate in molecular biology while still in the band. He graduated in May 2017.
100 Mind-Blowing May Facts
Small as they may be, ladybugs have a unique smell that humans are incredibly sensitive to.
Only official members of federally accepted Native American tribes may legally possess or collect eagle feathers. If a normal citizen has one, it is illegal.
The largest stadium in the world is the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea. It can hold up to 114,000 spectators. It covers 51 acres and is 197 feet tall.
The military has used silly strings to detect tripwires in Iraq. Before entering a room, they can squirt it inside. If it hangs in the air, it may have revealed a wire.
Justin Bieber’s first tweet was at 8:27 pm on May 11, 2009.
Snakes and lizards both moult out of their old skin as they grow. Investigators have concluded that dinosaurs may have also moulted.
May 29th is “National Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day.” It is celebrated in Europe & USA to bring luck & wealth to the household.
If you keep smelling something that is not there, you may be experiencing the earliest symptoms of schizophrenia.
September 25th is known as “World Dream Day” – a day about chasing your dreams, no matter how big or small they may be!
The least common day to be born is May 22nd.
As of May 2015, 2.3 Million Americans still subscribed to AOL Dial-Up Internet.
You don’t like the sound of your voice because of the bones in your head. This may be because the bones in our head make our voice sound deeper.
Football players spit so much because exercise increases the amount of protein in saliva. When you exercise, the amount of protein secreted into the saliva increases. A protein mucus named MUC5B makes your saliva thicker when you’re exercising which makes it more difficult to swallow so we tend to spit more. It may occur during exercise because we breathe through our mouths more. MUC5B could activate to stop our mouths from drying out, therefore.
Electrons might live forever. Scientists have estimated the minimum lifetime of the electron is about 6.6 × 1028 years – this is 66,000 ‘yottayears’. Since this is about 5 quintillion times the age of the Universe, even if electrons don’t live forever, they may as well do!
Nearest Green (“Uncle Nearest”), a formerly enslaved man, taught Jack Daniel as a young boy how to make whiskey, and served as the first master distiller for Jack’s Distillery No. 7 following abolition. While you may have heard of whiskey giant Jack Daniels, there is now a whiskey label called Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, honouring Uncle Nearest, “the best whiskey maker the world never knew.”
Beyoncé’s concert in Paris on May 26, 2023, had more sales from U.S. buyers on StubHub than any other single night of an international concert in 2023.
There are parts of Africa in all four hemispheres. For people whose education was largely focused on the Western world, it may be surprising to find out exactly how huge the continent of Africa is. For instance, it spans all four hemispheres and covers nearly 12 million square miles.
Wally Amos is responsible for making more than just cookies famous. You may be familiar with Wally “Famous” Amos, thanks to his packaged chocolate chip cookies. But before he worked his magic on the sweet treats, he was in the business of making people famous, Biography reports. He discovered and signed the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel and was a talent rep for acts like Diana Ross, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye.
Glitter may have originated on a ranch. According to local lore, a man by the name of Henry Ruschmann from Bernardsville, New Jersey, invented glitter by accident in 1934 while working on a cattle ranch. The New York Times reports that in the popular origin story, Ruschmann, a machinist, was trying to find a way to dispose of scrap material by crushing it into tiny pieces. Plastic went in, glitter came out, and the rest is commonly accepted as history.
May 20, 1873, is the “birthday” of blue jeans. According to the Levi Strauss company, this was the day that Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis, the innovators behind the sturdy blue jeans we all love, got a patent on the process of adding metal rivets to men’s denim work pants. The pants were called waist overalls until 1960 when baby boomers began calling them jeans.
Big Ben’s clock stopped at 10:07 p.m. on 27 May 2005, most likely due to an extremely hot temperature of 31.8 degrees Celsius.
The brain is the fattest organ. The stomach may be our body’s fattest part, but the fattest organ is our brain. The brain is composed of nearly 60% fat.
Artificial banana flavouring is based on an extinct banana. You may notice that your banana-flavoured food products don’t taste quite like the real thing. This is because the commercially used banana flavouring is based on a type of banana that was wiped out by a plague in the 1950s.
Sneezing while travelling at 60 mph makes you close your eyes for 50 feet. In a not-so-fun fun fact, the few milliseconds you spend sneezing can make you lose track of the distance you travel. No matter how amazing that may be, it is very hazardous for the road. About 2,500 road accidents occur in a U.K. winter due to colds and sneezing.
February used to be the last month of the year. We may know January and February as the first two months of the year, but these months were the last couple of months added to the Gregorian calendar. Before, the Roman calendar only recognised 10 months. However, the winter period was measured in these two months – making February the last month of the calendar. This is also why February has the shortest number of days in a month.
The directors of the film Despicable Me wrote their language for the Minions. It may sound like total gibberish, but the famed (or infamous) Minions of the Despicable Me franchise speak an actual language. The directors combined Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Filipino (Tagalog), French and Russian to create Minionese.
Lobsters used to be considered the cockroach of the ocean. It may be found in the most luxurious menus now, but lobster was once eaten regularly by the homeless, slaves and prisoners. However, lobster started to be seen as a delicacy after World War II.
Artist Salvador Dali would get out of paying at restaurants by drawing on the checks. The renowned artist responsible for Chupa Chupp’s logo was not a fan of paying for his meals. Often, he would draw on the checks, making them priceless works of art. He may be stingy and obsessed with money, but you gotta give the guy credit for his genius.
At birth, baby pandas are smaller than mice. Giant pandas may grow to over 6 feet, but one of the interesting fun facts about them is their tiny size upon birth. A newborn panda cub weighs 3-5 ounces and is the measly size of a butter stick. That’s almost 1/900th the size of its mother!
During the first 5 months of Pokémon Go, gaming-related accidents increased by 26.5%. People may joke about Pokemon Go bringing world peace, but the game was doing quite the opposite. Upon the first few months of its release, Pokemon Go-related casualties included 2 deaths and $25.5 million in property damages.
Manatees can get cold stress. These gentle giants may look like tough guys, but they can be pretty sensitive to cold. In waters below 20°C, manatees can get “Florida frostbite.” Manatee fat isn’t enough to insulate their body temperature in the cold – which is why manatee deaths spiked in the Florida cold snap of 2010.
May 22nd is the least common birth date. The 22nd of May is the least common day to be born. On the other hand, the 16th of September is the most common birthday. More people in the world are born in September than in any other month.
Penguins can jump as high as 9 feet in the air. These creatures may be known for their adorable waddling, but they’re quite the action stars. One of the fun facts about these fun creatures is that depending on their species, penguins can jump up to 9 feet. How do these boxy birds do it, you ask? The magic happens underwater – penguins wrap their bodies in air bubbles from their wings and use this to propel themselves up to the surface.
Millions of trees were estimated to be planted by squirrels that forgot their buried nuts. Dreamworks’ Ice Age franchise may not be fully accurate, but it sure got one thing right: Squirrels love burying their nuts.
The word “testify” is based on… testes? The term “testify” is said to be rooted in the Ancient Roman custom of making men swear on their testicles in court. However, there is no written confirmation that this is the case. Instead, people may have taken the Latin word testis out of context: it can mean testes but also translates to witness. You decide which one makes more sense.
Tom Hanks was not paid for Forrest Gump. This may be surprising for one of his most iconic roles, but Tom Hanks did not receive a set fee for this film. Instead, he signed an agreement that entitled him to percentage points from the film’s profit. Ultimately, his part in the film’s earnings netted him at US$40 million.
Starbucks flopped in Australia. Starbucks may be a staple in many countries, but Aussies couldn’t care less. Since opening dozens of locations in Australia in 2000, 70% have already closed down, leaving only 23 cafes still operating in the country. This is only one of the many fun facts about Australia.
The red-billed quelea is the most common bird on Earth. You may have never seen one in your community, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t building a legion. These birds are native to sub-Saharan Africa, where they’re considered “agricultural pests” because their flocks can destroy entire crops. Their population fluctuates between 1 to 10 billion queleas, which makes scientists conclude that they are the most abundant birds on Earth.
Black cats are good luck in Britain and Japan. Black cats may have been universally seen as bad luck, but that isn’t the case for Great Britain and Japan. New brides are given black cats to bless their marriage in the English Midlands. In Japan, black cats are a symbol of good luck for single women.
An espresso maker has been sent to space. When an Italian astronaut requests an espresso machine in orbit, who are we to deny her? The Italian Space Agency worked with Lavazza to create the cleverly named ISSpresso – the first espresso coffee machine designed for space. As a result, the first espresso coffee was drunk in space by Samantha Cristoforetti on May 3, 2015.
The continental plates move at the same rate that fingernails grow. Research suggests that sometime in the far future, a supercontinent may form. The continents are continuously moving a few centimetres a year.
You are more likely to have a weird or scary dream when sleeping on your stomach. This is because different sleeping positions give different pressures on your body. Sleeping on your stomach restricts other movements compared to sleeping on your side or back. Research believes that this may be why the intensity of your dreams differs depending on your sleeping position.
Crocodiles are one of the planet’s oldest living creatures. These animals have survived for over 200 million years. This may be due to their superb ability to be able to go for long periods without eating.
The state of Virginia may contain hidden treasure. The Beale CIphers are a set of coded texts that are said to reveal the location of hidden treasure. Research believes that this is worth over $43 million in gold, silver, and jewels. Only one of three texts has been encoded so far.
The most popular state bird is the Northern Cardinal. Out of the 50 states in the U.S., seven voted for this species as their favourite bird. Perhaps this may be due to the Angry Birds trend from a few years back.
May 29th is Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day. This odd holiday dates back to the early 1900s when families would place a piece of cloth on top of their larders. This is regularly celebrated in Europe and the U.S. to bring luck and wealth.
About 7% of American adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. While this may not seem like a lot, this totals around 16.4 million Americans. Imagine how they feel when you tell them buttermilk doesn’t have any butter in it.
People who post their fitness routines on social media are more likely to have psychological problems. A study finds that this may lead an individual to addiction for attention and esteem. More often, people who share all of their physical activities online have a goal to boast about their activities.
Therapy is least effective at battling depression compared to playing video games. While addiction to video games may contribute to depression, research has found that it is not so when done in moderation. Some video games help with rage and emotional control which promotes positive results.
Bi-weekly has two connotations. It can either be every two weeks or twice a week. The prefix bi- may be used to imply both or either meanings depending on context.
Coca-Cola was originally green. However, the company itself said that this may be due to the green bottles they once used. New marketing techniques switched to plastic bottles instead of glass later on.
The Goodyear blimp is the official bird of Redondo Beach. While it may not be a bird per se, the coastal city still named it as such. Redondo Beach is situated near the Goodyear Blimp’s home airport in California.
The Apollo 11 crew pre-made autographs for insurance. The Apollo 11 crew was prepared for the chance that they may not be able to return from their voyage. In an attempt to financially prepare their families, they signed many trinkets that their families could sell if the mission failed.
A person is unable to detect smells when they suffer from anosmia. There are rare cases in which a person may be born with anosmia. This condition is called congenital anosmia.
Local legend believes that there is a secret in this chamber due to the gold Egyptian hieroglyphs that are decorated on the door. This has led others to believe that it may be a time machine or a time chamber of some sort.
Over 87,000 Americans are on a waiting list for organ transplants. On average, the waiting time takes 3-5 years. In most parts of the world, individuals may need to wait much longer than 5 years. Kidneys are the most needed organs for transplants in the world.
Sneezing too hard can cause rib fractures. Suppressing a sneeze could also lead to the rupture of a blood vessel in the head or neck. This occurrence may lead to death. However, keeping your eyes open during a sneeze will not make your eyes pop out of their sockets.
A human being can live with only one kidney. A person may have one kidney removed to treat an injury or disease. Even with one kidney, they may still be able to lead normal and healthy lifestyles.
A surgical procedure that removes fear from your brain exists. This process is called selective amygdalohippocampectomy and is used to treat patients with epilepsy. While this may sound like a process you would want to try, it comes with consequences.
1000 is the first number from 0 that uses the letter a when spelled. However, if you spell 101 as ‘one hundred and one’, it may also count for some people.
The Spanish word for wife is ‘esposa’. The plural is esposas which translates to wives. However, it may also translate to handcuffs.
More fast-food employees were killed while on shift than police officers in 1998. Fast-food murders are more common in the United States than in any other country. This may warn you to have your order for delivery instead.
Cherophobia is the fear of being happy. People who experience this go out of their way to avoid and invoke positive emotions. These people also often fear socialising for it may lead to positive events. This phobia is a form of anxiety disorder that is often treated with regular medication.
Large banks use computers to process checks and debit card charges by the highest amount first. This is because checks with higher amounts of value need to be thoroughly double-checked first before clearing. This explains why it may take a few working days before clearing can be issued.
10% of the world population is left-handed. Our first of our did you know facts are about left-handed people. It is said that men are more likely to be left-handed than women. Various studies have also suggested that the handedness of a person can be determined by the time they spend in the mother’s womb. Some studies also suggest that one’s heritage may also play a role in determining if someone will be left or right-handed.
Ducks cannot walk without bobbing their heads. Ducks often bob their heads to signify moods or emotions. At times, it may also be used to signify flirting during the mating season.
The human tongue heals the fastest compared to all body parts. This is due to the rich supply of blood that circulates the tongue. It may also be because the mouth is constantly replenishing your taste buds.
There are more chickens in the world than there are people. Chickens are mainly bred primarily as a source of food. Others may keep them as pets as well.
Moths do not have stomachs. This may be because most species of moths do not eat at all. Some moths such as the Luna moth emerge from their cocoon and never eat. This species lives for about a week long.
Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a “Friday the 13th”. Friday the 13th may just be another day for you, but some cultures are very wary of this number for its supposed bad luck.
Mozart once sold more CDs than Beyoncé. This friendly competition between two musical greats may sound like a pipe dream, but it’s one of the interesting facts that happened. The Universal Music Group released a box set for Mozart’s 225th death anniversary in 2016. With 200 discs of Mozart’s work in each set, each disc was counted as one CD sold. Get the last box set and listen for yourself.
‘Metrophobia’ is the fear of poetry. If you don’t remember your literature classes as a good time, you may have had this phobia. The prefix metro- comes from the meter, which refers to the standard structure of a poem.
Flowers grow faster with music. We’ve all encountered the age-old question of, “Do plants have feelings?” Fellows with a green thumb would argue yes, but it’s still being studied in science. However, plants have been shown to respond to certain stimuli in the most interesting ways. For example, playing a lullaby to plants makes them grow faster. However, they tend to wilt or die with heavier music. Plants may or may not have feelings, but they sure are gentle souls.
Andy’s dad from Toy Story was not animated due to budgeting concerns. We may have seen the rest of Andy’s family, but his father remains unseen. Originally, Andy’s dad was supposed to make an appearance in the films. However, it takes a lot to render a 3d character, so it was scrapped in the end.
You can survive solely on potatoes and butter. In the right amounts, potatoes and butter could keep a person alive indefinitely. However, potatoes are all carbs and butter is high in cholesterol. You may survive, but you’d probably develop a condition over time.
18 newborns can be switched at birth daily. If you’ve ever worried whether you were switched at birth, it may be likely. On average, 18 babies can be sent to the wrong delivery rooms. However, cases of being switched at birth are usually identified immediately.
The Fender Guitar company makes 90,000 guitar strings a day. Fender may be one of the biggest music companies, but its founder, Leo Fender, did not know how to play any instruments.
Hell is real. There’s an actual village in southern Norway named “Hell.” however, it may not be true to its name: The weather in Hell is consistently below 20°C, with lows dropping to negative temperatures.
Some people experience post-sex sadness. If you’ve ever felt intense feelings of sadness, anger, and distress after sex, you may have gone through Post-coital dysphoria (PCD). It happens especially after orgasm.
152 people in the U.S. are named LOL. Laugh out loud, or lots of love? What it means, we may never know – but 152 people have LOL as their legit birth name. Most of these LOLs live in Wyoming.
Eagles don’t mate while airborne. You may have encountered the myth that eagles mate in the air. However, eagles mate on branches or nests. The fact that people even think it’s possible is just one of the funny facts.
Watermelon is Oklahoma’s state vegetable. Here’s another case of “Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?” You may remember differently from preschool, but watermelons are classified as a fruit and a vegetable. Watermelons came from the cucumber and gourd families, which are vegetables. So, in 2007, Oklahoma declared the watermelon as their state vegetable. Their state fruit? Strawberries.
Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables. The word originates from the Greek lachno (vegetables) and phobos (fear or aversion). This may be one of the funny facts that sound like we’re just making things up, but there is a medical diagnosis for the fear of veggies. In 2009, a woman was diagnosed with the condition. However, since she had a baby to care for, she overcame her phobia.
An octopus can eat its tentacle. When an octopus is stressed, it may suffer from autophagy or self-cannibalism. In some cases, a stressed octopus can eat its arms. However, an octopus can lose an arm without pain and regrow it with no problem. Imagine if we did the same when we got stressed. Now that would be one for funny facts.
The blue meth in Breaking Bad is rock candy. Yup, they’ve been snorting rocks this whole time, but a confectionery kind: Crystal Sky is cotton candy-flavoured rock candy. It may have been fake drugs, but the cast and crew were still getting a different kind of high from it – they’d eat the sugary mixture to keep them up during shoots.
People used to dream in black and white. The world may not be black and white now, but there was a time when even dreams were. Before colour TV was invented, 75% of people said their dreams were in black and white. However, only 12% do now.
You’d get rolled into a burrito if you’re a violent drunk in Japan. Japanese police may get a futon and roll you into a burrito if you disrupt the public.
Before Alexander Fleming named penicillin, he called it “mould juice.” It may sound like a term someone coined on Tumblr, but Alexander Flaming did refer to penicillin as “mould juice” when he discovered it in 1928.
The founder of Match.com lost his girlfriend to a man she met on Match.com. It may seem like another one of the darkly funny facts – but when his girlfriend left him for a man she met on his site, Gary Kremen didn’t even break a sweat. According to Match.com founder, Kremen knew his project was successful when his girlfriend left him for another man through Match.com.
Ferrets will die after a year of no sex. No nut November, who? Female ferrets mature sexually at 4-6 months of age. When they go into heat, they stay that way until they breed. However, prolonged estrogen increase may lead to aplastic anemia which can lead to death.
Nutmeg can be poisonous. Who doesn’t love a little nutmeg in their hot chocolate? It may seem unlikely, but in certain amounts, nutmeg can be fatal to humans. Compared to other plants and herbs, nutmeg contains higher amounts of a narcotic substance called myristicin. Consuming more than 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg at once can cause side effects such as wild hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and a syncopated heartbeat. In large amounts, it can also lead to organ failure.
The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be in Barcelona. The Eiffel Tower may be an iconic tourist spot for lovers and travellers alike, but it wasn’t so loved in its first years. When Gustave Eiffel pitched it to Barcelona, the officials thought the design looked too ugly, so Eiffel pitched it to Paris instead.
Bananas glow blue under UV light. Bananas may be associated with yellow, but according to one study, the fruit glows an “intense” blue colour under black light (or UV lights). Scientists later found that the degradation of chlorophyll as the fruit ripens causes the blue glow.
There is only one Blockbuster store left in the world. Video rental services may be a thing of the past, but there’s still one Blockbuster store left standing. This Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon is now considered an American tourist site.
The Mona Lisa may have had eyebrows. The famous portrait may look relatively facial hair-less, but in October 2007, Pascal Cotte claimed that Leonardo da Vinci originally painted eyebrows and eyelashes on the Mona Lisa. Using a high-definition camera, the French engineer and inventor zoomed in 24 times on Mona Lisa’s face and found a single brushstroke of hair. However, whether or not this is true is one of the many mysteries of the Mona Lisa.
Less than 20% of laughter comes after jokes. Sometimes, we may not be laughing at jokes at all.
Dancing mania killed 15 people a day in 1518. Dancing mania isn’t an arcade game, but a mass psychogenic illness in the Middle Ages characterised by non-stop dancing. It may sound like a cartoon plot, but these people would dance until their feet bled and collapsed from exhaustion. Until now, the phenomenon has no confirmed explanation.
Edgar Allan Poe may have predicted the future. The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym (1838) was a novel about 4 shipwreck survivors who killed and ate a cabin boy named Richard Parker. In 1884, a boat got stranded with only 4 survivors. 3 of the crew killed and ate the cabin boy, who was also named Richard Parker.
Shaq only made one three-pointer in his whole career. Shaquille O’Neal may be one of the most iconic NBA players in the game, but you’d be surprised that he only made one three-point shot in his entire career.