Larry the Cable Guy’s real name is Daniel Lawrence Whitney. His notable Southern accent is fake – he was born and raised in the Midwest, not the South.
100 Mind-Blowing Southern Facts
Rednex, the band that remixed and popularized Cotton Eye Joe, is not Southern but Swedish. They all have Southern-sounding stage names.
The Moon looks upside down in the Southern Hemisphere. Compared to the Northern Hemisphere, anyway. This means that the ‘Man in the Moon’ is upside down in the Southern Hemisphere and looks more like a rabbit.
The most remote place in the world is the Tristan da Cunha islands in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. They’re 2,434km from Saint Helena, the nearest inhabited place. Imagine Mum sends you out for groceries but the local supermarket is closed. That’s a long trip.
Interesting facts aren’t just nice to have in your back pocket, but they can help foster a sense of connection with others, spark curiosity during a boring dinner conversation and even help you break past small talk on a first date. Get ready to show off your trivia prowess with one or more of the below fun facts across categories like food, travel, history, science, music and more. Be sure to bookmark this page for your next trivia night, and share it with your fellow fun fact obsessives. Dr Pepper was founded in Waco, Texas, by a pharmacist, in 1885, making it the oldest big soft drink brand in the country, per Southern Living.
Half of all bank robberies in the U.S. are done on a Friday. According to 2011 government statistics, bank robberies in the U.S. take place most often in mid-morning, on Fridays and in the southern and western states. Out of the total stolen US$43 million in 2011, only a measly US$8 million was recovered.
The Aurora Borealis has a sister phenomenon. This can be viewed in the southern hemisphere. It is also called the Aurora Australis and the light show it executes is as beautiful.
A janitor invented the flaming hot Cheetos. One of the janitors working at the Frito-Lay plant in Southern California pitched the idea of adding chilli powder to the regular product. Top Brass liked the idea and so did many consumers. This leads the janitor to a generous promotion where he is now an executive for PepsiCo.
Technicoloured squirrels roam the lands of Southern India. They weigh around 4 pounds and measure up to 3 feet from tip to tail. The Malabar giant squirrel also blends better in the forest due to its multi-coloured fur.
The world’s most dangerous tree is called the manchineel. This is native to tropical southern North America and northern South America. Every part of the tree contains toxins that can cause blisters and skin breakouts on human skin just from touch.
Originally, carrots were a purple colour. When carrots were cultivated in Afghanistan 1000 years ago, carrots were described as yellow or purple roots. Once carrots were exported into Southern Europe during the 14th century, they began to widely grow around the country.
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.
Fried chicken came from Scotland. In the Middle Ages, it was a Scottish tradition to deep fry chicken. While immigrating to the Southern United States, the Scots bought the dish. From there, it became a staple of American cuisine.
A volcanic eruption once killed 80% of the Earth’s sheep. When the Laki volcanic fissure in Southern Iceland erupted for eight months in 1783, it killed off 80% of the sheep in the world. Additionally, roughly 25% of the world’s human population died.
The moon looks upside down in the Southern Hemisphere. While the Northern Hemisphere sees the “Man in the Moon,” it looks more like a rabbit in the Southern Hemisphere.
Mars is a terrestrial planet because it has a hard and rocky surface. Its northern side is full of flat plains and the southern side has ridges and craters.
The Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta caraya) are native to eastern Bolivia, northeastern Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil.
HUMPBACK WHALES DON’T EAT FOR MOST OF THE YEAR. Humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere live off their fat reserves for 5.5-7.5 months each year, as they migrate from their tropical breeding grounds to the Antarctic, to feed on krill.
Zebras are black with white stripes. There are three different species of zebras, which can be found in Africa’s southern and eastern regions. Their overall coat of hair is dark in colour, broken up with stripes of white, unpigmented hair. We’re still unsure why they have stripes, but scientists suggest it may be some form of protection against predators.
Sundials read differently depending on the hemisphere you’re in. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun casts a shadow that moves from north to east, to south, to west. In the Southern Hemisphere, the shadow moves in the opposite direction. Our concept of “clockwise” is based on the way sundials in the Northern Hemisphere told time.
There is an underwater tunnel called the Channel Tunnel linking Southern England and Northern France.