The French Scrabble World Champion doesn’t speak French Nigel Richards of New Zealand memorized the entire French Scrabble dictionary (386,000 words) in nine weeks to bag the title. Richards had been playing Scrabble for 20 years since.
100 Mind-Blowing World Facts
The British Empire was the largest in the world. In the 1920s, the British Empire ruled over 23% of the world’s population. Their territory covered 13 million square miles. As such, the British Empire is considered the largest empire in history.
A one-armed player scored the winning goal in the first World Cup. Héctor Castro played for the Uruguay soccer team during the first-ever 1930 World Cup. In the last round between Uruguay vs Argentina, Castro scored a last-minute goal that made Uruguay the first-ever winner of the World Cup.
The stick is the world’s first toy. This ancient toy dates back to the Stone Age.
The largest pair of eyes in the world belongs to the giant squid. Its eyes are the size of soccer balls and are at least 25 centimetres across. The largest fish eye is only around 9 centimetres wide which belongs to the swordfish.
Japan has 23 vending machines per person. This ratio is the same per capita. Japan has the highest amount of vending machines in the world.
April 11, 1954, was recorded as the most boring day in the world. Statistics show that no significant occurrences took place in the world. This was calculated by a computer search program. This program could calculate the number of important events that occur all over the world simultaneously.
Tiramisu translates to ‘take me to heaven’ in Italian. This implies that this dish is so good that it would take you to heaven. This Italian dessert is well-loved all over the world and has several alternative twists you can create.
Mary and James are the most popular names around the world. Between the years 1917 to 2016, over 5 million baby boys were named James. On the other hand, over 3.5 million baby girls were named Mary.
Children are born less frequently on Saturdays. Among all the days in the week, most children in the world are born on a Thursday. Babies born on weekends in December are also the least common.
Danish mothers are known to be the most hardworking moms in the world. According to statistics, 82% of mothers in Denmark are employed. Meanwhile, neighbouring countries like Sweden and the Netherlands only rate 50% working mothers.
75 burgers are sold at McDonald’s every second. You can view how many burgers have been sold in real-time on the McDonald’s website. You can also track the number of other products that have also been sold from all over the world.
Children’s book author, Roald Dahl was a spy. To be more precise, he was an agent for the British Security Coordination. He was tasked to gather intel during the Second World War.
Indians read the most in the world. On average, they spend 10 hours more of their time during the week just reading. In the age of digital media, this country still prefers an old-fashioned book rather than their phones.
The most widely printed book in the world is the catalogue for IKEA. IKEA has over 200 million copies of its catalogue circulated annually. This surpasses the amount of printing the Christian bible has.
A park ranger from the U.S. was once hit by lightning 7 times. This occurred between the years 1942 to 1977 at the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. This park ranger holds the name of the Human Lightning Rod in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The world’s most successful pirate was a woman. She was a 19th-century Chinese pirate known as Ching Shih. She was the widow of Cheng I and easily succeeded her husband’s crew of over 1,800 ships and 80,000 men.
The world’s largest pyramid cannot be found in Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Cholula is found in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico and holds the record for the largest pyramid in the world. This structure is four times as big as the Great Pyramid of Giza.
More people speak English as their second language than those who use it as their mother tongue. English has a total of nearly 2 billion fluent speakers and it is also the most widely spoken language in the world. However, only 350 million people speak this language natively.
The world’s largest single-drop waterfall is the Kaieteur Falls. This is located on the Potaro River in the centre of Guyana’s rainforest. The average flow rate of the waterfall is 663 cubic meters per second.
Only one capital in the U.S. has no McDonald’s. This capital is known as Montpelier, Vermont and it is also the smallest capital in America. Most residents have to drive to the next town over just to get a taste of the world-famous fries.
Many oranges are green. Often when ripe, oranges are in their natural green. In some locations in the world such as South America and tropical islands, oranges are green all year round.
Vantablack has a trademark. Anish Kapoor had won the executive rights to the world’s darkest shade of black and stated that only they could use it. Outraged, the creator of the pinkest pink made the colour available for everyone but Kapoor. Now that’s a colourful war.
The Antarctic glaciers are made up of 3% penguin urine. Due to the extreme temperatures in this region of the world, the urine cannot evaporate. Hence how they freeze and mould with the glaciers around them.
The largest grand piano in the world was built by a teenager. The piano is over 18 feet long and has 85 keys. This is 3 keys short of the standard 88. This grand piano can be found in New Zealand.
A Polish doctor once faked an outbreak to keep the Nazis away. Eugene Lazowski announced that there was a typhus outbreak that ended up saving over 8,000 people during the Second World War. At the time, this was considered to be a smart move because Lazowski decided to tug on the German’s phobias about hygiene.
The first service animals were established in Germany. Service animals were more commonly used by the time of the First World War. However, references in history suggest that the use of service animals has been practised since the mid-16th century.
12 plants and 5 animals make up 75% of diets around the world. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation states that this lowers major health risks. By concentrating our diets on this specific group, we become more resilient to diseases, pests, and climate change.
Minnesota has the world’s quietest room. The noise in this room is measured in negative decibels. It is so quiet, that you can hear your heartbeat as well as the sound of your bones moving. People say that this room is so quiet that it can also drive you crazy within 45 minutes.
The happiest countries in the world have the highest antidepressant consumers. These countries are ranked per capita. But at least now we know the medication does work.
The most mathematical flag in the world belongs to Nepal. In its constitution, there is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to draw the flag to its exact measurements. Nepal is also one of the few countries that have a triangular flag.
The oldest currency in the world is the British pound. It dates over 1,200 years old in usage. The British pound is also seen as the identity of British Sovereignty.
England and Portugal still maintain their alliance until today. This is also known as the longest unbroken alliance in world history. This treaty began in 1386 between the two countries and they remain strong allies today.
The paint on the Eiffel Tower is equivalent to ten elephants. The tower is re-painted every 7 years. There are also over 30 replicas of this tower all around the world.
Eminem’s ‘Rap God’ holds the world record for the most words in a hit single. The 6-minute song has 1,560 words in total and is all delivered clearly by the artist. That’s a little over 4 words per second.
One of the cleanest dog breeds in the world are poodle. This dog breed does not excessively moult and rarely smells. Often people who have pet allergies adopt poodles because of their grooming routine.
The insect population of the world is 1 billion times more than the world population. The world has 7 billion people living today. If you take that and multiply it by a billion, that’s a scary thought.
Michael Jordan makes a lot of money from Nike. This is more than what all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia annually make combined. This is enough money to be able to feel the entire world population a meal.
Every three seconds, there is a birth taking place somewhere in the world. There are approximately 360,000 births that take place per day. This is around 15,000 births per hour.
China is the world’s largest silk producer. Over 150,000 metric tons of silk are produced annually. This accounts for 78% of the world’s silk production.
Redwoods are the tallest trees. These trees are known to reach heights of 350 ft. The tallest living tree in the world is Hyperion at 380 ft.
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.
The Swiss are known to eat the most chocolate in the world. This is closely followed by the British. Over 22.36 pounds of chocolate is consumed per person annually according to statistics.
The oldest chocolates in the world are around 106 years old. These chocolates date back to the coronation of King Edward VII. This is dated back to the year 1902.
There are 1 million ants for every person on the planet. It is believed that the total number of ants in the world is equal to the weight of all the people on the planet. A BBC documentary commented that there are an estimated 100 trillion ants on Earth.
Fleas can jump 200 times its height. The fleas are claimed to be the best jumpers in the world due to their size and the lengths they can jump. The height of a flea jump is equivalent to a human being jumping to the top of the Empire State Building from the ground.
The fastest man in the world is not physically perfect. Usain Bolt suffers from scoliosis. However, he states that as long as he continues to keep his core and back strong, it does not bother him much.
The world’s deepest postbox is in Japan. It can be found in Susami Bay which is located in Wakayama, Japan. The post is 10 meters underwater and most people require a diving suit just to get to it.
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.
The ice cream cone was invented during the 1904 St. Louis World Fair. The invention of this edible container was made when a Syrian named Ernest E. Hamwi used batter at his waffle booth to make cones. This was done to help out his neighbor who kept running out of serving bowls.
23% of all photocopier problems are caused by people sitting on them. People from all over the world cause machine difficulties by making copies of their buttocks. Sitting on the machines is also dangerous for the person because they emit ozone into the air. Constant exposure to this could irritate the eyes and respiratory tract.
The man with the longest beard in the world died from his beard. In 5767, the man who held this title was trying to run from a fire at the time. Due to his beard’s length, he tripped over it which caused him to die in the fire.
Sixth Sick Sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick is one of the hardest tongue twisters in the world. Competitions are held all over the world to see if people can perform every single known tongue twister properly. One rule in tongue twister competitions is to include a sentence that is over 15 words long.
Quebec City, Canada has a low crime rate. This is one of the safest cities in Canada. It also has the same crime rate as Disney World.
Around 70% of virus programmers are said to allegedly work under a strict contract for crime syndicates. Their jobs are to constantly detect vulnerabilities within their own company and try to find a way to block unwanted breaches out. There is often a black-or-white scale in the world of virus programming.
The roast camel is the largest menu item in the world. This is served as a whole camel that is stuffed with lamb that has been stuffed with chickens. The chickens are also stuffed with fish or eggs. Several stages of stuffing also include rice or other fixings mixed in.
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.
Around 8% of the world’s population has an extra rib. This is known as the cervical rib and it comes from the seventh cervical vertebra. This is considered a congenital abnormality that is located above the normal first rib. There is a 1 in 500 chance that a person will be born with this condition.
The smallest ocean is the Arctic Ocean. It is also the shallowest and the coldest ocean among the world’s five ocean basins. The Arctic Ocean is about 1.5 times the size of the United States.
Monopoly is the most played board game in the world. Did you know facts about Monopoly? Here’s one. Over 275 million Monopoly board game sets have been sold worldwide. It has also been translated into 47 other languages apart from English.
China originated paper making. The first papermaking process was documented during the 25-220 CE (Eastern Han period). At some point during the 8th century, Chinese papermaking spread to the Islamic world which later on was used as a method of making paper currency.
The staple food of 50% of the world’s population is rice. Over 3.5 billion people rely on rice for more than 20% of their daily calorie intake.
70% of the world’s toys are made in China. Other countries like Japan only produce 19% of goods that are shipped internationally. Most manufactured toys are made from materials such as traditional plastics to wooden toys.
You can fold a piece of paper more than 7 times. Legend has it that with each fold on the paper you make, the thicker the sheet becomes. Eventually, it will become impossible to fold or it will require impossible amounts of energy to complete the crease. But that’s not true at all! This “impossible feat” is achieved by many all over the world. Don’t believe it? Try it yourself now!
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.
The most followed sport in the world is soccer. An estimated 4 billion fans are active in supporting the soccer community. This is more than half of the total world population.
Blue is the most common favourite colour worldwide. According to data from global marketing firms, blue is the world’s most common favourite colour. It is closely followed by purple.
The oldest surviving pencil was from the 1600s. The world’s oldest pencil was found on the roof of an old German house while it was being renovated. Stationery brand Faber-Castell has since acquired the pencil.
Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in the world. In 2016, nearly 50 billion gallons of beer was consumed worldwide.
A woman once survived falling from an aeroplane at 33,000 ft high. Vesna Vulovic holds the world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute. The Serbian flight attendant was the only survivor of the JAT Airways plane crash of 1972. Following the crash, she was in a coma and could not walk for 10 months. She managed to live until the age of 66.
The oldest customer service complaint was from 4,000 years ago. The world’s first customer complaint was found on a clay cuneiform tablet in Mesopotamia. It was written by a customer named Nanni who complained of bad copper ingots.
Game of Thrones Night’s Watch cloaks are made from Ikea rugs. Creating something like Game of Thrones takes a lot of painstaking attention to detail to take people to the rugged, sooty world of Westeros. However, you’d be surprised that some of the production designs are just from everyday things. Namely, IKEA rugs for the Night Watch’s cloaks. IKEA has since released a tutorial for how to make GoT cloaks.
Anatidaephobia is the fear of being watched by a duck. A person with Anatidaephobia fears that somewhere in the world, a duck or a goose is watching him/her.
Big Brother U.S. only showed news from the outside world for one day. One of the main gimmicks of Big Brother is that the contestants are not allowed to be a part of the outside world. Communication was barred from their loved ones and they weren’t allowed to keep up with current events. However, the producers of Big Brother delivered the news to housemates just once during the 9/11 attacks.
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.
There are fewer real flamingos than plastic flamingos in the world. Plastic flamingos you see on lawns outnumber their living, breathing counterparts.
In Kentucky, there are more barrels of bourbon than there are people. It only makes sense, since 95% of the world’s bourbon comes from Kentucky.
The tallest LEGO tower of all time is 112 feet high. On August 20th, 2013, a group of students from Delaware, USA built the tallest Lego tower in the world. The tower stood at 112 feet tall and was built using over 500,000 pieces of Lego.
You can see two sunsets from the Burj Khalifa in one day. Standing at 2,731 feet tall, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It is so tall that you can see two sunsets from it: one at the bottom, and one at the peak.
Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. If you think desert, you’d probably think of the Sahara. By definition, a desert is any dry land with little vegetation and rain. However, the biggest desert is Antarctica. The Antarctic Polar Desert is a cold desert that covers the entire continent and covers roughly 5.5 million square miles.
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 longest TV ad of all time is 14 hours long. Created for a product that supposedly “lasts forever,” this Old Spice commercial features actor Terry Crews and is airing for “an eternity” online. Since TV airtime is particularly expensive, a 14-hour version was aired in Brazil, on December 8, 2018, and earned the Guinness World Record for the longest TV ad ever.
The longest time between two twins being born is 87 days. A mother in Ireland gave birth to twins Amy Ann and Kate Marie Elliot 87 days apart, the world record for the longest interval between twin births. Amy was born prematurely on June 1, 2012, and Kate only followed on August 27. The exact interval is 87 days, 1 hr and 45 mins.
The tallest dog ever was a 7-foot Great Dane. Zeus holds the record for the tallest dog in the world at 7 ft tall. He was an unusually large Great Dane from Otsego, Michigan who took home the record in October 2011.
The man who created Comic Sans used it once. Universally known as the world’s most hated font, Comic Sans was designed by Vincent Connare in 1995. Turns out, even Vincent Connare can’t take it seriously and only used it once for a complaint about his broadband service.
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.
There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body. If you took out all of your blood vessels and laid them end to end, they would stretch over 2 times around the entire world.
There’s a McDonald’s with a turquoise arch. The McDonald’s in Sedona, Arizona, is the only joint in the world with turquoise arches instead of the yellow, golden ones. The restaurant used turquoise arches after government officials said the yellow-gold ones contrasted too much with the area’s red rocks.
The world record for most tosses of a pancake in a minute is 140 tosses. In 2012, Brad Jolly of Australia set the Guinness World Record for the most tosses of a pancake with 140 flips a minute.
Häagen-Dazs doesn’t mean anything. When Häagen-Dazs was started in 1961, it was named for “old-world craftsmanship.” the resulting name of Häagen-Dazs was a combination of Danish and Hungarian language that does not translate to anything.
The man with the longest beard tripped and died because of it. Hans Steininger once became famous for having the world’s longest beard at almost 5 ft long. However, he became even more famous for dying because of his beard. One of the morbidly funny yet unfortunate WTF facts: he tripped on his beard during a fire, which made him fall downstairs and break his neck.
A rollercoaster can make you pass kidney stones. After many reports of passing a kidney stone on Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride, a team from Michigan State University decided to investigate whether it was coincidental or not. They found that there was a 64% kidney stone pass rate for passengers in the rear of the Thunder Mountain ride. However, it was just 16% for passengers in the front.
The world record for the fastest drinking of a bottle of ketchup is less than half a minute long. On September 7, 2017, Dinesh Shivnath Upadhyaya (IND) finished a 500-g bottle of ketchup in 25.37 seconds.
The biggest chocolate rabbit in the world is over 4,000 kg heavy. The largest chocolate rabbit was sculpted by Equipe da Casa do Chocolate in 2017. It was 4,000 times the size of an average chocolate bunny and had an estimated 21.2 million calories.
The most expensive hotdog is priced at almost US$200. Tokyo Dog in Seattle, Washington, USA, sells the “Juuni Ban” hot dog for $169. It is the most expensive hot dog in the world to date. The hotdog comes with smoked-cheese bratwurst, butter-teriyaki-grilled onions, maitake mushrooms, wagyu beef, foie gras, black truffle, and caviar.
The biggest tooth ever recovered from a human is 1.4” long. The Guinness World Record for the biggest human tooth goes to Indian cricketer, Urvil Patel. He had his large canine extracted and came home from the procedure to find that his 3.67cm long tooth was a record breaker. His tooth was nearly double the size of an average human tooth.
Minecraft’s overworld has a surface area of 9,258,235 times larger than the Earth. Minecraft is a game geared towards creatives and survivalists alike. For a game with infinite possibilities, it’s only fitting that the game seems to outdo our planet. For the PC version, the Minecraft world is over 9 million times bigger than the Earth.
The world record for the most egg yolks in one egg is 9 yolks. Certain conditions can cause abnormalities in chicken eggs, such as multi-yolks, no-yolks, or even no shells.
Tootsie Rolls used to be part of WWII rations. Tootsie Rolls were put in soldiers’ rations in World War II because of their durability in different weather conditions.
Trained dolphins protect nuclear weapons. One of the world’s biggest stockpiles of nuclear weapons (a U.S. Navy base near Seattle) is defended by trained dolphins.