The dictionary defines trivia as “unimportant facts or details,” and we couldn’t disagree more. Learning trivia facts is of the utmost importance. Haven’t you ever heard the expression, knowledge is power?
Trivia allows one to learn about a wide variety of different topics. Those who know trivia often have a passion for learning new things and acquiring even more knowledge. Learning, regardless of the topic, should never be seen as unimportant.
Furthermore, trivia is like exercise for your brain. We all get a dose of dopamine when we answer a trivia question correctly. And trivia also helps work out that frontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps process memories. See, trivia isn’t so trivial after all. So with all that said, let’s learn a few more trivia facts.
Here Are 101 Incredible Trivia Facts That Will Blow Your Mind:
1. Alaska is the most northern, western, and eastern state in the United States. Parts of Alaska stretch into the Eastern Hemisphere.
2. Viking men wore make-up to look younger and more attractive.
3. Liechtenstein is the world’s largest producer of false teeth.
4. Sea otters hold hands while they sleep.
5. The geographic center of Croatia is technically in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
6. A group of bunnies is called a “fluffle.”
7. Dr. Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham on a bet.
8. The weight of the average cumulus cloud is 1.1 million pounds.
9. The US government spent nearly two decades funding remote viewing (extrasensory perception) research.
10. In 1919, the city of Boston was flooded with 2.3 million gallons of molasses.
11. In the United States, there is both a Why, Arizona, and a Whynot, North Carolina.
12. The “heads” on Easter Island also have bodies.
13. For every human that is killed by a shark (about 30 people per year), at least 2 million sharks are killed by human beings.
14. The Pilgrims would have landed in Virginia, but stopped at Plymouth Rock instead because they ran out of beer.
15. In Washington D.C., the Slovakian and Slovenian embassies meet once a month to exchange wrongly addressed mail.
16. A baby blue whale is born weighing up to 3 tons and stretching to 25 feet. It will gain about 200 pounds every day for its first year.
17. There are 293 ways to make change for a US dollar.
18. Ronald Wayne co-founded Apple with with Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. He sold his 10% stake in the company for $800 in 1976.
19. John F. Kennedy died on the same day as Aldous Huxley and C.S. Lewis.
20. There is a white oak tree in Athens, Georgia, that legally owns itself and the land it stands on for 8 feet in each direction.
21. In South Carolina, it is technically illegal for a minor under the age of 18 to play pinball.
22. Wombat poop is cube-shaped.
23. A person weighing 100 pounds on Earth would weigh 253 pounds on Jupiter, but only 6 pounds on Pluto.
24. Maine is the closest US state to Africa, not Florida as most people think.
25. Before ever becoming President, Andrew Jackson fought in 103 duels. These were mostly ceremonial, but he did kill at least one man.
26. Cheetahs can achieve speeds of over 70 miles per hour, and are the fastest land animals.
27. When adjusted for inflation, John D. Rockefeller’s fortune would be worth roughly $336 billion today, making him the wealthiest person in US history.
28. Actor Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in the film, The Passion of the Christ, was struck by lightning during filming.
29. There are volcanic eruptions on Jupiter’s fifth moon Io. Aside from Earth, it is the only known body in the solar system to have observed active volcanoes.
30. China borders 14 countries, but has only one time zone – China Standard Time.
31. The continent of Africa has land in the northern, southern, eastern, and western hemispheres of the Earth.
32. Europe is home to two countries that are completely landlocked by Italy – Vatican City and San Marino.
33. Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is the closest mountain to space.
34. The entire world population could fit inside Texas.
35. Istanbul is the largest city in the world that is on two different continents.
36. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe all died on July 4th. One US President, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4th.
37. Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens.
38. Johnny Depp got a tattoo that read “Winona Forever” when he dated actress Winona Rider. They broke up, and now it reads “Wino Forever.”
39. Of the 88 officially recognized constellations, 22, or one fourth, begin with the letter “C.”
40. Rome was the first city in the world to reach a population of 1 million people.
41. Among the world’s land snakes with the most potent venom, three of the top four are native to Australia.
42. You can travel north, south, east or west in Stamford, Connecticut, and the next state you encounter will be New York.
43. Alaska has more than 50% of the entire US coastline, or 6,640 miles. Texas has 367 miles of coastline by comparison.
44. Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show all debuted on the same day on Nickelodeon in 1991.
45. Finland and North Korea are separated by just one country.
46. Cuba is the only Caribbean island with a railway.
47. “Q” is the only letter that doesn’t appear in a US state name.
48. The Scottish have more than 400 words and expressions for “snow.”
49. German chocolate cake is named after Sam German, an American baker, not the country.
50. Peanuts aren’t technically nuts.
51. Cap’n Crunch’s full name is Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch.
52. The longest English word is 189,819 letters long and takes 3 and a half hours to pronounce.
53. It rains diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter.
54. There are more plastic flamingos in the world than real ones.
55. Gerald Ford is the only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to either office.
56. By law, EXIT signs in US buildings must be green or red.
57. At more than 1,100 miles long, the Red River is the longest river entirely in the US that doesn’t share its name with a state.
58. Chile and Ecuador are the only two South American countries that do NOT border Brazil.
59. Gorillas burp when they’re happy.
60. Earth is the only planet whose English name does not derive from a Greek/Roman deity.
61. If you add all the numbers on a roulette wheel, you will get a total of 666.
62. The gold command shirts on the original Star Trek were actually lime green, but appeared gold under the bright studio lights.
63. Every FIFA World Cup has been won by a team from South America or Europe.
64. Jimmy Carter is the only US President to serve at least one full term in office and not nominate anyone to the Supreme Court.
65. When written out in word form, no number before 1,000 contains the letter “A.”
66. At the height of his power, Pablo Escobar’s cartel spent an estimated $2,500 a month on rubber bands for holding stacks of money together.
67. M&M’s stands for “Mars & Murrie’s.” Those are the surnames of the candy’s founders.
68. The dot you place above a lowercase “i” or “j” is called a tittle.
69. The famous “Heisman pose” is based on former NYU running back Ed Smith, who modeled for the trophy’s sculptor in 1934.
70. Just like with fingerprints, everyone has a unique tongue print.
71. Buzz Aldrin was the first man to pee on the moon, doing so into a special bag in his space suit shortly after stepping onto the lunar surface.
72. Iconic horror film actor Bela Lugosi, famous for portraying Count Dracula on-screen, was buried in full Dracula costume – cape included.
73. Several buildings in New York City have their own zip code.
74. Taylor Swift won more Grammys (4) at the 2010 Grammy Awards than Elvis Presley did in his whole career (3).
75. Oscar the Grouch used to be orange. Jim Henson decided to make him green before the second season of Sesame Street.
76. Russia and the United States share roughly 93 percent of all the world’s nuclear weapons.
77. Actor Eddie Murphy released a 1993 R&B song called “Whatzupwitu” that features Michael Jackson.
78. Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney are the only two people to receive more than 60 million popular votes, and not be elected President.
79. Of the six primary cast members on Friends, Courteney Cox (Monica Geller) was the only one not to receive an individual Emmy nomination for the show.
80. Dopey is the only one among Snow White’s seven dwarfs that does not have a beard.
81. On the iconic Abbey Road album cover, which features The Beatles walking single-file along a zebra crossing, Paul McCartney isn’t wearing shoes.
82. Colonel Harland Sanders, famous for creating the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast-food chain, was actually born in Indiana.
83. The tallest dam in the United States is not the Hoover Dam, it is the Oroville Dam on the Feather River in California.
84. Hawaii is the only US state whose all-time low temperature is not below 0°F.
85. The board game Guess Who? must include the disclaimer, “game cards do not actually talk,” in order to meet FTC advertising guidelines.
86. Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East that does not have a desert.
87. Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa is the tallest free-standing mountain on Earth (not part of a mountain range).
88. Martin Van Buren was the first President who was born a citizen of the United States, and the only President whose first language was not English (Dutch).
89. The national flag of Nepal is the world’s only non-quadrilateral national flag. The flag is a simplified combination of two single pennants.
90. For every human on Earth there are 1.6 million ants.
91. 65 billion neutrinos pass through your fingernail every second.
92. More germs are transferred shaking hands than kissing.
93. After donating thousands of dollars to a local church, Saddam Hussein was given the key to the city of Detroit shortly after becoming President of Iraq.
94. The average lifespan of a major league baseball is seven pitches.
95. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
96. Toto was paid $125 per week while filming The Wizard of Oz, more than many of the human actors.
97. The electric chair was invented by Alfred P. Southwick, a dentist.
98. The average golf ball has 336 dimples.
99. Tug of War was an Olympic team event between 1900 and 1920.
100. Some cats are allergic to humans.
101. Netflix was originally called “Kibble”.
Know any other interesting trivia facts? Let us know in the comments below. And if you want to put your trivia knowledge to the test, make sure to visit Sporcle.com, where you can find thousands of trivia quizzes!
