Random Factoid Thread

[Thubin]

Similarly to what other people have said, if you went into space and orbited around for a long time, you would eventually come back and more time would have passed on Earth than you spent in space. It's still only a few seconds at most, but if you were to travel at sub-light-speed a huge distance and back you might find that, say, everyone you knew was dead.

Technically the astronauts on the ISS are aging "slower" but the time is so miniscule it's not significant. The same is true for airline pilots. But were talking about nano seconds. The only way this works enough for anyone to notice is if you're traveling at a significant percentage of c (speed of light).

[W1Z25]

did you know that the origin of saying "bless you" after a person sneezes is because your heart stops for a millisecond and they are blessing you that you survived...

the weight of all the ants on the earth is more than the weigh of all people on earth

when you wake up you are roughly 8mm taller than when you went to bed

In 2002, the most popular boat name in the U.S. was Liberty

One out of 20 people have an extra rib

44% of kids watch television before they go to sleep

In 1865, the U.S. Secret Service was first established for the specific purpose to combat the counterfeiting of money

Istanbul, Turkey is the only city in the world located on two continents

In 1967, the IMAX film system was invented by Canadian Ivan Grame Ferguson to premier at Expo 67.


Approximately 40% of the U.S. paper currency in circulation was counterfeit by the end of the Civil War

Every three days a human stomach gets a new lining

In 1873, Colgate made a toothpaste that was available in a jar

The Kodiak, which is native to Alaska, is the largest bear and can measure up to eight feet and weigh as much as 1,700 pounds

The three best-known western names in China: Jesus Christ, Richard   Nixon, and Elvis Presley

Mars is the home of Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in our solar system

The Gastric Flu can cause projectile vomiting

The second best selling game of all time is Jenga. Jenga is a Swahili word, meaning "to build."

Cinderella is known as Rashin Coatie in Scotland, Zezolla in Italy, and Yeh-hsien in China

The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan."

The fur of the binturong, also known as the "Asian Bear Cat," smells like popcorn. The scent is believed to come from a gland located near the tail

In 1894 the first big Coke sign was found on the side of a building located in Cartersville, Georgia, and still exists today

The longest distance a deepwater lobster has been recorded to travel is 225 miles

Orcas (killer whales), when traveling in groups, breathe in unison

The Great Pyramids used to be as white as snow because they were encased in a bright limestone that has worn off over the years

NASCAR stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

Percentage of American men who say they would marry the same woman if they had it to do all over again: 80%

Paul Hunn holds the record for the loudest burp, which was 118.1 decibels, which is as loud as a chainsaw

A monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in South Bend, Indiana

There are six million parts in the Boeing 747-400.

The first TONKA truck was made in 1947

In the U.S., over one million gallons of cosmetics, drinks, and lotions are sold that contain aloe in them per year

Sugar Bear (the mascot for Golden Crisps cereal) was born in 1963

The Tonle Sap River in Cambodia flows north for almost half the year and then south for the rest of the year

Japanese research has concluded that moderate drinking can boost IQ levels

For more than 3,000 years, Carpenter ants have been used to close wounds in India, Asia and South America

Baskin Robbins plain vanilla ice cream is the number one selling flavour and accounts for a quarter of their sales

Elizabeth Taylor has appeared on the cover of Life magazine more than anyone else

The typical lead pencil can draw a line that is thirty five miles long

The word "toy" comes from an old English word that means "tool."

Smokers are twice as likely to develop lower back pain than non-smokers

Humans are born with 300 bones in their body, however when a person reaches adulthood they only have 206 bones. This occurs because many of them join together to make a single bone

The reason why hair turns gray as we age is because the pigment cells in the hair follicle start to die, which is responsible for producing "melanin" which gives the hair colour

In 1960 there were 16,067 gambling slots in Nevada. By 1999, this number rose to 205,726 slots which would be one slot for every 10 people residing there

It takes the Hubble telescope about 97 minutes to complete an orbit of the Earth. On average, the Hubble uses the equivilent amount of energy as 30 household light bulbs to complete an orbit.

The two factories of the Jelly Belly Candy Company produces approximately 100,000 pounds of jelly beans a day. this amounts to about 1,250,000 jelly beans an hour

Pucks hit by hockey sticks have reached speeds of up to 150 miles per hour

The "naked recreation and travel" industry has grown by 233% in the past decade

The Planters Peanut Company mascot, Mr. Peanut, was created during a contest for schoolchildren in 1916

Most lipstick contains fish scales

The sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the english language

The expression cooked "al dente" means "to the tooth." What this means is that the pasta should be somewhat firm, and offer some resistance to the tooth, but should also be tender

Of married couples, 70% of men and 60% of women have cheated on their spouse

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times

More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes

The first couple to be shown on a sitcom sleeping in the same bed was "Mary Kay and Johnny."

Asthma affects one in fifteen children under the age of eighteen

A one ounce milk chocolate bar has 6 mg of caffeine

Throughout the South, peanuts were known as "Monkey Nuts," and "Goober peas," before the civil war

Scallops have approximately 100 eyes around the edge of its shell

In 1810, Peter Durand invented the tin can for preserving food

The fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth is called Arachibutyrophobia

Men in their early twenties shave an average of four times a week

Colour is not an indicator for the taste or ripeness in cranberries

Each year there are approximately 20 billion coconuts produced worldwide

A chicken with red earlobes will produce brown eggs, and a chicken with white earlobes will produce white eggs

Not all polar bears hibernate; only pregnant females polar bears do

There is a restaurant in Stockholm that only offers all-garlic products. They even have a garlic cheesecake

Serving ice cream on cherry pie was once illegal in Kansas

Superman The Escape rollercoaster, located in California at Six Flags Magic Mountain, goes from 0 to 100 miles per hour in only 7 seconds

Five thousandths of a millimeter is the tolerance of accuracy at the LEGO mould factories

2.5 cans of Spam are consumed every second in the United States

In 1836, Mexican General Santa Anna held an elaborate state funeral for his amputated leg. updated

A meteor has only destroyed one satellite, which was the European Space Agency's Olympus in 1993.

The Koala bear is not really a bear, but is really related to the kangaroo and the wombat.

One gallon of pure maple syrup weighs 11 pounds

Instead of a Birthday Cake, many Russian children are given a Birthday Pie

The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system in India, employing over 1.6 million people

The word "comet" comes from the Greek word "kometes" meaning long hair and referring to the tail

The average price for a major league baseball game in 2004 is $19.82

The hydra, which is related to the jellyfish, can grow its body back in a couple of days if it is cut in half

The deepest mine in the world is the East Rand mine, which goes to a depth of about 3,585 metres

Native Indians have been known to paint their doors blue, which they believe keeps the bad spirits out

Before air conditioning was invented, white cotton slipcovers were put on furniture to keep the air cool.

It would take about fourteen and half million notes of currency to build a mile high stack

Chinese Crested dogs can get acne

It costs about 3 cents to make a $1 bill in the United States

Colgate faced a big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command "go hang yourself."

The cross bow was invented by the Chinese and records of its usage goes back to as far as the Three Kingdom Period (220 a.d.-280 a.d.).

It is estimated that by the end of 2000, there has been 142,600 tonnes of gold mined in the world

One-third pound stalk of broccoli contains more vitamin C than 204 apples

The Flintstones cartoon was the first thirty-minute cartoon to be aired during prime time

The abbreviation Xmas for the word Christmas is of Greek origin. Since the word for Christ in the Greek language is Xristos, which starts with the letter "X," they started putting the X in place of Christ and came up with the short form for the word Christmas

Dipsomania refers to an insatiable craving for alcoholic beverages

China has more English speakers than the United States

Pitcher Darold Knowles once pitched all seven games of one World Series

In a day, kids in the U.S. that are between the ages of 2 - 8 spend 28 minutes of their time coloring

The Ancient Greek women made a type of cheek blush by painting their cheeks with herbal pastes which was made out of crushed berries and seeds

Herbert Hoover, who was the 31st president of the United Stated, turned over all the Federal salary checks he received to charity during the 47 years he was in government

Macadamia nuts are not sold in their shells because it takes 300 pounds per square inch of pressure to break the shell

Japan has approximately 200 volcanoes and is home to 10% of the active volcanoes in the world

Before 1928, yo-yos used to be called bandalores in the United States

The only South East Asian country that has never been colonized by a Western Power is Thailand

In 1631, two London bible printers accidentally left the word "not" out of the seventh commandment, which then read, "Thou shalt commit adultery." This legendary book is now known as the "Wicked Bible."

The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar an England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes

Irish Wolfhound dogs have a short lifespan and live about 7-8 years

When Queen Elizabeth I of England died she owned over 3,000 gowns

Female alligators lay about 40 eggs that hatch in 60 - 70 days

The nickname for a Japanese businessmen is "Salarymen."

Emus cannot walk backwards

The external tank on space shuttles is not painted. It is the only part of the shuttle that is lost after launch, so it is not necessary to worry about metal corrosion.

The most popular Twizzler candy flavour is strawberry

Thirty percent of all bingo players are under the age of 35

Infants spend more time dreaming than adults do

The famous Casanova (Giacomo Casanova) was a librarian for many years before he died

The only species of turtle that lives in the open ocean is the sea turtle

Toronto was the first city in the world with a computerized traffic signal system

Seniors who drink a cup of coffee before a memory test score higher than those who drink a cup of decaffeinated coffee

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise

Some octopuses have been known to eat their arms off when they are exposed to stressful situations

On average, 749 pounds of paper products is used by an American individual annually

The skeleton of a spider is located on the outside of the body. The name for this is exoskelton

Incas used to create pots in the shape of peanuts that were highly prized

The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements

Over 200 varieties of watermelons are grown in the U.S

The most dangerous job in the United States is that of a fisherman, followed by logging and then an airline pilot

The words "abstemioius," and "facetious" both have all the five vowels in them in order

French soldiers during World War I had the nickname "poilu" which translates to "hairy one."

Former U.S. President William Taft converted the White House stable into a four car garage in 1909

People living on the east coast prefer creamy peanut butter, while people living on the west coast prefer chunky peanut butter

Some snails live on branches in trees

Tomato ketchup is a good conditioner for the hair. It also helps get the greenish tinge that some blonde haired people get after swimming in water with chlorine in it

The youngest pope was 11 years old

Did you know you share your birthday with at least 9 other million people in the world

Soldiers disease is a term for morphine addiction. The Civil War produced over 400,000 morphine addicts

The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, which is 176 verses

During the First World War, cigarettes were handed out to soldiers along with their rations

The longest freshwater shoreline in the world is located in the state of Michigan

There are bananas called "Red banana" that are maroon to dark purple when ripe

Franklin Pierce was the first U.S. President to have a Christmas tree in the White House

The USA bought Alaska from Russia for 2 cents an acre

Walt Disney had originally suggested using the name Mortimer Mouse instead of Mickey Mouse

The length of brink of the Canadian "Horseshoe" Falls located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada is 2600 feet

The smile is the most frequently used facial expression. A smile can use anywhere from a pair of 5 to 53 facial muscles

The right lung of a human is larger than the left one. This is because of the space and placement of the heart

Native Americans used to use pumpkin seeds for medicine

The pound key (#) on the keyboard is called an octothorpe

The chemical name for caffeine is 1,3,7-trimethylzantihine

Corals take a long time to grow. Some corals only grow one centimeter in one year

Walmart-mart sells more apparel a year than all the other competing department stores combined

Canada has more inland waters and lakes than any other country in the world

Ramses II, a pharaoh of Egypt died in 1225 B.C. At the time of his death, he had fathered 96 sons and 60 daughters

The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want

Since its introduction in February 1935, more than two hundred million Monopoly board games have been sold worldwide

Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men in the United States

The smallest man ever was Gul Mohammed (1957-1997) of India, who measured 1 feet, 10? inches

500,000 tons of dog excrement are dumped annually on the streets of Paris

Hydrogen gas is the least dense substance in the world, at 0.08988g/cc

In Belgium, there is a museum just for strawberries

The Simpsons is the longest running prime-time animated series on television history

The more a person struggles to get out of quicksand the faster they will sink. Staying still, and being calm will actually make the body float in the quicksand because the body is less dense than the quicksand is

On average, a Canadian girl owns seven Barbie dolls, whereas an American girl owns eight

A piece of French toast that was partially eaten by Justin Timberlake sold on eBay

The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service

Atari had to bury millions of unsold "E.T." game cartridges in a New Mexico desert landfill in 1982

The biggest disco ball in the world has a diameter of 2.41 meters and 137.89 kilograms. It also has 6,900 mirror squares on it

The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses

An average city dog lives approximately three years longer than an average country dog

On average, falling asleep while driving results in 550 accidents per day in the United States

Scatologists are experts who study feces. (aka. crap, dung, dookie, dumps, feces, excrement, etc.)

Pumpkins contain potassium and vitamin A

The greatest mountain range is the Mid-Ocean Ridge, extending 64,374 km from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean

Pepsi got its name from the ingredient pepsin, which is said to aid in digestion, however, it is not known

The spray WD-40 got its name because there were forty attempts needed before the creation of the "water displacing" substance

Contrary to popular beliefs, chocolate does not cause acne

Detroit, Michigan has more registered bowlers than any other city in the USA

The fastest moving land snake is the Black Mamba, which can move up to 7 miles per hour

Annually Americans eat 45 million turkeys at Thanksgiving

Rabbits can live up to ten years

The average life span of a single red blood cell is 120 days

Over 250 million Slinky toys have been sold since its debut in 1946

In 1961, Italian artist Piero Manzoni packed his feces in cans, signed and mounted them, and then sold them as art

The last thing Elvis Presley ate before he died was four scoops of ice cream and 6 chocolate chip cookies

Some Chinese chopsticks contain gold as on of their materials

The chances of making two holes-in-one in a round of golf are one in 67 million

The watch was invented by Peter Henlein of Nuremberg in 1510.

In North America there are approximately 618 roller coasters

The concept of Boxing Day, which is on December 26th, was to give boxes of food and clothing to the poor. It is now viewed in some countries as a time to get merchandise from stores at reduced prices

Crayola is a French word that means "Oily chalk."

Every year, Burger King restaurants prepare over 950,000 pounds of bacon for their breakfast customers

(i love random facts lol)

[Hypolite]

I think you broke the thread 

[W1Z25]

I think you broke the thread 

i think i blew everyone's brains up lol

[Haplo]

I read through a third of your post before I had to see how much longer it goes...
I have to say: wow... *Brainfreeze*

[DeltaV]

Actually, the first fact in that huge list is wrong IIRC.. Some religions way back yonder (I forgot which, but I'm thinking something in India) thought that when you sneezed, the devil would try to get into your body through your open mouth. Thus, you tell someone 'Bless you' after they sneeze, and the devil wouldn't be able to get in.

[Semmy]

I think you broke the thread 

he broke the thread in 1 post.

Where is the room and space for others to post something. Be a good chap post 1 fact like all others....

* Semmy grmbls showoff.

 

[enystrom8734]

I think you broke the thread 

he broke the thread in 1 post.

Where is the room and space for others to post something. Be a good chap post 1 fact like all others....

* Semmy grmbls showoff.

 

We have the technology to fix this.

[Produno]

thiers nothing like over doing it ... 

[JuanEnrique]

President Ulysses Grant once said "I know only two tunes.... one is Yankee Doodle, the other one, isnt!"

[Semmy]

i know the thread is broken but but but.
For a fact the gates of hell are real
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Door_to_Hell