301 Useless Facts
Written By: Sujan Patel On April 24th, 2007 | 682 Comments
1. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley’s Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen.
2. US Dollar bills are made out of cotton and linen.
3. The “57″ on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of pickle types the company once had.
4. Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person.
5. Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels.
6. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn’t digest itself.
7. 98% of all murders and rapes are by a close family member or friend of the victim.
8. A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945.
9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.
10. The dot over the letter “i” is called a tittle.
11. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
12. Benjamin Franklin was the fifth in a series of the youngest son of the youngest son.
13. Triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13. Paraskevidekatriaphobia means fear of Friday the 13th (which occurs one to three times a year). In Italy, 17 is considered an unlucky number. In Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number.
14. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.
15. All the chemicals in a human body combined are worth about 6.25 euro (if sold separately).
16. In ancient Rome, when a man testified in court he would swear on his testicles.
17. The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan.
18. Coca-Cola contained Coca (whose active ingredient is cocaine) from 1885 to 1903.
19. A “2 by 4″ is really 1 1/2 by 3 1/2.
20. It’s estimated that at any one time around 0.7% of the world’s population is drunk.
21. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades = David ; Clubs = Alexander the Great ; Hearts = Charlemagne ; Diamonds = Caesar
22. 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
23. Every person, including identical twins, has a unique eye and tongue print along with their finger print.
24. The “spot” on the 7-Up logo comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was an albino.
25. 315 entries in Webster’s 1996 dictionary were misspelled.
26. The “save” icon in Microsoft Office programs shows a floppy disk with the shutter on backwards.
27. Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin both married their first cousins (Elsa Löwenthal and Emma Wedgewood respectively).
28. Camel’s have three eyelids.
29. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents every day.
30. John Wilkes Booth’s brother once saved the life of Abraham Lincoln’s son.
31. Warren Beatty and Shirley McLaine are brother and sister.
32. Chocolate can kill dogs; it directly affects their heart and nervous system.
33. Daniel Boone hated coonskin caps.
34. Playing cards were issued to British pilots in WWII. If captured, they could be soaked in water and unfolded to reveal a map for escape.
35. 55.1% of all US prisoners are in prison for drug offenses.
36. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
37. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark’s stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.
38. Dr. Seuss pronounced his name “soyce”.
39. Slugs have four noses.
40. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.
41. The Three Wise Monkeys have names: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Speak no evil).
42. India has a Bill of Rights for cows.
43. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out. (DON’T TRY IT, DUMBASS)
44. During the California gold rush of 1849, miners sent their laundry to Honolulu for washing and pressing. Due to the extremely high costs in California during these boom years, it was deemed more feasible to send their shirts to Hawaii for servicing.
45. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads.
46. About 200,000,000 M&Ms are sold each day in the United States.
47. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.
48. Over a course of about eleven years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch places. This cycle is called “Solarmax”.
49. There are 318,979,564,000 possible combinations of the first four moves in Chess.
50. Upper and lower case letters are named “upper” and “lower” because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the lower case letters.
51. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.
52. The numbers “172″ can be found on the back of the US 5 dollar bill, in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.
53. Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That’s more than sharks.
54. Half of all bank robberies take place on a Friday.
55. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before it.
56. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.
57. The first bomb the Allies dropped on Berlin in WWII killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.
58. The average raindrop falls at 7 miles per hour.
59. It took Leonardo Da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa. He never signed or dated the painting. Leonardo and Mona had identical bone structures according to the painting. X-ray images have shown that there are 3 other versions under the original.
60. If you put a drop of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death.
61. Bruce Lee was so fast that they had to slow the film down so you could see his moves.
62. The largest amount of money you can have without having change for a dollar is $1.19 (3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies cannot be divided into a dollar).
63. The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”.
64. IBM’s motto is “Think”. Apple later made their motto “Think different”.
65. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original “Halloween” was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white, due to low budget.
66. The original name for butterfly was flutterby.
67. The phrase “rule of thumb” is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn’t beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
68. One in fourteen women in America is a natural blonde. Only one in sixteen men is.
69. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service.
70. When the Titanic sank, 2228 people were on it. Only 706 survived.
71. In America, someone is diagnosed with AIDS every 10 minutes. In South Africa, someone dies due to HIV or AIDS every 10 minutes.
72. Every day, 7% of the US eats at McDonald’s.
73. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, which Motorola got their name from.
74. In the US, about 127 million adults are overweight or obese; worldwide, 750 million are overweight and 300 million more are obese. In the US, 15% of children in elementary school are overweight; 20% are worldwide.
75. In Disney’s Fantasia, the Sorcerer to whom Mickey played an apprentice was named Yensid (Disney spelled backward).
76. During his entire life, Vincent Van Gogh sold exactly one painting, “Red Vineyard at Arles”.
77. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.
78. One in ten people live on an island.
79. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.
80. 28% of Africa is classified as wilderness. In North America, its 38%.
81. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest.
82. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
83. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said “Elementary, my dear Watson”, Humphrey Bogart NEVER said “Play it again, Sam” in Casablanca, and they NEVER said “Beam me up, Scotty” on Star Trek.
84. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing.
85. Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokes model.
86. The sound you here when you put a seashell next to your ear is not the ocean, but blood flowing through your head.
87. More people are afraid of open spaces (kenophobia) than of tight spaces (claustrophobia).
88. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher.
89. There is a 1 in 4 chance that New York will have a white Christmas.
90. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.
91. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
92. Back in the mid to late ’80s, an IBM compatible computer wasn’t considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft’s Flight Simulator.
93. $203,000,000 is spent on barbed wire each year in the U.S.
94. Every US president has worn glasses (just not always in public).
95. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.
96. Jim Henson first coined the word “Muppet”. It is a combination of “marionette” and “puppet.”
97. The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words “North” and “South).
98. The Michelin man is known as Mr. Bib. His name was Bibendum in the company’s first ads in 1896.
99. About 20% of bird species have become extinct in the past 200 years, almost all of them because of human activity.
100. The word “lethologica” describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
101. About 14% of injecting drug users are HIV positive.
102. A word or sentence that is the same front and back (racecar, kayak) is called a “palindrome”.
103. A snail can sleep for 3 years.
104. People photocopying their buttocks are the cause of 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide.
105. China has more English speakers than the United States.
106. Finnish folklore says that when Santa comes to Finland to deliver gifts, he leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko instead. According to French tradition, Santa Claus has a brother named Bells Nichols, who visits homes on New Year’s Eve after everyone is asleep, and if a plate is set out for him, he fills it with cookies and cakes.
107. One in every 9000 people is an albino.
108. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
109. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world.
110. Everyday, more money is printed for Monopoly sets than for the U.S. Treasury.
111. Every year 4 people in the UK die putting their trousers on.
112. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds; dogs only have about ten.
113. Our eyes are always the same size from birth but our nose and ears never stop growing.
114. In every episode of “Seinfeld” there is a Superman picture or reference somewhere.
115. If Barbie were life-size her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet two inches tall and have a neck twice the length of a normal human’s neck.
116. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.
117. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
118. Each year in America there are about 300,000 deaths that can be attributed to obesity.
119. About 55% of all movies are rated R.
120. About 500 movies are made in the US and 800 in India annually.
121. Arabic numerals are not really Arabic; they were created in India.
122. Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations (implemented on July 16, 1969) makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles.
123. The February of 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
124. The Pentagon in Arlington Virginia has twice as many bathrooms as is necessary. When it was built in the 1940s the state of Virginia still had segregation laws requiring separate toilet facilities for blacks and whites.
125. There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat, though it may feel uncomfortable.
126. The cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
127. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.
128. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
129. There are about 2 chickens for every human in the world.
130. The word “maverick” came into use after Samuel Maverick, a Texan refused to brand his cattle. Eventually any unbranded calf became known as a Maverick.
131. Two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
132. For every memorial statue with a person on a horse, if the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died of battle wounds; if all four of the horse’s legs are on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
133. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the American flag is flying over the Parliament Building.
134. An American urologist bought Napoleon’s penis for $40,000.
135. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
136. Dreamt is the only English word that ends in the letters “MT”.
137. $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy.
138. Almonds are members of the peach family.
139. Rats and horses can’t vomit.
140. The penguin is the only bird that can’t fly but can swim.
141. There are approximately 100 million acts of sexual intercourse each day.
142. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance.
143. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
144. There are only four words in the English language that end in “-dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
145. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.
146. Every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of a calorie.
147. “101 Dalmatians” and “Peter Pan” are the only Disney animations in which both of a character’s parents are present and don’t die during the movie.
148. You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.
149. Hedenophobic means fear of pleasure.
150. Ancient Egyptian priests would pluck every hair from their bodies.
151. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
152. Half of all crimes are committed by people under the age of 18. 80% of burglaries are committed by people aged 13-21.
153. An ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.
154. All polar bears are left-handed.
155. The catfish has over 27000 taste buds (more than any other animal)
156. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
157. Butterflies taste with their feet.
158. Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump.
159. An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
160. Starfish have no brains.
161. 11% of the world is left-handed.
162. John Hancock and Charles Thomson were the only people to sign the Declaration of independence on July 4th, 1776. The last signature came five years later.
163. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
164. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
165. The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.
166. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
167. A healthy (non-colorblind) human eye can distinguish between 500 shades of gray.
168. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
169. Lizards can self-amputate their tails for protection. It grows back after a few months.
170. Los Angeles’ full name is “El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula”. It can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.
171. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
172. A honeybee can fly at fifteen miles per hour.
173. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
174. A “jiffy” is the scientific name for 1/100th of a second.
175. The average child recognizes over 200 company logos by the time he enters first grade.
176. The youngest pope ever was 11 years old.
177. The first novel ever written on a typewriter is Tom Sawyer.
178. One out of every 43 prisoners escapes from jail. 94% are recaptured.
179. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
180. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects’ legs melted into it.
Amazon.com Widgets181. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair.
182. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
183. Elwood Edwards did the voice for the AOL sound files (i.e. “You’ve got Mail!”). He is heard about 27 million times a day. The recordings were done before Quantum changed its name to AOL and the program was known as “Q-Link.”
184. A polar bears skin is black. Its fur is actually clear, but like snow it appears white.
185. Elvis had a twin brother named Garon, who died at birth, which is why Elvis middle name was spelled Aron, in honor of his brother.
186. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
187. Donkeys kill more people than plane crashes.
188. Shakespeare invented the words “assassination” and “bump.”
189. There are a million ants for every person on Earth.
190. If you keep a goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.
191. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
192. The name Jeep comes from “GP”, the army abbreviation for General Purpose.
193. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left handed people do.
194. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.
195. Cats’ urine glows under a black light.
196. A “quidnunc” is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip.
197. The first US Patent was for manufacturing potassium carbonate (used in glass and gunpowder). It was issued to Samuel Hopkins on July 31, 1970.
198. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors, the helicopter, and many other present day items.
199. In the last 4000 years no new animals have been domesticated.
200. 25% of a human’s bones are in its feet.
201. David Sarnoff received the Titanic’s distress signal and saved hundreds of passengers. He later became the head of the first radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
202. On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.
203. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than every Nike factory worker in Malaysia combined.
204. One of the reasons marijuana is illegal today is because cotton growers in the ’30s lobbied against hemp farmers (they saw it as competition).
205. “Canada” is an Indian word meaning “Big Village”.
206. Only one in two billion people will live to be 116 or older.
207. If you yelled for 8 years 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.
208. Rape is reported every six minutes in the U.S.
209. The human heart creates enough pressure in the bloodstream to squirt blood 30 feet.
210. A jellyfish is 95% water.
211. Truck driving is the most dangerous occupation by accidental deaths (799 in 2001).
212. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
213. Elephants only sleep for two hours each day.
214. On average people fear spiders more than they do death.
215. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. (the heart is not a muscle)
216. In golf, a ‘Bo Derek’ is a score of 10.
217. In the U.S, Frisbees outsell footballs, baseballs and basketballs combined.
218. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
219. If you plant an apple seed, it is almost guaranteed to grow a tree of a different type of apple.
220. Al Capone’s business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
221. The only real person to be a PEZ head was Betsy Ross.
222. There are about 450 types of cheese in the world. 240 come from France.
223. When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers plays football at home the stadium becomes Nebraska’s third largest city.
224. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
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225. A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.
226. In Iceland, a Big Mac costs $5.50.
227. Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers.
228. Newborn babies have about 350 bones. They gradually merge and disappear until there are about 206 by age 5.
229. There is no solid proof of who built the Taj Mahal.
230. In a survey of 200000 ostriches over 80 years, not one tried to bury its head in the sand.
231. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. A quarter has 119.
232. On an American one-dollar bill there is a tiny owl in the upper-left-hand corner of the upper-right-hand “1″ and a spider hidden in the front upper-right-hand corner.
233. Judy Scheindlin (”Judge Judy”) has a $25,000,000 salary, while Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has a $190,100 salary.
234. The name for Oz in the Wizard of Oz was thought up when the creator Frank Baum looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z.
235. Andorra, a tiny country on the border between France and Spain, has the longest average lifespan: 83.49 years.
236. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
237. Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister.
238. In America you will see an average of 500 advertisements a day.
239. John Lennon’s first girlfriend was named Thelma Pickles.
240. You can lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs.
241. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
242. “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English.
243. There are 336 dimples on a regulation US golf ball. In the UK its 330.
244. The Toltecs (a 7th century tribe) used wooden swords so they wouldn’t kill their enemies.
245. “Duff” is the decaying organic matter found on a forest floor.
246. The US has more personal computers than the next 7 countries combined.
247. There have been over 600 lawsuits against Alexander Grahm Bell over rights to the patent of the telephone, the most valuable patent in U.S. history.
248. Kuwait is about 60% male (highest in the world). Latvia is about 54% female (highest in the world).
249. The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters.
250. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world’s nuclear weapons combined.
251. At the height of its power in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves.
252. Julius Caesar’s autograph is worth about $2,000,000.
253. The tool doctors wrap around a patient’s arm to measure blood pressure is called a sphygmomanometer.
254. People say “bless you” when you sneeze because your heart stops for a millisecond.
255. US gold coins used to say “In Gold We Trust”.
256. In “Silence of the Lambs”, Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) never blinks.
257. A shrimp’s heart is in its head.
258. In the 17th century, the value of pi was known to 35 decimal places. Today, to 1.2411 trillion.
259. The bestselling books of all time are The Bible (6billion+), Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung (900million+), and The Lord of the Rings (100million+)
260. Pearls melt in vinegar.
261. “Lassie” was played by a group of male dogs; the main one was named Pal.
262. In 1863, Paul Hubert of Bordeaux, France, was sentenced to life in jail for murder. After 21 years, it was discovered that he was convicted of murdering himself.
263. Nepal is the only country that doesn’t have a rectangular flag. Switzerland is the only country with a square flag.
264. Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the only angels named in the Bible.
265. Tiger Woods’ real first name is Eldrick. His father gave him the nickname “Tiger” in honor of a South Vietnamese soldier his father had fought alongside with during the Vietnam War.
266. Johnny Appleseed planted apples so that people could use apple cider to make alcohol.
267. Abraham Lincoln’s ghost is said to haunt the White House.
268. God is not mentioned once in the book of Esther.
269. The odds of being born male are about 51.2%, according to census.
270. Scotland has more redheads than any other part of the world.
271. There is an average of 61,000 people airborne over the US at any given moment.
272. Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane in case there is a crash.
273. The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad. The most common name (of any type) in the world is Mohammed.
274. The surface of the Earth is about 60% water and 10% ice.
275. For every 230 cars that are made, 1 will be stolen.
276. Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President to be born in a hospital.
277. Lightning strikes the earth about 8 million times a day.
278. Around 2,000 left-handed people die annually due to improper use of equipment designed only for right handed people.
279. The “if” and “then” parts of conditional (”if P then Q”) statement are called the protasis (P) and apodosis (Q).
280. Humans use a total of 72 different muscles in speech.
281. If you feed a seagull Alka-Seltzer, its stomach will explode.
282. Only female mosquitoes bite.
283. The U.S. Post Office handles 43 percent of the world’s mail.
284. Most household dust is made of dead skin cells.
285. One in about eight million people has progeria, a disease that causes people to grow faster than they age.
286. The male seahorse carries the eggs until they hatch instead of the female.
287. The “countdown” (counting down from 10 for an event such as New-Years Day) was first used in a 1929 German silent film called “Die Frau Im Monde” (The Girl in the Moon).
288. Negative emotions such as anxiety and depression can weaken your immune system.
289. There are seven suicides in the Bible: Abimelech. Samson, Saul, Saul’s armor-bearer, Ahithophel, Zimri, Judas.
290. A mongoose is not a goose but more like a meercat, which is not a cat but more like a prairie dog, which is not a dog but more like a ground squirrel.
291. Stephen Hawking was born exactly 300 years after Galileo died.
292. Mercury is the only planet whose orbit is coplanar with its equator. Venus and Uranus are the only planets that rotate opposite to the direction of their orbit.
293. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe died on July 4th. Adams and Jefferson died in the same year. Supposedly, Adams last words were “Thomas Jefferson survives.”
294. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Grover Cleveland’s baby daughter, Ruth, not Babe Ruth the baseball player.
295. Dolphins can look in different directions with each eye. They can sleep with one eye open.
296. The Falkland Isles (pop. about 2000) has over 700000 sheep (350 per person).
297. There are 41,806 different spoken languages in the world today.
298. While many treaties have been signed at or near Paris, France (including many after WWI and WWII), nine are actually known as the “Treaty of Paris”: Seven Years’ War (1763), American Revolutionary War (1783), French-Swede War (1810), France vs Sixth Coalition (1814), Battle of Waterloo (1815), Crimean War (1856), Spanish-American War (1898), union of Bessarabia and Romania (1920), establishment of European Coal and Steel Community (1951).
299. Robert Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln’s oldest son) was in Washington DC during his father’s assassination as well as during President Garfield’s assassination, and he was in Buffalo NY when President McKinley was assassinated.
300. The city of Venice stands on about 120 small islands.
301. The past-tense of the English word “dare” is “durst”.
Now that you have gone through the list it is up to you to figure out which facts are true and which facts are false.
April 24th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Interesting facts….but its a huge list
April 24th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I found out about the B-25/Empire State Building episode a few months, back. It’s eerie to think of it in comparison with 9/11.
Also, no.299 is kind of weird, too.
Good list!
April 24th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Julius Caesar’s autograph is worth about $2,000,000.
Now thats a deal!
April 24th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Yeah, this list seems cool. Of course, some of the facts, like the “coconuts kill 150 people per year” simply aren’t true. Or at least, that isn’t verified by any source.
April 24th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
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April 24th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Hey, Love these facts!! I was wondering if I could post them on my blog. I would of course give you full credit.
April 24th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
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April 24th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
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April 24th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Number 122 isn’t true any longer. I believe that section 1211 was deleted from the CFR.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
#7 is completely wrong!
For accurate information go to the CDC website. It has all the annual stats on rape and murder and all that..
http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/
April 24th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Ummm….. You should really pare down this list to exclude the incorrect ones. What really threw me off was #133. Some quick checking on the net showed that it’s just a myth.
Read: Don’t believe everything you read.
::irony::
April 24th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
More accurate on rape: 2/3rd’s of rape victims report a prior relationship with the offender. 80% (not 98% were by a boyfriend, girlfriend, relative, or friend).
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/The%20Truth%20About%20Rape%20Final.pdf
April 24th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.
Hemp is not the same thing as marijuana as it contains very little THC.
43. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out.
This is not true. Your eyes are anchored by the muscles that control them. The worst that you can do is give yourself a conjunctival hemorrhage.
48. Over a course of about eleven years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch places. This cycle is called “Solarmax”.
No, this is called the “Solar Cycle” which has a solar maximum and a solar minimum.
58. The average raindrop falls at 7 miles per hour.
Actually, it seems to be about 14 miles per hour, depending on the size of the rain drop. (http://www.grow.arizona.edu/Grow–GrowResources.php?ResourceId=146)
I’m done with this. This list is mostly bogus.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Number 197. isn’t correct. It seems to state the first US patent was issued in 1970. That’s patently absurd.
It should say 1790.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Correction to #3. The Heinz 57 was a made up number by their marketing team. It has nothing to do with anything, other than rhyming in their slogan.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
At least one of these is incorrect. Frank Baum didn’t create the name OZ from a cabinet, but did after the abbreviation for ounce (oz.). The Wizard of OZ was a social commentary about the 1890’s switch to the gold standard in america.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
131. is also incorrect. New Jersey grows less than 1% of the worlds eggplant….not that anyone but government farming officials would actually care.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
132 isn’t true either. There are a lot of references you can find which indicate this is an urban myth.
Here is one
http://www.snopes.com/military/statue.htm
April 24th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Correction to #133. In actuality, although it looks like the American flag, it’s really an old Canadian flag called the “Red Ensign”. This flag was flown over Canada from 1870 to 1965 when it was replaced by the new “Maple Leaf” flag.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
The two dollar Canadian bill (now a coin called a toonie) did not have the American flag on it. It was the Union Jack flag.
April 24th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Bubba Ho Tep: I stand corrected
April 24th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts […]
April 24th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
#270 - they must have an epidemic of Ginger Fever - Ginger Kids
April 24th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
#270 - Ginger kids
April 24th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
nice list.
But the story about popping your eyes out when sneezing is nonsense.
You can damage your ears though (by pinching your nose in the middle of a sneeze)
April 24th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
“55. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan. There was never a recorded Wendy before it.”
Not entirely accurate. It was around before that, but Barrie popularized the name.
http://www.wendy.com/wendyweb/history.html
April 24th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
the flag on the canadian $5 bill is the Union jack not the us flag
and canada is the village not big village… but now im nit picking
April 24th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts from singlegrain.com […]
April 24th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
[…] Coconuts kill about 150 people each year. That’s more than sharks. Here’s 300 more of them. […]
April 24th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
I was going to comment on #132, but Mike (comment 18) beat me to it.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
there is no american flag flying over parliment on the 2 dollar bill.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
#223: Go Big Red!
April 24th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
#132 is a myth. I’ve heard that it’s true on the battlefield at Gettysburg (don’t know if it is) but in general it is not true. There is no such convention about memorial statues featuring warriors on horseback.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
- “105. China has more English speakers than the United States.”
Hahaha!! Thats really funny!! Excellent Read!
April 24th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
I know a word that rhymes with Orange!!
Doorhinge! Or just Hinge. Sorry about the double posting! Just wanted to point it out.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Quite a few are wrong and a few can be found on snopes as common, incorrect myths
April 24th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
#67 — the rule of thumb rumor — isn’t true. It’s widely cited in women’s studies classes but … well, see Wikipedia for an explanation about its origins (if anybody actually cares).
April 24th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
254 is not correct.
People say ‘bless you’ because it was thought that your soul left your body when you sneezed. Saying ‘bless you’ prevented the devil from grabbing it.
April 24th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
so (43) is an self destruction mechanism in human nature. wouldn’t want to try that. ;-D
April 24th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts | Single Grain (tags: humour facts funny) […]
April 24th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
door hinge is two words dumbass
April 24th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
#34 is definitely bogus…what kind of maps would they be? A map of Germany? 52 maps of 52 military prisons in Germany? How did the British get schematics of German prisons? That and most British pilots fought over English skies, when they were shot down they would land in England (if they didn’t die, anyway). German pilots , however…
April 24th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
133 is also incorrect. The US flag is not on the new Canadian bill. It is the older Canadian flag but caused a big stir in the country.
April 24th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
April 24th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Number 135. “No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.”
Hurdle rhymes with Purple…
April 24th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Wow, I can’t believe I just read this…but to be honest, it was pretty entertaining….Especially the one about the Fart being as powerful as the nuke…
April 24th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Superman is not shown or alluded to in every Seinfeld episode. Off the top of my head, the episode in the Chinese restaurant definitely does not have any reference to Superman at all
April 24th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Indisputable proof that you can sneeze with your eyes open and your eyeballs WILL NOT pop out: http://www.vimeo.com/clip:175168
April 24th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
[…] 3read more | digg story No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTMLallowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> […]
April 24th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts […]
April 24th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
no it doesn’t
April 24th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Progeria is a disease in which children appear to age faster than their actual age. Age is based on the length of time one is alive. A childs body will grow faster, thus making them appear to have “aged.” So, unless progeria is propelling someone through time faster than everyone else… that useless fact is correct.
April 24th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts “… The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper. …” […]
April 24th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
michael Says: #67 — the rule of thumb rumor — isn’t true. It’s widely cited in women’s studies classes but … well, see Wikipedia for an explanation about its origins (if anybody actually cares).
Because Wikipedia is always right…
And for the love of Maple Syrup, we get the Canadian bill one is wrong; maybe if you’d read all the comments before, everyone wouldn’t have to repost it.
April 24th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
[…] 1 Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person. 2 Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 3 The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan 4 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.read more | digg story […]
April 24th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
[…] Single grain has the list: Link […]
April 24th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
#73 is wrong. Motorola’s first product was a Battery Eliminator designed to let battery-powered radios work using newly installed electric current. The SECOND product was the first commercial car radio. Motor (car) + ola (sound, derived from victrola).
Incidentally, Motorola was only a brand name at first, not the company name. Galvin Manufacturing Company changed its name to the more recognizable name later.
April 24th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
[…] While I was digging today, I found this interesting article - 301 useless facts! […]
April 24th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
…..
267. Abraham Lincoln’s ghost is said to haunt the White House.
…..
Facts…..!? WTF are you smoking?
April 24th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
[…] 1 Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world ’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person. 2 Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 3 The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan 4 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.read more | digg story […]
April 24th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
256. In “Silence of the Lambs”, Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) never blinks.
Untrue. Hannibal Lector blinks several times in the movie. Anthony Hopkins said he based the character actions of Hannibal from watching jail interview footage of Charles Manson. Hopkins noted that Manson never blinked which him look more the psycho. Hopkins adapted this to Lector, but even though he does blink.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
[…] In the mean time, go here and kill some time…301 Useless Facts. Tags: No Tags Share: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
April 24th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Elephants aren’t the only mammals that cant jump. Blue whales are the largest mammals on the planet, and theres no way they could ‘jump’ out of the water. Same goes for manatees.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
According to the National Archives, the Declaration of Independence was NOT written on hemp, but on parchment.
source:
http://www.archives.gov/preservation/formats/paper-vellum.html
April 24th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Hirple rhymes with purple. Hirple = ‘to walk with a limp’ and can be found in most dictionaries of good standing.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts Camels have 3 eyelids? 40 Percent of McDonald’s profits come from Happy Meals? A Slug as 4 noses? These facts and many others, right here! Explore posts in the same categories: Uncategorized […]
April 24th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
#263 is wrong due to the fact that if. Nepal is the only country that doesn’t have a rectangular flag. Switzerland is the only country with a square flag. switzerland would also not have a rectangular flag.
just pointing that out.
I loved the list. some great stuff.
April 24th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Useless alright
April 24th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
The Declaration of Independence was written on parchment (treated animal skin)–NOT hemp.
Source: National Archives
April 24th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
More like 301 poorly researched and occasionally completely wrong ‘facts’. This list is disgraceful.
April 24th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Actually, all squares are technically rectangles….
so you are wrong there Seth
April 24th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
#285. Progeria is advanced aging.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progeria
April 24th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I believe that the maximum amount of money winnable on one day of Jeopardy is twice the amount stated here (ie. $566,400 instead of $283,200). Perhaps your figure is from before they doubled all the values.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
97 is incorrect.
Oceania, the continent, as opposed to Australia, the country, does not start and end with the same letter.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
April 24th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
I don’t really know if Nepal really is the only country with a rectangular flag, but Switzerland does have a rectangular flag, due to the fact that a square is a rectangle as well (since rectangles have four sides, only 90 degree angles, you know the deal). Just thought I’d clarify.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
229. There is no solid proof of who built the Taj Mahal.
Dude, world known fact… Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal
April 25th, 2007 at 12:02 am
227. Broccoli and cauliflower are the only vegetables that are flowers.
What about another crusiferous vegetable Romanescu?
April 25th, 2007 at 12:03 am
@ seth a square is a rectangle, and #179 is technically wrong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighter
April 25th, 2007 at 12:26 am
[…] 301 useless facts - they’re definitely useless, but some are interesting. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 12:36 am
#137 is $558,400 as far as I can tell
#29 badly needs a source, and is in all likelihood a result of poor statistical analysis
#181 is just bad science, the horn is made of keratin, the same protein type that hair is made of, but saying its made of compacted hair is only slightly more accurate than saying that hair is made of uncompacted rhinoceros horn
#45 and #134 make an interesting combination
April 25th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Jeep is not related to Ford’s “GP” terminiology of the time (which actually meant nothing) but instead came from a Popeye character that could do anything… or something like that. Look at the wiki page. Great list though!
April 25th, 2007 at 12:50 am
to seth: a square is a kind of a rectangle, you dumbass!!!
a square’s definition: a rectangle whose all sides are equal
rectangle’s definition: a parallelogram whose all angles are 90 degrees.
a parallelogram’s definition: a quadrilateral whose opposite sides are parallel
a quadrilateral’s definition: a polygon which has four sides (and four vertices)
a polygon’s definition: a closed plane figure!!!
So as you see, switzerland does have a rectangular flag, its just a kind of a rectangle!!!
April 25th, 2007 at 12:54 am
[…] batgirl original costumes 1 Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world ’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person. 2 Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 3 The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan 4 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. batgirl supergirl hentairead more | digg story […]
April 25th, 2007 at 1:02 am
# 147… sleeping beauty– both her parents are alive and do not die
April 25th, 2007 at 1:15 am
[…] 1 Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world ’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person. 2 Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 3 The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan 4 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.read more | digg story […]
April 25th, 2007 at 2:45 am
#221 flase http://www.snopes.com/history/american/pez.htm
April 25th, 2007 at 2:50 am
I believe #222 to be wrong, France has a lot more different kinds of cheese. De Gaulle once said: “It’s not easy governing a country featuring 283 types of cheese.”
April 25th, 2007 at 2:53 am
302: This list is largely plagarized from ‘Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts’.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:19 am
number #15 is incorrect, dogs can look up & the frog was not invented by madonna
April 25th, 2007 at 3:29 am
[…] read more | digg story […]
April 25th, 2007 at 3:44 am
There is a spelling mistake in #86.
Good fun otherwise.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:48 am
WHOA now dats a huge list!i cudnt read all but its damn kul!
April 25th, 2007 at 4:01 am
[…] as seen on digg here’s a best of from http://www.singlegrain.com/blog/301-useless-facts/ […]
April 25th, 2007 at 5:06 am
#3 is incorrect, 57 has nothing to do with anything really. The 5 and 7 were just special numbers to Henry Heinz and his wife.
April 25th, 2007 at 5:45 am
[…] Buona lettura. Sono in inglese, quindi vedete un po’ voi. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 5:57 am
#215 The Heart is a collection of muscles, valves and nerves
April 25th, 2007 at 6:20 am
[…] Anywho…301 useless facts […]
April 25th, 2007 at 6:27 am
Re: #147
Mulan had both of her parents, and they did not die.
April 25th, 2007 at 6:29 am
[…] Edit: Also check out this link for 301 useless facts that I found on Digg… http://www.singlegrain.com/blog/301-useless-facts/ […]
April 25th, 2007 at 6:33 am
So did Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), if I recall correctly.
April 25th, 2007 at 6:41 am
169. Lizards can self-amputate their tails for protection. It grows back after a few months.
This is only partially correct. Some lizards can drop their tails, not all, and some, such as the crested gecko, can drop their tail, but are unable to regrow it… it’s a nice list, but the inaccuracy of one item leads me to doubt the validity of some of the others.
April 25th, 2007 at 6:53 am
[…] iceman xmen 3 1 Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world ’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person. 2 Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 3 The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan 4 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. hot xmen girlsread more | digg story […]
April 25th, 2007 at 7:09 am
Fact #156 says “A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.”
I can’t reference a scientific discussion for the number of days it takes a beheaded roach to die. But I can confidently say the cause would NOT be starvation. It would be dehydration.
April 25th, 2007 at 7:37 am
269. The odds of being born male are about 51.2%, according to census.
This is not a fact, because the census does not measure how many people are born, but how many people are currently living.
The odds of beign born a male are, and ever shall be, 50%.
April 25th, 2007 at 7:55 am
Best part about this list is going over all the comments afterward… HILARIOUS!!
April 25th, 2007 at 8:07 am
Read the Wikipedia article on the microwave oven, the candy bar story is true…
April 25th, 2007 at 8:13 am
[…] read more | digg story […]
April 25th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Residuous.
April 25th, 2007 at 8:28 am
137. $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy.
if you don’t include the final round; otherwise you could still double your money to $566,400
April 25th, 2007 at 8:52 am
for 97. oceana is the term used to describe the continent of Austrailia,new zeland, Tazmania and the other surounding islands.
April 25th, 2007 at 9:01 am
I believe the most you can win in a SINGLE game of Jeopardy is $571,200.
Here is how I came up with that, if anyone cares:
First round answers range from 200-1000 (6 categories, 1 daily double), Second round answers are double that (400-2000, 6 categories, 2 daily doubles).
First Round
If you answer every question in the first round except a $200 (which happens to have the Daily Double) you would have $17,800 to wager and double to $35,600.
Second Round
Answering everything in the 2nd round except two $400’s (which both happen to have the DD’s) would put you at $71,400. If you get both DD’s you would double twice and end up with $285,600 going into the final question.
Final Question
Doubling on the final question would put you at $571,200
I’m pretty sure that is right — am I missing anything?
April 25th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Whoops! $566,400
Answer all but one 200: $17,800
Double: $35,600
Answer all but two 400’s: $70,800
Double twice: $283,200
Double on Final Question: $566,400
That is 100% right for sure!
April 25th, 2007 at 9:13 am
231. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. A quarter has 119
this one looks very interesting to me. Don’t know whether there is a chance to check…
nice facts anyway
April 25th, 2007 at 9:51 am
[…] henti futurama 1 Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world ’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person. 2 Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels. 3 The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan 4 40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. how to draw futuramaread more | digg story […]
April 25th, 2007 at 9:54 am
How do you calculate the amount you can possibly win at Jeopardy if you don’t know how much they have when they hit the daily doubles? I guess if you assume that they hit the daily doubles _last_ in each round, and assume that they were on the lowest possible values, you could double all the rest of the money, but then I suspect the total would be more. (Is there a rule about the order you must follow for clues? Do you have to go lowest-highest in the first round, or do you get to jump to different amounts at will?)
April 25th, 2007 at 10:01 am
[…] Wer bei »Wer wird Millionär« gerne eine Chance haben möchte, die letzte Frage zu knacken oder wissen will, woher die »Neon« sich für die Rubrik Unnützes Wissen Inspiration holt, könnte sich hierfür interessieren. Dreihundert und ein Mal Periphärwissen vom Feinsten. Wusstet ihr zum Beispiel, dass Libellen nur 24 Stunden leben oder dass sich 25% all deiner Knochen in deinem Fuß befinden? Eigentlich egal, aber für Partygespräche könnte es nichts schaden. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 10:19 am
[…] 301 Useless Facts | Single Grain (tags: cool) […]
April 25th, 2007 at 10:44 am
here are some rumored facts i have heard which are also interesting
1. birth control pills are made of the piss of pregnant horses
2. abe lincoln’s secretary’s first name was kennedy, and he was shot in a theater, the shooter ran into the street; kennedy’s secretary’s first name was lincoln, and he was shot in the street but his shotter ran into a theater.
3. WYLD STALLYNS RULEZ
April 25th, 2007 at 11:01 am
97. The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words “North” and “South).
This is omly thrue in English.
German: Europa, Dutch: Europa: Spanisch: Europa France: Afrique
Dutch: Azië, German: Asie
a.s.o.
April 25th, 2007 at 11:14 am
On the really old glass bottles of heinz that you might find in a restaurant it specifically states 57 varieties. i believe that it may be pickles but i thought it was something else.
April 25th, 2007 at 11:18 am
[…] 301 Useless facts. Best grappig om te lezen. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Hello America from the British Isles! Just to let you know, Winston Churchill was born in a modest bedroom in Blenheim Palace, not a bathroom during a party.
April 25th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Fact 221 is in correct The Teutuls from Orange County choppers are also Pez heads
http://www.burlingamepezmuseum.com/store4.html
April 25th, 2007 at 11:55 am
[…] 25. April 2007 Funny & Weird You may have read huge number of facts, also you may have referred to the books that enlist the huge collection of facts. All those facts were useful and were must for an individual to know. Now, here is the crack - different from all those common facts- by the individuals at SingleGrain.com who have enlisted the huge collection of useless facts - the facts that are of almost zero importance - in a very simplest manner. The most notable thing is that the list is not just 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 facts long, but it encompass total of 301 facts (that to useless). Really good collection…have a read. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 11:55 am
[…] 25. April 2007 Funny & Weird You may have read huge number of facts, also you may have referred to the books that enlist the huge collection of facts. All those facts were useful and were must for an individual to know. Now, here is the crack - different from all those common facts- by the individuals at SingleGrain.com who have enlisted the huge collection of useless facts - the facts that are of almost zero importance - in a very simplest manner. The most notable thing is that the list is not just 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 facts long, but it encompass total of 301 facts (that to useless). Really good collection…have a read. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
oceania is not a continent, only australia is recognised as a continent. oceania is only mentioned as a ‘continent’ when geologists split the world up into zones, as it is easier to group micronesia in with australia.
if oceania was considered to be a continent, then hawaii would technically be part of it, insted of being part of america!
April 25th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
cool list can i have the embed code? you get credit though
April 25th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Fact #133 is a common falsehood. Research it.
April 25th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts 25Apr07 301 Useless Facts… think of this as an inane party chatter starter pack. Filed under: links | […]
April 25th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Cabbage is a flower.
April 25th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Whomever sites wikipedia as a credible source to check these facts is an idiot.
April 25th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
[…] Useless Facts [Via] […]
April 25th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
The continent which Australia is a part of is Australasia, which conforms with the “fact” posted above.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Sarah (in post #132) makes a bold claim and in so doing demonstrates that she/he is also an idiot.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Re: #122
http://www.snopes.com/legal/et.htm
April 25th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
147. “101 Dalmatians” and “Peter Pan” are the only Disney animations in which both of a character’s parents are present and don’t die during the movie.
You’re forgetting “Sleeping Beauty” where both the princess and (I believe) the prince have both parents.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Which was the point wasn’t it
?
April 25th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Damn, beat me to it. Sarah is so right (in comment #132).
April 25th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
April 25th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
To Sian and everyone else considering this list as a ’stupid thing’ - did any of you READ the last line? You know, the one that goes, “Now that you have gone through the list it is up to you to figure out which facts are true and which facts are false.”
’nuff said.
April 25th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
The list is for entertainment value, nothing serious. Thus, the whole point of “this list is inaccurate” is totally moot, since total accuracy isn’t the point.
April 25th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Johnny Appleseed planted apple nurseries in new frontier lands to attract settlers and take advantage of their coming. He sold shares in the trees themselves, though he’d take virtually anything as payment (old clothing for example).
Wikipedia, if you believe it.
April 25th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts | Single Grain (tags: PFOTD trivia facts) […]
April 25th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
So let’s help make it accurate. The list took a lot of time to compile so if we have corrections, let’s correct with a good reference THIS is a GREAT list…let’s make it better…of course if we want references…let’s provide them…put up or shut up right?
April 25th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
LMAO!!!! wow…this is hilarous and funny
April 25th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
[…] I bet you can’t guess what kind of article you’d find if you followed this link: 301 useless facts. Can you? Go on, I dare you. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
#3 is wrong - see http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/heinz57.asp
Heinz did advertise it as 57 varieties but it was a marketing gimic.
April 25th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
ya wikipedia is not always correct because my cousin makes entries on that and anyone can put anything they want on it.They can make up any random crap and post it.
April 25th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I wish people would stop being lazy and read the comments. I dont like reading the same things over and over. Thank you. And besides, the list is funny, who cares if its right or not.
April 25th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Hey
People who use Wikipedia, some of that stuff is a lie, maybe made up in ones favor. sorry but maybe if you wanna prove a point look up some good sites, or maybe get off the damn computer and read some books to find out for yourself instead of harassing some website.
April 25th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Nice List By The Way
April 25th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
platypus are also is a mammal that cannot jump. because their limbs extend horizontally outward, it would make it phisically impossible for them to jump.
April 25th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
“# 269isnotafact Says:
April 25th, 2007 at 7:37 am
269. The odds of being born male are about 51.2%, according to census.
This is not a fact, because the census does not measure how many people are born, but how many people are currently living.
The odds of beign born a male are, and ever shall be, 50%.”
it’s closer to 49.8-9% because of the potential of being born as a hermapradite.
April 25th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
[…] בזמן שכולם ממתינים שאמצעי התקשורת מהעולם יגיעו לקמפוס לקראת מסיבת העיתונאים בערב, הנה קישור ל-301 עובדות משעשעות (לדעתי עובדת היותן חלק מהעובדות עובדות של ממש, אינה בגדר עובדה ודאית). במקור ניטען כי עובדות אלו ”חסרות תועלת“ ואולם בעיני הן מועילות ביותר. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
[…] Link: 301 useless facts […]
April 25th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
[…] 301 Useless Facts […]
April 26th, 2007 at 2:07 am
A square is, in fact, also a rectangle.
April 26th, 2007 at 3:17 am
[…] 301 Useless Facts | Single Grain 果然没用.. (tags: Useless Facts) […]
April 26th, 2007 at 3:43 am
“Bless you” is because people used to think that the devil may enter your body when you sneeze.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:21 am
[…] [Fuente: 301 useless facts] […]
April 26th, 2007 at 5:37 am
Just to stop any further innaccuracies (that is kind of the point of these comments after all), on scientific articles Wikipedia is as accurate as the Encylopedia Britannica. Nature magazine did a peer review back in ‘05. If you don’t believe me, believe the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4530930.stm
Oh yeah, great list. You helped me waste time at work AND start a great thread taking these facts apart with my friend. You have enriched my life!
You may continue…
April 26th, 2007 at 8:00 am
#16 is really one of my favorites. I think you are far more likely to give up the real dope if you are swearing on your family jewels.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:08 am
140. The penguin is the only bird that can’t fly but can swim.
This is not true.
Flightless cormorant (Nannopterum harrisi) is the only cormorant (family Phalacrocoracidae) found in the Galapagos, and of the 27-28 cormorant species world-wide, it is the only one that has lost the ability to fly. So unusual is the flightless cormorant by comparison to other cormorants, that most authors place it in a separate genus - all other cormorants belong to the genus Phalacrocorax. Like other flightless birds, the keel on the breast bone, which supports the large flight muscles, is drastically reduced. Instead, the legs are heavier and more powerful than in other cormorants. Unlike the penguin, whose wings are used as paddles to literally fly through the water, the flightless cormorant propels itself by powerful kicks. The birds feed no more than 100 m offshore, feeding near the bottom on squid, octopus, eel, and fish.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:32 am
[…] 301 Useless Facts April 26, 2007 at 4:31 pm | In Miscellaneous | What is the meaning of ‘Zip’? What is the international dialing code for Antarctica? What is the speed of an average raindrop? Who is responsible for 1/5 of the world’s garbage? How many noses do slugs have? *ewww* How can you make your eyes pop out? All these and more answered in 301 useless facts […]
April 26th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Speaking as a left-handed panpipe player I trust that you are kidding about left-handed people popping it nine years earlier than their thicker right-handed cousins (fact 193). The world would be a poorer place were it true, though it would give scientists a lot to chew on.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
CIRCLE RHYMES WITH PURPLE!
April 26th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Ok, re some are false bit. I know 222 is wrong, there are over 500 different cheeses in France, alone and a further 700 odd different cheeses in Great Britain. I make that nearly a thousand cheeses in two countries. Half the fun is trying to figure out which are true and which aren’t though.
Great stuff.
Cheers
BC
April 26th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Here’s one to add to #263: Ohio is the only state in the United States whose state flag is a pennant instead of a rectangle or square.
April 26th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Re #123, According to US Naval Observatory the full moon in February 1865 occurred on the 10th.
April 26th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
an elephant has more than 60000 muscles in it’s trunk!
April 26th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
u can calculate supposing half of the viewers leave a message that almost 40 ppl visit this page a day.. hope my calculations are right!
April 26th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
lozenge rhymes with orange
April 26th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
>225. A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.
Not true.. couldn’t be true
April 26th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
>236. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
I believe this is false. A middle school science teacher told us that it was discovered when a researcher left a full cup of coffee near a radar tube, and the next day the whole cup was evaporated.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question556.htm
Some people have suggested that the sound you hear from the seashell is the echoing of your blood rushing through the blood vessels of your ear. That is not the case. If that were true, then the sound would intensify after exercising, since your blood races faster after exercising. However, the sound is the same even after exercising.
The most likely explanation for the wave-like noise is ambient noise from around you. The seashell that you are holding just slightly above your ear captures this noise, which resonates inside the shell. The size and shape of the shell therefore has some effect on the sound you hear. Different shells sound different because different shells accentuate different frequencies. You don’t even need the seashell to hear the noise. You can produce the same “ocean” sound using an empty cup or even by cupping your hand over your ear. Go ahead and try it and vary the distance at which you place the cup near your ear. The level of the sound will vary depending on the angle and distance the cup is from your ear.
Noise from outside the shell also can change the intensity of the sound you hear inside the shell. You can look at the shell as a resonating chamber. When sound from outside enters the shell, it bounces around, thus creating an audible noise. So, the louder the environment you are in, the louder the ocean-like sound will be.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
And another thing, the whole bless you when sneezing thing has it’s origins with the Black Death in Europe. Sneezing is the first visible symptom of this nasty disease and so, out of respect for the nearly dead, people would bless those who sneezed. I think the idea that it has something to do with evil spirits has its roots in the strange ideas people had about how diseases were contracted in the past.
Carry on…
April 26th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
americans seem to not like the fact that they are responsible for 1/5 of the worlds garbage. while this “might” not be true , it is very close.
The fact is that the us contibutes 20% of all polution. Or 1/5.( this includes not only solid garbage, but air , water and other kinds of polution. 5% of the population contributes 20% polution.This is probably not counting the US owned companies arround the world. And they are many.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Everything is true on Wikipedia since they check everything you tried to change.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Go Ashley! (167)
April 26th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
these facts are crazy and some are questionable….actually number 7 is true…you learn it in the Criminal Justice program in college…
April 27th, 2007 at 1:50 am
292 is partially incorrect; Uranus doesn’t rotate opposite of its orbit, it rotates perpendicular to it.
April 27th, 2007 at 5:04 am
145. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.
Seriously doubt it.
This is saying that some people eat more than 18 acres per day, and some eat less.
April 27th, 2007 at 8:01 am
I grew up in Canada and I’ve never heard about a two-dollar-bill, and I’ve most certainly never seen one.
April 27th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Short list of incorrect items:
3, 7, 9, 15, 43, 48, 55, 58, 67, 73, 86, 97, 122, 123, 131, 132, 133, 137, 140, 144, 147, 179, 181, 197, 221, 222, 225, 227, 229, 234, 254, 256, 269, 285
I could be missing a few that are incorrect, and I’m not 100% sure that all of these are incorrect, but this is most of the ones people in the comments have made good arguments to why the item is false.
April 27th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Whether Australia is it’s own continent, or part of the Australasia continent, HArry (comment #97), either way, Tasmania (spelt with an “S” not a “z”) is still part of the country - it is not a different country in itself…
New Zealand, is also with an “a”….
So before you go lumping us all together, please educate yourself and get your spelling right.
April 27th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
I cannot believe some of you people think Wikipedia is a credible source for information. Do you not realize that anyone anywhere can add anything they want to wikipedia? Lets say we assume that for every false entry put in there , there is at least another entry that is correct, there still seems to reason that the false ones are left behind. So maybe look at real sites, or big shocker here, go read a book, and try to not let other people rule your thoughts.
April 27th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
An amusing list, to be sure, but a large part of these facts are incorrect.
For example, number 215: the tongue is NOT the strongest muscle in the human body by any measure. This credit is usually given to m. masseter (the jaw muscle) or the gluteus maximus. (And the heart, while not being a single muscle in itself, is composed mainly of muscle tissue.)
April 27th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
#139 - I’m really hoping that they concluded this after having observed that rats and horses don’t have the appropriate muscles. (Rather than… you know… force-feeding them Big Macs.)
Apparently, rats are also capable of laughing (dominant frequencies are outside the human perceptible audio range). Google the research if you think I’m full of it.
Comment #184: They existed before the ‘Toonie’ (1991-1992, I think). The fact is false, though.
April 27th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
haha i like the two idiots who named words which rhyme with purple (hurdle and circle). hahaha pure genius at work.
April 27th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Comment #187 is ignorant and naive. Did you know that anyone can make a “real” website. There are extensive antivandal algorithms running all the time and many people actually take editing seriously. An overwhelming majority of people take editing very seriously and Wikipedia has become a major resource. If you that doesn’t convince you than check out this article by the very reliable BBC. The link was posted earlier by citizen666.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4530930.stm
Also, your comment on reading a book instead of checking websites. What is the whole problem with using books to check facts instead of the internet. Is the internet not text, are you not reading it much the same way you would a book. The only difference is that the internet is often much more up to date. In case you haven’t noticed anyone can write books too.
“go read a book, and try to not let other people rule your thoughts.” I found that quote to be very amusing. Because (big shocker here) peop