People say that you’re never too old to learn new things, and we here at Bored Panda strongly agree with that sentiment. We like to present you with interesting, lesser-known snippets of knowledge from time to time, and this occasion is no different.
Life can be full of interesting facts we don’t even think about while going through our daily routines. For example, did you know that otters have little skin pockets where they can store their favorite rocks? Or that it snows in the Sahara desert? If you want to learn more random facts like these, scroll through this list we made for your curiosity and enjoyment!
#1 Two French Bulldogs
The dog on the left, Arnie, is an award winning French Bulldog.
The dog on the right, Flint, was bred by Hawbucks French Bulldogs, in the Netherlands. This breeder is working to restore a healthier template for Bulldogs, similar to how they looked about a century ago.
Image credits: Jemima Harrison
#2 In Switzerland, It’s Illegal To Own Just One Guinea Pig; If You Have Any, You Have To Have At Least Two. They Get Lonely!
Image credits: reddit.com
#3 Sometimes Dogs In Movies Have To Have Cgi Tails Because They Keep Wagging Their Tails. They Are Just So Happy To Be There!
Image credits: Aggravating-Team8249
The world has so many little secrets we might have no idea about. Like the fact that giraffes’ 50 cm-long tongues are black. Well, they’re not black exactly, more accurately, they are dark purple or very dark blue. Still, why is that?
Scientists explain that it’s nature’s way of protecting their tongues from getting sunburned. Because they feed so high up, giraffes’ tongues get exposed to the sun a lot. The density of dark melanin pigments in them offers better protection against UV rays.
#4 The Chicago Skyline Visible From Nearly 50 Miles Away In Indiana Dunes Sunset
During certain times of the year, the sun sets behind the skyline, offering this breathtaking view.
Image credits: JamesLucasIT
#5 The Incans Created A Brilliant Engineering Technique
It is called ‘ashlar masonry’, where rocks are cut to fit perfectly together without mortar. This allowed the stones to move in its place during an earthquake, before settling back in their original positions.
Image credits: KingPullo
#6 These “Wavy Walls” In England Surprisingly Use Fewer Bricks Than Straight Ones
Originating in ancient Egypt, their arch design provides sturdy support with just one layer, unlike straight walls that require two.
Image credits: JamesLucasIT
Who hasn’t experienced the sensation of falling when trying to fall asleep? Probably very few of us. You know that feeling of getting jolted awake right as you’re drifting into a sweet, sweet nap? That’s called myoclonus.
Scientists say that we feel the sudden jerking or falling sensations as we drift from one sleep phase to another. They call the movements “hypnagogic jerks,” and they usually happen in the first light stage of sleep. Our brains interpret it as being awake and sometimes check in by waking up our muscles as a means of protection.
#7 Steve Jobs Typed A Letter To A Fan Who Had Requested An Autograph From Him, Stating That He Does Not Give Out Autographs
This letter ended up selling at auction for $400k.
Image credits: chadthor123
#8 When You Dream, One Portion Of Your Brain Creates The Storey, While Another Part Witnesses The Events And Is Really Shocked By The Plot Twists
Image credits: Longjumping_Owl9929
#9 Lobsters Were Considered Disgusting And Low-Class Food, To The Point That Feeding Them To Prisoners Too Often Was Considered Cruel And Unusual Punishment
Also they’re basically just big sea roaches.
Image credits: Leifur311
Here are a couple of fun facts about the Sahara desert: it used to be a lush rainforest and it also has snow from time to time. The lush jungle was there more than 6,000 years ago, verified by academics Robert Korty and William Boos found in 2016 by analyzing precipitation patterns today and from the Holocene era.
#10 Your Pets Will Forgive You If You Accidentally Step On Them
Image credits: fluffybear45
#11 Otters Have Skin Pockets For Their Favorite Rocks
Image credits: CryoWreck
#12 First Documented Complaint
The First Complaint “Letter” (Made From Clay) Was Sent In 1750 Bc In Mesopotamia From A Man Named Nanni To A Merchant Named Ea-Nasir. Nanni Was Mad That He Received The Incorrect Grade Of Copper That He Had Already Paid For And That The Merchant Was Rude To His Servant When Confronted.
Image credits: Opening_Geologist_25
In 2022, the Sahara saw unusual snowfall in its Algerian territory. However, that wasn’t the first time we could see snow, as the phenomenon was also recorded in 2017, 2018, and 2021. The temperatures in the desert get awfully high, at about 50°C during the day, but they also drop very low at night. In 2005, in Algeria, the lowest recorded temperature was -14°C. When the temperature is cold and there’s moisture in the air, snow forms.
#13 The Amazon River Is Over 4,000 Miles Long And Doesn’t Have Any Bridges That Cross It
Image credits: rredline
#14 Dogs Can Tell When Your Comming Home By How Much Of Your Scent Is Left In The House If You Have A Daily Routine
Image credits: babiferari
#15 The Indiana Bell Building Was Rotated 90° While Everyone Inside Still Worked, 1930
Over a month, the structure moved 15 inches per hour, with 600 employees working without interruption. Gas, heat, electricity, water, sewage, and phone services remained intact, and no one inside felt the movement.
Image credits: JamesLucasIT
Let’s go to the animal kingdom and explore some fun facts about them. The ever-cute otters are a good place to start. Did you know that they have skin pockets underneath their armpits? what do they put in there? The food they plan to eat later or rocks they’ll use to crack open mussels and other hard-shelled snacks.
#16 If You Have 10 Dollars In Your Pocket And No Debts , You Have More Wealth Than 25% Of Americans
Image credits: TheSlipperyPot8o
#17 The Sahara Desert Used To Be A Tropical Rainforest
The Sahara Desert is known for being the world’s hottest desert. However, just 6,000 years ago, this dry land was a lush rainforest with thick vegetation and high rainfall.
Image credits: KingPullo
#18 In Arizona Its Illegal To Let Your Donkey Sleep In A Bathtub But It Can Sit In It
Image credits: sleepsunawareof
Another fun animal fact in our list is that guinea pigs must have a companion in Switzerland. Such a rule is included in the Animal Protection Ordinance. Yet the Swiss themselves claim that actual enforcement of this animal protection requirement depends on the opinion of the cantonal veterinary services. Other animal species that have to be kept in groups or at least pairs, are guinea pigs, mice, gerbils, rats, degus, and chinchillas, and for birds, Japanese quails, macaws, cockatoos, parakeets, parrots, canaries, estrildid finches and lovebirds.
#19 The Guinness Book Of Records Was Invented By The Guinness Beer Folks
They figured a book of verifiable facts would help stop bar arguments.
Image credits: jmshub
#20 Sudan Has The Most Pyramids In The World (Not Egypt)
Egypt and pyramids are almost synonymous, but did you know there are pyramids in Sudan too? Nubia, a region in Sudan, has 255 pyramids — twice the number in Egypt!
Image credits: KingPullo
#21 There Is No Universally Accepted Definition Of “Vegetable”
It’s a cultural and culinary term, and varies from place to place.
Image credits: cubs_070816
The first calculations of Mount Everest did indeed show that it was 2,902 ft high. But nowadays we measure the peak at 29,029 ft. What’s more interesting is that if we would measure it from the Earth’s center, it wouldn’t be Earth’s highest peak. That title would go to Mount Chimborazo, which is farthest from the Earth’s center due to the planet not being perfectly round.
#22 Al Capone Is The Reason We Have Expiration Dates On Milk Bottles
After his niece became extremely ill from spoiled milk, the powerful gangster reportedly lobbied aggressively for expiration dates to be placed on milk to ensure the safety of children and pregnant women.
Image credits: JamesLucasIT
#23 Oxford University Is Older Than The Aztec Empire
Image credits: Independent-Bike8810
#24 Neitokainen Is A Body Of Water In Finland
It is shaped in the cartographic form of Finland.
Image credits: JamesLucasIT
Speaking about planets, if someone were to ask you what color is the Sun, would you say “Yellow?” Unfortunately, it’s not, and neither is it orange, red or any other tone of those. To our eyes, the Sun appears white, but it’s actually all colors mixed together.
#25 Every Two Minutes, We Take As Many Photos As All Of Humanity Took During The 1800s
Image credits: scottjew
#26 Clouds Weigh Hundreds Of Thousands Of Pounds, Full Of Water, Effortlessly Floating Above Our Heads
No support, No structure, just weight, floating around above us and we’re like, yep totally believable, because they’re clouds, duh.
Image credits: dang_dude_dont
#27 When Mt Everest Was First Measured It Was Exactly 29,000 Feet
It was reported as 29,002 because exactly 29,000 was not believable.
Image credits: 1pointtwentyone
We can see different colors of the Sun during different times of day. At sunset, it’s yellow, orange, or red, because these have the longest wavelengths and they make it through the Earth’s thick atmosphere. During midday, the sky looks blue to us because the shortest waves (blue, green, and violet) bounce around and scatter around the atmosphere.
#28 Humans Have, On Average, Just As Many Hairs On Their Body As Chimpanzees, Human Hair Is Just A Lot Shorter And Finer
Image credits: Inner_Inspection6408
#29 There Are More Fake, Plastic Flamingos For Sale, Than There Are Living Flamingos On The Planet
Image credits: AnarchyonAsgard
#30 China Has Only One Timezone
As folks in Beijing is preparing to go to bed at midnight, folks in Xinjiang are just beginning to watch the sunset. China is almost the size of the United States, which has six timezones! Interestingly, China didn’t always operate on Beijing time.
Image credits: KingPullo
Have you ever wondered how the clouds keep floating in the sky and not falling? If you haven’t you probably didn’t know that a typical cumulus cloud weighs around 551 tons. Clouds don’t fall because the rising air that they form out of keeps them floating in the air. The air below the cloud is denser and allows it to float atop.
#31 Giraffe Tongues Are Black
Image credits: TrishDoesTrivia
#32 Owls Have Tube Shaped Eyes, Rather Than Spherical Ones
This makes it difficult to move the eyes in their sockets, but is counteracted by the ability to rotate their heads 270 degrees in either direction.
Image credits: huntingb0i
#33 Left Handed People Only Represent About 10% Of The General Human Population
Image credits: DiamondsInTheSky97
#34 There Are Only Two Countries In The World Where Coca Cola Does Not Exist
You might think Coca Cola is something you can find anywhere in the world but these two countries have been in long-term US trade embargoes — North Korea since 1950 and Cuba since 1962.
Image credits: KingPullo
#35 The Sun Is Not Yellow
When viewed outside earths atmosphere it is white. It only looks yellow due to our atmosphere “pulling” the blue light out, leaving it looking yellow. It’s an illusion.
Image credits: reddit.com
#36 Fun Fact: If You Look Super Closely On Your Ps5 Controller, You’ll See Teeny Tiny Playstation Symbols
Image credits: reddit.com
#37 It Snows In The Sahara Desert
Image credits: KingPullo
#38 If You’re Allergic To Chocolate You’re Usually Allergic To Cockroaches
Image credits: msbunsen
#39 The Cigarette Lighter Was Actually Invented Before The Match
And before the cigarette.
Image credits: MrMathNerd
#40 That If You Knock Your Tooth Out And Put It Back In The Socket It Will Grow Roots Back And Save The Tooth
Image credits: Leanne1719
#41 There Are More Privately Owned Tigers In Texas Than There Are Wild Tigers On The Rest Of The Planet Combined
Image credits: j_flameIV
#42 Walmart Is World’s Largest Retailer Of Diamonds
Image credits: CleaKen2010
#43 In Chess There Are Over 9 Million Variations After Just 3 Moves Each
288 billion different possible positions after 4 moves each. In a complete game there are more possible positions than there are electrons in the observable universe.
Image credits: canyouevenreadthat
#44 Pillow Fighting Is A Real, Recognized Sport In Canada. It Was Founded In Toronto In 2004 By The Pillow Fighting League
Image credits: iSnortedHalfOfPeru
#45 48 Hours Of Youtube Footage Gets Uploaded Every Single Minute
Image credits: borez
#46 There Are More Ways To Arrange A Deck Of Cards Than There Are Stars In Our Galaxy
Image credits: MacdonalMan
#47 Humans Are Bioluminescent And Glow In The Dark, But The Light That We Emit Is 1,000 Times Weaker Than Our Human Eyes Are Able To Pick Up
Image credits: -eDgAR-
#48 Due To Evolution, Humans Share Genes With All Living Organisms. For Example, 60% Of Your DNA Is The Same As A Strawberry
Image credits: hoarchata
#49 Half Of All Bank Robberies Take Place On A Friday
Image credits: Munchynibbler
#50 You Know That Feeling Like You’re Falling You Get When You’re Falling Asleep?
That happens because sometimes your muscles relax and your heart rate slows down too quickly that your body thinks you’re dying. So, it gives you that falling sensation which jolts you awake.
Image credits: moonlixqht