Facts that sound false but are true — Page 4
Our highest surprise rating: the facts people most often refuse to believe until they read the explanation. Every one of them is documented.
627 facts
Helium escapes Earth's gravity into space.
Helium atoms are so incredibly light and unreactive that when released into the atmosphere, they eventually float up…
Neptune has supersonic winds reaching 2,000 km/h.
Despite being the farthest planet from the Sun and receiving little sunlight, Neptune has the most violent and…
The Earth's inner core is as hot as the surface of the Sun.
Temperatures at the very center of our planet reach about 5,400°C, similar to the surface of the Sun, generated by…
Your skeleton is completely replaced roughly every 10 years.
Bone is living tissue. Old bone is constantly broken down by cells called osteoclasts and rebuilt by osteoblasts…
A Pope once put a dead Pope on trial.
In 897 AD, Pope Stephen VI had the corpse of Pope Formosus dug up, dressed in papal robes, and put on trial in an…
The shortest reigning monarch ruled for just 20 minutes.
In 1830, Louis XIX of France technically became King after his father abdicated, but he abdicated himself just 20…
In 1923, a dead jockey won a horse race.
Frank Hayes suffered a fatal heart attack mid-race at Belmont Park. His body remained in the saddle, and his horse…
In the 17th century, sugar was locked away like gold.
Known as 'white gold', sugar was so incredibly expensive in Europe that only the wealthy could afford it, and it was…
There is a river that appears to flow uphill.
The Green River in the USA creates an optical illusion that makes it appear to flow uphill. Geologists confirmed the…
Saudi Arabia has no permanent rivers.
Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the world with no permanent rivers. Its dry climate means that any water flows…
Chocolate milk was invented in Ireland.
In the 17th century, Hans Sloane, an Irish physician, encountered cocoa in Jamaica and found it unpleasant. He mixed…
Dragonflies are the most successful predators in the animal kingdom.
They catch their prey in mid-air about 95% of the time, using incredible flying agility and exceptional eyesight.
The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood up to 30 feet.
When the left ventricle contracts, it pumps blood out to the entire body with enough force that, if unobstructed, it…
Lemons have more sugar than strawberries.
Despite the sour taste, lemons contain about 2.5% sugar, while strawberries contain only about 0.6%. The sour taste…
Caesar salad was invented in Mexico, not Italy.
It was created in the 1920s by Italian-American chef Caesar Cardini in his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, to serve…
The bananas we eat today are genetic clones of each other.
Commercial bananas (Cavendish) are propagated through cuttings rather than seeds. This lack of genetic diversity…
The border between Denmark and Canada is one of the most curious in the world.
Hans Island, a small uninhabited island in the Arctic, has been disputed by Denmark and Canada since 1973. The…
Beavers have orange teeth because the enamel contains iron.
The iron makes their teeth incredibly strong and resistant to acid, perfectly adapted for cutting down tough trees…
Uranus rotates on its side, likely due to a massive collision.
Its axis is tilted almost 98 degrees, meaning it essentially orbits the Sun like a rolling barrel, causing extreme…
The showers at Alcatraz prison had heated water to keep prisoners from getting used to the cold.
The waters of San Francisco Bay are freezing. Officials feared that if prisoners adapted to cold showers, they might…
Garrett Morgan invented the traffic light and an early version of the gas mask.
In 1923, Morgan patented a three-position traffic signal. He also created a 'safety hood' smoke protector that was…
British tanks are equipped with facilities to make tea.
Since the end of World War II, British war tanks have included equipment called a boiling vessel, which allows the…
Potatoes were the first vegetable grown in space.
In 1995, NASA grew potatoes aboard the space shuttle Columbia, marking the first time a vegetable was grown in space…
One in four hazelnuts produced in the world becomes Nutella.
About 25% of the world's hazelnut production is destined for the manufacture of Nutella. The Ferrero company, owner…
