Top 30+ fun facts to break the ice at your next party
- Thomas Edison is indirectly responsible for Hollywood
- The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland
- The Wright Brothers only flew together once
- In Switzerland, it is illegal to own just one guinea pig
- The word LEGO is formed from the Danish words “leg godt”
- Mauna Kea is technically taller than Mount Everest
- Outback Steakhouse was founded by four Americans who never went to Australia
- Bob Ross was a drill sergeant before becoming a painter
- The average person spends about 1.5 years in the bathroom in their lifetime
- Heart attacks are more likely to happen on a Monday
- “J” was the last letter added to the English alphabet
- The 1912 Summer Olympics were the last to have solid gold medals
- The voice actors for Mickey and Minnie Mouse got married
- SOS doesn’t stand for anything
- A cockroach can live for weeks without its head
- Facebook’s colour scheme is blue because Mark Zuckerberg has red-green colourblindness
- A pineapple takes 1.5 to 3 years to grow
- People really do get more creative in the shower
- The Statue of Liberty is actually closer to New Jersey
- The yo-yo was used as a weapon in the Philippines
- Jennifer Lopez indirectly created Google Images
- Abraham Lincoln was a local wrestling champion
- You can hear a blue whale’s heartbeat from over 2 miles away
- The blue bird in the original Twitter logo is named Larry
- Tomato sauce wasn’t popular in Italy until the 19th century

You’ve just arrived at a party full of strangers, and you’re looking for a way to spark a good conversation — something clever, unexpected, or just plain weird. That’s where these fun facts come in. From quirky science to surprising history, this list has just the right mix of trivia to make people laugh, raise eyebrows, or say, “Wait, really?” Pocket a few of these, and you’ll never fear small talk again.
Thomas Edison is indirectly responsible for Hollywood

Thomas Edison (left) is best known for his many inventions, one of which was the kinetograph: the first-ever movie camera. It was Edison who opened the first American movie studio, Black Maria, and his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey became the film capital of the world at the time. Due to Edison’s status as one of the pre-eminent patent holders in the industry, any movie being made at the time had to go through him. As a result, independent filmmakers decided to get as far away from him as possible: California. When a 1915 ruling gave Hollywood the ability to make movies without threats of lawsuits or mobster attacks, it became the epicentre of filmmaking that it is today.
The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland

Given Scotland’s obsession with fictional beasts like the Loch Ness Monster, it’s perhaps not completely surprising that its national animal also doesn’t exist. The unicorn was first introduced to the Scottish royal coat of arms in the mid-1500s, and every year on April 9, Scots celebrate National Unicorn Day, dedicated to their mythological symbol of purity, innocence, power and independence.
The Wright Brothers only flew together once

Orville (right) and Wilbur (left) Wright were the first to build and successfully fly an airplane, doing so on December 17, 1903 with their Wright Flyer, an engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft. However, these American aviation pioneer brothers made a promise to their father, Milton, to never fly together, in case an accident caused them both to get injured or die. The only time they made an exception came in 1910, flying near their hometown of Dayton, Ohio. Later on, Orville piloted a plane with his dad as a passenger—the first and only time Milton took flight.
In Switzerland, it is illegal to own just one guinea pig

The furry, cuddly guinea pig is a social creature, needing interaction with other guinea pigs to be happy. That’s why Switzerland put a law into place that makes it illegal to own just one, deeming it animal abuse. If one of them sadly passes away, Swiss guinea pig owners must immediately find another one to take its place.
The word LEGO is formed from the Danish words “leg godt”

Beloved toy company LEGO was first established in 1932 in Billund, Denmark, but where did it get its name? Founder Ole Kirk Christiansen used two Danish words—leg godt, meaning “play well”—to produce the name now synonymous around the world with plastic bricks.
On the Apollo 10 spaceflight, there was an unidentified turd floating around the spacecraft

In space, no one can hear you scream—or see you anonymously let loose a sneaky poop, it turns out. During the Apollo 10 spaceflight, there was a conversation between Commander Thomas Stafford (centre), Lunar Module Pilot Eugene Cernan (left), and Command Module Pilot John Young (right). Said communication was interrupted twice by floating pieces of poop. The funniest part is that no one took responsibility for the unidentified floating waste objects, something the culprit was likely keen to take to the grave.
Mauna Kea is technically taller than Mount Everest

Mount Everest lays claim to being the world’s tallest mountain above sea level, with its peak at 8,849 metres (29,032 feet) above the ocean, the piece of land at the highest altitude on Earth. But what about mountains that begin below sea level? Factoring that in, the tallest mountain from base to peak is Mauna Kea (pictured), a dormant volcano in Hawaii. It’s approximately 10,205 metres (33,481 feet) in height, with around 6,000 metres (19,685 feet) of that below sea level.
Outback Steakhouse was founded by four Americans who never went to Australia

In 1988, four Americans opened the first Outback Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida, inspired by Crocodile Dundee and other kitschy Australian stereotypes. While it may not surprise you that there’s nothing authentically Australian about the menu—including the Bloomin’ Onion—the founders never even visited Australia. Nowadays, there are around 1,000 Outback Steakhouse locations around the world, including eight in Australia itself.
Bob Ross was a drill sergeant before becoming a painter

If you ever watched Bob Ross serenely paint happy little trees, you’d never guess what he did in his previous career. Ross enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at 18 years old and spent 20 years in the military, rising as high as the rank of master sergeant. When he wasn’t yelling and proverbially whipping new recruits into shape, Ross was falling in love with painting. He took a class while still in the Air Force, and ultimately left the service in 1981 to dedicate his life to art and art instruction.
The average person spends about 1.5 years in the bathroom in their lifetime

A recent poll of 2,500 people revealed just how much time we spend in the bathroom, and it’s more than you think, especially over the course of a lifetime. It’s the equivalent of around a year and a half using the toilet, taking a shower or bath, drying off, brushing teeth, and all the other little things we do in there. Toilet time is the biggest chunk: an average of one hour and 42 minutes per week, or nearly 92 days over a lifetime.
Heart attacks are more likely to happen on a Monday

Recent research out of Ireland suggests that the most serious types of heart attacks are more likely to strike on a Monday than any other day of the week. They found in 2023 that a surge in rates of STEMI heart attacks—when a major coronary artery is completely blocked—occurred most often at the start of the week, possibly due to the body’s circadian rhythm, its natural sleep-wake cycle.
“J” was the last letter added to the English alphabet

For centuries, the letter “J” wasn’t a letter at all. The Romans used it as a fancy way to write an “I”, and it was used interchangeably with the vowel. Then in 1524, Italian grammarian Gian Giorgio Trissino wrote an essay that clearly identified “I” and “J” as two separate letters with two distinct sounds. Eventually, most Romance languages adopted the use of “J”, and gave it the pronunciation we use today. Interestingly, however, the letter “J” still isn’t part of the native Italian alphabet.
The 1912 Summer Olympics were the last to have solid gold medals

Winning a gold medal is the pinnacle of amateur athletic achievement, and for the competitors that were fortunate enough to win Olympic gold prior to and including the 1912 Games, they truly got their money’s worth. The medals were made of solid gold back then, and the 1912 Summer Games in Stockholm were the last games to do so. Following that, the medals were cast in silver and coated in gold.
‘Harry Potter’ series is in the top 5 of the most read books in history

Just how popular are the Harry Potter books? The first novel in the series, Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone, has sold more than 120 million copies, putting the series amongst the top 5 most read books in all of human history. The Harry Potter series stands alongside The Holy Bible, The Holy Quran, and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung.
The voice actors for Mickey and Minnie Mouse got married

Mickey and Minnie Mouse have one of the greatest romances of all time, and it’s not entirely fictional, either. In 1988, Russi Taylor was the voice actor for Minnie, and did a TV movie called Totally Minnie, which is where she met Wayne Allwine—then the voice actor for Mickey—for the first time. Both Allwine and Taylor were unhappy in their marriages, and soon fell in love with each other. They tied the knot in 1991 in Hawaii, while earning praise for their authentic and fun-loving performances as Mickey and Minnie. The couple stayed married until Allwine passed away in 2009.
SOS doesn’t stand for anything

Even if you don’t know Morse Code, you probably know that SOS is used as a distress signal. Many people mistakenly think it stands for “save our souls” or “save our ship,” but the truth is the letters SOS don’t stand for anything. Rather, the three dots, three dashes and three dots sequence is easy to signal, and was officially adopted by the U.S. shortly after the sinking of the Titanic.
A cockroach can live for weeks without its head

Anyone who’s tried to kill a cockroach knows just how difficult that proposition is, and this news likely won’t fill them with confidence. If they’re decapitated, they probably won’t die right away, because they breathe passively through a network of pipes that’s connected to holes along the length of their body. They’ll eventually starve to death without their head, but it could take weeks for that to happen.
Facebook’s colour scheme is blue because Mark Zuckerberg has red-green colourblindness

Facebook’s bright blue colour scheme wasn’t just a stylistic choice. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg actually has a common form of red-green colourblindness, and blue is considered to be the best colour for clear viewing for people with this mild type of medical condition. As usual, what Zuck wants, Zuck gets.
A pineapple takes 1.5 to 3 years to grow

If you love pineapples and want to grow one yourself, don’t expect results anytime soon. It takes anywhere from 18 months to three years for an edible fruit to grow. Plus, each plant only produces one pineapple, so both patience and restraint will be required on your part, should you decide to grow them.
One teaspoon of soil contains more microorganisms than there are people on the entire planet

The earth beneath our feet is teeming with life, and it doesn’t take much of it to prove this. In just one teaspoon of soil, there are billions of microorganisms—from bacteria to microbes to fungi and everything in between—more than there are people on all of Planet Earth combined.
People really do get more creative in the shower

Notice that some of your most brilliant and spontaneous ideas occur while you’re in the shower? There’s real science behind this phenomenon. The “shower effect” occurs when your mind wanders as you think about things other than washing yourself. This relaxes both your body and mind, and promotes more creativity and clarity due to increased dopamine flow.
There are more ways to arrange a deck of cards than there are atoms on Earth

The next time you shuffle a deck of cards, make sure you stop to think about exactly what you’re doing. The math says that for a randomized deck of 52 cards, there are 8x10^67 possible arrangements—a number that surpasses the amount of atoms on Earth. The odds that a set has repeated itself is therefore extremely, extremely low. That means for every time you randomly shuffle a deck, it’s very likely you’ve created the first-ever arrangement of cards in that exact order. Pretty cool!
The average lifespan of a pet cat has more than doubled since the 1980s

Whether you acquired your cuddly pet kitty through the Cat Distribution System or by adopting one through less random means, she’s probably living a lot longer than her predecessors from decades past. In the 1980s, cats lived on average to about 7 years old, but that number is now around 15 years. This is due to more common veterinary care for cats and pet owners having a greater awareness of feline needs. More than double the lifespan, more than double the head scritches.
The Statue of Liberty is actually closer to New Jersey

What’s more New York City than the Statue of Liberty? Well, if we’re talking from a geographic perspective, pretty much everything. The world-famous statue sits on Liberty Island, which is technically located in the waters of New Jersey. In 1834, the two states came to an agreement where Liberty Island would be under the jurisdiction of New York. Between this and both New York NFL teams actually playing in New Jersey, the Garden State really doesn’t get enough credit.
The yo-yo was used as a weapon in the Philippines

According to historical records, 16th-century hunters in the Philippines would hide up in trees and use a rock tied to a long cord to throw at wild animals beneath them. This weapon could then be pulled up and thrown back down for multiple chances to catch their prey. If that sounds an awful lot like a yo-yo, you’re not far off. While the yo-yo likely originated in China and later travelled to Greece, it definitely made its way to the Philippines, and became a popular toy, as well as a part-time weapon.
Jennifer Lopez indirectly created Google Images

At the 2000 Grammy Awards, Jennifer Lopez’s fashion statement would go on to change the way we use the internet forever. Her infamous green Versace dress created a Google search query frenzy unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, and the burgeoning tech giant took notice. Google decided to build its Image Search tool as a result of J.Lo’s internet-breaking dress, and launched it in July of 2001.
Abraham Lincoln was a local wrestling champion

Before he became one of the most famous politicians in history, Abraham Lincoln was throwing his proverbial hat in a very different type of ring. Honest Abe was a county wrestling champion at the young age of 21, leveraging his 1.95 metre (6’4”) frame and natural athletic talents. Lincoln continued to wrestle while studying and practising law before entering the world of politics, racking up a reported 300 wins over 12 years, losing only once.
You can hear a blue whale’s heartbeat from over 2 miles away

The blue whale is the largest living animal, so you’d expect it to have an absolutely huge heart. Indeed, its heart can weigh more than 180 kilograms (400 pounds), and it beats at a rate of 2 to 10 bpm when submerged. A blue whale’s heartbeat can be heard from over 3.2 kilometres (2 miles) away, so be sure to listen for one the next time you find yourself out in the ocean.
The blue bird in the original Twitter logo is named Larry

Whether you call it Twitter or X, the social media platform is synonymous with its blue bird logo, no matter what Elon Musk thinks. The original iteration of that logo came from a graphic blue bird symbol that Twitter bought in 2006 from Simon Oxley on iStock for $15. They named it Larry after the legendary basketball player Larry Bird, and several evolutions of the blue bird logo followed, before Musk bought Twitter and changed the logo to the black X.
Tomato sauce wasn’t popular in Italy until the 19th century

The humble yet delicious tomato sauce is inextricably linked to Italy and Italian cuisine, but the truth is that it wasn’t a significant part of Italian cooking until the 19th century. The tomato came to Europe from the Americas in the mid-1500s, when Spain colonized the New World. Most people thought it was poisonous back then, and it wasn’t until 1694 that the first tomato sauce recipe was published by a Neapolitan chef. By the 19th century, tomatoes had spread across the country, and Italians were adding them to pasta. The rest is history.