We have weird animal facts, weird history facts and plain old strange old facts that will make you a hit at your next gathering with friends and family
50 Weird Facts that are Totally True
Updated on Mar. 27, 2025
You’re taller in the morning than at night
Here’s a weird fact about the human body: When you wake up in the morning, you’re about one centimeter taller. That’s because at night when you’re lying down, the spine stretches and decompresses. But throughout the day, the soft cartilage between your bones gets squashed and compressed, explain British physicians (and twin brothers!) Chris and Xand van Tulleken, co-authors of Operation Ouch!: The HuManual.
The Caesar Salad was invented in Mexico
You may think the Caesar salad comes from Italy, but it was actually created in Tijuana, Mexico by Italian immigrant and restauranteur Caesar Cardini. On the evening of July 4, 1924, Cardini, the owner of Caesar’s Place, was under pressure to serve an influx of Californians who were looking for a break from Prohibition. On the fly, he whipped up a salad using romaine lettuce and whatever ingredients he had, including garlic-flavored oil, eggs, Parmesan cheese, lemons and Worchester sauce. Word travelled fast and the Caesar salad became a sensation from coast to coast.
The oldest goldfish lived to be 43 years old
In the U.K., a goldfish named Tish, the beloved pet of Hilda and Gordon Hand, died in 1999, making her the longest living goldfish, according to Guinness World Records. The Hand family got Tish in 1956, after their son Peter won the fish at a fair.
Andrew Johnson was buried with his head on the Constitution
The 17th president died on July 31, 1875, and per his instructions, his body was wrapped in the American flag and a copy of the Constitution placed under his head. Here are a few more astonishing facts about U.S. presidents.
It rains red in some parts of the world
Red rain, also known as blood rain, occurs when high concentrations of colored dust or particles carried from deserts mix with rain, altering its hue. Experts say red rain happens a few times a year in the UK, and more commonly in countries such as Spain and the south of France, which are closer to the Sahara Desert, reports the BBC. Blood rain has also shown up in countries in Asia and the Middle East.
There’s an orchestra made up entirely of typewriters
Since 2004, the Boston Typewriter Orchestra has been playing concerts, making and performing music by only using vintage typewriters. The various sounds of clacking, sliding carriages, bells, and spinning rollers contribute to the orchestra’s unique sound, according to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
The Beatles officially broke up at Disney World
Although they had unofficially gone their separate ways in 1970, The Beatles’ legal dissolution didn’t occur until December 29, 1974, when John Lennon signed the official paperwork while vacationing at Walt Disney World.
A New York City restaurant sells a $2,700 pizza
Industry Kitchen, a restaurant located at New York City’s South Street Seaport, holds the Guinness World Record for offering the world’s most expensive pizza. The pizza, which you have to order two days in advance, is topped with 24 karat gold leaves, Stilton blue cheese, Hudson Valley foie gras, Platinum Osetra caviar, French Périgord truffle and Almas caviar, which is optional for an extra $700.
A bear became a corporal in World War II
Here’s a captivating fact about animals: during World War II, members of the Polish Army’s 22nd Artillery Supply adopted a bear cub named Wojtek. The soldiers looked out for him and even gave him the rank of a private. In 1944, Wojtek returned the favor, helping to move ammunition during the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. For Wojtek’s service and bravery, he was promoted to the rank of corporal.
There’s an underwater post office in the South Pacific
Situated off the coast of Hideaway Island Resort and Marine Sanctuary is the Vanuatu Post, the world’s only under-the-sea post office. Vacationers who want to send a waterproof postcard home can snorkel or scuba dive 10 feet below the ocean’s surface. A special flag is raised above the water to indicate when postal workers are in the water.
Martin Luther King Jr. paid Julia Roberts’ hospital bill
There are a lot of out of interesting facts about Martin Luther King Jr., but this one is definitely up there. Back in 1967, MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott King covered the cost of Julia Roberts’ hospital birth. It turns out Roberts’ parents couldn’t afford the bill, and the Kings’ gesture was a heartfelt payback. Julia’s parents, who ran a theater school in Atlanta, welcomed the King children as students when they had trouble finding a place that would accept them because they were Black.
Babies have more bones than adults
Babies are born with about 300 bones, though eventually, these bones will fuse together to form the 206 bones an adult has.
Honey never expires
As long as honey is sealed and stored properly, it can last an eternity. This is because the combo of honey’s low water content, high acidity, and antibacterial properties keep it from spoiling. Maybe that’s why modern archaeologists have discovered pots of edible honey in ancient Egyptian tombs, according to the book, Letters from the Hive: An Intimate History of Bees, Honey, and Humankind.
Women in Allied countries wore red lipstick because Hitler hated it
Hitler specifically had a thing against red lipstick, according to British journalist Madeleine Marsh, author of Compacts and Cosmetics: Beauty from Victorian Times to the Present Day. In response, women in Allied countries and in the Resistance proudly wore red lipstick as a sign of defiance.
An author predicted the sinking of the Titanic 14 years earlier
There are a lot of eerie and mind-blowing facts out there, including this one. In the 1898 novella The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility, author Morgan Robertson wrote about a fictional ‘unsinkable’ British ocean liner named Titan, that sinks after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic. And even more uncanny, just like the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, the Titan didn’t have enough lifeboats for all of its passengers.
First-time tourists to Paris can be so disappointed, they get sick
Get a load of this strange, odd fact: When visiting Paris for the first time fails to live up to someone’s high expectations, it can bring on something called the Paris Syndrome. A real psychological condition, Paris Syndrome can cause symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, increased heart rate, and dizziness. Interestingly enough, it appears to affect Japanese tourists in greater numbers. Reasons for the disillusionment may be culture shock and clashes and the way Japanese pop culture portrays Paris as a picture of perfection, according to The Independent.
Pilots and co-pilots consume different in-flight meals
One fact that can allow you peace of mind during air travel: The Captain and the First Officer of most airlines eat different food to avoid an unfortunate situation of both getting food poisoning while flying.
Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn
The mythical animal has been a celebrated symbol for centuries, appearing on the Scottish royal coat of arms in the 12th century and on gold coins in the 1600s. According to The Scotsman, one theory on why the Scottish chose the unicorn is that it’s long been regarded as the natural enemy of the lion, which was England’s symbol. Scots value their national animal so much that they designate every April 9th as National Unicorn Day!
A dentist invented the electric chair
This is one of those weird history facts you may not know. In 1881, Alfred P. Southwick, a dentist in Buffalo, N.Y., witnessed a freak accident where an intoxicated man was electrocuted by touching a live generator terminal. It sparked an idea of how electrocution might be a quicker more humane method of capital punishment, compared to more grisly methods, like the guillotine or hanging. Southwick successfully worked with the New York governor and state legislators, along with 20 other states getting laws passed mandating electrical executions.
Judy Garland’s Dorothy was originally a blonde in The Wizard of Oz
In L. Frank Baum’s original book, Dorothy’s hair is blonde, not brown. Though MGM production staff put Garland in a long blonde wig and heavier makeup, temporary director George Cukor nixed the idea, believing she looked too artificial and sophisticated to be a rural farm girl. Here are some other interesting facts about The Wizard of Oz you may not know.
In Sweden, Cool Ranch Doritos are called “Cool American”
Swedish people don’t know what ranch flavor is, so the product goes by the name of “Cool American” instead, according to Snopes.
Cats have their own film festival
Cat lovers can get their fill of amusing cat videos on a big screen at Cat Video Fest, an international film festival featuring a 75-minute compilation of short feline flicks. The festival has been seen in hundreds of theaters worldwide, including the U.S., Canada, Europe and Singapore. Can’t make it to the festival? We’ve compiled a slew of hilarious cat memes to keep you laughing.
The creation of the tea bag was an accident
Back in 1904, an American tea trader named Thomas Sullivan shipped tea samples to Europe in little silk pouches so they wouldn’t get mixed up during the voyage. When the recipients got them, they mistakenly dipped the bags into boiling water, and voila, the tea bag was born!
Warren G. Harding’s wife was rumored to have killed him
The 29th President of the U.S., Warren G. Harding, was elected in 1920, and died in 1923, only two years into his term. Conspiracy theories fueled speculation his wife, Florence Harding, may have poisoned him out of revenge for his extra-marital affairs, especially since she refused an autopsy. The rumors were just that though, and the deceased president died of a heart attack, says historian Robert H. Ferrell, in his book, The Strange Deaths of President Harding, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Giraffes are 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning than humans
This is believed to happen because lightning tends to strike tall objects, especially in open areas where there isn’t much shelter, reports a study in the African Journal of Ecology. Here’s some other facts about lightning strikes that may surprise you.
The mayor of one Minnesota town is a dog
In August 2024, a Great Pyrenees named Khaleesi beat out three other dogs to become the ‘honorary’ mayor of Cormorant, Minn., a town with a population of less than 1,400, reports The Kansas City Star. While Khaleesi won’t have to carry out any official executive duties, she will make appearances in parades and fundraising events.
You can buy someone’s lost luggage
The Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Ala. is the nation’s only retailer of lost luggage. The store has contracts with all the major airlines and buys unclaimed bags and their contents, only after there’s been a 90-day intensive search for the owner. Some of the oddest finds by UBC include a shrunken human head from the Amazon, a camera from the Space Shuttle, and a 40.95-carat Emerald appraised for $25,000. Today the 50,000 square store boasts more than one million visitors a year from all over the world, making it one of Alabama’s most popular tourist attractions.
Your tongue is as unique as your fingerprints
Just like no two people can have the same fingerprints, the same goes for your tongue. Research has found each individual’s “tongue print” is unique, with its own distinctive shape, size, color, and surface texture. Even identical twins have different tongues from each other. Some studies suggest tongue prints could potentially be a useful tool in forensic investigations.
People once took tomato pills as medicine
Back in the 1800s, a medical tomato craze occurred in the U.S., thanks in part to an Ohio physician, Dr. John Cook Bennett, who claimed tomatoes could ease or cure a multitude of ailments, including diarrhea, indigestion, cholera, jaundice and “violent bilious attacks.” Dr. Bennett partnered with drug manufacturer Archibald Miles to produce tomato pills called “Dr. Miles’ Compound Extract of Tomato.” Hundreds of thousands of people bought into it, purchasing the tomato extract pills but the trend died down around 1850, when Americans decided to simply eat the tomatoes instead.
A Congolese bride and groom can’t smile on their wedding day
The Democratic Republic of the Congo considers marriage such a serious business, neither the bride or groom can smile or laugh during the ceremony, reception, and even in wedding photos. If they do, it shows they’re not serious about their commitment.
Queen Elizabeth I made black teeth trendy in the 1500s
Queen Elizabeth I had a legendary sweet tooth, but unfortunately, all the years of eating sugary treats caused her teeth to turn black. Since the monarch was a major influencer of her time, other women decided to black out their teeth to copy their queen’s smile. This weird history fact is definitely a case for being thankful for modern dentistry and toothpaste.
Babies used to hang outside windows to get some fresh air
In order to give their babies some “proper fresh air,” parents in the 1920s would suspend their tots outside their window in a wire-enclosed “baby cage.” Invented in 1922, these portable cages were mostly used by people living in apartment dwellings.
A game show dare inspired a town to change its name
Hot Springs, N.M. was renamed Truth or Consequences in 1950 after the popular NBC radio game show hatched a publicity scheme. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show, host Ralph Edwards wondered if there might be a town in the U.S. who “liked and respected” the show so much they’d change the name to Truth or Consequences. Hot Springs answered the call and via a special election, the town officially voted to have a new name.
A flamingo’s pink color comes from its food
These long-legged birds are actually born gray and turn pink as a result of what they eat. Flamingos dine on algae and brine shrimp, which contain natural red, yellow, or orange pigments, or carotenoids, the same ones responsible for color of carrots and tomatoes. As their bodies metabolize the carotenoids, their feathers turn pink.
McDonald’s once sold a Hawaiian ‘burger’
The Hula Burger, which came on the scene in the early 1960s, consisted of a slice of grilled pineapple and cheese on a bun. Created by McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, it was offered as alternative for Catholics who didn’t eat meat on Fridays. The Hula burger never caught on, nor could it compete with the other meatless option, Filet-O-Fish, and was quickly discontinued.
Mood lighting in Japan’s train stations help curb suicides
Blue lights on train platforms in Japan have been shown to reduce the chance someone will jump in front of a speeding train. In fact, one study in the Journal of Affective Disorders found blue lighting reduced suicide attempts by 84%. It’s believed blue registers as a calming color, associated with the sky and sea, which may be soothing to people in distress, according to Psychology Today.
You can make a diamond out of peanut butter
Diamonds and peanut butter both contain carbon, so scientist Dan Frost at the Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Germany decided to see if he could convert the carbon from peanut butter into a diamond. After Frost exposed peanut butter to the same intense heat and pressure a diamond undergoes in the earth, he was able to produce a crystallized diamond. But it’s not as easy as it sounds, in order to make a peanut butter diamond, you’d need to heat it to at least 2,000 Fahrenheit. Frost’s discovery is what you can file under weird science facts.
The oldest piece of cake is nearly 4,000 years old
Go to the Alimentarium food museum in Vevey, Switzerland, and you’ll be able to see the world’s oldest slice of cake, according to Guinness World Records. Discovered in an ancient Egyptian tomb in 1913, the cake consists of two slices of wheat flatbread with a milk and honey filling. Estimated to date back to the reign of Pepi II (2251 to 2157 BCE), it’s the cake’s two copper molds that served as a vacuum, resulting in its preservation.
In Delaware, you can get your marriage annulled if it was a joke
If either or both spouses tied the knot in jest or as part of a dare in Delaware, the marriage can be annulled. You just need to file within 90 days of learning the nuptials weren’t on the up and up. This isn’t the only surprising marriage law in the U.S.
New Zealand has more sheep than people
Sheep rule the roost in New Zealand. With a sheep population of 23.3 million compared to 5.2 million people, that means there are 4.4 sheep for every New Zealander.
Fiat once sold a car with an espresso machine
The Italian automaker Fiat installed a Lavazza built-in espresso maker in its 2012 500L model. The car was only available in Europe, and you could only brew coffee when the car was parked. It was a short-lived idea that never really took off, and Fiat reportedly ceased production a year later.
Nomophobia is the fear of being without your smartphone
For many people, the anxiety of being detached from your phone or not having cell service is real. The condition, Nomophobia, stands for No Mobile Phone Phobia and can cause such symptoms as sweating, shaking, agitation and even breathing difficulties. Research has shown Nomophobia can affect up to 73% of people, according to Forbes.
Two-stick Popsicles were created to make your dollar stretch
During the Great Depression, the Popsicle® company debuted the two-stick ice pop so people could get more bang for their buck, or rather, five cents.
A barber in India cuts hair with fire
Nazim Ali, a haircutter in New Delhi, has been using flammable chemicals he ignites in order to ‘cut’ and style hair, according to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Ali’s been using his technique for 30 years, and is especially popular with the Dehli youth.
A 16th century ‘dance plague’ caused people to drop like flies
In the summer of 1518, hundreds of citizens in the French city of Strasbourg danced uncontrollably for days and weeks on end, with some dying from the overexertion. According to the History Channel, scientists and historians aren’t quite sure what was behind the deadly dance-a-thon, but some choice theories include the participants being part of a religious cult or having ingested a toxic mold on bread that produced spasms and hallucinations.
Cranberries can bounce
The small round fruit contains four air pockets, allowing them to not only float in water, but bounce when dropped on a hard surface. Try it and see!
It’s illegal to run out of gas on the Autobahn
Running out of gas on Germany’s fast-speed highway is against the law because it’s seen as a preventable circumstance. Stopping on the autobahn, even driving over the shoulder, is prohibited unless it’s an absolute emergency.
Tom Hanks and Mr. Rogers are distant cousins
Tom Hanks played Fred Rogers in the 2019 film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, but their connection doesn’t stop here. An Ancestry.com dig into their family trees found the two are actually sixth cousins who share a five-times great grandfather. What’s more, they’re also both descendants from two American brothers who fought in the Revolutionary War, according to People magazine.
A man built a mini Taj Mahal for his wife
Indian businessman Anand Prakash Chouksey had a scaled-down version of the Taj Mahal built for his wife of 27 years. Situated on 50 acres, the two-bedroom home cost about $260,000 and took three years to build. Though the couple lives there, they often open up their grounds and home to visitors. The BBC reports that the home contains a library, a meditation room and its own hospital!
U.S. coins used to say “Mind Your Business”
The first U.S. coin in circulation said “Mind Your Business” instead of “In God We Trust.” Benjamin Franklin was responsible for coming up with the initial motto, but the wording changed to “In God We Trust” during the Civil War, mainly as a response to increased religious sentiment, according to Snopes.
Now that your mind is brimming with these weird facts, check out these other interesting facts about basically everything.
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