100 Interesting Facts That Will Surprise and Amuse You

If you've ever found yourself in a situation where you've ran out of things to say at a dinner or happy hour with friends or family, you know how embarrassing it can be.

This is why having a few go-to ice breakers to keep the conversation flowing is usually a smart idea.

There are so many interesting facts to discover, such as those regarding Halloween, happiness, and American history.

Knowing a few unique amusing facts to surprise and delight those around you is a terrific way to start a discussion or simply change the subject to something else entirely.

There's no need to memorise all (or even most) of the 100 entertaining facts listed below, but even knowing a few of them off by heart will help you avoid awkward silences and social situations in the future.

Imagine never having to go to another dinner party and make small talk on the spur of the moment.

They're also a lot of fun to read about:

1. Though less common than earthquakes, the moon actually has moonquakes, too. That's right. Moonquakes.

2. You actually lose a large percentage of your taste buds while in an airplane. This might explain a lot about those less-than-stellar in-flight meals.

3. Bees can sting other bees — usually if they feel threatened or are protecting their territory.

4. Most people know dolphins have incredible sonar abilities. But did you know they were studied as war tools during the Cold War? They really are as smart as people say they are.

5. Like humans, koalas actually have unique individual fingerprints.

6. Bees can sting each other if they feel threatened or need to defend their area

7. The majority of people are aware that dolphins have remarkable sonar ability.

8. But did you know that during the Cold Military, they were studied as war tools?

9. They are, in fact, as intelligent as others claim.

10. Koalas, like humans, have their own unique fingerprints.

11. Brendan Fraser almost died while filming The Mummy (he passed out while filming a scene).

12. Will Ferrell consumed so much sugar while filming Elf that he actually became physically ill.

13. The Hollywood sign in Los Angeles once said "Hollywoodland."

14. The most expensive film ever made was Pirates of the Caribbean, which cost more than 375 million dollars to create.

15. Buzz Lightyear's original name is Lunar Larry.

16. Iceland grows 5 centimeters per year because of its moving tectonic plates.

17. Russia has a whopping 11 time zones within the country.

18. The place that has more caves than any other way on earth? Kentucky. Surprising, right?

19. The Sahara Desert can reach up to 136 degrees.

20. Australia is wider than the moon.

21. Vatican City is actually the smallest country in the world.

22. There are more people in California than Canada.

23. The closest state in the United States to Africa is Maine.

24. Russia has more surface area than Pluto.

25. The heart of a shrimp is located in its head. Weird, yet kind of cool.

26. Slugs have not one, not two, not three... but four noses.

27. It takes a sloth two weeks to digest food.

28. Just like human babies suck their thumbs, baby elephants sometimes suck on their trunks.

29. Crows can recognize human faces — and remember them for their entire lives.

30. There is only one country on earth without mosquitoes: Iceland.

31. The name of a group of lemurs is (wait for it) a "conspiracy." Really.

32. Believe it or not, wombats' poop is cube-shaped.

33. A little gross, but also kind of funny: Lobsters pee out of their faces.

34. Ready to have your mind blown? A blind chameleon can still adjust to the colors of its environment. The way it changes colors is because of its special cells, not eyesight.

35. Freddie Mercury has a pretty memorable smile. But did you know it's because he had four extra teeth in his upper jaw? Yup.

36. Clocking in at 1,560 words, "Rap God" by Eminem is the song with the most words.

37. The world's longest concert lasted 453 hours.

38. It takes 70 different pieces of wood to make up a violin, explaining why some of them are so expensive (one even sold for $16 million).

39. All clownfish are born male. That explains Marlin and Nemo.

40. A group of porcupines is called a prickle. How fitting.

41. Abraham Lincoln was a successful competitive wrestler.

42. Finland has more saunas than cars. Sounds like a pretty great place.

43. Gatorade was invented at the University of Florida, named after the mascot of the school, the Gators.

44. Volleyball and basketball were invented in Massachusetts.

45. The heaviest onion ever grown was 17 pounds.

46. Contrary to what you might think, Canada eats more macaroni and cheese than any other place.

47. The famous Sesame Street character Cookie Monster’s real name is Sid.

48. If you play tennis at Wimbledon, swearing is not allowed. Therefore, judges have to learn swearwords in different languages.

49. Mushrooms can glow in the dark. In fact, there are more than 70 varieties of mushrooms that do this.

50. The official sport of Maryland is jousting.

51. According to the Guinness World Records, the world's heaviest watermelon weighed 350 pounds!

52. Ketchup was once sold as medicine to treat diarrhea and indigestion.

53. In Switzerland, it's illegal to own just one guinea pig because they crave social interaction so much.

54. Seven percent of American adults think chocolate milk comes from brown cows (spoiler: It does not).

55. Bananas are curved because of how they grow — toward the sun.

56. The oldest living animal is reportedly a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan.

57. Only 5% of the ocean has been explored.

58. Saint Lucia is the only country in the world named after a woman.

59. The British royal family isn't allowed to play Monopoly because it gets too competitive.

60. There's an island in Japan that is only inhabited by bunnies.

61. The Supreme Court has its own private basketball court called "the highest court in the land."

62. More people are killed by vending machines than sharks.

63. There's a town in Norway called Hell. Ironically, it never gets very warm there at all.

64. If you put together all the time of characters sitting in silence in Twilight, it would amount to 26 minutes. Vampires really are that dramatic.

65. Dolly Parton once entered a Dolly Parton lookalike contest ... and lost.

66. Jennifer Lawrence has a tattoo that says "H2O" on her hand to remind her to drink water.

67. Ryan Gosling was almost in the Backstreet Boys.

68. Jennifer Aniston was almost a Saturday Night Live cast member — yes, before Friends.

69. When Lady Gaga went to NYU, a group of students started a Facebook group about how she would never be famous.

70. Jamie Lee Curtis is Jake Gyllenhaal's godmother.

71. Lorde has an Instagram account where she rates onion rings from around the world. Because why not?

72. Lana del Rey's real name is Lizzy Grant.

73. Strawberries are not actually berries.

74. Bananas are berries, though.

75. You can actually hear rhubarb grow — it pops!

76. You can eat the labels on fruit. They're totally edible... they just might not taste that good.

77. Until 2011, anything lower than 11% ABV was not legally considered alcohol.

78. Green, yellow, and red bell peppers might look like different versions of the same vegetable, but they're not!

79. White chocolate isn't actually of chocolate at all.

80. Honey will never go bad, so that's one last thing you have to throw out when you clean out your pantry.

81. Carrots were originally purple, not orange. You can still find delicious purple carrots around, though, even though they're not the most popular version.

82. If you put grapes in the microwave, they will explode.

83. Nutmeg can be hallucinogenic if consumed in large quantities.

84. Raspberries are actually a member of the rose family.

85. Broccoli contains more protein than a lot of meats, including steak.

86. Pistachios are technically fruits.

87. SPAM actually stands for spiced ham.

88. Most countries don't refrigerate their eggs.

89. Whether you realize it or not, you blink around 20 times per minute.

90. Earwax is technically a form of sweat.

91. Over the course of an average lifetime, most people will spend an entire year sitting on the toilet.

92. You're taller in the morning than at night.

93. The average adult human has 2000-4000 taste buds.

94. Humans are the only animals on earth with chins.

95. On average, hair grows about 6 inches per year.

96. Blushing is caused by a rush of adrenaline.

97. Every two weeks, another language or dialect goes extinct.

98. There are more than 200 languages that have been invented just for television or movies.

99. Dogs' sense of smell is 40 times more powerful than humans'.

100. Dogs can also breathe and smell simultaneously.

101. Dogs have a dominant paw like humans have a dominant left or right hand.

102. Dogs' noses are like human fingerprints; each one is unique.

103. Dolphins literally sleep with one eye open.

104. Alfred Hitchcock was scared of... eggs.

105. Umbrellas were once only used by women.