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There are certain facts that sound completely made up until you look them up and realize they’re actually true. They’re also the ones you immediately want to tell somebody else, whether that person asked for a random fact or not. History, animals, space, food, and everyday objects are full of strange little details that somehow make the world more interesting. Some explain things you may have wondered about for years, while others raise questions you probably never thought to ask in the first place. If collecting completely unnecessary but fascinating information is your thing, this list is for you.
Here are 15 random fun facts to fascinate the geeks amongst us.
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Bananas Are Berries, but Strawberries Aren’t
Botanically speaking, bananas qualify as berries because they develop from a single flower with one ovary. Strawberries are considered aggregate fruits instead.
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A Day on Venus Is Longer Than a Year
Venus rotates incredibly slowly. It takes about 243 Earth days to complete one rotation, while a trip around the Sun takes roughly 225 Earth days.
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Wombat Poop Is Cube-Shaped
Wombats are the only known animals that regularly produce cube-shaped poop. Their unusually shaped intestines help form the distinctive little blocks.
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The Eiffel Tower Gets Taller During Summer
Heat causes the iron in the Eiffel Tower to expand, meaning the landmark can grow by several centimeters during particularly warm weather.
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Octopuses Have Three Hearts
Two hearts pump blood through an octopus’s gills, while the third circulates it through the rest of the body.
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The World’s Largest Desert Is Antarctica
Deserts are defined by how little precipitation they receive, not by temperature. That makes Antarctica, rather than the Sahara, the largest desert on Earth.
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Sharks Are Older Than Trees
Sharks have existed for more than 400 million years. The earliest trees appeared tens of millions of years later.
Scotland’s National Animal Is the Unicorn
Scotland chose a creature that doesn’t even exist as its national animal. Unicorns have been associated with Scottish royalty and heraldry for centuries.
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The Moon Has Moonquakes
Earth isn’t the only place that experiences seismic activity. Instruments left by Apollo astronauts detected thousands of quakes on the Moon.
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Some Turtles Can Breathe Through Their Butts
Certain freshwater turtles can absorb oxygen through specialized tissues near their cloaca while spending long periods underwater.
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Nintendo Was Founded in 1889
Nintendo existed nearly a century before the first Super Mario Bros. game. The company originally produced handmade Japanese playing cards.
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The Dot Over an “i” Has a Name
That tiny dot is called a tittle. The same term applies to the dot above a lowercase “j”.
Sea Otters Hold Hands While Sleeping
Sea otters sometimes hold paws while floating together, helping them stay close instead of drifting away from one another.
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Oxford University Is Older Than the Aztec Empire
Teaching was taking place at Oxford by 1096. The Aztec Empire wasn’t established until the 15th century.
There’s a Basketball Court Inside the U.S. Supreme Court Building
A gym sits above the courtroom, and its basketball court has earned a very appropriate nickname: “the Highest Court in the Land.”
The post 15 Random Fun Facts to Fascinate the Geeks Amongst Us appeared first on Den of Geek.
