10 Surprising Fun Facts That Will Change the Way You See the World

We have compiled a collection of 10 surprising but fun facts that you will surely enjoy or learn something new about. Let us know in the comments which ones you found the most interesting, or supplement the fact if you want to share more about it!

1. Astronaut Forgot to File Taxes While in Space

We all know if there’s one thing in life that is permanent and will always be true, that thing will be taxes. Yes, you can be an astronaut and go somewhere outside the planet, but you still won’t be able to escape your taxes.

That is exactly what happened with Apollo 13 mission astronaut Jack Swigert. He forgot to file his taxes and then the NASA has to contact the IRS to grant him an extension.

This is a funny fact but still very interesting. To know that no matter where you are, you still need to pay your taxes.

Source: Space.com

2. A Roman Emperor Stabbed a Slave Over Anger

Roman emperors are some of the most famous leaders known for their brutality. This is maybe because of the time and period they lived in, but sometimes they can just be straight-up stupid.

Emperor Hadrian is a good example of this. Imagine not being able to control your emotions to the point that you stab a slave’s eyes. Later on, he felt so bad and tried to give compensation to the slave.

However, the slave simply replied, “I just want my eye back.”. If that were you would you wish for the same thing? Maybe your own freedom, some land and power. Let us know in the comments!

Source: Blogs.Kent.ac.uk

3. Early TV Remotes Had No Batteries

Did you know that older TV remotes do not run on batteries? Instead, they have a spring-loaded hammer inside that strikes a solid aluminum rod to generate a sound frequency that the TV would be able to recognize.

We have not seen those remotes in real life, but they might be a little bit louder than normal modern remotes due to the small hammer hitting the aluminum rod. Did you experience that remote? Share it with us!

Source: 9gag.com

4. Mozart Wrote Over 800 Pieces Before Dying at 35

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the greatest composers in history. One of the best evidence of this is his death at the young age of 35, and despite this, he was able to create over 800 musical pieces from opera to choral compositions.

He was able to make a piece that represents almost every genre of music in the Western civilization during the period he lived. He is both a genius and a very hard worker. That is probably why we are still talking about him up to this day.

Source: Wikipedia

5. Peacocks Fake Mating Calls to Impress Females

Yes, popularity and fame are not only attractive to human females but even to animals such as female peacocks. That is why sometimes male peacocks fake a mating call to trick females into thinking other females find them attractive, thus attracting that specific female peacock.

Do you think this is a bad thing? Since they evolved to be able to do it, it might be nature telling us to be more creative, right?

Source: Sciencenews.org

6. Women’s Jeans Pockets Are Half the Size of Men’s

Here is a random fun fact. Did you know that 40% of women’s jeans pockets are on average 50% smaller than men’s jeans which means the majority can’t fit a normal size iPhone X. Which also means it probably can’t fit all the other bigger phones either.

Do you think all women’s jeans pockets should be able to fit a normal-size phone? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Stellar

7. Japan Has the World’s Oldest Monarchy

It is not actually the United Kingdom’s monarchy that is the oldest standing royal family. That title belongs to Japan’s imperial house. Another fun fact is that they don’t have a known family name that stands back to 660 BCE, rather they are just known as the Imperial House of Japan.

What other monarchy do you know that is also hundreds or thousands of years old? Share them with us.

Source: Wikipedia

8. The U.S. President’s Nuclear Codes Are on a Plastic Card

Do you think the code to authorize a nuclear code would be inside a titanium briefcase that is protected with explosives or something crazy like that?

Nope, it is just inside a small plastic card around the same size as our credit cards. The United States president is required to carry it at all times if they ever have to use it immediately.

Another fun fact is you would think that they would name this card something cool or scary as it carries the code for nuclear authorization, but no, it is just titled “the biscuit”.

Do you think that is a cool nickname, let us know!

Source: Wikipedia

9. Chinstrap Penguins Take Over 10,000 Naps a Day

Did you know that there is a species of penguins that sleeps 10,000+ times a day? However, those sleeps are only about 4 seconds long on average. In total, it still amounts to about 11 hours of sleep per day.

Do you think you can handle sleeping this much and this little? How many times do you take a nap each day? Let us know, we’re actually curious.

Source: Science.org

10. Zombie Fires Burn Underground for Months

Zombie fires refer to wildfires that have not been fully extinguished. Instead, they smolder underground through the winter, continually burning. Then in the summer, it will spring up to the ground and cause a massive fire if not extinguished.

Because of the unique organic materials that are fueling them, they can persist for months without ever being detected, along with hiding underground during the winter. It could be hard to detect them until after they start a wildfire in the ground.

Source: OntarioNature.org

Author's Final Thoughts

You have arrived at the final point of this article and we hope you learn something new today and had fun while doing so. If you know any facts or would like to share some of your knowledge with us, feel free to comment and share it with the several thousand people reading the articles on the site.