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68 facts in General. Click any fact to see its full page.
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Approximately 40% of the world's currency is held in the form of U.S. dollars.
The U.S. dollar is the most traded currency in the world, involved in about 88% of all foreign exchange transactions.
The average person will spend six months of their life waiting for red lights to turn green.
More monopoly money is printed each year than real money in the United States.
The tea bag was invented by accident when Thomas Sullivan sent tea samples in small silk bags and customers brewed tea with them still in the bags.
The number 40 is the only number whose letters are in alphabetical order when spelled out in English.
The most push-ups done in one hour is 2,919.
The longest hiccuping spree on record lasted 68 years β Charles Osborne hiccuped from 1922 to 1990.
The average person spends about six months of their lifetime waiting in line.
The Voynich Manuscript is a 600-year-old book written in an unknown language that no one has ever been able to decipher.
The Voynich manuscript, written in an unknown script, has never been deciphered β over 600 years after it was made.
Serial killers are statistically rarer than pop culture suggests β the FBI reports fewer than 50 active at any time in the US.
Malapropism β using the wrong similar-sounding word β is named after Mrs. Malaprop in Sheridan's 'The Rivals' (1775).
The longest beard on a living person measured 2.495 meters as of 2023.
The smell of rain is called petrichor β from Greek petra (stone) and ichor (fluid of the gods).
The longest word you can type using only the left hand on a standard keyboard is 'stewardesses.'
The world record for memorizing a deck of cards is 12.74 seconds, set by Zou Lujian in 2017.
Competitive ski jumping judges give marks for both distance and style β a beautiful flight scores even more than distance alone.
Roger Federer's serve can reach 230 km/h β and the ball reaches the opponent in about 0.4 seconds.
The inventor of the Rubik's Cube, ErnΕ Rubik, took a month to solve his own puzzle after inventing it.
Every year, more people are killed by vending machines than by sharks.
The Socratic method β learning through questioning β remains foundational to legal education.
Every year, more people are killed by vending machines than sharks.
The Socratic method β learning through questioning β remains a foundation of legal education.
Property rights β secure legal ownership of assets β are among the strongest predictors of economic development.
The global shadow economy β unreported, untaxed activity β is estimated at about 28% of global GDP.
The highest ever recorded ski jump is over 253 meters, achieved by Stefan Kraft in 2017.
Synchronized swimming, now called artistic swimming, requires athletes to hold their breath for up to 3 minutes while performing choreography.
The inventor of the Frisbee was cremated and turned into a Frisbee after he died.
The average person spends about two weeks of their life waiting at traffic lights.
More people are killed each year by vending machines falling on them than by sharks.
A googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros β the search engine Google is named after it, misspelled.
A 'fortnight' is two weeks β from 'fourteen nights'.
The longest recorded fart is 2 minutes and 42 seconds long.
The book still had her name inside it.
Both men shared the same name and birthday.
About 150,000 people die each day globally.
The lifetime odds of becoming a millionaire in the U.S. are roughly 1 in 15.
Your lifetime odds of being audited by the IRS are roughly 1 in 160.
You are more likely to share your birthday with someone than not in large gatherings.
Scarcity increases perceived value.
You are more likely to survive a plane crash than many people assume.
You are more likely to be injured at home than almost anywhere else.
The odds of being born on February 29 are about 1 in 1,461.
You are more likely to become a millionaire than win many major lotteries.
Financial habits formed early often last a lifetime.
Income tends to increase with age until retirement.
Most wealthy individuals spend less than they earn.
People who invest early accumulate significantly more wealth.
The average millionaire has multiple sources of income.