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0 Cold Facts That Will Leave You Stunned Are you ready to be amazed, surprised and astounded by an extraordinary collection of cold facts? Here are 1500 of the most interesting, amusing, bizarre and jaw-dropping pieces of information that will make you see the world in a new light. 1. Did you know that the shortest war in history lasted only 38 minutes? It was between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896. 2. There was a giant turtle that lived to be over 200 years old. Her name was Harriet, and she was once owned by Charles Darwin. 3. The African elephant is the largest land animal in the world. However, the blue whale is the largest animal on Earth, and it's even bigger than the tallest dinosaur. 4. The longest word in the English language has 189,819 letters and is the name of a protein known as Titin. 5. There is a species of jellyfish that is immortal. It's called the Turritopsis dohrnii, and it can revert back to its juvenile form. 6. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth, and it's so big that it can be seen from outer space. 7. The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat, which weighs less than a penny. 8. In ancient Egypt, it was considered good luck to have a cat in the house. 9. The highest point of elevation on the planet is the peak of Mount Everest, which is 29,029 feet above sea level. 10 There is a rare genetic condition called tetrachromacy that allows some people to see far more colors than the average person, up to 100 million. 11. The oldest person who ever lived was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died at the age of 122 in 1997. 12. The Great Wall of China is not visible from space, despite the popular myth. 13. There is an island in Japan that is completely inhabited by cats. 14. Honey never spoils. Archaeologists discovered pots of honey from ancient Egypt that were still edible after thousands of years. 15. Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903. 16. It is impossible to hum while holding your nose. 17. The largest item on any menu in the world is the $1,000 ice cream sundae made by New York City's Serendipity 3. 18. The human body has over 100 trillion cells, and most of them are replaced every seven to ten years. 19. The fastest animal in the world is the peregrine falcon, which can fly at over 240 miles per hour. 20. The only continent without reptiles and snakes is Antarctica. 21. In the 18th century, people drank radioactive water to cure various illnesses. 22. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds. 23. Spiders can fly by releasing a trail of silk into the wind and riding the currents. 24. Humans share 50% of their DNA with bananas. 25. The Royal Canadian Mint once made a coin that was worth $1 million. 26. There are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the observable universe. 27. A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance. 28. It is estimated that there are over 8 million trillion possible ways to shuffle a deck of cards. 29. A cockroach can live for several weeks without its head before eventually dying of thirst. 30. The longest wedding veil was over two and a half miles long. 31. Before the 20th century, shark attacks were almost unheard of. 32. Pineapple has an enzyme called bromelain that can break down meat, which is why it makes a good meat tenderizer. 33. The world's largest snowflake on record measured 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick. 34. The planet Saturn's rings are made of ice and are between 30 and 300 feet thick. 35. A single strand of spaghetti is called a spaghetto. 36. The largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century was the 1912 eruption of Mount Novarupta in Alaska. 37. The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 186,282 miles per second. 38. Horses can't vomit. 39. The longest hiccups on record lasted for 68 years. 40. A human's sense of smell is capable of detecting over 10,000 different odors. 41. The world's largest jigsaw puzzle had over 551,232 pieces. 42. The highest recorded wave on the open ocean was over 100 feet tall. 43. A group of hippopotamuses is called a bloat. 44. The Great Pyramid of Giza took twenty years to build and is made up of over two million blocks of stone. 45. A bird's heart beats up to 1,200 times per minute. 46. The world's smallest bird is the bee hummingbird, which is only 2.4 inches long. 47. Bubble wrap was originally intended to be used as wallpaper. 48. The word "nerd" was first coined by Dr. Seuss in his book "If I Ran the Zoo" in 1950. 49. The world's tallest building is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which stands at 2,717 feet tall. 50. Lobsters have blue blood. 51. There is an animal called a tardigrade that can survive in the vacuum of space and extreme temperatures. 52. All of the gold ever mined in the world would fit into a cube that is just 66 feet on each side. 53. A group of ferrets is called a business. 54. Every year, more people are killed by vending machines than by sharks. 55. The world's longest snake is the reticulated python, which can grow over 30 feet long. 56. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit in Antarctica. 57. The oldest known living tree is a bristlecone pine in California that is over 4,800 years old. 58. A group of wombats is called a wisdom. 59. A blue whale's heart is so large that a human could swim through its arteries. 60. The world's largest pumpkin weighed over 2,600 pounds. 61. The song "Happy Birthday" is protected by copyright and is not in the public domain. 62. A shrimp's heart is located in its head. 63. There is an island in Indonesia that is home to the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon. 64. The word "virus" comes from the Latin word for "poison." 65. The world's deepest postbox is located in Susami Bay, Japan and is 10 meters underwater. 66. The world's fastest land animal is the cheetah, which can run up to 75 miles per hour. 67. A group of owls is called a parliament. 68. A chameleon's tongue can be as long as its body. 69. The largest asteroid ever recorded is called Ceres and has a diameter of over 590 miles. 70. An adult human has around 100,000 hairs on their head. 71. A group of crocodiles is called a bask. 72. The world's largest freshwater lake is Lake Superior, which sits between the United States and Canada. 73. The shortest commercially available flight in the world is between Westray and Papa Westray in Scotland and lasts just 47 seconds. 74. A group of kangaroos is called a mob. 75. The world's largest spider is the goliath tarantula, which can grow up to a foot across. 76. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the world was 134 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley, California. 77. The world's largest mammal is the blue whale, which can grow over 100 feet long. 78. The largest known asteroid impact crater is the Vredefort crater in South Africa and is over 190 miles wide. 79. The average person will spend six months of their life waiting for red lights to turn green. 80. A group of rhinoceroses is called a crash. 81. The oldest known piece of chewing gum is over 5,000 years old and was found in Finland. 82. A group of ravens is called an unkindness. 83. The world's smallest snake is the thread snake, which is only 3.9 inches long. 84. A group of foxes is called a skulk. 85. The shortest man in recorded history was Chandra Bahadur Dangi from Nepal, who was only 21.5 inches tall. 86. A group of rats is called a mischief. 87. The world's largest glacier is the Lambert-Fisher Glacier in Antarctica, which is over 250 miles long. 88. A group of ferocious felines is called a destruction. 89. A group of jellyfish is called a smack. 90. A group of goats is called a trip. 91. The shortest verse in the Bible is "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). 92. A group of monkeys is called a troop. 93. The world's largest porpoise is the Dall's porpoise and can grow up to eight feet long. 94. A group of hyenas is called a cackle. 95. The world's largest moth is the Atlas moth, which can have a wingspan of over 10 inches. 96. A group of hamsters is called a horde. 97. The highest recorded temperature in the world was 134 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley, California. 98. A group of lions is called a pride. 99. The oldest known fossil is over 3.5 billion years old and was found in Australia. 100. A group of coyotes is called a band. 101. The largest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea, which is over 143,000 square miles. 102. A group of rats is called a colony. 103. The world's largest rodent is the capybara, which can weigh up to 140 pounds. 104. A group of otters is called a romp. 105. The world's largest reptile is the saltwater crocodile, which can grow over 23 feet long. 106. A group of kangaroos is called a troop. 107. The world's largest snake is the anaconda, which can grow over 25 feet long. 108. A group of crows is called a murder. 109. The world's tallest mammal is the giraffe, which can grow over 18 feet tall. 110 A group of moles is called a labor. 111. The highest recorded ocean wave was over 112 feet tall. 112. A group of squirrels is called a dray. 113. The world's fastest shark is the shortfin mako, which can swim up to 60 miles per hour. 114. A group of bears is called a sleuth. 115. The world's largest cat is the Siberian tiger, which can weigh over 600 pounds. 116. A group of raccoons is called a gaze. 117. The shortest war in history lasted only 38 minutes. 118. A group of marauding monkeys is called a troop. 119. The world's largest fish is the whale shark, which can grow over 40 feet long. 120. A group of bees is called a swarm. 121. The highest recorded earthquake was in Chile in 1960 and registered 9.5 on the Richter scale. 122. A group of penguins is called a colony. 123. The world's largest octopus is the Giant Pacific octopus, which can weigh over 600 pounds. 124. A group of penguins in the water is called a raft. 125. A group of fish is called a school. 126. The oldest known city in the world is Jericho in modern-day Palestine, which has been continuously inhabited for over 11,000 years. 127. A group of dogs is called a pack. 128. The world's largest butterfly is the Queen Alexandra's birdwing, which can have a wingspan of over a foot. 129. A group of moths is called a whisper. 130. The shortest commercial flight in the world is between Westray and Papa Westray in Scotland and lasts just 47 seconds. 131. A group of camels is called a caravan. 132. The world's largest shark is the whale shark, which can grow over 40 feet long. 133. A group of squirrels is called a scurry. 134. The oldest known human remains were found in Ethiopia and date back around 160,000 years. 135. A group of gorillas is called a band. 136. The largest known animal on Earth was the blue whale, which could weigh up to 200 tons. 137. A group of skunks is called a stench. 138. The world's largest bird is the ostrich, which can weigh over 300 pounds. 139. A group of ants is called a colony. 140. The smallest planet in our solar system is Mercury, which is about one-third the size of Earth. 141. A group of buffalo is called a herd. 142. The world's largest land animal is the African elephant, which can weigh over 22,000 pounds. 143. A group of wolves is called a pack. 144. The first Olympics were held in ancient Greece in 776 BC. 145. A group of shrimp is called a troupe. 146. The world's largest fish is the whale shark, which can grow over 40 feet long. 147. A group of flies is called a business. 148. The oldest known living organism is a Norway spruce in Sweden that is over 9,550 years old. 149. A group of ferrets is called a business. 150. The world's largest plant is the giant sequoia, which can grow over 300 feet tall.
