30 Unbelievable Facts You Didn’t Know Were True

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction! For example, did you realize that microbes account for 2 to 3 pounds of your body weight? We’ve compiled a list of 50 mind-blowing facts that you probably didn’t know were true. Some of these facts may even make you squirm in your seat or change your perspective on eating. Continue reading, and your perspective on the world could change a little.

1. A single sneeze travels at 100 mph and disperses 100,000 germs into the air.
2. You are born with one pint of blood, but by the time you reach adulthood, you have four to five quarts.
3. The average human body contains enough fat to produce seven bars of soap.
4. Humans, like bats and whales, can use echolocation.
5. You can’t hum while holding your nose. Go ahead and give it a shot!
6. Every human being has an instinctive dive reaction. When you immerse your face in cold water or hold your breath, your heart slows and your blood vessels constrict to conserve oxygen.
7. Because their windpipes constrict in response to being submerged, newborn babies cannot drown. However, after six months, that response vanishes (but we do NOT recommend testing this odd fact at home).
8. The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve metal.
9. The NBA Logo features a silhouette of Hall of Fame Los Angeles Laker Jerry West.
10. The average MLB baseball has a lifespan of only 7 pitches.
11. Golf is the only sport that has been played on the moon. Alan Shepard used a homemade 6-iron to whack two golf balls on the lunar surface in 1971.
12. The phrase “winning something hands down” originated in horse racing. When a jockey is far enough ahead, he can let go of the reins and keep his hands down.
13. Wild dolphins address one another by name.
14. Sperm whales have the highest decibel level in the planet, at 230 dB. (By comparison, an airplane’s takeoff noise is 150 dB.)
15. Polar bears and grizzlies have mated in the Arctic, giving rise to a new species known as the pizzly!
16. Sea otters link hands while sleeping to keep from drifting apart.
17. Blue whale hearts weigh over a ton and beat every 10 seconds.
18. A dog’s sense of smell is so acute that it can detect a teaspoon of sugar in a million gallons of water, which is equivalent to two Olympic-sized swimming pools.
19. That apple you bought at the store could be over a year old.
20. The majority of wasabi paste sold in sushi restaurants is horseradish, not wasabi.
21. The term “OK” is most likely a typo of the phrase “all correct.”
22. Hot water really freezes faster than cold water under some settings.
23. Because lobsters were so cheap in the past, they were regularly used to feed convicts.
24. Because tomatoes are indigenous to the Americas, there was no tomato sauce in Italy until at least the 16th century.
25. Previously, dentures were commonly constructed from actual human or animal teeth.
26. Urine was used by the ancient Romans to whiten their teeth.
27. The vast majority of store-bought orange juice is chemically flavored.
28. Cochineal “beetles,” which are actually a type of scale insect that parasitizes cacti, are a key source of red food coloring.
29. The Food and Drug Administration has a guidebook that specifies the levels of “insect fragments” and other icky-sounding pollutants that are safe for people to consume in various foods.
30. The cocktail “bloody mary” may be named after England’s Queen Mary, who had hundreds of people burnt at the stake.