Everyone loves a good fun fact, especially one that's unexpected, unusual, and can lead to a quirky conversation.
Anyone who wants a good conversation starter for a holiday party or a company event could use some interesting pieces of trivia they could bring out at a moment's notice when the conversation has stalled.
Taking notes, Redditor Goatsfallingf**ks asked:
"What is the most unusual fact you know?"
Defying Gravity
"If the sun were to disappear we would still orbit it for approximately 8 minutes even though there's literally nothing there."
"We'd see it, too, feel its warmth and everything."
- Adius_Omega
"We’d still orbit it? Gravity works at the speed of light?"
- TrashGeologist
"The speed of light is also the speed of causality, i.e. how fast an event propagates through space."
"Gravitational effects can’t violate causality. If they could there would be all sorts of loopholes to relativity."
- notquiteright2
"Correct. It’s useful to think about gravity in this case being a warping of space-time. If you imagine a very heavy object sitting in the middle of a trampoline, that funnel shape that’s created wouldn’t instantly disappear if the object did. It would take some measurable amount of time for the trampoline to return to its original shape. Just like space-time."
- KingRexxi
Incredible Creatures
"Octopuses have three hearts and blue blood. It's so fascinating!"
- TenderMryla
"And they have nine brains!"
- Optimal_Life_1259
Otherwise, They'd Be Too Powerful
"Being a cat lover, this has always been my favorite: cats can either purr or roar. They cannot do both."
"The King or Queen of your home can purr. The lion can roar but never purr."
- WildlifePolicyChick
An Unending Bowl
"The Grand Canyon is so large that you could fit EVERYONE who ever lived inside it and still not fill it."
- RevGrimm
"I'd hate to be the guy at the very bottom."
- Cyclist_Thaanos
Honey Forever
"Archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still perfectly good to eat!"
- MysticMelo24
So Depressing
"I grew up on a dairy farm in the 1960s. US milk production today is twice what it was then and there are half as many cows. Each cow produces four times as much."
- OperationNo3934
Gymnastic Twinsies!
"The only animal other than a human that can perform a headstand is an elephant."
- TheGhostOfDonaldDuck
"Another cool fact about elephants, is they're the only mammal that can't jump."
- AdFresh8123
"Now I have to find a video of an elephant headstand..."
- GEEZUS_151
A Side Hobby That Never Ends
"Pi is off the top of my head: 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288."
"Silly, useless to know that much. And hilariously, it was because in grade school I helped a friend prepare for a contest to see who could memorize the most. I didn't even take part. Somehow that much is still stuck in my head."
- ElyorCat
"Did you know you only need 38 digits of Pi to calculate the size of the known universe with a margin of error smaller than a hydrogen atom?"
- Sunbearimon
Totally Get It
"Pelicans have three stomachs, and one of them is just for bones."
- Squawk_pkwauks
"I definitely have a dessert stomach, so I get it."
- Empanatan
Car Accessories
"Mini skirts are not actually called that because of their length, they’re named after the car! British fashion designer Mary Quant said the skirts were 'exuberant, optimistic, young, and flirty… the perfect compliment to a Mini Cooper.'"
- OhAHugeMonster
Sounds Like A Horror Story
"Your eyes have their own immune system. If your 'normal' immune system discovers this it will attack your eyes and you'll go blind."
- Legitimate_Bird_5712
"... how would my normal immune system find out...?"
- monokuma1sepib***h
"Stop talking about it so they don’t hear you."
- gimp1615
Food Chain Crossover
"Killer whales are a natural predator of moose."
- 1stPeter315
"So how do the whales get on land?"
- Upper_Economist7611
"I think it’s most common for the moose to wander into sea waters between the Canadian mainland and islands along Vancouver Island."
- 1stPeter315
"Noooo, I prefer to believe in land whales!"
- Upper_Economist7611
Change In Perspective
"The average person's forearm is the length of their foot."
- Narrow-Swan
"I just tried this and my feet are HUGE."
- Fritzo2162
"You're used to seeing them all the way down at the bottom of your legs."
"Your forearms are often much closer to your face."
"Perspective is weird."
- mbbysky
"Every time I tell anybody this in person they immediately do it thinking they will prove me wrong and it’s so funny to watch them be absolutely shocked."
- Narrow-Swan
Such A Fun Fact!
"There are six state capitals west of Los Angeles, CA."
- jimmydoorlocks
"I was mindblown until my dumbass realized Alaska and Hawaii are two of the six. That kind of dismissed my dismay."
- MikeAustin99
"Mind blown. I knew four but forgot Sacramento and didn’t know Carson City!"
- julieisarockstar
"Seriously. This is a fantastic trivia question for your friends."
- I_Can_Haz_Brainz
It's no question why these facts are these Redditors' favorite fun facts, and most of these would be great additions to anyone's trivia arsenal for future events.