67 mind-blowing facts you’ll think are made up (but aren’t)

Ghengis Khan is known for being one of the most prolific killers ever but it appears he was just as much a lover as he was a fighter. Recent DNA analysis found that about 0.5 percent of all men alive today – about 16 million – are descended from the infamous mercenary. And that’s just the men.

When you think of Saudi Arabia, two of the first images that likely pop into your head are vast deserts of sand and lines of camels. It may sound like a case of selling ice to Eskimos but ever since 2002 the middle eastern country has been importing both sand and camels from Australia as their own supplies have run short. Australia has the largest population of wild camels in the world and its “garnet sand” is highly prized in manufacturing.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings classic fantasy books have experienced a huge resurgence in popularity thanks to the popular movie franchise. One of the most iconic images is that of the One Ring with its glowing inscription. But while most people think it’s written in the beautiful Elvish language, it’s actually scribed in the ugly Orcish or Black Speech.

Don’t miss 22 more surprising movie trivia facts you won’t believe are true. 

Known as the Olympus Mons, the tallest known mountain in the solar system is found on Mars. The shield volcano is so big that if you were to stand at the peak, you wouldn’t realise you were even on a mountain because the slope would be obscured by the curvature of the planet itself. Its base is the size of Arizona and the highest point is around 26 kilometres tall (Everest is 8.8 kilometres above sea level).

The average giraffe’s neck is 1.6 metres while a human being’s neck averages just 14cm. Yet both of us have the same number of bones in our necks: Seven.

Van Gogh is one of the most recognised painters of all time, with his famous paintings decorating everything from coffee mugs to shower curtains, along with walls in the most prestigious museums. But this acclaim was only achieved after his death. During life, he sold exactly one painting – and it’s not Starry Night. He sold The Red Vineyard for 400 Francs. In 1990, one of his paintings sold for $82.5 million.

The QWERTY keyboard that we all use today was invented by Christopher Shoals in 1874 for a new typewriter. Unfortunately, the keys were prone to jamming so, as the story goes, Shoals designed the keyboard to slow typists down by placing the most commonly used letters far apart. This may be a myth – other sources say the letter placement may be based on telegraph protocol – but at least it makes you feel like your hunt-n-peck typing isn’t your fault!

If you dread looking at your inbox, you’ve got a good reason. In 2018, researchers found that spam emails account for 60 to 70 percent of all email traffic and up to half of all indexed data on the Internet.

The original design of this Parisian landmark used the four large pylons at the base to provide all the structural support. However, the people providing the funding felt that it looked too rickety and worried the public would be too afraid to go in it. So they added the iconic arches around the base but while they look beautiful they are only decorative.

Learn about 13 fascinating secret chambers hidden inside famous landmarks. 

In 1969, the soccer teams of Honduras and El Salvador were competing for a spot in the 1970 World Cup. Tensions mounted as the teams were tied 1-1 and went into a third match. When El Salvador won the play-off, riots erupted. The riots boiled over into a full-scale war with over 2,000 casualties on each side. After four days of fighting, the 100 Hour War was ended.