Interesting facts
1. The shortest war in history lasted just 38 to 45 minutes. It took place between the countries of Britain and Zanzibar in 1896.
2. Hippos are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other large animal.
3. A single strand of spider silk is stronger than a comparable weight of steel.
4. The world's oldest known recipe is for beer and was discovered on a Sumerian poem dating back to around 1800 BC.
5. The longest word in any major English language dictionary is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, which refers to a type of lung disease caused by inhaling very fine silica dust particles.
6. The first known use of the "@" symbol was in a letter written in 1536 by a Florentine merchant.
7. Honey never spoils. Archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still perfectly edible.
8. A group of flamingos is called a "flamboyance."
9. The world's largest known living organism is a honey fungus in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, USA. It covers an area of 2,384 acres (9.65 square kilometers).
10. The world's oldest animal fossil is a sponge-like creature called Dickinsonia, dating back 558 million years.
11. Napoleon Bonaparte was once attacked by a horde of rabbits during a hunting trip. The rabbits mistook his group for invading predators and overwhelmed them.
12. The word "nympholepsy" refers to the uncontrollable desire for sexual activity that occurs during a full moon.
13. The Great Wall of China is not visible from space with the naked eye. This is a common myth, but astronauts have confirmed that it cannot be seen from the Earth's orbit.
14. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds.
15. The average person spends about 6 months of their lifetime waiting for red traffic lights to turn green.
16. The world's largest artichoke was grown in California and weighed in at 29 pounds, 10 ounces.
17. The world's fastest ant, the Saharan silver ant, has been recorded sprinting at speeds of up to one meter per second.
18. The average human has about 100,000 hairs on their head.
19. The shortest war in American history was the Toledo War between the states of Ohio and Michigan in 1835. It lasted only 10 days.
20. Octopuses have three hearts.