People Share 50 Random And Weird Facts That Make Others Think 'How The Hell Do You Know That?'

To learn more about why we should never end our education when it comes to fun facts, we reached out to J. Keith van Straaten, Host, Co-Creator, Co-Producer and Co-Writer of the Go Fact Yourself podcast. "What makes life interesting and expansive is a willingness to examine the stories we tell ourselves -- and a willingness to change the narrative," J. Keith told Bored Panda.

"What usually makes a fact fun is that it challenges an existing narrative. In a small way, fun and random facts remind us to stay humble and be open to being surprised," he explained. "Plus, if you need something to talk about at a party or on a date, you've always got something in your pocket."

We also asked J. Keith if he has learned any fun facts through his podcast that might make people ask, "Why in the world do you know that?" "So many!" he shared. "A few that come to mind: Famed astronomer Carl Sagan sued Apple for calling him a butt-head. The Bellagio Hotel's lake is wider than the Titanic was long. The currency of the Cook Islands featured a topless woman riding a shark... Harley-Davidson once sold its own fragrance called Black Fire."

And when it comes to how J. Keith and his co-host Helen Hong find the fascinating facts they discuss on the show, he shared, "Dozens of hours of internet searches go into each episode of 'Go Fact Yourself' -- and sometimes even visits to our local library."

"A great resource for lesser-known facts are interviews on YouTube," J. Keith noted. "You pick up a lot in a spoken discussion that hasn't already been disseminated in articles. Of course, when possible, we go to the sources themselves -- making calls to professors and authors to make sure we have our facts straight."

But despite all of the research they do for every episode, it doesn't sound like J. Keith will get his fill of fun facts any time soon. "Our show is based on the interests that our guests have, many of which I don't share. So there's always more facts to investigate and more knowledge to celebrate," he told Bored Panda.

"'Go Fact Yourself' uses trivia about topics our guests love, to bring people together with experts on that topic. It's always a point of pride when we ask a question of our guest that even our expert didn't know the answer to," J. Keith shared. "Or to discover something NOBODY knew about (Did you know Celine Dion sang the wrong words to one of her songs on a best-selling album??)"

If you're interested in learning some fascinating fun facts about various celebrities' favorite interests, be sure to check out Go Fact Yourself on their website right here, wherever you listen to podcasts, or if you're in the Los Angeles area, you can go to one of their live-audience recordings!

To learn even more about the beauty of fun facts, we reached out to Tara Dorrell, Researcher and Scriptwriter at the QI offices in London. QI produces a variety of fun shows that will actually teach you something, including QI, The Museum of Curiosity, Why Workshop, and No Such Thing As a Fish. When it comes to why we should always keep learning new facts, Tara told Bored Panda, "It’s a way of constantly indulging your curiosity. Learning doesn’t have to be dry and systematic; finding random facts about the accidental creation of mauve, or the original uses for chainsaws is still learning. At QI, it helps to admit you don’t know something, because then comes the fun of discovering more about it. It does make you realize just how much you don't know about, but learning through peculiar trivia stops it being so daunting." 

"It could also help you uncover a newfound passion for tardigrades, Icelandic history, or Bartitsu," Tara added. "At the very least you’ll be the most popular person at a pub quiz! And we’ve managed to get 20 series of a TV show out of finding fun and random facts, so there are clearly some benefits."

Tara was also kind enough to share some of the wild facts that she's learned through working at QI that might raise some questions from others. "People might recognize the 19th century ballet dancer Marie Taglioni as the first person credited with dancing on pointe. It’s less well-known that she was so popular at the time that after her final appearance in Russia, a group of her fans supposedly paid 200 rubles for a pair of her shoes - which they then cooked as a fricassee and ate," she told Bored Panda.

"There’s also plenty to be said about the very first treadmills (originally used as a punishment for inmates), how ants measure distances (by counting their steps - researchers tied tiny stilts to their legs to check), and why the Thames has so many hyperactive eels (cocaine in the water)," Tara added.

"It’s the bizarre facts about supposedly mundane topics that usually spark the most interest. They’re more likely to be mentioned in everyday conversation than, say, an Ulfberht (first trademarked Viking sword) is, and no one ever expects you to have a wealth of knowledge about ant stilts and treadmills," she noted.

We were also curious about Tara's research methods for QI shows. "Everyone approaches it slightly differently. Our office is really just an eclectic library, with books on 17th century Scottish slang, the cheeses of the world, the many uses of laudanum, and everything in between," she told Bored Panda. "Book research isn’t for everyone though, and some resilient researchers spend hours trawling the depths of the internet for the most fascinating (and least disturbing) facts they can find."

"Some people take a more hands-on approach by going to exhibitions and lectures, or by speaking directly to the actual experts - scientists, researchers, and historians with the most eccentric specialist subjects," Tara added. "They’re always keen to discuss their work, as it’s often so niche that no one else ever asks them about it."

We then asked Tara if she imagines she'll ever reach her fill of fun facts, or if there's always more to explore. "The ethos behind QI is that anything can be interesting if you’re curious enough. There’s always another question to ask, another lead to follow, and more information to be found," she shared.

"Even the most banal topics can become a source of fascination - did you know that lightning rods were a fashion fad in the 18th century? Or that Tiramisu was once used as an aphrodisiac in brothels? Our research always starts in a place of complete ignorance, the same as anyone else. That’s what allows us to question things we might otherwise dismiss or overlook - which in turn leads us down even stranger paths, and end up with even more questions," Tara told Bored Panda.

"As long as we remain inquisitive, there will always be something interesting to learn. Imagine how bleak the world would be if there was nothing left to wonder at!"

Finally, Tara added, "If this has whetted your appetite for random and bizarre facts, then there’s plenty more to be found on QI - new episodes out every Friday on BBC2 and all series available on BBC iPlayer (five and a half solid days of viewing if you’re hardcore). Our weekly podcast No Such Thing As a Fish can be found wherever you get your other, more conventional podcasts, and our many, many books are available online and in your local bookstores."

You can find QI's website right here, and No Such Thing As a Fish's website right here!