The General Knowledge Trivia You Probably Cannot Beat

Every year it seems that the media tries to trump up shark attacks. Could that be because of the movie Jaws? Well, that could be one of the reasons why. Did you know that every year more people die from injuries caused by taking selfies than shark attacks? The next time you’re taking a selfie at the beach, don’t spend too much of your time worrying about sharks. Instead, spend your time wondering if that selfie you’re taking is going to do your far more harm than good. If the selfie has a shark in the background, realize that the selfie itself is far more likely to cause you danger than the shark is.

There are two facts about a whale’s heart that will knock your socks off. The first one is that a whale’s heart weighs 400 pounds. That’s the same weight as a small piano! Did you know that a whale’s heart can be heard beating up to two miles underwater? Any fish within two miles of a whale knows they better get out of Dodge quickly unless they want to be eaten. It’s hard to imagine what the fish in the sea must think when they hear the sound of a whale’s heart in their ear. The first and only thought that comes into their mind must be how fast they can high tail it out of there.

Are you the type who loves to savor and sip a glass of wine? If so, you might be surprised by how many grapes it takes to make only one bottle of wine. It takes 2.6 pounds to make one bottle of wine. That’s about 700 grapes. Think about how difficult it would be to carry around 700 grapes everywhere you went. The next time you pop off the cork of your favorite wine, think about how many grapes went into it. No one will say anything if you ponder the thought while relaxing with a second glass of wine.

In Switzerland, you’re not allowed to own only one guinea pig? Why does the country make people own at least two guinea pigs? Can you imagine what it would be like to be the only guinea pig in a cage? You would feel so lonely, and eventually, it would get the best of you. Anyone who has a guinea pig needs to have at least two, so they can be friends. Might as well make it a party and have as many guinea pigs as you can afford. Turn your whole house into a guinea pig cage and buy every last one you can. It might like an extreme, but so is only being allowed to own two or more guinea pigs at the same time.

Who has the biggest diamonds? Could it be a rapper who is well known for their bling? Would it surprise you that two of the biggest diamonds are in the Crown Jewels? They are, and you will be shocked to find out that they're worn by no other than Queen Elizebeth. The Sovereign's Sceptre and the Imperial State Crown both contain jewels from the Cullinan Diamond, which was discovered in Africa in 1905. It should go without saying that the world's rarest and most beautiful diamonds are fit for royalty, and they're right where they belong.

Elvis is so famous you don’t even need to know his last name to know who he is. There has never been a more famous singer in the history of humankind. Did you know that Elvis was nominated for 14 Grammy awards? What’s even more surprising is, Elvis only won three of the awards he was nominated for. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could’ve beat Elvis at his own game. Everyone reading this can hum at least a half a dozen of his songs without thinking twice about it. If that in itself isn’t worth a Grammy, then nothing is.

Have you ever munched on a banana and wondered why they’re curved? The answer to that question is that bananas grow towards the sun. Yes, the reason a banana is curved is that it’s trying to get as much sunlight as possible. It seems like a bit of an extreme to go to, but there’s nothing that a banana won’t do to work on its suntan. You would be curved too if you spent your entire life trying to get as many rays from the sun as possible. This is even more surprising considering that a banana is yellow sun color after it has become fully ripe.

You’re going to have a really difficult time believing this one, but trust us, it’s true. Did you know that 7% of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows? Let the information you were just told sink in a little bit. Adults, not children, believe that chocolate milk comes from cows that are brown in color. These people actually believe that the milk that comes out of these cows is already chocolate flavor. Now you know why so many Americans are more than willing to plop down a sizeable amount of money for beachfront property in Arkansas.

Popping M&Ms is addictive, and it’s not only because they don’t melt in your hand. The candy-coated chocolate is the perfect combination of light crunch and smooth, creamy chocolate. Do you know what M&M stands for? M&M stands for Mars and Murrie. Murrie was the son of a Hershey chocolate president, and Mars was the son of the Mars founder. Mars spotted soldiers eating candy with coating during the Spanish civil war. The rest is confectionary history. Did you know that M&M’s were named after real people? You’ll never toss back a handful of the candies without thinking about those two guys.

Did you know that snakes can predict earthquakes? It shouldn't come as much of a surprise since snakes spend all of their time as close to the ground as possible. A snack can't use its legs to get up off the ground since it doesn't have any. If you see a nervous-looking snake, it's either sizing you up to turn you into dinner or there's an earthquake about to happen. It's safe to say that no matter the reason why a snake is upset, you should pay attention and head for high ground. Don't be surprised if shortly after the world begins to shake.

Are unicorns real? Don’t ask that question to the good people of Scotland. The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. Yes, that’s weird. So weird, that you know it has to be true. It seems that long before unicorns became the fancy of young girls all across the globe, Scotland had a fascination with these horned creatures. Why not a unicorn? That might be a better question. A unicorn makes people immediately feel happy. How can you feel anything other than happy when looking at a horse with a horn on top of its head? That’s a trick question, and you don’t need to be a girl to know how true those words are.

How many times have you heard the phrase “As American as apple pie?” It might surprise you to learn that apple pie isn’t native to America. Some say the British are the ones who invented apple pie. The people who discovered apples thousands upon thousands of years ago might have a bone to pick with who invested the pie. None the less, you can’t possibly think of apple pie without thinking about America. If it makes Americans feel good, we’ll say that they invented apple pie with ice cream on top. Even pie ala mode was more than likely a European invention. We won’t tell anyone if you don’t.

The lyrebird has a unique ability, and it feels the Australian wilderness full of some of the strangest sounds wildlife has ever heard. Lyrebird has been known to mimic the sounds of animals such as koala bears. If that weren’t strange enough, the lyrebird can also mimick the sound of car alarms and camera shutters. If you’re walking through the forest and you hear the sound of a chainsaw, you better look around. The lyrebird has even been known to mimic the sound of a chainsaw. It seems as if there is so sound that the lyrebird can’t copy if it hears it just one time.

How much do people love their Coca-Cola? Can you believe Coca-Cola has made ten billion gallons of their syrup since the soft drink was invented all the way back in 1886? What’s even more shocking is that Coca-Cola was the first soft drink ever drank in space. Coca-Cola isn’t only loved by people here on earth; people out in the heavens also enjoy it. People will do anything and everything they can to get the sweet fizzy water that they can’t do without. It doesn’t matter if you’re thirsty in front of the TV or in space, a Coca-Cola is waiting for you to guzzle it down.

Cornell University is known for something other than being host to what many believe to be the greatest Grateful Dead show ever. Did you know that you can get a degree in wine? Actually, the technical term for it is called Viticulture and Enology. That’s fancy talk for how to grow grapes and turn it into wine. Yes, you need to go to school to learn that stuff. All those people who swirl, swish, and sniff wine are looking for all of the characteristics made possible by someone who was educated in the craft of wine making.

Are you afraid of the number 13? Do you hide underneath the blankets when it’s Friday the 13th? If so, then you have what’s referred to as triskaidekaphobia. It’s a real phobia, and it affects more than only you. Some people are so fearful of the number 13 that it makes them shake in their boots. Have you ever noticed that some hotels don’t have a thirteenth floor? If you’ve ever wondered why that is, now you know. Just don’t tell people on the fourteenth floor that they’re really staying on the thirteenth floor. Smoke may come out of their ears when they realize what floor they’re staying on.

You’ve probably seen those funny looking hats that chefs wear. Those hats are called a toque. Have you ever noticed how many pleats there are in a chef’s hat? Each of those pleats represents the chef’s ability to cook an egg. If a chef has 100 pleats in his hat, they know 100 different ways to cook an egg. Who knew that there were 100 different ways to cook an egg. The next time you eat at a fancy restaurant where the person cooking your food is wearing a silly-looking hat, you know why there are so many ripples in it.

How much money do you think it costs to make a dollar? That’s not a trick question. Some probably think that the government prints money and it doesn’t cost a single cent. Actually, it costs a whopping five cents to make a dollar. Yes, every dollar bill in your pocket cost Uncle Sam five cents to make. Don’t you wish you knew a way to invest a nickel and make 95 cents? It almost sounds too good to be true, but it happens every day at mints all over America. Money doesn’t grow on trees, but if it did, perhaps the dollar bill would be much cheaper to produce.

Is the Northern cardinal the bird of your state? If so, you’re not alone. Seven states have chosen to have the Northern cardinal as their state bird. It makes you wonder if the Northern cardinal knows how popular it is? For those who have never seen one of the majestic birds in person, you’re missing out on a real visual treat. The birds are gorgeous red, and they have black on their head. It’s easy to see why anyone could ever fall in love with the Northern cardinal. The bird is so beautiful that just seeing one makes you want to smile.

It might surprise some that the Spotify track with the most plays isn't a new song that's fresh from the recording studio. It's actually a song that was recorded way back when Spotify didn't exist. Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was recorded in 1994, and it has become the most-streamed song on Spotify. It goes to show that there's nothing more timeless than a feel-good holiday song. It doesn't matter what you find in your stockings; as long as you have the sweet voice of Mariah Carey flowing through your head, it's going to be a fantastic holiday.

Baby sea otters don’t know how to swim until they get older. You’d think that a creature with the word sea in its name would be able to swim right from day one. It looks like the sea otter can’t swim, and they hold paws in the water when they’re still young, wrapped in seaweeds. It isn’t until sea otters creep towards adulthood that they can swim like we’re accustomed too. It shouldn’t be too surprising considering most animals can’t do what they’re famous for right after birth. Birds can’t fly after they’re born, and it takes them quite a while before they’re able to fly the friendly skies.

The hashtags that you can’t live without on social media aren’t called hashtags. Doesn’t that blow your mind? The things you’ve been using all this time to tell people about your love of mems are actually called octothorpes. Yes, a hashtag is really an octothorpe. No, octothorpe isn’t as fun to say as hashtag. Who knows how to say such a weird name? It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone that people would much rather say the word hashtag. So, the next time you spot a trending hashtag on social media, just remember, it’s actually an octothorpe. Playing octothorpe games on Twitter doesn’t ring the same kind of bell that hashtag games do.

Did you know that there’s a word for when an animal loses its pigment? Yes, it’s a real condition, and it’s something that affects quite a few animals. The term for an animal losing its pigment is called leucism. An animal with leucism will show signs that its pigment is declining, and it will seem faded. For example, a giraffe will look like it’s been in the sun for too long, and its spots will look faded. Mother Nature has all kinds of different anomalies, and this is just one of many that keep nature lovers scratching their heads in disbelief.

How many penguins could you eat in a single sitting? The answer to that question would be 86 if you were a polar bear. That’s right; a polar bear can eat a whopping 86 penguins in one sitting. That number is astronomical, considering the polar bears don’t dip their penguins in sauce or even sprinkle salt on them. It goes without saying that polar bears have a healthy appetite, but they aren’t gourmets when it comes to how they like to have their food prepared. It sounds like a polar bear would never send their meal back at a restaurant as long as the plate had plenty of food on it.