Prove you are the smartest schmuck in the room with 500 true trivia facts that sound absurd. These facts are so absurd some might even say that they sound like bull$#*t!Knowledge is power! Crush the competition at trivia night, or start the most interesting conversation ever with real facts that are hard to believe. This book is loaded with mind-blowing facts that are sure to keep you wondering, "How are these even true?" while equipping you to outsmart everyone around and blow their minds. Topics include:ScienceAmerican SportsHistoryPop CultureNaturePut your game face on, and prove once and for all that you are the real know-it-all! Gather your friends and family 'round and get ready to learn some wild and crazy trivia and facts such as:True or False? A chicken once survived almost two years after having its head cut off.True or False? The dog that played Toto in The Wizard of Oz was paid a salary.How many baseballs does the MLB use every season?What state has jousting as its official sport?True or False? Most Canadians live south of Seattle.Stump everyone with True Facts That Sound Like Bull$#*t! Read more

Sh!t happens. Every day. Mae West was sent to jail for “corrupting the morals of youth” with her first Broadway play. When participation in the Hitler Youth became mandatory in Germany, groups of teen “pirates” rebelled. Muhammad Ali refused to “drop bombs and bullets on brown people” in Vietnam. A dog sled relay carried life-saving medicine 674 miles through –50 temperatures to rescue children dying from diphtheria. The Dionne Quintuplets were stolen by the Canadian government and displayed like zoo animals for profit. Indian princess Noor Inayat Khan was one of the most successful spies against the Nazis in World War II. A children’s television show called Caillou tortured parents for more than a decade . . . Sh!t goes down every single day of the year, year after year. Sometimes it’s a battle that changes the course of history, other times it’s a life-saving medical advancement. Bravery is counter-balanced with cowardice. There is slavery and there is self-sacrifice. History is replete with deeds both noble and despicable. Some were motivated by greed, others generosity. Many dedicated themselves to the art of killing, while others focused their efforts on curing. There have been grave mistakes and moments of greatness. Confrontation and cooperation. Early in the twentieth century Spanish philosopher George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But history serves not just as a warning; it also offers encouragement. Humanity is not endless suck. There is inspiration to be found amidst the atrocities. On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down will significantly expand your knowledge of world history in the most hilarious and profane way possible. Read more

Turkeys used to be worshipped as gods? Bull$#*t! Prove you are the smartest schmuck in the room with 500 world history facts that sound too absurd to be true.Knowledge is power! Crush the competition at trivia night or start the most interesting conversation ever with real facts that are hard to believe. This book is loaded with mind-blowing facts that are sure to keep you wondering, "How are these even true?" while equipping you to outsmart everyone in the room. Including:Turkeys were once worshipped as gods by the Mayans.Forks were seen as sacrilegious in 11th century Italy.Pope Gregory IV once declared a war on cats.President Abraham Lincoln is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.The longest war in history lasted from 1651 to 1986, between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly. There were no casualties.Put your game face on and prove once and for all that you are the real history know-it-all! Gather your friends and family 'round and get ready to learn some crazy trivia they definitely didn’t teach you in history class. Read more

For ten years, the knowledge seekers at mental_floss have been hunting and trapping the world’s rarest facts, locking them into captivating lists for the world to admire. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Mental Floss: The Book is packed with a decade’s worth of the smartest, quirkiest stories around, including:Five Presidential Fashion FlubsSeven Shameless Abuses of Diplomatic ImmunityFive Units of Measurement Weirder Than the Metric SystemFour Toys That Have Gone to War for AmericaSeven Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor EverFive Things Your Body Can Do After You DieSix of Baseball’s Strangest TradesFour Foods People Actually Die ForSeven Things Walmart Has BannedFour TV Shows That Changed the Course of HistoryTen “Q” Words That Aren’t “Q-U” WordsFour Horrifying Parasites to Keep You Awake at NightEight Fake Archaeological FindsFive Articles of Clothing That Caused RiotsFour Memorable Moments in Cross-Dressing HistoryFive Doomsdays We’ve Already SurvivedAnd 124 Other Extraordinary Lists! Read more

Want to impress your friends and family with both useful, worthless but undeniably interesting facts?Then Interesting Facts For Curious Minds: 1572 Random But Mind Blowing Facts About History, Science, Pop Culture and Everything in Between is the book for you!In this book you’ll find the answers to questions such as:When did zero become a number?Who was the inventor of Bitcoin?What did the Big Bang sound like?How have sports changed around the world?What’s a malapropism?Interesting Facts For Curious Minds gives you the answer to all these and many, many more questions that I know have crossed your mind from time to time. This book is divided into 63 chapters by topic for your convenience, bringing you a nice mix of science, history, pop culture, and all sorts of stuff in between. Each chapter contains 25 concise yet engaging factoids that are sure to make you think and at times laugh.How you read this book is entirely up to you. I’m sure most of you will read it cover to cover at some point, but when you’re with friends and family you can pick the chapters out that most appeal to all of you.However you read this book, I guarantee you’ll find it one of the best tools to pass some time, relax alone, or connect with others. So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn some truly interesting facts! Read more

More addictive & mind-blowing true tales from history, by one of today’s most entertaining & accessible yet always intelligent & illuminating historians.“The British journalist continues to collect little-known events and factoids from history. . . . Highly readable.” —Kirkus Reviews In this second installment in his outrageously entertaining series, History’s Unknown Chapters, Giles Milton shows his customary historical flair as he delves into the little-known stories from history, including when Stalin was actually assassinated with poison by one of his inner circle; the Russian scientist, dubbed the “Red Frankenstein,” who attempted to produce a human-ape hybrid through ethically dubious means; the family who survived thirty-eight days at sea with almost no water or supplies after their ship was destroyed by a killer whale; or the plot that served as a template for 9/11, in which four Algerian terrorists attempted to hijack a plane and fly it into the Eiffel Tower. Read more

Record-setting Jeopardy! champion and New York Times bestselling author of Planet Funny Ken Jennings explores the world of maps and map obsessives, “a literary gem” (The Atlantic). Ken Jennings takes readers on a world tour of geogeeks from the London Map Fair to the bowels of the Library of Congress, from the prepubescent geniuses at the National Geographic Bee to the computer programmers at Google Earth. Each chapter delves into a different aspect of map culture: highpointing, geocaching, road atlas rallying, even the “unreal estate” charted on the maps of fiction and fantasy. Jennings also considers the ways in which cartography has shaped our history, suggesting that the impulse to make and read maps is as relevant today as it has ever been. From the “Here be dragons” parchment maps of the Age of Discovery to the spinning globes of grade school to the postmodern revolution of digital maps and GPS, Maphead is filled with intriguing details, engaging anecdotes, and enlightening analysis. If you’re an inveterate map lover yourself—or even if you’re among the cartographically clueless who can get lost in a supermarket—let Ken Jennings be your guide to the strange world of mapheads. Read more

The bestselling author of Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red share more than 150 baffling, bizarre, and enlightening facts in the fun trivia collection.This curious, captivating collection of trivia will surprise and intrigue readers with amazing answers to questions like:• Is Jurassic Park possible?• What causes “the shakes” after drinking a lot of alcohol?• Why do dogs walk in circles before lying down?• What makes popcorn pop?The follow-up to the bestselling What Did We Use Before Toilet Paper?, Can Holding in a Fart Kill You? has even more fun and fascinating trivia. Perfect for the ever-curious trivia lover, this book is the ultimate in truly extraordinary information. From silly to serious to outright bizarre, this expansive collection offers surprising answers and unexpected facts on everything from history and science to pop culture and nature. From the everyday to the fantastical—it's all here.“A very handy book that could honestly, save their life—or just answer all those questions they’re maybe too embarrassed to even google.” —Buzzfeed Read more

Want to impress your buddies at the bar? Need to think of something interesting to do at the next family gathering? Want to learn a bunch of random facts about history, science, true crime, and the paranormal?Pick up Interesting Stories for Curious People, the ultimate guidebook for a plethora of interesting facts about a whole bunch of several different topics. A quick read packed with information from cover to cover.Here you will find out:How did a Frenchman successfully use a spontaneous combustion defense during a murder trial?How did a German teenager help end the Cold War?Why did some really smart guys think foam houses would be the wave of the future?What is a chupacabra and why are there two of them?Did Cleopatra really die from a snake bite?You’ll be glued to the pages of this book reading interesting fact after interesting fact as Interesting Stories for Curious People brings you the in-depth knowledge of some things you may have heard about and always wondered, but now will learn the truth. You’ll finally be able to separate fact from fiction and will be surprised to learn that some of the things you’ve been told, even by your teachers, was just plain wrong!Whether you are a trivia maven or just a person who likes to learn new things, you’ll learn something new and find yourself entertained as you discover some of the most fascination criminals, ghost stories, strange habits of historical figures, and just weird things that are a part of our world. So open this book and your mind and see another side of things that you may not know existed. Read more

Romans! Madrigals! The Dark Ages! Revolutions! Trumpets! The Oranges of The First World War! All of this (except trumpets) and more, is covered in this definitive, easy-clean history of all world history so far, written by the creator and star of the “blessedly stupid, wickedly smart” (Observer) Netflix documentary Cunk on Life, Philomena Cunk.  Focussing on the inventions, art, and brainboxes that made the modern world the unbearable place it is today, The World According To Cunk is the history book to end all history books: more unputdownable than Andrew Marr's History Of The World, less unpickupable than Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens, and noticeably less in ancient Greek than Herodotus' Histories. Philomena Cunk says: "About the world, written on the world, and available at all the world's remaining bookshops, The World According To Cunk is the definitive history of the world. There will never need be another history book. Unless something major happens. Even then they'll probably just put something up on TikTok about it. A word of warning: please don't buy it if you're expecting anything about trumpets in it. You will only be disappointed." Read more

A treasury of historical hilarity from the New York Times-bestselling coauthor of America’s Dumbest Criminals! Why exactly is Paul Revere revered when it was Samuel Prescott who made the famous ride? Was the lightbulb really Thomas Edison’s bright idea? Bestselling author and former Saturday Night Live writer Leland Gregory employs his masterful wit to expose historical myths, faux “facts,” strange events, and tales of human stupidity throughout history. You’ll learn that: * Magellan didn’t actually make it around the world * As a member of Parliament, Isaac Newton spoke only once, and it wasn’t exactly a statement of political brilliance for the ages * On April 24, 1898, Spain declared war on the U.S., thus starting the Spanish-American War—and then the U.S. declared war the very next day, but not wanting to be outdone, had the date on the declaration changed from April 25 to April 21 With these and many more stories, Leland Gregory once again highlights the funny side of history. Read more

Are you a die-hard Minecrafter? Do you truly know everything there is to know about this endless, pixelated universe?Test and challenge what you know about this game and more! Dive deep into the world of Minecraft through “The Ultimate Minecraft Trivia Book: 101 Epic Questions for Die-Hard Fans.”.Ready to mine, craft, and build your way to victory? Join author Jackson Turner on an exciting journey through the Minecraft world. This book is perfect for casual players looking to learn more or die-hard fans seeking to prove their Minecraft mastery. Whatever your Minecraft status may be, this book is for you!Inside the book, you will find 101 trivia questions ranging from blocks to biomes and beyond.Scroll up and click now to prove that you are the ultimate die-hard Minecraft fan! Read more

The bestselling author of The Art of Pilgrimage and Once and Future Myths presents a selection of mind-bending brain teasers.Riddles by any name—enigmas, conundrum, word puzzles, teasers—have been posed since ancient times to test people’s wit and stretch their imaginations. Mythologist and adventurer Phil Cousineau resurrects this lost art form in A World Treasury of Riddles. Drawing from world literature, history, myth, and folklore, Cousineau has created a one-of-a-kind book that presents riddles from ancient Greece to the Ozarks, from Leonardo da Vinci to Lewis Carroll, and more.Previously published as Riddle Me This: A World Treasury of Word Puzzles, Folk Wisdom, and Literary Conundrums Read more

The hottest compendium of inter-generational scandal in the history of Hollywood. An overview of exhibitionism, sexuality, and sin as filtered through 85 years of Hollywood indiscretion. As they were unfolding, the events described within this book were known only within Hollywood's most decadent cliques. All of that has changed with the release of this book.From bisexual Elvis to cover-ups of murder, from the scandals of Hollywood's Golden Age to the Hollywood of Here and Now. It's all here. Vivid, Candid, Sizzling. To those who love her, Hollywood was and is a gossipy, mendacious (Big Daddy's word), and whorish place that remains captivating despite the passage of time. In this, an updated new spin on Hollywood as Babylon, it's depicted at its sleaziest, most venal, and most deliciously unseemly. This monumentally exhaustive collection of sins, foibles, failings, and sexual adventures is the ultimate guilty pleasure-and publisher Blood Moon pledges that it's merely Volume One. --Books To Watch Out For Read more

“Reading Davis is like returning to the classroom of the best teacher you ever had!” —People magazineA completely revised and updated version of the classic book Don’t Know Much About® The BibleNine out of ten Americans own a Bible, but how much do they know about the one book that has influenced human history more than any other? Don't Know Much About the Bible by New York Times bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis is designed to illuminate everything we need to know about the Good Book but never learned.With wit, authority, and intelligence, Davis brings the world of the Old and New Testaments to vivid life, setting the panorama of the Scriptures against the historical events that shaped them; clearing up misconceptions and mistranslations; summarizing Bible stories, parables, and miracles; and adding fresh new insights to the world's most owned, least understood book.Relying on up-to-date research and improved translations, Davis set out to uncover what the Bible says—and doesn't say, with shocking discoveries, such as:There are two different Creation stories told in Genesis, but no apple in the Garden of Eden story. Noah invented wine and cursed the son who had seen him drunk and naked. There was no "coat of many colors" in the story of Joseph and his jealous brothers, but rather a long-sleeved robe. Moses didn't write the Torah and he didn't part the Red Sea in his escape from Pharaoh.The Sixth Commandment does not condemn all killing.Jericho's walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line. King David probably didn't kill Goliath and didn't write the Psalms. And more! Read more

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Bestselling author David Maister teams up with Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford to bring us the essential tool for all consultants, negotiators, and advisors.In today's fast-paced networked economy, professionals must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. But technical mastery of one's discipline is not enough, assert world-renowned professional advisors David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. The key to professional success, they argue, is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients. To demonstrate the paramount importance of trust, the authors use anecdotes, experiences, and examples -- successes and mistakes, their own and others' -- to great effect. The result is an immensely readable book that will be welcomed by the inexperienced advisor and the most seasoned expert alike. Read more

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Streamline and simplify your holiday season with this comprehensive guide filled with quick tips, easy hacks, and fun DIY project ideas—all designed for the most wonderful time of the year! While the holidays are a joyous time to spend with family and friends, we all know they can quickly become a hassle if you’re not prepared. Holiday Hacks gives you expert tips and pointers to celebrate in style—while getting the presents wrapped and sorted, the food beautifully prepared, and the decorations on point—all with a minimum of stress! Holiday Hacks includes over 600 handy tips for everything holiday-related—from how to fill your house with a festive cinnamon scent, to soothing those holiday headaches, to an easy and delicious hot chocolate hack using Nutella and milk. There’s even advice about ornament storage—egg cartons are a great way to keep your small and delicate ornaments safe in their yearly hibernation—so you’ll be ready to go when the holidays roll around again next year! Read more

The enthralling examination of one of the most popular and most intriguing animals in the deep blue seaThe ocean is the last remaining source of profound mystery and discovery on Earth with eighty percent of it still largely unexplored; thus, it is of perennial fascination. In Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid, journalist Wendy Williams introduces one of the ocean’s most charismatic, monstrous, enigmatic, and curious inhabitants: the squid. More than just calamari, squid species are fascinatingly odd creatures, with much to teach us about our own species, not to mention the obsessive interest so many of us can't help but have for the enormous beast that is the giant squid, which is quick to attack sperm whales, and even submarines and boats. Williams also examines other equally enthralling cephalopods, including the octopus and the cuttlefish, and explores their otherworldly abilities, such as camouflage and bioluminescence. Kraken takes the reader on a wild ride through the world of squid science and adventure, along the way answering some riddles about how the human brain works, what intelligence really is, and what monsters lie in the deep. Wendy Williams weaves a rich narrative tapestry around her subject, drawing powerfully on the passions and discoveries of scientists, fisherman, and squid enthusiasts around the world. Read more