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

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

Lots and lots of lists of quick and quirky historical facts, from the Stone Age to the Internet Age!   Leave it to Uncle John to find a new way to make history fun and exciting! This quirky collection of lists is the latest volume in the Bathroom Reader’s bestselling history series. Over 500 fact-packed pages will breathe life into history’s most famous (and most unusual) stories. History buffs, trivia hounds, and readers looking for an educational snack will love learning about some of history’s greatest—and strangest—events. In one great book, you’ll find:   * Two famous pioneering trails * Three one-armed men who lent a hand * Four famous folks who literally died laughing * Five horrifying medieval punishments * Six photographic firsts * Seven hotel rooms where history was made * Eight disgusting secret ingredients * Nine famous trains * Ten places you can’t go * Eleven disasters that changed the world * Twelve fast food firsts, and much, much more! Read more

In his wildly entertaining, winningly irreverent, New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About® series, author Kenneth C. Davis has amused and edified us with fascinating facts about history, mythology, the Bible, the universe, geography, and the Civil War.Now, the sky's the limit in his latest irresistible installment—a grand tour of knowledge that carries us from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Berlin Wall, from the Salem Witch Trials to Watergate, from Michelangelo to Houdini. Brimming with busted myths, gripping true stories, and peculiar particulars about a plethora of people, places, and events, this captivating compendium is guaranteed to delight information lovers everywhere as it feeds our insatiable appetite to know everything! Read more

Bizarre historical tidbits about quirky queens, hippopotamus soup, shrunken heads, and much more!   This exciting title from the folks at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute contains the strangest short history articles from over thirty Bathroom Readers, along with fifty all-new pages. From the twentieth century to the Old West, from the Age of Enlightenment to the Dark Ages, from ancient cultures all the way back to the dawn of time, Strange History is overflowing with mysterious artifacts, macabre legends, kooky inventions, reality-challenged rulers, boneheaded blunders, and mind-blowing facts. Whether it’s B.C. or A.D., you’ll be wondering WTF! Read about . . . The curse of MacbethStupid history: Hollywood styleThe secret LSD experiments of the 1960sIn search of the lost “Cloud People” of PeruThe Swedish queen who declared war on fleasUnearthing the past with the Outhouse DetectivesThe Apollo astronaut who swears he saw a UFOHow to brew a batch of 5,000-year-old beerThe brutal bloodbaths at Rome’s ColiseumGhostly soup from ancient ChinaThe bathroom of the 1970s And much, much more! Read more

Over 200 true stories of boneheadedness and buffoonery from the New York Times-bestselling author of Stupid History! Former Saturday Night Live writer Leland Gregory has shown us gray matter-challenged examples in everything from the criminal world to the hallowed halls of government. This time, though, everyone, everywhere is fair game if they've exhibited outrageously stupid behavior. Consider: * The forgetful fireman who left cooking oil on the stove and returned from a call to find the station house burned to the ground * A lung cancer patient who caused an explosion when he lit up a cigarette—in his oxygen tent * A 58-year-old billiards player who was suspended from competition after testing positive for a muscle-building hormone * F. Edward Hebert, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who said, “The only way we’ll get a volunteer army is to draft them” Hey Idiot! lets everyone from bosses to public officials, doctors to sports heroes, skewer themselves with their moronic words and actions. 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

“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

Hollywood Window to the Stars Vol 2 takes a critical, no holds barred look at numerous legends of the movies, from Veronica Lake to Frank Sinatra, and re-examines them in light of the veritable mountain of new information available today. These are not detailed biographies as such, but envelopes of trivia, scandal, viewpoints, accomplishments, failings, character flaws etc. Each one liberally sprinkled with quotes by and about the individuals examined. You will find your idols (in most cases) were far from perfect. This volume also contains a load of fascinating extras toward the end of the book. Read more

This perfect gift for readers, writers, and literature majors alike unearths the quirks of the English language. For example, do you know why a mortgage is literally a “death pledge”? Why guns have girls’ names? Why “salt” is related to “soldier”? Discover the answers to all of these etymological questions and more in this fascinating book for fans of of Eats, Shoots & Leaves.The Etymologicon is a completely unauthorized guide to the strange underpinnings of the English language. It explains how you get from “gruntled” to “disgruntled”; why you are absolutely right to believe that your meager salary barely covers “money for salt”; how the biggest chain of coffee shops in the world connects to whaling in Nantucket; and what, precisely, the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening. This witty book will awake the linguist in you and illuminate the hidden meanings behind common words and phrases, tracing their evolution through all of their surprising paths throughout history. Read more

The popular bathroom reader series is back with this collection that’s flush with laughs. It’s new, it’s improved, it’s the funniest ever! Back by popular demand, this newly revised edition includes plenty of all-time favorites, along with more than twenty-five pages of new content. That’s page after page after page of laugh-out-loud dumb jokes, dumb jocks, toasts, pranks, kings, kittens, caboodles, and, of course, poorly translated kung fu movie subtitles such as “It took my seven digestive pills to dissolve your hairy crab!” So, whether you like your humor witty or witless, light or dark, silly or sublime, you’ll laugh until your head explodes. Chortle at: ·Dumb crooks: The robber who ran face-first into a wall because he forgot to poke eye holes in his pillowcase. ·Witty wordplay: If Snoop Dogg were to marry Winnie-the-Pooh, his name would become Snoop Dogg Pooh. ·Flubbed headlines: “British Left Waffles On House Floor”  ·Quirky stars: Billy Idol’s concert rider demands he have one large tub of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter in his dressing room. ·Job lingo: If you hear an ER doc mention a “VIP,” be on the lookout for a “very intoxicated patient.” ·Sputtering sportscasters: “If only faces could talk.” —Pat Summerall And much, much more Read more

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