20 Little-Known Facts About Sports, People and Places
Sports: The Strange and Unusual
1. In Japan, there is a sport called “octopus wrestling,” where competitors try to catch an octopus that has been released into a pool.
2. The longest tennis match in history lasted for over 11 hours and involved John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010.
3. During his career as a professional basketball player, Shaquille O’Neal was fined $75,000 by the NBA for using a racial slur against Chinese people during a live broadcast of a game.
4. In Finland, there is a sport called “wife carrying,” which involves men racing while carrying their wives on their backs.
People: Incredible Feats of Endurance
5. In 1986, a man named David Blaine spent 58 days inside a glass box suspended above London’s River Thames without any food or water.
6. In 2013, a woman named Sarah Marquis walked 10,000 miles from Siberia to Australia over the course of three years.
7. In 2018, a man named Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in under two hours, breaking the world record by more than two minutes.
Places: Hidden Gems Around the World
8. There is a hotel in Sweden made entirely out of ice, including the beds, chairs, and even the glasses used for drinking.
9. In Mexico City, there is a museum dedicated to the life and work of Frida Kahlo, one of the most famous Mexican artists of all time.
10. In New Zealand, there is a glow-in-the-dark cave system known as Waitomo Caves that attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Sports: Records That May Never Be Broken
11. Baseball legend Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs during his career, a record that stood until it was broken by Barry Bonds in 2007.
12. In 1999, golfer Tiger Woods won four consecutive major championships, a feat that no other golfer had ever accomplished before or since.
13. In 1982, the Los Angeles Lakers set an NBA record with 33 straight wins in a single season.
People: Famous Faces in Unexpected Places
14. Before becoming President of the United States, Barack Obama worked as a community organizer in Chicago.
15. Actress Angelina Jolie once studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York City alongside fellow actor James Franco.
16. Pop star Lady Gaga wrote her first song when she was just four years old.
Places: Off-the-Beaten Path Destinations to Explore
17. In Iceland, there is a geothermal spa located in the middle of nowhere that offers guests stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
18. In Peru, there is a mysterious ancient site known as Machu Picchu that remains shrouded in mystery despite being discovered over a century ago.
19. In India, there is a city called Varanasi that is considered one of the holiest places in the world for Hindus and Buddhists alike.
Sports: Bizarre Rituals and Traditions
20. In Spain, there is a festival called La Tomatina where participants throw tomatoes at each other for fun.