30 Fascinating Facts About Sports, People and Places
Sports Trivia: Fun Facts About Your Favorite Games
1. The first Olympic games were held in 776 BC in Greece.
2. Basketball was invented by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith in 1891.
3. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world with an estimated 450 million players.
4. Golf is the only sport played on the moon – astronaut Alan Shepard hit a golf ball during Apollo 14 mission.
People You Never Knew Existed (Until Now)
5. Hedy Lamarr, famous Hollywood actress of the 1940s, also co-invented modern Bluetooth technology.
6. Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand while drawing with another at the same time.
7. Chuck Norris’ real name is Carlos Ray Norris Jr., but he changed it to avoid confusion with his father who had the same name.
Places That Will Blow Your Mind
8. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest living structure on Earth and can be seen from space.
9. Mount Everest is not the highest mountain in the world if measured from base to summit, as its peak rises out of the Tibetan Plateau.
Strange But True Stories From History
10. During World War II, the US military used cats to detect enemy submarines because they have excellent hearing and are sensitive to changes in water pressure.
11. In ancient Rome, human urine was collected for use as a cleaning agent and whitening teeth.
Quirky Records and Achievements in Sports
12. The fastest pitch ever thrown in Major League Baseball was clocked at 105 mph by Aroldis Chapman in 2010.
13. Michael Jordan won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, but he was cut from his high school basketball team.
Famous Personalities With Surprising Hobbies or Talents
14. Albert Einstein loved playing violin and even performed with orchestras around Europe.
15. Tom Cruise has been trained in martial arts since childhood and holds black belts in karate and judo.
Unusual Traditions Around the World
16. In Japan, there is a festival called “The Naked Man Festival” where men wearing only loincloths fight over a pair of sacred sticks.
17. In India, some people believe that eating curd rice will bring good luck before starting something new.
Interesting Origins of Popular Sports
18. Tennis originated in France in the late 19th century when French monks played a game similar to badminton using their hands instead of rackets.
19. Rugby football evolved from various games played in England during the Middle Ages, including mob football which involved hundreds of players fighting over a pig bladder.
Incredible Feats by Ordinary People
20. Jogger Julie Weiss ran 52 marathons in 52 weeks in all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Canada.
21. Singer Justin Bieber learned how to play piano by watching YouTube tutorials.
Weird Laws and Rules in Different Countries
22. In Switzerland, it is illegal to flush toilet after 10 pm unless you live above the fourth floor.
23. In Singapore, chewing gum is banned except for medical purposes.