One of the most rewarding aspects of mastering a new skill is sharing that knowledge with others. While some facts are strange and beautiful, while others are completely worthless. There is a whole category of trivia that is so fantastic that you can't help but ask everyone you encounter, 'Did you know this?!' These are the facts that will amaze you and your friends, ranging from why grapes catch fire in the microwave to how long it takes the typical animal to urinate.

the plank.

They did not actually force people to walk the plank.

 Jolly Roger

The Jolly Roger flag was not used by every pirate ship.

books, publishers, amazon, bookshops, author

Books have a more forgiving return policy than a January Kohls.

books, publishers, amazon, bookshops, author

Authors nearly never create the cover and frequently have no say in the matter.

books, publishers, amazon, bookshops, author

Books are one of the few things whose price is printed right on the packaging.

conspiracy, theory, prophecy fails, Leon Festinger, backfire effect

A few conspiracy ideas have proven to be correct.

conspiracy, theory, prophecy fails, Leon Festinger, backfire effect

We may thank a famous author's brother for conspiracy theorists' tinfoil hats.

conspiracy, theory, prophecy fails, Leon Festinger, backfire effect

Conspiracy theories are not more prevalent today than they were previously.

conspiracy, theory, prophecy fails, Leon Festinger, backfire effect

Conspiracy theories are nothing new.

pirates, eyepatch, fictional, pirates, national, national geographic, appendages

Grog was the pirate's preferred beverage.

pirates, eyepatch, fictional, pirates, national, national geographic, appendages

The most feared pirate of all time was Blackbeard.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brasilia,  capital

Cidade Maravilhosa is Rio's nickname.

conspiracy

There is an equation that calculates how long a conspiracy can remain hidden.

code of conduct.

Each pirate ship had its own set of rules and code of conduct.

eye patches

Pirates wore eye patches.

Christ

Several times a year, Christ gets struck by lightning.

Maracan

Maracan has the record for the most football game attendees.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is home to the world's largest urban forest.

Rio de Janeiro i

Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's second largest metropolis.

Genghis Khan

Why was he called Genghis Khan?

mirror, moon,  Earth, this distance varies

The moon is covered in mirrors.

conspiracy, theory, prophecy fails, Leon Festinger, backfire effect

The phrase "conspiracy theory" is the subject of a conspiracy theory.

conspiracy, theory, prophecy fails, Leon Festinger, backfire effect

Tinfoil hats, unfortunately for conspiracy enthusiasts, have been shown to enhance specific radio frequencies.

conspiracy, theory, prophecy fails, Leon Festinger, backfire effect

Many people subscribe to conspiracy theories.

conspiracy, theory, prophecy fails, Leon Festinger, backfire effect

There is a distinction to be made between a conspiracy theory, a myth, a rumour, and a falsehood.

pirates, eyepatch, fixtional, pirates, national, nationalgeographic, appendages

The pirates were chased out of The Bahamas by Captain Woodes Rogers.

pirates, eyepatch, fixtional, pirates, national, nationalgeographic, appendages

There were also female pirates.