The most expensive tea in the world is grown in the mountains of Ya’An in the Sichuan province of China. Workers fertilize the tea bushes using the waste from local pandas. The tea costs the equivalent of around $200 for a small cup. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Poo for tea: China’s pandas brew a top drop | Reuters
Ocean waters around the world contain about 20 million tons of gold in the water itself, worth 100’s of trillions of dollars at today’s prices. Each liter of water contains approximately 13 billionths of a gram of gold. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: $771 Trillion Worth Of Gold Lies Hidden In The Ocean: Good Luck Getting It (forbes.com)
The fish-scaled gecko (Geckolepis megalepis) has tear-away skin and scales that rip off at the slightest threat. They can regenerate scales in just a few weeks. – WTF Fun Facts
A 2013 study found that domestic cats in the United States kill an estimated 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States | Nature Communications
The first Olympic disqualification for drug use was against a Swedish pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall who drank two beers before his shooting event to calm his nerves during the 1968 Olympics. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Gunnar_Liljenwall
Ancient Greeks and Egyptians measured long distances by hiring “bematists,” who would count steps while walking between locations. They could measure hundreds of miles with 95%+ accuracy. Eratosthenes used one to calculate the circumference of the Earth within 15% in 240 B.C.E. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Bematist – Wikipedia
One of the most unusual delivery methods used by the USPS is a “mule train” in Arizona. The mules carry mail, food and supplies down an 8-mile trail to the Havasupai Indians at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: 8-mile mule train delivery | U.S. Postal Facts (usps.com)
Jose Cuervo is still produced on land granted to the family by the King of Spain in 1758. It was the first business to receive a license to produce tequila and is the oldest family run business in Mexico. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.familybusinessmagazine.com/worlds-oldest-family-companies
Tennis balls were originally white until Sir David Attenborough realized they’d be hard to follow on color television so the sport created “optic yellow” balls in 1972. Wimbledon didn’t allow them to be used until 1986. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: How tennis changed from white to yellow balls thanks to David Attenborough – Tennis365.com