Paris’s Musée du Louvre was originally a fortress, built in 1190, to protect Parisians against Viking attacks. It had a moat protecting it from attacks as well as defense towers in all corners. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: The Louvre: Five Facts You Probably Didn’t Know (amarantechampselysees.com)
In February 2020, a satellite image captured the stunning white peaks of volcanoes Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii, which have experienced their second-most extensive snow coverage since records began. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Snow blankets Hawaii volcanoes in stunning satellite images | Live Science
The national soccer team of San Marino has only ever won 1 game since it was established in 1986. It has tied in 6 games and lost nearly 200. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marino_national_football_team
According to statistics from the Wine Institute, the Vatican City consumes more wine per person than anywhere else in the world: ~105 bottles per person per year. – WTF Fun Facts
There are almost no mosquitoes in Disney World even though it is in a swampy area. They have a sophisticated Mosquito Surveillance Program which involves freezing and analyzing bugs as well as “sentinel” chickens whose blood they monitor for disease. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: The Fascinating Reason Why There Are No Mosquitoes at Disney World | Mental Floss
There’s only one McDonald’s in the world with turquoise arches. In 1993, local government officials in Sedona, Arizona, thought the yellow would clash with the natural red rock surrounding the city. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Why This Arizona McDonald’s Uses Turquoise Instead of Golden Arches | Reader’s Digest (rd.com)
For one day in August 1998 and another in October 2018, Topeka, Kansas, renamed itself “ToPikachu” to mark the release of different Pokémon games. – WTF un Facts
Istanbul is the only city that is on two continents. The city straddles the Bosphorus strait, and lies in both Europe and Asia. It is also the most populated city in Europe. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Istanbul – Wikipedia
Iceland ended it’s prohibition in the 1930’s, but full-strength beer (>2.25% alcohol) remained illegal until March 1, 1989. March 1st is now celebrated annually as Bjórdagurinn (Beer Day). – WTF Fun Facts
Across the globe there are hundreds of coal seam fires burning low and slow on the dirty fuel in the Earth’s crust. One such fire, “Burning Mountain” in Australia, has been active for over 6,000 years. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Embers Under the Earth: The Surprising World of Coal Seam Fires | Fires | Global Forest Watch Blog
In Japan, a few foreign cartoons including “Bob The Builder” have an “additional” fifth finger on the characters’ hands. The reason for this is that having only four fingers implied they were a member of a sub-class.–WTF Fun Facts
Source: “Japanese Cartoon Characters Always Have Five Fingers And Here’s The Odd Reason Why” — ODDEE
Pablo Escobar’s 4 pet hippos were unable to be removed from his Colombian estate and were left to fend for themselves. They have since thrived in local rivers and grown to a population of ~100 hippos. The are the only wild hippos outside of Africa. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/01/13/1072903214/the-debate-about-pablo-escobars-hippos
According to a 2016 survey, which polled 1,365 people between the ages of 20 and 70, ~46% of people in Japan ignore knocks on their door or their doorbell when it rings, staying inside until the person goes away. – WTF Fun Facts
After illegally demolishing the historic London pub Carlton Tavern (that survived the Blitz), a property developer was ordered by the courts to rebuild it “brick by brick.” It’s taken over 5 years and it has still not been completely finished. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Carlton Tavern still not reopened four years after it was illegal demolished | Kilburn Times
Roughly 30-40% of Vietnamese people have the surname Nguyen. For comparison, the most popular surname in America is Smith, which is shared by only 0.8% of the population. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Nguyen – Wikipedia
There’s a triangle picnic table at the tripoint of Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia.–WTF Fun Facts
Source:Europe’s “tripoint” between Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia (matadornetwork.com)
In 2004, the newly elected President of the Republic of Georgia fired all ~30,000 traffic cops to help get rid of corruption. – WTF Fun Facts
The Manitou incline is a former cable car path in Colorado that has only the rail ties remaining. It is just under a mile long and climbs 2,000 vertical feet. World class athletes have been timed climbing it in under 20 minutes. – WTF Fun Facts