The Kumbh Mela (or Grand Pitcher Festival) is a huge Hindu religious festival that takes place in India every 12 years. In 2001, 60 million people attended, breaking the record for the world’s biggest gathering. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46834335
The Mexican Constitution of 1917 was the first document in history that said every person has the right to an education. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Mexico#Article_1
75% of the earth’s population, an estimated 4 billion people, who have no address for mailing purposes. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://qz.com/705273/mongolia-is-changing-all-its-addresses-to-three-word-phrases/
The highest crime rate per capita of any city in the world is at Vatican City where an average of 600 crimes (primarily petty theft) are committed per year, despite only having 800 residents. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Vatican_City
In 1936, Cleveland lost the largest book in the world. The Golden Book of Cleveland was 7 feet by 5 feet and 3 feet thick, with 6,000 pages – about the size of a queen-size bed. It weighed ~2 1/2 tons. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/the-read/articles/the-golden-book-of-cleveland
In 2016, there were 870 Chinese-licensed “living Buddhas,” searchable by name, temple and identity card number or “living-Buddha card number.” The license process aims to help cut down on fraud. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-reincarnation-law-20160307-story.html
The shortest nation in Europe is Malta. The Maltese have an average height of 164.9 cm (~65 in) compared with the EU average of 169.6 cm (~67 in). – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average_human_height_by_country
According to the “Regulation of Traditions and Customs in the Republic of Tajikistan,” which were introduced in 2007 and updated in 2017, the celebration of birthdays anywhere except in the privacy of the family circle is strictly forbidden and carries a hefty fine if caught.. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-34051435
The world’s most prolific gin drinkers are Filipinos. The Philippines accounts for 43% of the world’s gin consumption and they mostly drink the locally produced Ginebra San Miguel. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2014/09/02/high-spirits
Walt Disney World once had it’s own airport with a singing runway (Lake Buena Vista STOLPort runway). Grooves in the tarmac were spaced so the lines played the opening notes of “When You Wish Upon a Star”. The airport closed in 1972. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/singing-runway-at-the-abandoned-disney-world-airport
Volunteers spent 2 years cleaning up over 11,500,000 pounds of trash along Mumbai’s Versova beach in one of ‘the world’s largest beach clean-ups’, resulting in Olive Ridley turtles returning to lay eggs for the first time in 20 years. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/mumbai-beach-clean-up-turtles-2/
In 2013, the United States surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia and now produces more oil and natural gas than any other country in the world. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/04/us-oil-natural-gas-production-russia-saudi-arabia
According to research, up to 50% of the Asian population lack a specific enzyme found in the liver to metabolize alcohol. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860432/
In 1999, Philip Morris attempted to convince the Czech Republic that smoking was highly beneficial to the country, as more people would die earlier, saving the government millions on pensions, hospitals, and housing for elderly citizens. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-05-mn-30831-story.html
Japan has installed special concrete tunnels under some of their train tracks to allow for turtles to cross the tracks. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japanese-rail-workers-build-special-tunnels-to-save-turtles-from-train-deaths-a6757466.html
A disgruntled businessman in Vermont, who was upset with the local officials for denying a building permit for his proposed business, got revenge by building a giant, illuminated middle finger statue on his property at a cost of ~$4,000. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2018/12/10/middle-finger-sculpture-westford-vermont
Climate change is turning the world’s oldest mummies into black goo. For 7,000 years, these mummies have survived in Chile’s Atacama Desert, but humidity in the area has risen enough to cause rapid mummy decomposition. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2015/03/saving-chilean-mummies-climate-change
Artist Max Siedentopf is creating an installation called “Toto Forever” at an undisclosed location somewhere in the Namib Desert, Africa. The solar powered installation will consist of six speakers and an MP3 player with Toto’s Africa on repeat. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: http://maxsiedentopf.com/toto-forever