The following is an excerpt from "1,227 Quite Interesting Facts" [W.W. Norton, $15.95], a collection of difficult to believe yet entirely true miscellanea, assembled by the creators of British quiz show, "QI."
1. One in ten European babies is conceived in an IKEA bed.
2. Alfred Kinsey, author of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948), had a collection of 5 million wasps and could insert a toothbrush into his penis, bristle-end first.
3. British spies stopped using semen as invisible ink because it began to smell if it wasn’t fresh.
4. A single sperm contains 37.5 MB of DNA information. One ejaculation represents a data transfer of 15,875 GB, equivalent to the combined capacity of 62 MacBook Pro laptops.
5. Male fruitflies rejected by females drink significantly more alcohol than those that have had a successful encounter.
6. A female ferret will die if she doesn't have sex for a year.
7. Seven Viagra tablets are sold every second.
8. The German for "contraceptive" is Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel. By the time you've finished saying it, it's too late.
9. The American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a mental illness until 1973.
10. The best-selling work of fiction of the 15th century was "The Tale of the Two Lovers," an erotic novel by the man who later became Pope Pius II.
11. A single human male produces enough sperm in two weeks to impregnate every fertile woman on the planet.
12. In 2008, archaeologists in Cyprus found a 7th-century curse inscribed on a lead tablet that said, "May your penis hurt when you make love." Nobody knows who made the curse, or why.
13. The founder of match.com, Gary Kremen, lost his girlfriend to a man she met on match.com.
14. Gymnophoria is the sense that someone is mentally undressing you.
15. A female chimpanzee in a fit of passion has the strength of six men.
16. At the 2012 London Olympics, which lasted for 17 days, the athletes were provided with 150,000 free condoms- approximately 15 each.
17. The "G-spot" was nearly called the Whipple Tickle- after Professor Beverley Whipple, who coined the expression that we know today.
Support HuffPost
The Stakes Have Never Been Higher
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Our News, Politics and Culture teams invest time and care working on hard-hitting investigations and researched analyses, along with quick but robust daily takes. Our Life, Health and Shopping desks provide you with well-researched, expert-vetted information you need to live your best life, while HuffPost Personal, Voices and Opinion center real stories from real people.
Help keep news free for everyone by giving us as little as $1. Your contribution will go a long way.
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Help keep news free for everyone by giving us as little as $1. Your contribution will go a long way.
As the 2024 presidential race heats up, the very foundations of our democracy are at stake. A vibrant democracy is impossible without well-informed citizens. This is why HuffPost's journalism is free for everyone, not just those who can afford expensive paywalls.
We cannot do this without your help. Support our newsroom by contributing as little as $1 a month.
As the 2024 presidential race heats up, the very foundations of our democracy are at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a vibrant democracy is impossible without well-informed citizens. This is why we keep our journalism free for everyone, even as most other newsrooms have retreated behind expensive paywalls.
Our newsroom continues to bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes on one of the most consequential elections in recent history. Reporting on the current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly — and we need your help.
Support our newsroom by contributing as little as $1 a month.