65 Fun Facts for Kids
Posted by Courtney McLaughlin
Give your brain a workout and have some fun with these 65 cool facts! Use this list for trivia on family game night or play a round on your next car trip and keep the whole crew entertained. Divide into teams or pick a favorite category to get started. Put on your thinking cap and enjoy!
Colors
- The colors of a rainbow always appear in the same order.
- Blue, red, and yellow are primary colors — these colors plus white and black blend to make all other colors.
- Red is the first color a baby can see.
- White is the most popular car color.
- Brown eyes are the most prevalent in the human population.
Marine Animals
- A blue whale’s tongue is heavier than an elephant.
- A crab’s taste buds are on their feet.
- Octopi have three hearts.
- The American lobster can live to be 20 years old.
- No two spot patterns on a whale shark are the same — they are as unique as fingerprints.
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United States
- The United States has the fourth-longest water system in the world.
- Alaska is the state with the longest coastline.
- The tallest monument in the United States is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
- Kansas City, Missouri, has more fountains than any other city in the world besides Rome.
- Tennessee and Missouri each share borders with eight states.
The Human Body
- AB negative is the rarest blood type.
- On average, the human heart beats 100,000 times a day.
- The strongest muscle in the body is the jaw.
- Fingernails grow faster than toenails.
- The average tongue is about three inches long.
Fruits and Vegetables
- Strawberries and raspberries wear their seeds on the outside.
- Potatoes were the first vegetable to be grown in space.
- Bananas are technically herbs.
- Tomatoes are the most eaten fruit in the world.
- Apples are in the rose family.
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Dinosaurs
- Dinosaur fossils have been found on all seven continents.
- The dinosaur with the longest name is Micropachycephalosaurus.
- A Nigersaurus has an unusual skull containing as many as 500 slender teeth.
- Presently, over 700 dinosaurs have been identified and named, however, scientists believe there are many more to be discovered.
- Snakes, crocodiles and bees were just a few of the animals who lived alongside dinosaurs.
U.S. Monuments and Memorials
- George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are the four presidents on Mount Rushmore.
- Both the width and the height of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis are 630 feet.
- The Washington Monument is the tallest unreinforced stone masonry structure in the world.
- President Theodore Roosevelt is responsible for giving The White House its name.
- Elvis Presley was one of the largest private donors to the Pearl Harbor memorial.
Sports
- The longest tennis match lasted 11 hours and five minutes at Wimbledon in 2010.
- Women first competed in the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris.
- Wrestling was the world’s first sport.
- Golf is the only sport to be played on the moon.
- The FIFA World Cup (soccer) is one of the most viewed sporting events on television.
Weather
- The Empire State Building gets struck by lightning an average of 25 times a year.
- In 1899, it was so cold that the Mississippi River froze.
- Clouds can travel at more than 100 mph with the jet stream.
- Hurricanes north of the Earth's equator spin counterclockwise.
- Hurricanes south of the Earth's equator spin clockwise.
U.S. Presidents
- Abraham Lincoln stood at 6 feet 4 inches making him one of the tallest U.S. presidents.
- Bill Clinton has two Grammy Awards.
- Three of the nation's five founding fathers — John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe — died on July 4th (Adams and Jefferson in 1826 and Monroe in 1831).
- The shortest-serving president was William Henry Harrison, who was the ninth president of the United States for 31 days in 1841.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only American president to have served more than two terms.
Disney
- Tiger roars were used for The Lion King as lions weren’t loud enough.
- Walt Disney World resort is about the same size as San Francisco.
- Mickey Mouse was the first animated character to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Pocahontas is the only Disney princess with a tattoo.
- Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film in history to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
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Food
- Ears of corn generally have an even number of rows.
- Although Froot Loops cereal signature “O’s” come in many colors, they're all the same flavor.
- Applesauce was the first food eaten in space.
- The Caesar salad was born in Tijuana, Mexico.
- One out of every four hazelnuts on the planet makes its way into a jar of Nutella.
Guinness World Records
- The “Guinness Book of World Records” was first published in 1955.
- The Simpsons is the longest-running animated television show (based on episodes).
- The world’s largest wedding cake weighed 15,032 pounds.
- Ashrita Furman is the person with the most Guinness World Records titles.
- The largest gathering of people dressed as Superman was 867, achieved by a group in the U.K.
Whenever you need a few minutes of fun, wow your growing geniuses with these facts. Encourage kids to discover surprising facts on their own and share them with you!
Courtney McLaughlin is a freelance writer in Charlotte, N.C. She gratefully shares her life, home and heart with her daughter and their dog.
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