A study of 4200 films released in 1994–2023 found that films written but not directed by a woman had a return on investment (ROI) higher by 25% than that of male-only films. Films written and directed by women had a similar ROI but had half the budget of male-only films.

In January 2007, a woman was refused entry to the UK because immigration officials claimed it was ‘not credible’ that someone wanted to spend a week in Gateshead.

In 2015, a flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur had to be diverted after the 2,186 sheep on board farted so much that the plane’s smoke sensors went off.

The expiration date on bottled water is not for the water, it's for the bottle.

Abraham Lincoln created the Secret Service on the same day that he was assassinated.

‘The Tiffany Problem’ is a term coined by the author Jo Walton to describe the tension between historical fact and the popular perception of history. No one would believe that a woman in the Middle Ages could be named Tiffany, yet it was a real medieval name.

Nobody knows who invented the fire hydrant. The patent records were destroyed in a fire.

In 1900, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle caught fire during a cricket match at Lord’s. The ball hit a box of matches in his pocket.

No one knows who named Earth, Earth, or why it’s the only planet in our solar system not to be named after a Greek or Roman deity.

Most of the wasabi in supermarkets and restaurants is a mixture of horseradish and mustard dyed green.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, Chinese shipbuilders would carve seven small holes, representing the Big Dipper, into the joint of their keels. It was for protection since the Big Dipper is crucial for navigation and was associated with the element of water in China.

Word of the day: IRUSU (Japanese) - Pretending not to be home when an unwanted visitor knocks at the door.

The Woozle Effect is a phenomenon whereby an incorrect fact is cited so many times that it becomes largely accepted. It comes from a Winnie the Pooh story.

In 2016 the remote Japanese train station of Kami-Shirataki was scheduled to close, until the authorities realised that a single student was still using it for their commute to school. They rescheduled the closure until after she graduated.

After delivering a speech in Japan, Jimmy Carter asked his translator why one particular joke had gone down so well. The translator responded: “I told the audience, ‘President Carter told a funny story; everyone must laugh’.”

9% of Americans under 45 think that it is acceptable to wear pyjamas to the office.

The word rooster was adopted by American puritans in the 18th century because they didn’t want to use the word cock.