In fact

Fifty-six per cent of dog owners planned to buy their pet a gift at Christmas, compared to 48 per cent of cat owners. Associated Press, 8th December 2010

Saddam Hussein had a Koran made using his own blood as ink. Guardian, 19th December 2010

From 2000 to 2009, the Dave Matthews Band sold 11,230,696 concert tickets—more than any other act in the world. Billboard Boxscore, 14th May 2010

The average income in medieval England ($1,000 a year at the 1990 dollar rate) was higher than that of Afghanistan today ($869) and quadruple that of Zaire ($249). Centre on Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy, University of Warwick

In France, there are now two civil unions for every three marriages; of the 173,045 civil unions signed in 2009, 95 per cent were between heterosexual couples. New York Times, 15th December 2010

Seventy-six per cent of British employees have stolen from their place of work: pens and paper are the most filched items. Smallbusiness.co.uk, 21st December 2010

In the US, the mortality rate for hospitals is around 2 per cent; in hospitals in television shows, it is around 17.5 per cent. Superfreakonomics Illustrated (Allen Lane)

In 2009-10, Istanbul experienced an employment growth rate of 7.3 per cent: the highest of any major city in the world. Brookings Institute Global Metro Monitor

Julian Assange’s surname is thought to derive from Ah Sang or Mr Sang, a Chinese émigré who settled on Thursday Island, Queensland, in the 19th century. New Yorker, 7th June 2010