- It is forbidden to die in the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen. (From our own correspondent, BBC Radio 4, 12th July 2008)
- In England, 57 per cent of children aged five to 12 have visited Spain and 54 per cent France. But only 44 per cent have visited Wales and 39 per cent Scotland. (Travelodge)
- China is now the world's sixth largest wine producer. (Slate, 8th August 2008)
- Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest— and failed to make the finals. (Snopes.com)
- There are around 600 breweries producing real ale in Britain— twice as many as 15 years ago. (The Economist, 16th August 2008)
- Last year, the number of people killed on British roads—just under 3,000—was the lowest since records began in 1926. (BBC News, 26th June 2008)
- Catholics believe that the soul comes into existence at the exact moment of conception. In Greek Orthodoxy, "ensoulment" happens at 21 days, in Islam at 40 days, and in Judaism at 80 days. (Between the Monster and the Saint, by Richard Holloway)
- A single time zone covers all China. (New Yorker, 11th/18th August 2008)
- British Telecom spends £3m a year on removing clamps on its vehicles in London. (Financial Times, 17th July 2008)
- Greece has more tanks than any other EU country. (The Economist, 26th July 2008)
- 1p and 2p pieces made before 1992 are 97 per cent copper. Today's high price of copper ($8,185 a tonne) means they are worth around 3p. (Daily Telegraph, 11th July 2008)
- Evelyn Waugh's first wife was named Evelyn. (Curiosities of literature, by John Sutherland)
- The average participant in the New York City marathon has an annual household income of $130,000. (New Yorker, 11th/18th August 2008)
- Last year 24 people killed themselves by jumping under Paris Metro trains. On the New York subway the figure was 26, and on the London Underground 50. (Time, 29th July 2008)
- Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu both have houses in Vilakazi Street in Soweto, making it the only address in the world to house two Nobel Peace prize winners. (BBC news online, 19th July 2006)
- The total computing power at Nasa at the time of Sputnik's launch in 1957 was far less than that available in a typical mobile phone today. (Martin Rees lecture)
- Nine out of ten Chinese citizens say they approve of the way things are going in their country. (New Yorker, 28th July 2008)
- In Welsh, there is no indefinite article, but three definite articles. (Economist.com, 4th August 2008)
- In the US, 14.5 per cent of men are six feet or over. But among CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, the figure is 58 per cent. (Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell)
- With 800m players, beach volleyball is the second most popular sport in the world by participation, after football. (BBC1)
- In the mid-1930s, there were 15,000 US citizens living in the USSR. (The Forsaken by Tim Tzouliadis)
- Mississippi is the fattest state in the US, with 32.6 per cent of its population classed as obese in 2007. The leanest state is Colorado, with 19.3 per cent. (CalorieLab.com)
