There’s nothing like a random and interesting fact to keep a circle of friends entertained. And if you’re on the lookout for some juicy facts that will entertain your buddies, we’ve got just the thing for you. So, here’s a list of unusual and interesting facts that you can share with your loved ones. Enjoy!

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Maremma dogs help protect Little Penguins on Middle Island.

On Middle Island in Australia, trained Maremma dogs help protect a colony of Little Penguins. The penguins were in trouble because foxes could reach the island at low tide. After guardian dogs were brought in, fox attacks dropped and the penguin colony slowly started to recover.

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Swedish vacuum pipes pull trash underground to reduce truck trips.

In parts of Sweden, garbage can travel underground instead of sitting in open bins or waiting for collection trucks. People put waste into street-level inlets, then a vacuum system pulls it through hidden pipes to a central station. It helps cut truck traffic, control smells, and makes trash collection feel like city tech from the future.

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A volcanic eruption helped feed a huge ocean plankton bloom.

When Alaska’s Kasatochi volcano erupted in 2008, its ash spread over the North Pacific Ocean. NASA reported that chlorophyll in the water rose by about 150%, which showed a huge bloom of tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton. Scientists said iron-rich volcanic ash likely helped feed the bloom.

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Whale poop helps feed tiny ocean plants that make oxygen.

Whales dive deep to eat, then come back up and release nutrient-rich poop near the ocean surface. That poop carries nutrients like iron and nitrogen, which help tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton grow. These tiny plants make about half of Earth’s oxygen, so yes, whale poop secretly helps the planet breathe.

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IBM Simon (1994): first smartphone with calls, email, touchscreen—but too expensive, bad battery.

The first true smartphone is often credited to the IBM Simon, which IBM built and BellSouth sold in 1994. It already combined phone calls, email, fax, apps, and a touchscreen, but its high price and roughly one-hour battery life helped keep it from taking off.

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Seoul removed a highway, restored a stream, and cooled the area 3.3–5.9°C by swapping concrete for nature.

Seoul removed the highway over the Cheonggyecheon stream and brought the water back. Case-study data found the area along the stream was about 3.3 to 5.9°C cooler than a nearby parallel road, showing how replacing concrete with water, trees, and better airflow can cool a city fast.

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In Utrecht, people press an online fish doorbell to alert lock operators when fish wait upstream.

In Utrecht, the Netherlands, people can watch a live underwater camera and press an online fish doorbell when they spot fish waiting at a lock. That alert helps the lock keeper know fish are there, and the lock is opened when enough fish are waiting so they can keep moving upstream.

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Samsung dismissed Android, then Google bought it and won mobile.

Before Google bought Android in 2005, Android’s founder pitched Samsung on buying or funding it. Samsung executives passed and mocked the idea. Soon after, Google acquired Android and turned it into today’s Android OS.

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$8 Goodwill NES Stadium Events flipped for $25K online.

Jennifer Thompson spotted ultra-rare NES game Stadium Events at Goodwill and bought it for $8 despite having just $30 in her account. She knew it was valuable from collector forums. A game store offered all their register cash, but she declined and sold it online for $25,000—a massive windfall.

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Gruen envisioned malls as walkable towns—stores plus civic services and homes.

Victor Gruen, who made the very first shopping malls, dreamed they would be like little towns! He wanted stores mixed with homes to live in, libraries for books, green parks, post offices, doctor offices, and more—all in one happy place where people could walk and hang out.