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Quite Interesting Facts #6
1,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over
The eye-popping, gob-smacking, rib-tickling phenomenon that is QI serves up a brand new selection of 1,423 facts to bowl you over.
Bees can play football.
Cholesterol is good for you.
Camels gave humans the common cold.
English has 3,000 words relating to drunkenness.
In 1851 all the 436,800 sandwiches sold in London were ham.
Books used to be put on shelves with their spines facing inwards.
A German airline allows an extra kilo of hand luggage, provided it's books.
There are more trees on Earth than there are stars in the Milky Way.
Iceland has more volcanoes than footballers.
Bees can play football.
Cholesterol is good for you.
Camels gave humans the common cold.
English has 3,000 words relating to drunkenness.
In 1851 all the 436,800 sandwiches sold in London were ham.
Books used to be put on shelves with their spines facing inwards.
A German airline allows an extra kilo of hand luggage, provided it's books.
There are more trees on Earth than there are stars in the Milky Way.
Iceland has more volcanoes than footballers.
- GenresNonfictionTrivia
400 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2017
42 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
John Lloyd
231 books142 followersJohn Hardress Wilfred Lloyd is an English television and radio comedy producer and writer. His television work includes Not the Nine O'Clock News, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Spitting Image, Blackadder and QI. He is currently the presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 4, 2020
Another great entry in the series, full of bizarre and entertaining fact(oids) - many of which make you want to dig a little deeper to get a better understanding of the topic in question. The facts from the animal kingdom are probably my favourites. Recommended (but then I'm a big QI fan anyway!)
March 20, 2018
Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes.
I’ve read and reviewed a few of these books so far, and so we’re now at the point where Faber & Faber just automatically pop a copy of every new one as and when they’re released. There’s not too much that I can say here that I haven’t said for the previous ones. It’s aesthetically pleasing, interesting and easy to either dip in and out of or to read from cover to cover.
What I will say is that this particular collection feels somehow more “up to date” than previous releases have, possibly because it includes a bunch of facts about technology, the internet and social media. But honestly, while slightly over 1,400 facts might seem intimidating, I binged my way through the entire book in an afternoon. What can I say? I love trivia.
I’m not sure what else I can tell you here to sell you on the book, and so I figure I’m just going to share a few facts until I hit my word count. So here we go. A clock’s second hand is really it’s third hand. People who buy “bags for life” are safer drivers. In 2017, Doris Day discovered she was two years older than she thought she was. If you stood on top of a mountain on the moon and fired a gun at the horizon, you could shoot yourself in the back. In 2010, Fiji lost its original Declaration of Independence and had to ask Britain for a photocopy.
Still not convinced? Here are some more. The award ceremony for obituary writers is called “The Grimmies“. Richard Nixon once ordered a nuclear strike on North Korea while drunk. In 2004, a pine tree planted in memory of George Harrison died after an infestation of beetles. And of course, people who read books live longer than those who don’t. I like that last fact. It bodes well for me, and presumably for you too. If these facts haven’t swayed you then I guess this book isn’t for you. If they have, go ahead and get it.
I’ve read and reviewed a few of these books so far, and so we’re now at the point where Faber & Faber just automatically pop a copy of every new one as and when they’re released. There’s not too much that I can say here that I haven’t said for the previous ones. It’s aesthetically pleasing, interesting and easy to either dip in and out of or to read from cover to cover.
What I will say is that this particular collection feels somehow more “up to date” than previous releases have, possibly because it includes a bunch of facts about technology, the internet and social media. But honestly, while slightly over 1,400 facts might seem intimidating, I binged my way through the entire book in an afternoon. What can I say? I love trivia.
I’m not sure what else I can tell you here to sell you on the book, and so I figure I’m just going to share a few facts until I hit my word count. So here we go. A clock’s second hand is really it’s third hand. People who buy “bags for life” are safer drivers. In 2017, Doris Day discovered she was two years older than she thought she was. If you stood on top of a mountain on the moon and fired a gun at the horizon, you could shoot yourself in the back. In 2010, Fiji lost its original Declaration of Independence and had to ask Britain for a photocopy.
Still not convinced? Here are some more. The award ceremony for obituary writers is called “The Grimmies“. Richard Nixon once ordered a nuclear strike on North Korea while drunk. In 2004, a pine tree planted in memory of George Harrison died after an infestation of beetles. And of course, people who read books live longer than those who don’t. I like that last fact. It bodes well for me, and presumably for you too. If these facts haven’t swayed you then I guess this book isn’t for you. If they have, go ahead and get it.
December 21, 2017
Christmas isn't complete without one of these intelligent and immaculately researched little books. I love the downright obscure, the amazingly factual, and the mind boggling stupendousness of the variety of facts which never fail to entertain.
It's a great book to have on stand by for that lull in the Christmas proceedings, you know the one, it's after the main course, and before the pudding, when guests are girding their loins for the next onslaught of calories. So stop and digest a while and keep everyone entertained with 1,423 facts that you never knew you needed to know.
Here's a little appetiser:
No centipede has ever been found with exactly 100 legs...
The most misspelled word in the English language is seperate .....oops, Separate...
Dragonflies can see directly behind themselves...
And after that little snippet you can go off and discover the other 1420 QI facts for yourselves...go on, treat yourself, it's a perfect gift for Christmas.
Easy to read in just a couple of hours, with the added inclusion of a source finder so that all the facts can be verified, make this an ideal resource for anyone who has an interest in discovering just a little bit more about any of the facts contained in the book.
It's a great book to have on stand by for that lull in the Christmas proceedings, you know the one, it's after the main course, and before the pudding, when guests are girding their loins for the next onslaught of calories. So stop and digest a while and keep everyone entertained with 1,423 facts that you never knew you needed to know.
Here's a little appetiser:
No centipede has ever been found with exactly 100 legs...
The most misspelled word in the English language is seperate .....oops, Separate...
Dragonflies can see directly behind themselves...
And after that little snippet you can go off and discover the other 1420 QI facts for yourselves...go on, treat yourself, it's a perfect gift for Christmas.
Easy to read in just a couple of hours, with the added inclusion of a source finder so that all the facts can be verified, make this an ideal resource for anyone who has an interest in discovering just a little bit more about any of the facts contained in the book.
March 23, 2021
Some of the facts beneath the cover are just unbelievable!
September 3, 2020
Purchase 1,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over here for just $8!
Great read when you have a few minutes to kill. Providing lots of interesting, quirky and unbelievable facts, this is another great edition to the series.
Alicia - The Book Grocer
Great read when you have a few minutes to kill. Providing lots of interesting, quirky and unbelievable facts, this is another great edition to the series.
Alicia - The Book Grocer
November 13, 2017
Merlin was a Slytherin, Tupac Shakur was a ballet dancer and there are two Air Force Ones.
Three facts from '1,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over. This ebook edition comes with hyperlinks so readers can source check.
Three facts from '1,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over. This ebook edition comes with hyperlinks so readers can source check.
January 10, 2018
A fun read, as ever but nothing too challenging. Does feel like they're leaning a lot more on a quick skim of interesting news stories and very wobbly generalisations. About a third of the facts probably weren't all that interesting but, overall, still a good read.
April 22, 2018
Presenting information in the best way possible: a series of miscellaneous facts with no context what-so-ever. If you are looking for a good book to leave in the bathroom for when you forget your phone, you can't really go wrong with this one.
October 26, 2017
I love these books such a shame I have to wait a whole year for the next one.. I have all 6 in hard back and they are a great sorce of amusment.
November 15, 2017
Another wonderful 'QI' fix with loads of fun, unessential but interesting info and facts. Looking forward to the next one!
January 8, 2018
Another does of factual improvement from the QI elves
January 23, 2018
Great read
Many interesting facts to blow the mind. I have read many of these books and have never been disappointed. Recommend
Many interesting facts to blow the mind. I have read many of these books and have never been disappointed. Recommend
February 17, 2018
Full of weird, wonderful and surprising facts and trivia.
Some interesting tidbits along with the downright ridiculous and possibly disturbing pieces of random information.
Definitely worth a browse.
Some interesting tidbits along with the downright ridiculous and possibly disturbing pieces of random information.
Definitely worth a browse.
March 26, 2018
I just didn't find many facts very interesting this time.
September 13, 2018
Great read when you have a few minutes to kill. So many interesting, quirky and some unbelievable facts. Highly recommend this little chestnut!
December 27, 2018
Got Christmas 2018 and read a page a night. Some of the Facts aren’t as factual as you might want, but they at least lead you in interesting directions
May 7, 2019
Unique book, just contain of conclusion from many sources, if you want more detail, go to their site and enter page number then you will get link of it. Awesome !
September 18, 2020
Amazing however some facts did overlap which was annoying but amazing facts want to find more fact books
March 16, 2021
Some more interesting facts but the same problems occur with looking up the sources - websites that no longer exist and paywalls thwarting the pursuit of extra knowledge.
January 7, 2022
Interesting and informative read not something you might think you need definitely a hidden gem. Something to read on the toilet I would say
February 19, 2022
More of the brilliant same, though I do spot a couple of facts which were from earlier books.
December 12, 2025
Great fun
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews