20 Fascinating Facts You Likely Didn't Know

1. A new species of fly was named after Beyonce because of its golden booty.

2. Will Smith was actually born and raised in West Philadelphia.

3. George Foreman has 5 sons called George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI. Plus a daughter called Georgetta.

4. Brian May, the guitarist from queen, has a PhD in astrophysics and has co-authored 3 research papers.

5. 20% of the planet's total trees are in Russia.

6. In Dumb and Dumber, Mary Swanson's kidnapped husband was originally supposed to be Mel Gibson.

7. Australia has a 'banned books' list, containing hundreds of books.

8. More Japanese Emperors abdicated the throne than died on it. This was because of the belief that 10 years was sufficient service to their country. Emperor Meiji was one of the exceptions, revolutionizing Japan for many decades and ruling until his death.

9. The ancient Rome was eight times more densely populated than modern New York.

10. The first person of Chinese descent to play first class Australian cricket, in 1923, was named Hunter Poon.

11. Crocodile bile is traditionally considered a poison in some parts of Africa, but testing has shown that it is harmless.

12. Loss of a sense of smell is one of the first symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Olfactory loss often appears many years before diagnosis.

13. Liger is the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger, while a Tigon is the offspring of a male tiger and a lioness.

14. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the writers of the movie Good Will Hunting included an oral sex scene between Damon and Robin Williams just to see which production company actually read the whole script.

15. Using Skype in Ethiopia can get you jailed for 15 years.

16. Cockroaches raised in space become quicker, stronger, faster, and tougher than cockroaches on Earth.

17. 18-year-olds in Canada cannot consent to anal sex unless they are married. Regular sex is OK.

18. Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) was required to be accompanied by crewmembers who wore brightly-colored vests while in the forests of the Pacific Northwest filming scenes set on Endor, so as not to be mistaken for Bigfoot and shot.

19. In South Korea barber's poles signify cathouses.

20. Lily Allen's song 'Alfie' was written about her brother Alfie Allen who plays Theon Greyjoy/Reek in Game of Thrones.