Random facts for kids

100 Random Facts for Kids

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  1. The shortest war in history was between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896, which lasted just 38 minutes.
  2. The longest word in the English language is 189,819 letters long and takes over three hours to pronounce.
  3. The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, standing at 828 meters (2,716 feet) tall.
  4. The shortest person in recorded history was a woman named Pauline Musters, who was just 61.5 cm (24.2 inches) tall.
  5. The fastest animal in the world is the peregrine falcon, which can reach speeds of over 320 km/h (200 mph) while diving.
  6. The human nose can detect over 1 trillion different scents.
  7. The first computer programmer was a woman named Ada Lovelace, who lived in the 19th century.
  8. There are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the observable universe.
  9. The world’s largest snowflake on record measured 38 cm (15 inches) in diameter and 20 cm (8 inches) thick.
  10. The shortest scheduled flight in the world is from the Scottish island of Westray to the island of Papa Westray, which takes just 1 minute and 14 seconds.
  11. The world’s largest living organism is a fungus in Oregon that covers over 9.6 square kilometers (3.7 square miles).
  12. A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
  13. The world’s largest animal is the blue whale, which can weigh up to 200 tons.
  14. The smallest country in the world is Vatican City, which has an area of just 0.44 square kilometers (0.17 square miles).
  15. The first words ever spoken over a telephone were “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” by Alexander Graham Bell.
  16. The Great Wall of China is the longest wall in the world, stretching over 21,196 kilometers (13,171 miles).
  17. The largest desert in the world is Antarctica, which is also the coldest place on Earth.
  18. The oldest continuously inhabited city in the world is Damascus, Syria, which has been inhabited for over 11,000 years.
  19. The tallest animal in the world is the giraffe, which can grow up to 5.5 meters (18 feet) tall.
  20. The largest diamond ever found weighed over 3,100 carats and was discovered in South Africa in 1905.
  21. The world’s first ever photograph was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826.
  22. The world’s first ever website is still online and can be accessed at its original URL: info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html
  23. The world’s first ever computer virus was created in 1971 and was called “The Creeper”.
  24. The fastest land animal is the cheetah, which can run up to 120 km/h (75 mph).
  25. The world’s deepest postbox is in Susami Bay, Japan, and is located 10 meters (33 feet) underwater.
  26. The first video game ever invented was called “Tennis for Two” and was created in 1958.
  27. The world’s largest tree by volume is the General Sherman tree, located in California, which has a volume of over 1,400 cubic meters (52,000 cubic feet).
  28. The largest country in the world by land area is Russia, which spans over 17 million square kilometers (6.6 million square miles).
  29. The world’s largest jellyfish can have a diameter of up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) and weigh up to 200 kg (440 pounds).
  30. The highest mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons on Mars, which stands at 22 km (13.6 miles) tall.
  31. The world’s largest waterfall by volume is the Angel Falls in Venezuela, which drops 979 meters (3,212 feet).
  32. The fastest sea animal is the sailfish, which can swim up to 110 km/h (68 mph).
  33. The oldest living animal ever recorded was a tortoise named Tu’i Malila, who lived to be 188 years old.
  34. The world’s largest flower is the Rafflesia arnoldii, which can grow up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) in diameter and weigh up to 11 kg (24 pounds).
  35. The world’s deepest ocean is the Pacific Ocean, which reaches depths of over 10,900 meters (35,800 feet).
  36. The world’s largest lizard is the Komodo dragon, which can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) long.
  37. The first successful human heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in South Africa in 1967.
  38. The world’s largest hot desert is the Sahara, which covers over 9 million square kilometers (3.6 million square miles).
  39. The first spacecraft to land on the moon was the Soviet Union’s Luna 2 in 1959.
  40. The world’s largest rodent is the capybara, which can grow up to 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) long.
  41. The world’s largest coral reef system is the Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Australia, which stretches over 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles).
  42. The world’s largest snake by weight is the green anaconda, which can weigh up to 250 kg (550 pounds).
  43. The world’s largest cave by volume is the Son Doong cave in Vietnam, which can fit an entire New York City block within its walls.
  44. The world’s largest iceberg ever recorded was the size of Jamaica, and broke off from Antarctica in 2000.
  45. The world’s smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat, which weighs less than a penny.
  46. The world’s largest eagle is the harpy eagle, which can have a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet).
  47. The world’s tallest waterfall is the Angel Falls in Venezuela, which drops 979 meters (3,212 feet).
  48. The world’s largest fish is the whale shark, which can grow up to 12 meters (40 feet) long.
  49. The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal in Russia, which reaches depths of over 1,600 meters (5,250 feet).
  50. The world’s largest mammal is the blue whale, which can weigh up to 200 tons.
  51. The world’s fastest bird is the peregrine falcon, which can fly up to 389 km/h (242 mph).
  52. The world’s largest reptile is the saltwater crocodile, which can grow up to 7 meters (23 feet) long.
  53. The world’s smallest bird is the bee hummingbird, which can weigh as little as 2 grams (0.07 ounces).
  54. The world’s largest rodent is the capybara, which can weigh up to 66 kg (145 pounds).
  55. The world’s largest spider is the goliath birdeater, which can have a leg span of up to 30 cm (12 inches).
  56. The world’s largest land mammal is the African elephant, which can weigh up to 6,000 kg (13,000 pounds).
  57. The world’s smallest fish is the Paedocypris fish, which grows to a maximum length of only 7.9 mm (0.3 inches).
  58. The world’s fastest land animal is the cheetah, which can run up to 112 km/h (70 mph).
  59. The world’s largest land carnivore is the polar bear, which can weigh up to 680 kg (1,500 pounds).
  60. The world’s largest living organism is a fungus in Oregon, USA, that covers an area of 9.6 square kilometers (3.7 square miles).
  61. The world’s largest land snail is the African giant snail, which can grow up to 30 cm (12 inches) in length.
  62. The world’s largest rodent is the beaver, which can weigh up to 32 kg (70 pounds).
  63. The world’s longest river is the Nile River, which stretches for over 6,650 km (4,130 miles).
  64. The world’s largest bird by wingspan is the wandering albatross, which can have a wingspan of up to 3.5 meters (11 feet).
  65. The world’s oldest tree is a bristlecone pine tree in California, USA, which is over 5,000 years old.
  66. The world’s largest man-made structure is the Great Wall of China, which stretches over 21,000 km (13,000 miles).
  67. The world’s largest flower cluster is the titan arum, which can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) tall.
  68. The world’s largest turtle is the leatherback sea turtle, which can weigh up to 700 kg (1,500 pounds).
  69. The world’s largest crocodile is the saltwater crocodile, which can weigh up to 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds).
  70. The world’s smallest primate is the pygmy marmoset, which can grow up to 14 cm (5.5 inches) in length.
  71. The world’s largest land arthropod is the coconut crab, which can weigh up to 4 kg (9 pounds).
  72. The world’s largest flower by weight is the Rafflesia arnoldii, which can weigh up to 11 kg (24 pounds).
  73. The world’s largest land mammal ever recorded was the Indricotherium, an extinct rhinoceros-like animal that could weigh up to 20,000 kg (44,000 pounds).
  74. The world’s fastest insect is the Australian tiger beetle, which can run up to 9 km/h (5.6 mph).
  75. The world’s largest living reptile is the saltwater crocodile, which can grow up to 7 meters (23 feet) long.
  76. The world’s smallest reptile is the tiny chameleon, which can grow up to only 1.6 cm (0.6 inches) long.
  77. The world’s longest snake is the reticulated python, which can grow up to 10 meters (33 feet) long.
  78. The world’s largest rodent by length is the water buffalo, which can grow up to 3.4 meters (11 feet) long.
  79. The world’s largest spider by leg span is the giant huntsman spider, which can have a leg span of up to 30 cm (12 inches).
  80. The world’s smallest mammal by length is the bumblebee bat, which can grow up to only 3 cm (1.2 inches
  81. The world’s longest living mammal is the bowhead whale, which can live for over 200 years.
  82. The world’s deepest point on Earth is the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, which is about 11 km (7 miles) deep.
  83. The world’s largest diamond ever found is the Cullinan Diamond, which weighed 3,106 carats (about 1.4 pounds).
  84. The world’s largest volcanic eruption in recorded history was the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815.
  85. The world’s oldest known musical instrument is a bone flute, which is over 43,000 years old.
  86. The world’s largest salt flat is the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, which covers over 10,000 square kilometers (3,900 square miles).
  87. The world’s largest cave by volume is the Son Doong Cave in Vietnam, which is over 38 million cubic meters (1.3 billion cubic feet).
  88. The world’s longest railway line is the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia, which stretches over 9,200 km (5,700 miles).
  89. The world’s largest desert is the Antarctic Desert, which covers over 14 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles).
  90. The world’s highest waterfall is the Angel Falls in Venezuela, which drops over 980 meters (3,200 feet).
  91. The world’s longest running scientific experiment is the Pitch Drop Experiment, which has been running since 1927 and measures the viscosity of tar pitch.
  92. The world’s largest hot desert is the Sahara Desert in Africa, which covers over 9 million square kilometers (3.6 million square miles).
  93. The world’s tallest building is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, which is over 828 meters (2,716 feet) tall.
  94. The world’s largest iceberg ever recorded was the B-15 iceberg, which broke off from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 2000 and was over 11,000 square kilometers (4,200 square miles).
  95. The world’s highest mountain is Mount Everest, which is over 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) tall.
  96. The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal in Russia, which is over 1,600 meters (5,200 feet) deep.
  97. The world’s largest hydroelectric power station is the Three Gorges Dam in China, which has a capacity of 22,500 MW.
  98. The world’s longest bridge is the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in China, which stretches over 164.8 km (102.4 miles).
  99. The world’s largest telescope is the Gran Telescopio Canarias in Spain, which has a mirror diameter of 10.4 meters (34 feet).
  100. The world’s largest flower is the Rafflesia arnoldii, which can grow up to 1 meter (3 feet) in diameter and is found in Southeast Asia.
  101. The world’s largest single living organism is a honey fungus in Oregon, USA, which covers an area of about 2.4 square miles (6.2 square kilometers)
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Janine Mergler

Janine has a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) from the Queensland University of Technology and works as an editor of the popular Families Magazine. When she is not writing, proofing or creating content on social media, Janine spends her time travelling the world with her son and planning her travels with her son. She has visited over 50 countries which means she can collect and write fun facts about people, the countries they live in and animals she encounters as well as the way they are interconnected.

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