Fun facts you’ll want to share

They know what you want: What you ignore about the most popular apps

We carry these apps with us in our pockets everywhere we go. Yet how little we know about them… Did you know TikTok can learn how to make you laugh in less than an hour? Or that Google’s first server was literally built with toys? Or the percentage of songs on Spotify that have never been heard by anyone –ever? Here’s a list of fun facts that you’ll want to share with your friends.

This story sounds made up, but you can Google it yourself. In its very early days, Google’s founders stored the company’s first server in a box made of… Lego bricks! It held ten 4 GB hard drives.

As you can imagine, that colorful, practical, creative image cemented the same aesthetic that Google is nowadays so well-known for.

Gone are the days when we judged people harshly for posting pictures of the food they ate.

The strange habit of showing the world your meal via Instagram is a die-hard, worldwide trend. And the most Instagrammed food globally is #Pizza (with 75.6 million posts), followed by #Sushi (39.2 million).

Has this ever happened to you? You log into Netflix and find a romantic poster for a brand new series. But when your friend goes in through his account, the same series has a poster that makes it look like a horror show.

This is intentional: Netflix famously runs tests on almost everything, including the artwork you see for a show. They know what you’d prefer to watch!

Yes, many people use Twitter (a.k.a. "X"). But only about 10% of those active users are responsible for around 92% of all tweets.

In other words, most people lurk and use the site to get their instant news or a few laughs. Very few accounts produce the content!

The first logo of Facebook (around 20 years ago, when it was still "thefacebook.com") used a portrait; specifically, it was a white-and-blue profile of the young face of actor Al Pacino. You can still look up that old logo.

Massive and popular as Spotify is, a big part of it is completely unexplored. That’s because roughly 25% of the songs on Spotify have never been played.

Are you thinking about the poor artists whose songs have 0 plays? Well, consider this: A 2024 report showed that around 99,000 new tracks were uploaded every day!

If you type Relentless.com into a browser today, it still redirects to Amazon. That’s because "Relentless" was one of the early names considered.

"Cadabra" (as in abracadabra) was another early option, but it was changed because the founder’s lawyer noted it sounded too much like "cadaver."

It would be impossible for a human to watch even a third of YouTube’s content in a lifetime. The site has 5.1 billion videos, and the number keeps growing: More than 360 hours of new content are uploaded every minute.

WhatsApp is one of the world’s leading messaging apps, and it is currently owned by Facebook. But it was created by two former Yahoo employees who were repeatedly rejected from jobs at Facebook… and then Facebook ended up buying their app for 19 billion dollars.

TikTok’s algorithm is so precise that studies show it can figure out your preferences in about 40 minutes of use, just from what you linger on. That is scary-precise technology.

Also, TikTok has been the most downloaded app in the world since 2020, surpassing even Facebook and Instagram.

Wikipedia supports one of the largest knowledge bases on Earth. Yet it runs on a budget far smaller than people assume, roughly comparable to a mid-size NGO.

It’s edited by a surprisingly tiny active community. A small percentage of editors maintain a huge portion of the platform.

Would you trust information found in "r/AskReddit"? As it turns out, it is officially one of the site’s most influential subreddits and has shaped countless journalism pieces, TikToks, and YouTube videos. So, basically, it has transformed organically into a quiet content engine behind the internet.

Stop! You’ve been using these 11 objects the wrong way

Image: Diana Polekhina

We use countless objects daily without questioning their design, yet many have hidden features or were meant for entirely different purposes. From kitchen tools to bananas, here are 11 everyday items you might be using all wrong—or that at least have surprising secrets built in.

Image: Anastasia Nikitina

Yes, toothpaste was always intended to clean and polish teeth, but its mild abrasives make it effective for cleaning jewelry, removing stains from clothing, and even defogging mirrors.

Interestingly, the first toothpaste-like substance dates back to ancient Egypt, where a blend of pumice and vinegar was used for oral care. Modern toothpaste, which includes ingredients like baking soda—another household staple—explains why it’s so effective on surfaces beyond just teeth.

Image: Markus Winkler

That hole in your pasta spoon isn’t just for draining water; it can also help measure a perfect portion of dry spaghetti!

A single serving of spaghetti is about the amount that fits through the hole. This design prevents cooking too much or too little, though not all pasta spoons have holes large enough for accurate measuring.

Image: engin akyurt

The latch inside gas pump nozzles was originally designed to shut off fuel flow automatically when the tank is full, not to hold the pump open.

Modern pumps use this mechanism as a safety feature, preventing spills and overflows. In some places, using the latch to hold the nozzle open is even illegal due to fire risks.

Image: Karsten Winegeart

Those metal loops on the back of grocery cart seats aren’t just for show—they’re designed to hold plastic bags with fragile items.

Hanging lighter bags here prevents them from being crushed by heavier groceries in the cart, yet few shoppers take advantage of this simple design. So, next time you go shopping, give it a try—it could be a real lifesaver.

Image: Bam Mccarthy

The hole in a soda can tab isn’t just part of the opening mechanism—it can double as a straw holder. Once you pop the can open, turning the tab around aligns the hole perfectly for a straw. This prevents the straw from floating or shifting while drinking.

While this wasn’t the original intent behind the design, it’s a clever and surprisingly convenient way to make use of an otherwise inconsequential design quirk.

Image: Annie Spratt

If you're like me, this has likely been a brain teaser since childhood: What is the blue side of a two-tone eraser for? Popular wisdom says it's for ink removal, but have you ever tried erasing ink with that side? It just completely obliterates the paper.

Well, it turns out the blue side of a two-tone eraser was actually designed for use on heavier paper, not for removing ink.

Image: Matúš Kameniar

The small bumps on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys exist to help typists find their hand placement without looking.

These tactile guides help your fingers find their way back to the home row, enabling faster and more efficient typing. Even if you're not a professional typist, you can rely on this feature to improve both speed and accuracy while writing.

Image: Monika Guzikowska

Ever watched a monkey peel a banana? You might be in for a surprise, because it turns out the easiest way to peel a banana is from the bottom, not the stem.

Monkeys naturally pinch the bottom of the banana and pull, avoiding the struggle of breaking the tough stem. This method also reduces the risk of squishing the fruit inside.

Image: Brett Jordan

The small hole at the end of a measuring tape is designed to hook onto nails or screws for one-person measurements. This feature provides a more stable grip when measuring long distances without needing an extra set of hands.

Also, the serrated edge on some tapes doubles as a tool for marking surfaces. So, next time you don't have a buddy around to help, don’t worry—your measuring tape has you covered!

Image: Andrea Davis

Many people use the drawer under their oven for storage, but it was originally designed as a warming drawer.

This compartment keeps cooked food warm while the rest of the meal finishes, though in some modern models, it may simply be intended for extra storage. Checking your oven’s manual might reveal its true purpose.

Image: Mockup Free

Ever heard someone say you can judge a good wine by the depth of the indentation at the bottom of the bottle? Well, that’s a myth, though it may suggest a better-designed bottle.

The indent at the bottom of a wine bottle, called a punt, helps distribute pressure and maintain structural integrity. Originally designed to support the bottle against carbonation in sparkling wines, it’s now mostly tradition but still improves durability.