The money spent on Christmas presents in the UK could fund the NHS from Boxing Day to 12 February.
Christmas crackers were originally called ‘bangs of expectation’.
The first Christmas tree erected in Trafalgar Square was transported at night because it exceeded the legal weight limits on British roads in daytime.
In the Australian outback, there is a road used for testing Supercars that has no speed limit.
Potholes in roads in 19th-century Argentina were filled with surplus sheep’s heads.
In 19th-century America, roads were paved with oyster shells.
An oyster thief in 19th-century London called Dando would eat dozens of oysters, then abscond without paying.
The Oyster card was created by Saatchi & Saatchi.
Wig-snatching was a common crime in 18th-century England.
In 2014, German police issued a fine to a one-armed cyclist for cycling with one arm.
The Olympic Village for the 1980 Winter Games in Upstate New York is now a prison.
South Korean sniffer dogs sold to the Russian police in Siberia have proved to be useless because they don’t like the cold.
More than a third of the 8.5 million dogs in Britain are obese.
In Taiwan, it is illegal to walk a dog by attaching its lead to a car or motorbike.
Ships are not classified as abandoned if there is a dog or cat onboard.
10,000 shipping containers are lost from ships every year.
The largest cruise ships have a greater population than the City of London.
Dangerous maritime goods include pistachios, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and peanuts because they can all self-heat and spontaneously combust.
There are more than 500 peanuts in the average jar of peanut butter.
Prince Charles wants to reduce grey squirrel numbers by feeding them contraceptives hidden in Nutella.
Tanzanians scare off elephants by bombarding them with condoms filled with chilli powder.
To treat mites, beekeepers dust their bees with sugar.
Honeybees ‘whoop’ when they bump into each other.
Bees can be taught to play football.
