Conversation Sparks: Trivia Worth Talking About

By Ryan Chapman

Jump-start any conversation with this “witty book . . . for anyone who likes to show off random bits of knowledge at the dinner table” (Men’s Journal).

Did you know that “Karaoke” is Japanese for “Empty orchestra”? Or that all snowflakes have six sides? With this collection of over 350 fascinating, little-known facts, you’ll be ready to get any conversation off and running. Hand-drawn illustrations and a charming conversationalist add personality to everything from the number of shipping containers lost at sea (about one per hour!) to now-retired Twinkie flavors (banana cream).

Who knew that any month beginning on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th? Or that there are more cell phones in the world than toothbrushes? Engaging and addictive, this is trivia with character.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781452143880

Ryan Chapman

Ryan Chapman is a Sri Lankan-American writer originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work has appeared online at The New Yorker, GQ, McSweeney’s, BookForum, BOMB, Guernica, and The Believer. A recipient of fellowships from Vermont Studio Center and the Millay Colony for the Arts, he lives in Kingston, New York.

Book preview

Introduction

SOCIAL SCIENTISTS CANNOT SAY FOR CERTAIN HOW MANY CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFETIME, BUT IT’S SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THREE DOZEN AND ONE MILLION. AND WHO KNOWS HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE POINTLESS REMARKS ABOUT THE WEATHER?THIS BOOK WILL ENSURE YOUR CONVERSATIONS ARE SPICED WITH A LITTLE EXTRA SOCIAL JALAPEÑO. (BY THE WAY, IF YOU’VE EATEN A REAL JALAPEÑO, DRINK MILK TO NEVTRALIZE THE HEAT – WATER JUST SPREADS IT AROUND.) READ ON, ENJOY, AND DON’T BE SURPRISED IF YOU FIND YOURSELF THE CENTER OF THE PARTY.12% OF EVERYONE THAT’S EVER LIVED IS ALIVE RIGHT NOW.KARAOKE IS JAPANESE FOR “EMPTY ORCHESTRA.” COME SAIL AWAYALL SNOWFLAKES HAVE SIX SIDES.AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT THERE ARE 300,000 PEOPLE FLYING OVER THE U.S.40% OF TWINS SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER IN AN INVENTED LANGUAGE, A PHENOMENON CALLED IDIOGLOSSIA. OOBA EEBA ABBA . . .SAMUEL BECKETT DROVE ANDRÉ THE GIANT TO SCHOOL. THEY MOSTLY TALKED ABOUT CRICKET.WOMEN HAVE SHORTER TONGUES THAN MEN.THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TIME THE STEGOSAURUS AND THE TYRANNOSAURUS REX EACH LIVED IS GREATER THAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TIME THE T.REX LIVED AND NOW.CAT URINE GLOWS UNDER A BLACK LIGHT.THERE ARE MORE CELL PHONES IN THE WORLD THAN THERE ARE TOOTHBRUSHES.EVERY DAY, 16% OF SEARCHES ARE ONES GOOGLE HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE. REAL ESTATE ON MARSCHAMPAGNE WAS ONCE THOUGHT TO TREAT TYPHOID. SALVD!THOUGH WE’VE ALL SEEN NEWBORNS CRY. THERE’S SOMETHING MISSING: TEARS. BABIES DON’T PRODUCE THEM UNTIL THE FOURTH WEEK OF LIFE.APOLLO 11 HAD LESS PROCESSING POWER THAN A MODERN CELL PHONE.THE DOT OVER A LOWERCASE “i” AND “j” IS CALLED A TITTLE.THE QUIETEST PLACE ON EARTH IS AN ECHO-FREE CHAMBER IN MINNESOTA. IT ABSORBS 99.99% OF SOUND. YOU CAN HEAR BLOOD MOVING IN YOUR VEINS, YOUR LUNGS BREATHING, EVEN YOUR STOMACH DIGESTING. SHH . . .THE BEASTIE BOYS’ LICENSED TO ILL ALBUM ART FEATURES AN AIRPLANE WITH THE ID # 3MTA3. HELD UP TO A MIRROR IT SPELLS “EAT ME.”THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE IS SO LARGE THAT A TEAM OF ALMOST 40 PAINTERS MUST CONSTANTLY RE-APPLY NEW COATS OF ITS ICONIC “INTERNATIONAL ORANGE” COLOR: BY THE TIME THEY’VE FINISHED ONE SIDE, THE SEA AIR HAS OXIDIZED THE OTHER.