1,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted

Description

The sock-blasting, jaw-dropping, side-swiping phenomenon that is QI serves up a sparkling new selection of 1,342 facts that will leave you flabbergasted. 1,342 QI Facts coincides with more good news from QI, as Sandi Toksvig takes over the duties as presenter on the double-BAFTA nominated TV show, and the QI Elves' podcast No Such Thing As A Fish wins its second Chortle award. The first pencils were used to draw on sheep. More people work for Walmart than live in Slovenia. The beaded lacewing stuns its prey by farting on it. The allies considered dropping glue to stick Nazi troops to the ground. The only life on Earth for a billion years was a thick layer of slime. Scientists call it the boring billion. On the anniversary of landing, the Mars Curiosity rover hummed 'Happy Birthday' to itself. 'Flabbergasted' was first recorded in a 1772 list of new words alongside 'bored'.

JOHN LLOYD CBE is the creator of QI, founding producer of The News Quiz, Not the Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image and Blackadder, and the presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity. JOHN MITCHINSON, QI's Director of Research, once ran the marketing for Waterstones and now moonlights as a publisher with the book crowdfunding platform Unbound. JAMES HARKIN, QI's Head Elf, has sung karaoke with Bhutanese monks and learned how to tear a telephone directory in half as part of his work duties. He co-presents the QI Elves' podcast No Such Thing As A Fish and co-produces QI's BBC Radio 4 show The Museum of Curiosity.ANNE MILLER is a scriptwriter and researcher for QI. She writes a regular books column for Standard Issue magazine, is the Head Researcher of BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity and has two Blue Peter badges.