A world of meaningless facts

Welcome to meaninglessfacts.com, where we collect meaningless facts about everything from people and animals to crazy rules and laws.

Where does chess come from?

There are several theories about when and where chess appeared, and several countries claim to be the place where the first chess-like game was invented. The most common assumption is that the game originated in India, where it was called Chaturanga, and that the time of its emergence is the 6th century BC.

How did the word tourist come about?

The word tourist was used in Danish before 1850 (e.g. by Heiberg and Henrik Hertz). It was first used officially by the League of Nations (forerunner of the UN) in 1937. Here the word was defined as a term for people who travel outside the country’s borders for a period of more than 24 hours.

How long have ants been around?

American scientists have found 7 ants in a lump of amber, aged approximately 92 million years, which is over 50 million years more than previously thought to have existed.