Mind = Blown: Amazing Facts About This Weird, Hilarious, Insane World

by Matthew Santoro

Overview

YouTube sensation Matthew Santoro amazes with eye-opening facts that are sure to blow your mind.

Matthew Santoro's originality and humor has attracted millions of fans, making him a beloved YouTube star. His weekly videos on amazing and little-known facts are eagerly anticipated by his many subscribers and followers around the world. In his first-ever book, Matthew's love of weird and wacky knowledge explodes with new facts and stories from around the planet, and beyond. Surprising, and always entertaining, Mind = Blown offers even more of Matthew's unique take on this hilarious, crazy world:  

The most ridiculous laws from past and present
Crazy doppelgangers of people, places, and unexpected things
Historical wizards who actually lived
Real-life animal avengers
And a special section: Japan Blows My Mind!

From shin-kicking competitions and beer pong-playing robots, to enormous fire-balls shooting through space, you won't believe what you'll discover in Mind = Blown. But beware: there is too much astounding trivia for any one mind to contain!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143109211
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/09/2016
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	210,164
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

MATTHEW SANTORO is a YouTube star whose videos have been viewed more than 700 million times. He is best known for his top-ten lists of strange and surprising facts, and his popular series “50 Things to Blow Your Mind.” A former accountant, he won the 2015 Hubub #AcademySocial award, as well as the fan vote for the 2015 Shorty Awards “YouTube Star Of The Year.” He lives in Toronto, Canada.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Six Septembers ix

The Purpose of Mind = Blown xvii

Part 1 Rules of Amazement

Quadrillion-Dollar Cows (and Other Crazy Facts About Money) 3

Rules of Amazement: Crazy Laws from History and Beyond 13

Fast Facts: Questionable Judgment 21

YouTube Channel Remix: The Ten Greatest Prison Escapes of All Time and TripAdvisor Reviews for the Most Brutal Prisons on Earth 25

The Culture Clubs: Ten Extreme Initiations from Around the World 33

Special Section: The Name Game 41

Part 2 Who Came Up with That!

The Wackiest Mascots on Earth 49

Creative Courtships from Across the Globe (and America's Most Common Love Story) 59

Fast Facts: Invention Reinvention 69

You tube Channel Remix: Amazing Creatures Created by Science and the Craziest Drugs You Never Knew Existed 71

The Most Painful Pastimes on Earth 79

Special Section: Japan Blows My Mind 87

Part 3 That Can't Be True, Can It?

Ten Crazy Real-World Doppelgangers 97

Real Chinese Superstitions and Fake Canadian Superstitions 105

Fast Facts: More Powerful Than You Think 111

Historical Wizards and Their SWAG Rankings 113

Fast Facts: Word! 123

YouTube Channel Remix: The Creepiest Urban Legends That Turned Out to Be True (and the Movies That Should Be Based on Them) 127

Special Section: The "Worst Pet on the Planet" Tournament 135

Part 4 No Freakin' Way!

Silly Robots (and What Will Happen to Humanity When They Become Our Robot Overlords) 149

Real-Life Animal Avengers! 157

Fast Facts: All in the Family 167

Exceptional Child Prodigies (to Amaze You and Make You Feel Insecure About Your Life Accomplishments or Lack Thereof) 169

YouTube Channel Remix: The Coolest Things Found in Space (That Would Also Be Amazing Names for Rock Bands) 175

Part 5 Fact Favorite

Fan Facts from Around and About the Globe 185

Facts About My Favorite Things 189

Fan Fact Favorites 193

Conclusion 197

Acknowledgments 199

Notes 201

Index 225