Factivia (not a kind of yoghurt)

Whilst trawling the Internet at two in the morning (ooh, mental picture!), trying to find something, anything, to take away the mind-numbing boredom of what can sometimes be the twilight hour it is possible to stumble upon some delightful little nuggets of randomness. Now, whether you’ve arrived (We Have Arrived!) or returned (We Have Returned!) to stand on the holy ground of Oxford, there’s nothing like a bit of factivia to take your mind off crappy lectures, missing home or, as is the case for some, the absolute terror of dissertations, exams and then being spewed out of the education system once and for all. Also, for all you frustrated Freshers desperate for a bit of action or to actually start a conversation with any of the thousand strangers, try some of these suckers as icebreakers, they’re guaranteed results…

The Home of the Brave (and Canada)

Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.
About a third of all Americans flush the toilet while they're still sitting on it.
About 96% of all American children can recognize Ronald McDonald.
In 1996, 2,599 Americans were taken to hospital with injuries caused by room deodorizers and air fresheners.
US lavatories are 100 times more dangerous than British ones. In 1996, 43,687 Americans were hospitalized after toilet disasters.
There is a town in Newfoundland, Canada called Dildo.

Animals

Hippos have killed more than 400 people in Africa - more than any other wild animal.
The oldest known goldfish lived to 41 years of age. Its name was Fred.
Most lipstick contains fish scales.
Even if you cut off a cockroach's head, it can live for several weeks.
Horses have no gag reflex and are incapable of throwing up. Sometimes their inability to throw up causes stomach upsets - which can be fatal.

Le Random

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year.
Cold showers actually increase sexual arousal.
In 1996, 12 people in Britain were rushed to hospital after a paperclip incident.
In Britain in 1993, three people needed hospital treatment as a result of an accident with a tea-cosy.
The odds of being killed in a car crash in Britain are the same as being killed in an accident inside your own home: 1 in 10,000.

And finally: 1 in 3 students will try using these facts as ice-breakers, and from those, 1 in 4 will be called a ‘nonce.’

Nick Jacobs