40 Happy Facts That’ll Make Your Day a Little Better

Deniz SahinturkUpdated: Aug. 02, 2023

These 40 heartwarming trivia facts will make you smile.

sea otter, enhydra lutris, north america

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Fact: Sea otters hold hands when they sleep.

They do that because it keeps them from floating away from each other while they sleep. Here are some other fun facts about animals.

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Fact: Cows have best friends.

And they tend to experience lower levels of stress when they’re hanging out with them! Sounds familiar.

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Fact: Macaques in Japan know how to use vending machine snacks.

That’s not that impressive. We do that every day.

'Nils Olav' the penguin receives his kni

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Fact: Norway knighted a penguin.

His name is Sir Nils Olav III, and he lives in Edinburgh Zoo. Three other members of his were family also made honorary members of the elite guard. Atten-shun!

Premiere Of Disney's "Christopher Robin" - Stage Dedication To The Sherman Brothers

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Fact: The voices of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse got married in real life.

Their names were Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor. They tied the knot in 1991 and remained together until Wayne passed away in 2009. Here are some other cool trivia facts.

Male gentoo penguin offering stone to female, who is bowing while standing on rock, Mikkelsen Harbour on Trinity Island, Antarctica

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Fact: Gentoo penguins propose to their mates with a pebble.

If the female penguin accepts the proposal, she uses the pebble as the basis for their nest. You might say it’s a good… foundation.

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Fact: Almost 30,000 rubber duckies were lost at sea in the ‘90s.

It’s rumored that there are thousands of yellow duckies out there in the middle of the ocean. Here are some other fascinating facts about the world’s oceans.

Bottle nosed Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) underwater, Honduras

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Fact: Dolphins give each other specific names.

However, these names are not like human names. They make certain sounds to each other to represent each dolphin. Wait, that is kind of like human names… Steve! Carol!

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Fact: Puffins mate for life.

They also make incredibly cozy homes for their babies. The parents also take turns taking care of their egg before it hatches. So sweet! These other animals also mate for life.

Close-Up Of Bird Perching On Retaining Wall

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Fact: Crows like to give presents.

They are among the most intelligent animals, as smart as a seven-year-old child! There have been several cases of people feeding their local crows, and the crows giving their human friends little trinkets in return.

Bhutan: The Keepers Of The Secret To Eternal Happiness

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Fact: The concept of “Gross National Happiness” was coined by a king.

This measurement was first coined by the 4th King of Bhutan and measures thing like psychological wellbeing, health, and education.

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Fact: A Marvel superhero has a hearing aid.

His name is “Blue Ear”, and he was created by Marvel Comics to encourage a little boy to wear his own hearing aids.

Pod of sperm whale calves and juveniles in a social group, north western Mauritius, Indian Ocean.

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Fact: Sperm whales have BFFs.

They also have very good memories, which means they never forget their best friends, even if they don’t see them for a while.

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Fact: An astronaut wrote his daughter’s initials on the moon.

The astronaut’s name is Eugene Cernan, and he probably won space-dad of the year.

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Fact: Vikings gave the cutest wedding presents.

They might be famous for their battle skills, but Nordic tradition also meant that they gave kittens as wedding gifts. What about anniversaries?

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Fact: Baby elephants suck on their trunks.

It’s no different than human babies sucking on their thumbs! Elephants are also some of the smartest animals.

93rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

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Fact: The Pillsbury Doughboy has a name.

It’s Poppin’ Fresh! A fitting name for an energetic character. These funny Monday jokes will make you laugh just as much as this name did.

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Fact: Chicks start communicating with their mothers even before they even hatch.

In fact, they even warn each other of danger while still in their shells.

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Fact: There’s a basketball court on top of the U.S. Supreme Court building.

It’s even punnily called “The Highest Court In All The Land,” which we appreciate. Here are some other facts about America that most Americans don’t know.

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Fact: Squirrels will adopt other squirrel babies.

This means that abandoned squirrel babies still get to have families. We’re not crying, you’re crying.

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Fact: Goats have accents.

What a goat sounds like heavily depends on the region they grow up in, just like humans. These goat pictures will make your day.

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Fact: The quokka is the happiest animal ever.

Quokka is known as the happiest animal in the world. They’re not only always smiling, but they’re also one of the friendliest animals toward humans.

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Fact: Hershey Kisses are called “kisses” because of how it’s made.

Apparently, the sound and motion of them being dropped on the conveyor belt sounds just like a kiss. Mwah! That’s us eating one. Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! Sorry, they’re really good.

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Fact: 46 episodes of “Seinfeld” feature a Superman reference.

The legend goes that Superman appears in some form in all 172 episodes, but researchers into this important issue have found only 46 instances of a Superman reference. Still, any excuse to watch Seinfeld again! Do you know these movie trivia facts?

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Fact: Neil Armstrong went through customs after returning from the moon.

Wonder if he had to check his moon boots?

Young woman hugging dog on living room sofa

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Fact: Dogs feel safe when they smell their humans.

We truly do not deserve dogs, but it’s nice to know that we make them happy. Here are some other dog facts you didn’t know.

Fred Rogers on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Set

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Fact: Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister.

That’s why he was so good at talking about kindness and patience.

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Fact: Cuddling is very good for you.

Cuddling your loved ones helps you release oxytocin, which is known as the love hormone—it makes you feel happy!

Couple of cocker spaniel dogs playing outdoor

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Fact: Dogs sneeze to show they’re play-fighting.

We sneeze because of dust, they do it because they’re happy and excited. Check out these other telltale signs your dog is happy.

Trust in teamwork of bees bridging two bee swarm parts

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Fact: Honeybees can hold hands.

Their “hands” resemble hooks, and they tend to do it while they’re sleeping. Cute!

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Fact: In Switzerland, it’s illegal to only own one guinea pig.

Guinea pigs are social animals, so if you want to own one in Switzerland you need to also get a mate for it. We would like to propose that this law becomes international.

Canal with aquatic plants, brick houses and bridge in Weesp

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Fact: There’s a village in the Netherlands made specifically to help people with dementia.

Don’t let the fact that it was once compared to the town on The Truman Show deter you, it’s a very sweet concept.

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Fact: Humans learn to laugh and smile before they can speak.

Because happiness is truly the most important thing! Here are some more facts about laughter you didn’t know before.

Common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) holding stick

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Fact: Baby chimps sometimes play with baby dolls.

They make baby dolls out of sticks, and love playing with them. That’s adorable—and so are these 17 pictures of baby animals.

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Fact: Chimps will sometimes help humans.

If you’re trying to reach for something and can’t get it, a chimp might just help you out.

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Fact: Smiling can lower stress.

If you needed a reason to smile today, do it because it’ll lower your heart rate! And these 16 pictures of sleeping cats will definitely make you smile.

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Fact: There’s an island in Japan filled with friendly rabbits.

The island is named Okunoshima, and it is filled with rabbits that were once used for chemical testing, but now are free to roam the island as they wish.

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Fact: Ducks shake their tails when they’re happy.

They tend to do it when eating or drinking water. Happiest while eating? How relatable.

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Fact: A town in Alaska had a cat as mayor.

His name was Mr. Stubbs, and he was honorary mayor for 17 years. He also lived until he was 20. Rest in peace, sir.

One year old baby girl asleep in highchair at breakfast

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Fact: Babies sleep 5,400 hours in the first year of their life.

Now that is a lot of sleep! We’re not jealous. Next, check out these 100 interesting and fun facts that will blow your mind.

Sources:

Treehugger.com: “15 Fascinating Facts about Otters”
BarnSanctuary.com: “The Science of Cow Friendship”
BBC.com: “Dolphins ‘call each other by name'”
Oceana.org: “Sea creatures ‘keep the love alive'”
NBC: “King penguin receives Norwegian knighthood”
Space.com: “Eugene Cernan”
BBC.com: “Sperm whales can remember their friends”
Cosmos Magazine: “Why are crows so smart?”
National Geographic: “Quokka selfies”
NPR: “Goats have accents”
Science Daily: “Squirrels show softer side”
Cosmos Magazine: “Unhatched chicks warn each other of danger”
Norhalla.com: “Kittens for brides”
HowStuffWorks: “Is Superman in every Seinfeld episode?”
National Geographic: “Chimps play with dolls”
MentalFloss.com: “It’s illegal to own only one guinea pig”
Smithsonian Magazine: “Japan Rabbit Island”
CBSnews.com: “Mr. Stubbs”

Originally Published: March 29, 2021