World trivia | 100 facts about famous cities (part 2)

Cities exist during most of the time that humans also exist on earth, and they are an integral part of our modern culture.

Some cities are small, some are larger, but definitely, some cities are quite famous, and maybe known to each human on planet Earth. But except their names, how many things do we know about them? Let’s find out more about some of the most popular cities in the world!

1. Germany’s capital city is Berlin.
2. In Berlin, there are more museums than rainy days.
3. There are 180 museums and on average 106 rainy days.
4. In 1848, Berlin proved itself to be way ahead of its time by banning smoking in the street.
5. Today 2.9 billion fag ends litter the capital’s streets every year.
6. There are 1,000 Spätis (late night stores) in the city, where you can buy cheap beer, and cigarettes.
7. At the second International Radiotelegraphic Convention in Berlin in 1906, the SOS emergency signal was agreed upon as the standard signal for Morse code.
8. The sequence of three dits, followed by three dahs, followed by three dits remained the maritime distress signal until 1999.
9. In 2013 there were 110,000 dogs in Berlin.
10. One in every two Berliners is single
11. . A study released in 2015 showed that in the city that hates Spiessigkeit (squareness) people refuse to settle down into a bourgeois, coupled-up life.
12. 18 people move every hour in Berlin.
13. Berlin’s ex-mayor described it as “poor but sexy”.
14. Now things seem to change, as the prices seem to… rise!
15. Every 5,840th inhabitant of Berlin is a millionaire.
16. There are 585 in the city.
17. Every year the city spends €35 million on cleaning graffiti off its walls.
18. Yet it’s something really distinctive.
19. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people dance every weekend in Berlin’s clubs.
20. By the way, Berlin is famous for its really busy nightlife.
21. At the Galeries Lafayette in Berlin’s posh shopping district off of Friedrichstrasse, you can actually receive gold right out of a “gold ATM”.
22. The precious metal comes in bars weighing up to 250 grams.
23. A vending machine in Fritzclub by Postbahnhof sells ballet flat shoes for €9 from a vending machine of their own.
24. On an average day 950 Döner spits are eaten in the city, and with each spit holding 63 kg, that’s 60 tonnes of meat a day.
25. They also scarf down 70 million currywursts a year. It’s a miracle that Berliners seem to look so gaunt!
26. The annual International Berlin Beer Festival runs 2.2 kilometers, making it the longest worldwide.
27. It’s the longest beer garden IN THE WORLD.
28. There are just under 500,000 foreigners in the city who hail from 185 countries.
29. That means roughly 14 percent are from somewhere other than Germany, so no need to feel alone.
30. Only one in four Berliners are actually considered “real” Berliners, meaning born and bred in the capital city.
31. Berlin’s public transit system (BVG) actually travels the equivalent distance of 8.7 times around the Earth each day.
32. One in three prisoners are fare-dodgers.
33. There are 11-night buses!
34. The Ringbahn is the shape of a basset hound.
35. One in five underground station escalators don’t work because some not so sensitive people break them
36. Berlin-born tinkerer Konrad Zuse invented the world’s first programmable computer in 1941, making him the father of the modern computer.
37. Fromm was the inventor of modern, seamless condoms in 1916, and his company even set up the first condom vending machines.
38. The name Fromms was at one point a synonym for a condom in Germany.
39. In 1938, the Nazis forced the inventor to sell his company to the aristocratic godmother of Hitler’s right-hand man, Hermann Göring.
40. Fromm left his hometown for London not long after.
41. In Berlin, you actually have the option of renting out an entire museum for an epic night of debauchery – just for a mere €8,000-€20,000.
42. Australia’s capital is Sydney.
43. The population of Sydney is just over 5 million people!
44. The median age of these Sydney-siders is 36 years of age.
45. Sydney experiences warm summers, and moderately cold winters.
46. In the winter months, the temperature rarely drops below freezing, and snow is even more unlikely.
47. Australia belongs in the Southern hemisphere, so when Berlin is summer, in Sydney it’s winter and vice versa.
48. Cricket, Aussie Rules Football, and Rugby are very popular in Australia. These three are considered as popular, if not more popular that soccer.
49. Australia is one of the few places in the world that doesn’t say “football,” and instead calls in “soccer.”
50. The Australian National Team is nicknamed the Socceroos.
51. A world-famous landmark Sydney Harbour Bridge is nicknamed ‘The Coat Hanger.’
52. It is the tallest steel arch bridge and the widest long-span bridge in the world.
53. The architect for the Syndey Opera House only won £5,000 for the design of the world renown building.
54. More than half of Australia’s top 100 companies have their headquarters in Sydney.
55. P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, from the famous movie Finding Nemo, sadly, doesn’t exist.
56. The Blue Mountains that border Sydney’s metropolitan area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
57. Other than English, Chinese and Arabic are very popular languages spoken in Sydney.
58. Sydney has over 100 beaches, ranging in size from a few feet to several kilometers long
59. 15,500 light bulbs are changed every year at the Sydney Opera House.
60. Russell Crowe, Iggy Azalea, Rebel Wilson, and Toni Collette are a few of many Celebrity Sydneysiders.
61. Frost/Nixon, The Great Gatsby, Independence Day, The Matrix, Planet of the Apes, are some of the famous films shot partially in Sydney.
62. Billy Thorpe, AC/DC, Johnny O’Keefe, The Easybeats, and Richard Clapton are some of the bands who began their careers in Sydney.
63. AC/DC’s first performance was at Bondi Lifesaver on New Year’s Eve, 1973.
64. At the official opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on March 19, 1932, Francis De Groot, a retired cavalry officer, galloped forward on his horse and slashed the opening ribbon with his sword, declaring the bridge open in the name of ‘the decent citizens of New South Wales’.
65. De Groot was later declared insane.
66. George Street is the oldest street in Australia.
67. Operating since 1875, Sydney Ferries carry over 14 million passengers each year in and around Sydney.
68. Point Piper, a street in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, is the 9th most expensive street in the world.
69. It comes at $20,900 per square meter with the median value of all houses at $7.38 million.
70. The Sydney 2017 New Year’s Eve fireworks consisted of an estimated seven tonnes of fireworks, including 12,000 shells, 25,000 shooting comets, and 100,000 individual pyrotechnic effects.
71. Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentine.
72. It is considered as the birthplace of tango.
73. Buenos Aires was founded twice.
74. Once in 1536, and in 1580.
75. For two centuries, the city fell under the rule of the Viceroyalty of Peru
76. For two months in 1806, the British controlled Buenos Aires.
77. From the late 19^th century into the mid-20^th century, Buenos Aires, along with the rest of Argentina, saw a massive wave of immigrants from countries like Italy, Germany, and Spain.
78. As a result, an estimated 85% of city residents are of European descent.
79. Citizens of Buenos Aires are known as porteños.
80. In general, it is a name that commonly refers to anyone from a port city, but has taken on added significance given the immigrant roots of Buenos Aires’s citizens.
81. Its formal name is Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, or “Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.”
82. In 1880, Argentina named the city a federal district
83. There are 28 newspapers that serve the city of Buenos Aires.
84. The port in Buenos Aires is the largest in all of South America.
85. Each year, it brings in millions of items that are sent all around the continent.
86. The Presidents’ Mansion in Buenos Aires is called Casa Rosada, or Pink House. It is exactly what it sounds like, a massive pink mansion with gorgeous architecture.
87. In the Argentinian first division, 8 of the top 20 teams play their home matches in the capital city. This causes intense rivalries amongst the teams from Buenos Aires.
88. The population of Buenos Aires is around 2.8 million people.
89. Buenos Aires uses the Argentinian Peso which is closely linked with the US Doll
90. According to a study by the World Cities Culture Forum, Buenos Aires has the highest number of bookshops per person than any other city in the world.
91. But, e-readers haven’t yet caught on in the country, and Amazon doesn’t operate in Argentina.
92. Construction of the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires’s opulent French-style opera house, took nearly 20 years.
93. The Avenia 9 de Julio, which runs north to south through the city center, is the widest avenue in the world.
94. At 12 lanes and 460 feet wide, it’s a wonder to behold—if not so much to drive on.
95. The University of Buenos Aires is the largest college in Argentina and the second-largest in Latin America.
96. It has produced four Nobel prize winners and numerous presidents.
97. Built-in 1913, the Buenos Aires Underground is the oldest subway system in Latin America.
98. The system’s numerous stations have a history of displaying artwork.
99. Buenos Aires has made three unsuccessful bids for the Summer Olympics: in 1956, 1968 and 2004.
100. Before he entered the seminary, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a.k.a. Pope Francis, was a bouncer at a nightclub in Buenos Aires.

Read more: World trivia | 100 facts about famous cities (part 1)