What's not to love about the summer? The sun is out, the flowers are in bloom, and we can finally leave our winter jackets at home. But if you need more of a push to get into the summer spirit, read on. These pieces of trivia will have you ready to face the summer heat with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old at a water park. From interesting tidbits about warm-weather treats to the most fabulous festivals that take place during this time of year, these summer facts are also all reasons why it's the best season of the year.
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Fun Facts About Summer Everyone Should Know
From backyard barbecues to summer camp traditions, there is a lot to celebrate about everyone's favorite season. Check out the list below to learn more!
1. It is possible to fry eggs on a sidewalk.
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Have you ever been told that if it gets hot enough in the summer, you could fry an egg on a sidewalk? Well, it's true! In 2015, when it hit a scorching 44° Celsius or around 111° Fahrenheit in Perth, Australia, a man successfully fried some eggs by using the heat that had collected on the sidewalk, according to Delish.
Granted, he did use a pan, which is understandable considering that he ended up eating what he'd prepared!
2. There's a Game of Thrones-like "pirate" tower on a California beach.
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"If you have even an ounce of swashbuckling spirit, you can't explore Laguna's ever-eroding cliff sides and cavern-filled canyon trails without daydreaming of pirates," raves the Visit Laguna Beach website.
The scenery around Victoria Beach specifically has a dramatic vibe due to the picturesque tower which, as BuzzFeed News notes, makes the area feel like something out of Game of Thrones. Granted, the history behind the structure isn't as glamorous. Built in 1926 for a senator named William E. Brown, it's actually a staircase that was used to get down to the beach at the base of the stunning (if dangerously steep) cliffs.
3. Monarch butterflies spend the summer in North America before migrating south.
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Anyone who enjoys walking in flower-filled fields or spending time gardening in their backyard will likely know that summer is the best time to spot butterflies.
Monarch butterflies, with their orange and black wings, spend the summer months in North America before migrating south (or sometimes west) for the winter. You can even track their journey to see if they're passing through your neighborhood!
4. There's a picnic-related holiday in August.
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During the spring, there are cherry blossom-viewing picnics in Japan. And in Argentina, it's tradition to picnic for Christmas. However, if you prefer to dine outside in the summer, then you'll be thrilled to find out that there's a picnic-related holiday in August, thanks to Australia.
A tradition that's been around the Northern Territory "since at least the late 1800s," according to National Today, Picnic Day takes place on the first Monday of the month. (Granted, August isn't summer in Australia, but you can celebrate the holiday wherever you are, if you like.)
5. A record-breaking freediver can hold his breath for almost 25 minutes.
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Swimming is a classic summer pastime that can be both invigorating and relaxing. However, there are some who take their underwater efforts to the extreme.
Just take Budimir Šobat, for example. In March 2021, the Croatian freediver, who was 56 years old at the time, set a Guinness World Record after holding his breath for an incredible 24 minutes and 37.36 seconds.
"While I am doing my maximum static apnea [a breath-holding technique], I have my eyes closed and all I am focused on is to try to hear my heartbeat," the diver said. "Once I heard it, I became calm and ready to fight the time."
6. The largest scoop of ice cream ever weighed over 3,000 pounds.
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Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? It's the perfect time to indulge in the sweet treat, though you'd need a huge appetite to master the biggest scoop ever, which weighed a belly-busting 3,010 pounds.
reated by Kemps Dairy in Cedarburg, Wisconsin as part of their 100th anniversary, the scoop stood 5'6" high, stretched 6'2" wide, and was made of around 733 containers of ice cream. What flavor, you ask? Strawberry, which means that it was a pretty pink and looked as good as it surely tasted!
7. Around 100,000 thunderstorms happen in the U.S. each year, and most occur during the summer.
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Summer brings to mind sunny days and sizzling temperatures. However, thunderstorms occur very frequently during the summer, especially in the afternoons and evenings.
How Stuff Works explains that this is due to the fact that thunderstorms need both moisture and "rapidly rising warm air" in order to develop. Because of that, it makes sense that there would be more thunderstorms during the warmer summer months, "particularly in humid areas such as the southeastern United States."
8. Frisbee has gone from being played with an empty pie tin to being a full-on sport.
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Kids and fun-loving adults have been playing with Frisbees for years. But though the Wham-O toy company started producing Frisbees back in 1957, History.com notes that the "story of the Frisbee began in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where William Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company in 1871."
University students would play with the empty pie tins, which prompted Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni to create the "Flying Saucer" in 1948. After many later incarnations, Frisbee is now an organized sport that can get rather competitive.
9. You can watch bears bulk up to become the Fat Bear Week Champion.
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The fact that bears are able to hibernate through the winter is a wonder of nature. But what helps them to survive those cold, food-free months is that they pack on the pounds during the summer.
Fortunately for us, Explore.com runs live streams from Alaska's Katmai National Park, which allow viewers from all over the world to watch brown bears strolling around the river, feeding on salmon, wrestling with each other, and even frolicking in the water with their cubs. Keep an eye out for the bear who puts on the most weight, because they might be deemed the (staggeringly chubby) champion of Fat Bear Week.
10. Sunshine improves your brain function.
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It's no secret that sunshine offers multiple health benefits, and many of them are mental. According to research from the University of Liege in Belgium (via The Independent), "human brains work better in summer."
After having volunteers work on attention and memory tests at different times throughout the year, researchers discovered that "brain activity peaked in the summer on the attention task…" So if you have a thought-heavy task in mind, you might want to schedule it for July or August.
11. Americans eat enough hot dogs during Independence Day to stretch from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles five times.
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That's more than 150 million (!) hot dogs, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. And between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans consume a whopping 7 billion hot dogs, or 818 every second.
12. The term "dog days of summer" comes from astronomy.
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This phrase wasn't inspired by lethargic, overheated pups. The "dog" in question is Sirius the Dog Star, which rises in the sky during late July as a part of the Greater Dog constellation, according to National Geographic.
To the Greeks and Romans, the "dog days" indicated the hottest time of the year, a period that was said to bring fever and other types of catastrophe.
13. One of the world's largest cruise ships is the length of four football fields.
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Among the world's largest cruise ships is the Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, which is composed of 18 decks and is around 1,200 feet long. A football playing field is 100 yards, which is 300 feet, making the ship four times the size of the turf where your favorite team plays!
14. Humans are scientifically proven to be happier in the summer.
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If you notice yourself feeling more chipper during the summer break, you're definitely not alone.
For a 2011 study published in the journal Science, researchers looked at the tweets of some 2.4 million people around the world for two years. They found that when the change in daylight was positive (i.e. in the approach to the summer solstice), people posted significantly happier tweets than they did when the change in daylight was negative (i.e. in the approach to the winter solstice).
15. The longest barbecue on record lasted 80 hours.
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No matter how epic your summer BBQ is, it probably can't beat the longest one ever. Over the course of 80 hours (or 3.3 days), grillmaster Jan Greef of Columbus, Georgia, cooked up 1,000 hot dogs, 558 burgers, 526 boerewors (South African sausage), 104 pieces of chicken, and 200 pieces of corn.
He set the record on April 27, 2014, according to Guinness World Records.
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16. There's an annual Underwater Music Festival in the Florida Keys.
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There are plenty of music festivals to check out in the summer. But if you want to experience something truly unique, then head to the Underwater Music Festival at Looe Key Reef in Florida.
Held annually for more than three decades, the festival includes a pre-selected radio playlist that is streamed live from underwater speakers to an audience of snorkelers and divers.
17. The number of whales spotted near New York City has increased a lot.
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And that's a really, really good thing. Thanks to cleaner waters, which are a result of several environmental policies—including the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act—the number of whales (mostly humpbacks) spotted in the waters off New York City has risen from just five sightings in 2010 to 600 in 2022, according to the non-profit Gotham Whale.
18. One of the most stunning meteor showers of the year peaks in mid-August.
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If you're an avid stargazer, you'll be excited to learn that the most visible annual meteor shower takes place in the summer, according to NASA. Active between July 14 and Aug. 24, the Perseids shower peaks around mid-August. At that time, up to 100 meteors will streak across the sky every hour at a speed of 37 miles per second.
The Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, so you might want to schedule an early morning adventure to get the best look!
19. The Eiffel Tower gets six inches taller in the summer.
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If you want to see the Eiffel Tower in all of its glory, then you may want to head to Paris in the summer. That's because the 1,062-foot monument is more than six inches taller in the heat, thanks to thermal expansion, which causes the iron structure to literally grow, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But make sure you go during the day if you want the highest experience. Once the sun sets, the tower begins to shrink again.
20. The biggest bonfire ever was almost 200 feet tall.
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It takes skill to build a successful bonfire—or perhaps just a lot of lighter fluid—but you'd need to be a real pro to light one that could top the biggest bonfire ever recorded.
On March 16, 2019, the world's tallest bonfire was lit in Lustenau, Austria (a tradition that has been taking place since the Middle Ages). According to Guinness World Records, the fire stood over 198 feet tall.
21. There are more than 1,200 varieties of watermelon.
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Did you know there are 120 different types of watermelon, let alone 1,200? That's according to the Watermelon Board. The most popular kinds include seeded, seedless, and mini watermelons, all of which feature that familiar, pinky-red interior.
But not all watermelons are that color—there are also yellow and orange varieties.
22. More babies are born in the summer than any other time of year.
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Summer isn't just wedding season—it's also prime time for birthdays. According to 2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), July and September are tied for the most popular birthday month, with each responsible for 11.5 percent of the year's birthdays. August and June come in second and third, with 11.4 percent and 11.2 percent, respectively.
23. The Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson resort has a record-setting 643 pools.
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Many hotels offer pools, but the Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson resort in Malaysia has 643 of 'em! According to research acknowledged by Guinness World Records, which only considers pools larger than 4.9 feet by 6.5 feet, the Lexis Hibiscus boasts the most pools of any resort in the world.
That's probably because each villa (pictured above) has its own private place to plunge.
24. The number of sea turtle nests in Florida has experienced an eightyfold increase over the past 40 years.
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If you head to certain beaches this summer, you're more likely than ever to see a baby turtle. That's because these animals' numbers are on the rise—largely thanks to the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
In 1979, there were 62 known North Atlantic green sea turtle nests in Florida. By 2019, that number had climbed to over 41,000, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
25. There's enough water in an Olympic size pool to take 9,400 baths.
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Consider this: Olympic pools contain about 660,000 gallons of water, while the average bath contains about 70. That means if you were to drain an Olympic pool and use it to fill your tub, you'd be set at bath time for the next 25 years (assuming you take one bath a day).
26. There's a 100-year-old midnight baseball game tradition in Alaska.
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Since 1906, the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks have marked the summer solstice with an annual baseball game. Known as the Midnight Sun Game, the ball play starts at 10:30 p.m. and extends until after midnight. However, there's no need to light the field, since the area experiences nearly 24 hours of daylight during the summer months.
27. You can spend the night in a historic lighthouse looking out onto the Pacific Ocean.
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Anyone who loves the sea may want to book a night or two at the Heceta Head Lighthouse on the Central Oregon Coast (that's a photo of it, above). The lighthouse has been helping mariners navigate the Pacific Ocean since 1894 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Today, visitors can stay in six different rooms in the lightkeeper's cottages. Outside, they can enjoy a stunning view, as the lighthouse is perched on a cliff some 205 feet above the ocean.
28. There is a World Margarita Championship held each August in Arizona.
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Plan a trip to Tucson, Arizona in early August to witness the World Margarita Championship. The event promises to be "an unforgettable evening of spirited cocktail competitions, tastings of world-class Margaritas and tequilas, the cuisine of the southwest, and more."
Attendees can vote for their favorite margarita for the "People's Choice Award," but a panel of expert judges chooses the official world champ.
29. The only way to get to the world's only underwater hotel is to scuba dive.
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Located in the lagoon at Key Largo Undersea Park in Florida, Jules' Undersea Lodge is only accessible to divers. Thankfully, the hotel offers training to anyone who wants to visit their unusual accommodations, which sit 21 feet underwater on the lagoon floor.
Once you're submerged in your suite, you'll enjoy a lounge area, a fully stocked kitchen, and bedrooms that boast views of the fish outside.
30. The world's largest surfboard collection includes about 650 boards.
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For some surfers, the thrill is all about catching the waves. But for Donald Dettloff of Maui, the surfboards are just as exciting. In 2009, Dettloff set the world record for the largest collection of surfboards, according to Guinness World Records.
Even better? You can visit them. Dettloff wires each of his 647 boards to a fence at his home (that's a piece of it, above), a practice he started in 1990 to keep them from blowing away in a hurricane.
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31. In 1816, the planet didn't experience a summer.
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You might appreciate our warm and sunny weather a little more when you find out that two centuries ago, there was a "year without summer," according to USA Today.
In 1816, after a massive volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia produced enough dust, ash, and sulfur dioxide to partially cloud the Earth's atmosphere, the entire planet experienced a drop in temperature as well as other winter-like conditions, such as snow in June and frost in August.
32. Popsicles were invented by accident.
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If an icy popsicle is your summer treat of choice, you have an 11-year-old boy to thank. According to NPR, the snacks were invented by accident, courtesy of young Frank Epperson of San Francisco in 1905. As the story goes, Epperson had mixed some sugary soda powder with water and left it out overnight.
The mixture froze—and it didn't take long for Epperson to realize he made a delicious mistake. He began selling "Epsicles" around his neighborhood and then to a nearby amusement park in 1923. He finally applied for a patent in 1924. The rest, as they say, is history.
33. Each summer, we outdo ourselves at the movies—breaking box office records year after year.
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While the summer 2020 blockbuster season disappeared thanks to COVID, audiences were breaking records up until that point. The total summer box office take of 2019 was $4.8 billion, an 11 percent increase from two years before.
34. The world's largest inflatable pool toy was a swan that stood 70 feet tall.
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These days, you can buy a pool float shaped like pretty much anything. The water toys aren't just for kids anymore; they come in a range of shapes, from lobsters and ducks to avocados and pizza. However, the largest float ever recorded resembled a blue swan.
In 2017, AT&T and iHeartRadio created the largest inflatable pool toy of all time, which measured 70.52 by 50.31 by 54.41 feet, according to Guinness World Records.
35. A special type of firefly lights blue instead of white.
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Spotting fireflies is one of the highlights of summer. If you happen to be in the Southern Appalachians, you might be able to catch a glimpse of a ghost firefly—and you'll know it if you see it because it will glow a unique blue-green shade instead of the standard white.
36. It's possible to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in 30 days.
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If you don't mind spending a lot of time in the car, you could feasibly visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in one 30-day road trip. To help people plan their trips, Harvard analystBen Blatt created an algorithm that takes teams' schedules into account to find the shortest possible route.
When schedules aren't considered, the fastest possible trip starts with a visit to the Los Angeles Dodgers, moves south through Texas, then up the East Coast and back west toward Los Angeles to see the Los Angeles Angels.
37. Adults can attend sleepaway camp for just a few hundred dollars.
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If you want to relive the fun of sleepaway camp as an adult—or if you missed out in your younger years—you totally can! For less than $500, you can attend the weeklong New England Adult Music Camp.
Looking for a more traditional camp experience? Check out Camp No Counselors, which offers lots of outdoors-y activities for $800.
38. The record for the most people simultaneously making sand angels is 1,387.
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You may have made a snow angel during the winter, but have you ever made a sand angel during the summer? On June 10, 2017, 1,387 people did just that on Stearns public beach on Lake Michigan, setting a world record for the most people making sand angels simultaneously.
39. The world's longest lazy river is nearly a mile long.
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Want to do a lap around the world's longest lazy river? You'll need to set aside approximately an hour. That's how long it takes to complete the 3/4-mile loop at Waco Surf in Waco, Texas.
40. Hawaii hosts the largest international ukulele festival.
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Since it began in 1971, the Ukulele Festival Hawaii has attracted approximately 20,000 people each year. And it's not just Hawaiians who participate—ukulele artists from around the world attend and perform at the festival to keep the art of the ukelele alive.
The centerpiece of the celebration is a ukulele band of more than 800 musicians!
41. Tug-of-war was once an Olympic sport.
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If someone at your next summer barbeque suggests playing tug-of-war, you can tell them that the game was once featured in the Olympics.
"Appearing for the first time at the Paris Games in 1900, the tug-of-war survived on the program up to and including the Antwerp Games of 1920," according to Time. "Official rules stipulated that an eight-man team had to pull their opponents six feet to win."
Apparently, the Brits were the team to beat; they won two golds and a silver medal in the years the sport was played.
42. The hottest days of the year occur between July 15 and July 31 in the U.S.
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Different parts of the country experience different types of weather. But one thing most regions have in common is the time of year they see their most sweltering days.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, most locations in the contiguous U.S. experience their warmest days between July 15 and July 31.
43. Spending time in nature is proven to boost your mood.
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Another reason you're probably happier in summer? There are a lot more opportunities to get out in nature. One 2015 study published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning found that when people took a 50-minute walk in a natural environment (as opposed to an urban one), they felt happier and experienced decreased levels of anxiety.
So go ahead, lean on the warmer weather as an excuse to head out to your nearest park or green space for a mood-boosting stroll.
44. Americans drink billions of glasses of iced tea a year.
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According to the national Tea Association, Americans consumed 3.9 billion gallons of tea in 2021—and approximately 75 to 80 percent of that was of the iced variety.
Iced tea became popular in the U.S. after the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. That was the year tea-maker Richard Blechynden put his hot tea over ice to help cool off overheated fair attendees.
45. There is a national registry of impressively large trees.
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In 1940, the American Forestry Association (now American Forest) launched a campaign to locate the largest trees in the country. They asked the public to nominate large trees in their area and added those trees to the National Register of Champion Trees.
Today, that register still exists. You can search it to find a large tree near you, or nominate one that you think is worthy.
READ THIS NEXT: 75 Weird Animal Facts Everyone Should Know.
46. The busiest water park in the country attracts the same number of people each year as the population of Houston, Texas.
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In 2019, Typhoon Lagoon at Walt Disney World in Florida attracted more people than any other park, according to the Global Attractions Attendance Report. Their total visitor count, 2,248,000 people, was just a tiny bit short of the entire population of Houston, Texas (2.3 million).
47. The longest line of garden flamingos featured 1,500 birds!
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Those who appreciate a kitschy outdoor aesthetic will likely be thrilled by the longest line of garden flamingos ever assembled. On June 21, 2018, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy in Buffalo, New York, set up 1,500 of the fabulously flamboyant faux birds.
After the record was achieved, all of the flamingos were "available for adoption." Those that didn't find new homes were picked up by a recycling company that intended to melt them down and turn them into benches for local public parks.
48. The biggest bikini parade included more than 1,000 participants.
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On Aug. 19, 2012, 1,085 people, ages six to 60, put on two-piece swimsuits to take part in the largest bikini parade ever, according to Guinness World Records. Organized by the Huludao Municipal Government in Huludao City, China, the line of swimsuit-clad participants stretched a staggering 1.1 miles.
49. Fruit gets way cheaper in the summer.
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Fresh fruit is quite a bit cheaper once the temperatures rise. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, strawberries cost around $3.85 per pound in December 2022 and just $2.20 per pound in July. Fruits like apricots, blueberries, melon, cherries, and corn are also in season (and often cheaper) in the summer months.
50. You could enjoy the summer nearly all year round thanks to the different hemispheres.
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That's right, the fun doesn't have to end! The Northern Hemisphere experiences summer between June and August (with it sometimes stretching into September) while summer in the Southern Hemisphere starts in December and lasts until March.
That means, if you're willing and able to relocate every few months, you could feasibly enjoy summer nearly all year round!
Wrapping Up
That's it for our list of fascinating summer facts, but be sure to check back with us soon for even more trivia! You can also sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss out.
