Family Facts

Cat families usually play best in even numbers. Cats and kittens should be acquired in pairs whenever possible!

Osama bin Laden had four wives and fathered between 20 and 26 children, creating a sprawling family that has largely distanced itself from his legacy since his death in 2011.

No president of the United States was an only child for his parents.

Nearly half of all identity theft victims know their thief personally—whether a family member, friend, neighbor, or coworker.

The Nestles haven't run Nestle since 1875.

Apples are actually part of the rose family.

There is a family with a genetic condition that makes their skin blue, who have been isolated in rural Kentucky for generations.

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

The average American family uses about 16,000 gallons of water each year just doing laundry—enough to fill a small backyard swimming pool!

A woman named Rachel Krishevsky who died at age 99 had 1,400 direct descendants.

A man named Ziona Chana lives in a 100 room, four storey house set amidst the hills of Baktwang village in the Indian state of Mizoram and has the world's biggest family with 39 wives, 94 children, 14 daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren.

Steve Jobs' biological father, Abdulfattah "John" Jandali, managed a popular Mediterranean restaurant near San Jose. Jobs ate there a couple of times without knowing the owner was his father. Jandali didn't know either. Years later, when Jobs' biological sister Mona Simpson tracked Jandali down, he casually boasted: "Even Steve Jobs used to eat there. He was a great tipper." That's how Jobs found out.

Eminem's mother sued him for $10 million in defamation over one line in "My Name Is." A judge ruled in her favor — for $25,000. Her lawyer took $23,354.25 in fees. She walked away with exactly $1,645.75.

Sisa Abu Daooh, an Egyptian woman, disguised herself as a man for 43 years after her husband passed away so she could work and provide for her daughter. She worked as a shoe shiner, brick layer, and farmer. When she was finally revealed in 2015, the Egyptian government didn't punish her — they awarded her the "Ideal Mother" prize on national television.

While filming Matilda, Mara Wilson's mother was dying of cancer. Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman quietly cared for Mara like their own daughter. DeVito secretly took an unfinished cut of the film to the hospital and screened it for her dying mother. He kept it quiet for years.

Austin Appelbee was 13 when his family's kayak flipped off Western Australia. His mother told him to swim for shore. He swam two hours with a life jacket. When it slowed him, he took it off. He swam two more hours without one. He reached shore and sprinted another mile to find a phone. His family was found 14 km out after 10 hours. Everyone survived.