Russia Facts

The most children born to one mother is reportedly 69, attributed to Valentina Vassilyeva, an 18th-century Russian peasant. Over approximately 40 years (1725-1765), she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets across 27 pregnancies.

The largest nuclear bomb ever built, the Tsar Bomba, caused damage up to approximately 1,000km away.

Before traveling a person should, apparently, sit on their luggage. (Russian)

During the reign of Peter the Great, Russian men who wished to retain their traditional beards were required to pay a special tax, with the amount varying based on their social status.

Instead of a birthday cake, many children in Russia are given a birthday pie.

About 20% of the world's forests are located in Siberia, making it the largest forested region on Earth.

Caucasian Mountain Dog (aka Russian Bear Dog) males reach over 200lb and have historically been used to hunt bears.

In 2008, Russian man Dmitry Agarkov received a credit card offer from Tinkoff Credit Systems. He didn't like the terms, so he scanned the contract, rewrote it to include 0% interest, no fees, no credit limit, and penalties of up to 6 million rubles if the bank violated the terms, then signed and returned it. The bank approved the modified contract without reading it. When the bank later sued him for unpaid fees, a judge ruled the altered contract was valid and Agarkov only owed the principal. The two parties eventually settled out of court.

While historically alcohol sales, particularly vodka, were a major source of revenue for the Russian government, contributing up to 40% in Tsarist times and one-third during the Soviet era, their contribution to the federal budget today is significantly less. Modern Russian government income is primarily dominated by oil and gas revenues, which often account for 40-50% of the total budget.

There are coffee houses in Russia where food and drink are free, but you pay for time.

At their closest point, the Russian and U.S. borders are less than two miles apart.

In 2011, Russia acknowledged beer as an alcoholic beverage. Before then, any drink under 10% volume was considered a soft drink.

According to historical records, a Russian peasant woman in the 1700s reportedly gave birth to 69 children over 27 pregnancies: 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets. While the Guinness World Records lists this claim, no birth certificates exist to verify it.

Since 1982, a radio frequency emanating from Russia has been broadcasting a buzzer-like sound and, periodically, an unknown voice reads orders, names, and numbers. No one knows where exactly it is coming from or what it means.

By putting a frog in a bucket of milk, scientists following up on an ancient Russian way of keeping milk from going sour have identified a wealth of new antibiotic substances.

In Russia, women outnumber men by about 10.4 million people.

According to a 2011 poll, 32% of Russians believe that the Sun orbits Earth.