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.

Dmitry Agarkov received a credit card offer with a 45% interest rate buried in the fine print. He scanned the contract, rewrote it to include 0% interest, no fees, and penalty clauses if the bank changed the terms, then mailed it back. The bank signed it without reading. A court upheld his version. He counter-sued for 24 million rubles. The bank settled. He got a special debit card.

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

Vodka was once so central to Russia's economy that alcohol sales contributed up to 40% of government revenue during Tsarist times and a third during the Soviet era. Today, oil and gas have replaced it, accounting for 40-50% of the federal budget.

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.

A scrap dealer paid $13,302 for a gold egg at a flea market, planning to melt it for profit. Nobody wanted it. It sat in his kitchen for years. Then he Googled the name engraved inside. It was a lost Imperial Faberge egg made for Tsar Alexander III. Estimated value: $33 million.

In 2019, a beluga whale wearing a harness labeled "Equipment St. Petersburg" appeared near Hammerfest, Norway. They named him Hvaldimir, a pun on "whale" and "Vladimir." Weeks later, a woman dropped her phone off a dock into the ocean. Hvaldimir dove down, picked it up in his mouth, and brought it back to her. Her friend caught the whole thing on camera.

On September 26, 1983, Soviet Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov was alone at a nuclear command bunker when the early-warning system showed 5 American missiles inbound - confidence level: HIGHEST. Protocol demanded he report up the chain immediately. He decided the computer was wrong and reported a false alarm instead. The USSR reprimanded him for the paperwork.