'I love these books ... the best books ever. Brilliant' Chris Evans This is an astonishing trove of the strangest, funniest, and most improbable tidbits of knowledge from the clever lot at the hugely popular BBC quiz show QI. The sock-blasting, jaw-dropping, side-swiping phenomenon that is QI serves up a sparkling new selection of 1,342 facts to leave you flabbergasted. Did you know that: Trees sleep at night. Google searches for 'How to put on a condom' peak at 10.28pm. There is no word for time in any Aboriginal language. Scotland has 421 words for snow. Emoji is the fastest growing language in history. Astronauts wear belts to stop their trousers falling up. The name Donald means 'ruler of the world'. Tanks are exempt from London's Congestion charge. The world's only Cornish pasty museum is in Mexico. When you blush so does the lining of your stomach. A group of unicorns is called a blessing. If there are any facts you don't believe, or if you want to know more about them, all the sources can be found on www.qi.com

The sock-blasting, jaw-dropping, side-swiping phenomenon that is QI serves up a sparkling new selection of 1,342 facts that will leave you flabbergasted.

1,342 QI Facts coincides with more good news from QI, as Sandi Toksvig takes over the duties as presenter on the double-BAFTA nominated TV show, and the QI Elves' podcast No Such Thing As A Fish wins its second Chortle award.

The first pencils were used to draw on sheep.

More people work for Walmart than live in Slovenia.

The beaded lacewing stuns its prey by farting on it.

The allies considered dropping glue to stick Nazi troops to the ground.

The only life on Earth for a billion years was a thick layer of slime. Scientists call

it 'the boring billion'.

On the anniversary of landing, the Mars Curiosity rover hummed 'Happy

Birthday' to itself.

'Flabbergasted' was first recorded in a 1772 list of new words alongside 'bored'.