20 Bizarre & Shocking Facts about the Tech Industry

Intro: Shocking Facts

Discover 20+ bizarre and shocking facts about tech, from Nokia’s toilet paper past to Google’s lawn-mowing goats—fun, engaging, and shocking tech history.

1. Nokia: From Toilet Paper to Telecom

Nokia sold rubber boots, tires, and even toilet paper! Before becoming a phone manufacturer, Nokia began as a paper mill in 1865, producing a variety of products before entering the telecom industry.

Before becoming the phone giant that brought us the indestructible 3310, Nokia had other priorities. Founded in 1865, Nokia began as a paper mill in Finland. By the 20th century, they weren’t just making paper—they were manufacturing rubber boots, car tires, cables, and yes, even toilet paper.

When you look at your old Nokia brick phone, remember: that company may have once wiped Finland’s collective behinds.

See Also: Top Emerging Technologies in 2025: How Tech Is Changing Everything

2. The First Computer Mouse Was Wooden

The first mouse was wooden and rectangular, invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1964, and featured a single button.

That sleek ergonomic mouse you’re holding? The first one wasn’t anything like it. Invented in 1964 by Douglas Engelbart, the original mouse was rectangular, made of wood, and had only one button.

Imagine debugging with what looked like a chunk of a 2×4.

3. The First Computer “Bug” Was an Actual Bug

The first computer “bug” was a real bug: A moth inside a relay in 1947; Grace Hopper taped it into the log and coined the term “bug”.

In 1947, legendary computer scientist Grace Hopper coined the term “bug” when her team found a moth stuck inside a relay of the Harvard Mark II computer.

They taped the moth into the logbook. Yes, debugging meant removing a bug.

4. A Computer That Ran on Water

A Russian computer ran on water—in 1936, Vladimir Lukyanov built a hydraulic computer using water-filled tubes to solve equations.

In 1936, Soviet engineer Vladimir Lukyanov built a hydraulic computer that used water-filled tubes to solve equations.

Instead of bytes and circuits, it is calculated using fluid levels. Imagine spilling coffee on that thing.

5. Samsung Is Older Than Apple By Almost 40 Years

Samsung predates Apple by nearly 40 years, and Apple almost stayed “Cadabra, Inc.” before Bezos switched to “Amazon” to avoid sounding like “cadaver”.

Samsung was founded in 1938 as a trading company that sold noodles and dried fish, while Apple didn’t appear until 1976.

Meanwhile, Amazon almost stayed “Cadabra, Inc.” until Jeff Bezos realised it sounded too much like “cadaver.”

6. Google Was a Typo

Google was meant to be “Googol”, but the founders accidentally searched for “google.com” and stuck with it.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin wanted the name “Googol” (a one followed by 100 zeros), but when searching domain names, they accidentally typed “google.com.” They liked it, kept it, and history was made.

Sometimes, typos build empires.

7. Google Rents Goats for Lawn Care

Google rents goats to mow its lawns, reducing fire risk and carbon use on its California campus.

In 2009, Google announced that instead of mowers, they’d rent 200 goats to graze the grass on their campus.

Cleaner air, cuter groundskeeping, and zero fuel bills.

8. We All Live 80 Milliseconds in the Past

People live in the past—by 80 ms! Our conscious experience lags reality by about eighty milliseconds.

Your brain takes about 80 milliseconds to process reality. That means you’re technically living in the past.

So yes, your clumsiness is scientifically justified.

9. More Phones than Toilets

More people have mobile phones than toilets worldwide, underscoring the prevalence of technology over basic sanitation.

The United Nations estimates that more people have mobile phones than toilets.

It’s a wild mix of progress and failure — we can send selfies across the planet but can’t guarantee basic sanitation.

10. Staring at Screens Makes You Blink Less

We blink seven times a minute at screens, instead of the normal 20—hello, dry eyes and blue light fatigue.

Typically, we blink around 20 times per minute, but when staring at screens, that drops to about 7.

Cue dry eyes, headaches, and a billion-dollar eye-care industry.

11. Most Internet Traffic Is Bots

Rank of billions: most internet traffic is bots, not humans—about 51% of traffic is non‑human in 2012 data.

In 2012, 51% of web traffic was generated by bots, not humans. Today, that number is even higher.

So if you’re arguing on Twitter, chances are you’re fighting with code.

12. Firefox’s Logo Isn’t a Fox

The Firefox logo isn’t a fox but a red panda—quirky iconography of open‑source projects.

Firefox’s logo is a red panda, not a fox. The name “Firefox” is a nickname for the endangered creature.

So technically, you’ve been browsing with a panda this whole time.

13. The QWERTY Keyboard Was Designed to Be Slower

The QWERTY keyboard was intentionally inefficient, designed to slow typists down and prevent jamming of typewriter arms.

The QWERTY layout (patented in 1878) intentionally slowed typists down to prevent typewriter jams.

Yet here we are, still using it in 2025 with no typewriter in sight.

14. Ronald Wayne: The $800 Billion Mistake

Ronald Wayne sold his 10% of Apple for $800, a stake now worth hundreds of billions—ouch!

In 1976, Ronald Wayne, one of Apple’s three co-founders, sold his 10% stake in the company for just $800.

Today? It would be worth over $100 billion. Ouch.

15. Wi‑Fi Was Born from Black Hole Research

Wi-Fi originated from failed black hole research; a byproduct of detecting exploding black holes led to the development of wireless networking.

In the 1990s, scientists attempting to detect radio signals from black holes accidentally stumbled upon technology that would later make Wi-Fi possible.

So yes, your internet came from outer space experiments.

16. The First Webcam Watched a Coffee Pot

The first webcam watched a coffee pot at Cambridge (1991) so researchers wouldn’t walk to an empty pot.

In 1991, researchers at Cambridge set up a webcam to monitor their office coffee pot.

The world’s first webcam was built to save scientists a walk to an empty pot.

17. YouTube Started as a Dating Site

YouTube was initially conceived as a dating site idea, “Tune in, Hook Up,” before pivoting to a video platform.

Launched in 2005 as “Tune In, Hook Up,” YouTube began as a video dating platform. When no one used it for dating, the founders pivoted to a general video-sharing site.

The dating videos are gone (thankfully).

18. One Person Replies to Millions of Spam Emails

Only one person replies to 12 million spam emails—yet spam volume is in the billions daily.

Despite billions of spam emails sent daily, only 1 in 12 million recipients responds.

And yet, that’s enough for scammers to keep sending them.

19. 92% of Money Exists Only Digitally

Approximately 92% of the world’s currency exists only digitally, while only 8% is physical cash.

A staggering 92% of the world’s currency exists digitally — as numbers in accounts, not physical bills.

So, yes, money is just an abstraction.

20. We’re Heading Toward an Information Catastrophe

Approximately 92% of the world’s currency exists only digitally, while only 8% is physical cash.

If storage trends continue, the growth of digital data could outpace Earth’s energy and resources, creating what experts call an “information catastrophe.”

Translation: too many cat videos could one day doom us.

Quick Facts Table

Final Thoughts:

Technology is weird, incredible, and slightly terrifying. From goat-powered landscaping to wooden mice, the path of innovation has been anything but boring.

FAQs About Bizarre Tech Facts

Q1: Did Nokia really make toilet paper?

Yes! Before becoming a phone company, Nokia started as a paper mill in 1865 and later produced items like rubber boots, car tires, and even toilet paper before moving into telecommunications.

Q2: Who invented the first computer mouse?

Douglas Engelbart invented the first computer mouse in 1964. It was wooden, rectangular, and had only one button — very different from today’s sleek, multi-button designs.

Q3: Why is a software error called a “bug”?

The term “bug” originated in 1947 when Grace Hopper and her team found a moth stuck inside a relay of the Harvard Mark II computer. They logged it as the “first actual case of a bug being found.”

Q4: Is it true that Google rents goats for lawn care?

Yes. Google rents around 200 goats to graze its lawns at its California campus. This eco-friendly method reduces fire risks and cuts down on gas-powered mowing.

Q5: Was YouTube really a dating site?

Yes! YouTube was launched in 2005 as “Tune In, Hook Up,” a dating site for video introductions. When the idea didn’t take off, it pivoted to a video-sharing platform.

Q6: Why was the QWERTY keyboard layout designed?

The QWERTY keyboard was intentionally designed in 1878 to slow down typists and prevent jamming in mechanical typewriters. Surprisingly, we still use this “slower” layout today.

Q7: Is it true that most of the world’s money isn’t physical cash?

Correct. Around 92% of the world’s currency exists digitally, meaning it’s stored in bank accounts and online systems rather than as physical bills and coins.

Q8: What was the first webcam used for?

The world’s first webcam was set up in 1991 at Cambridge University to monitor a coffee pot. Researchers used it to avoid walking to an empty pot.

Q9: How did Wi-Fi originate from black hole research?

In the 1990s, researchers trying to detect radio waves from black holes developed the technology that later evolved into Wi-Fi, making wireless internet a byproduct of space research.

Q10: What is the “information catastrophe” in technology?

It refers to a potential future where the growth of digital data could exceed Earth’s energy capacity, leading to unsustainable storage and energy demands.