26 random survival facts

Just for your entertainment, here are 26 random survival facts to keep in mind next time you don’t have anything to talk about when around the campfire.

 

survival rule of three

 

Water

  • 71% of the earth’s surface is covered in water
  • 96.5% of all water on earth is in the sea in the form of saltwater
  • 3.5% of earth’s water is in “fresh” form in lakes and rivers, but mostly ice. 69% of earth’s fresh water is made up of ice
  • An adult can last for 3 days without water before dying
  • 60% of the human body is made from water, and the brain contains as much as 70%
  • In the first 6 months of life, a child will consume 7 times more water per pound of body weight than an adult
  • 3 drops of bleach will sterilize and make safe 1 litre of water to drink
  • A fully grown birch tree can give off up to 60 gallons of water in a single day
  • Saltwater freezes at lower temperatures than freshwater, with the average seawater freezing at -2°C

 

Deaths

  • You are around 100 times more likely to be killed by a toaster than you are from a bear if you live in the US or Canada
  • There is only 1 person naturally killed by wolves every 5 years globally
  • The mosquito is the most deadly animal on earth in terms of how many deaths it causes each year, with around 1 million people dying from the diseases they spread
  • The hippo is the most deadly animal in terms of physical capabilities, with it being able to beat any animal on earth in a 1 on 1 fight
  • Between 1347 and 1351, Europe was hit by the bubonic plague which gave every single person on the continent a 50% of death
  • The deadliest shark attack in history happened in 1945 when the USS Indianapolis was sunk and up to 150 crew were eaten by sharks

 

Temperature

  • The coldest ever temperature recorded was taken at the Vostok research station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983. It measured -89.2°C
  • The hottest temperature was recorded at Furnace Creek in California on July 10, 1913, measuring 56.7°C
  • Water boils at different temperatures depending on its altitude. Water at sea level boils at 100°C, but water at a height of 30,000 feet would boil at 70°C. (this only happens in open environments, and water in a self-contained environment like a plane will still boil at 100°C at all altitudes)
  • The average human body temperature is 37°C, and if it rises by just 3°C you run the risk of death
  • When fresh lava first comes out of a volcanic vent it normally doesn’t reach temperatures higher than 1200°C, this isn’t even hot enough to melt iron
  • the body loses heat almost 30 times faster in water than it does in air

 

Survival times

  • José Salvador Alvarenga was lost at sea and survived alone on a raft for 438 days and traveled more than 6,700 miles, Since his ordeal ended in 2014 he remains the record holder for longest lone survival stranded at sea
  • Aron Ralston lasted for 5 days with his arm crushed under a rock and only a 330ml bottle of water
  • Slavomir Rawicz walked for over 4000 miles to escape the occupation during WW2
  • Hugh Glass crawled for almost 200 miles after almost being killed by a bear attack, his story is the basis for the film “The Revenant”
  • Harrison Okene spent 60 hours more than 100 feet underwater after his ship sank upside down, trapping him in one of the cabins