Mostly from the top of my head:
- Russia has 11 time zones.
- Upon successfully invading Russia and conquering St. Petersburg (then called Leningrad), Hitler actually planned to hold a large celebration in a restaurant called the Hotel Astoria. The restaurant still stands today.
- The deepest and largest freshwater lake in the world is Lake Baikal, located in the south of Siberia, with a depth of 2,442 ft (744.4 m) and a shore length of 1,300 mi (2,100 km). It’s very beautiful. And look at those gorgeous methane bubbles!
- Tetris, arguably the famous puzzle video game of all time, originated in Russia (specifically the USSR). It was developed in 1984 by the artificial intelligence researcher Alexey Pazhitnov, and its first playable version was completed while he was working for the Soviet Academy of Sciences. Its theme music is also based on a Russian folk song, called “Korobeinki”.
- The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has cats patrolling the basements to rid them of mice. That practice originates in the 18th century, from the times of the Empress Elizabeth of Russia, who was also Peter the Great’s daughter, who made sure that domestic cats be placed in the palace to control the ongoing mice infestation that filled the basements and kitchens. It worked out well, so the queen decided to let them remain there, doing their job keeping the palace rodent-free (and adorable as well). The cats have remained on the grounds since then, with the exception of a few dangerous periods such as WWII.
- Subbotnik, typically occurring around the weekends, were days of unpaid volunteer work in which the residents of cities and towns would help each other out and work together to tidy the streets. It was more common during the Soviet era, but is still practiced in some Russian cities today.
- The word “vodka” comes from вода (voda), meaning “water”.
- Serfdom was abolished in the Russian Empire in 1861, only four years before slavery would come to be abolished in the US in 1865.
- The reason why the Red Square in Moscow is called that way has nothing to do with the Soviet Union. The word красный, or krasniy, in archaic Russian meant not only “red”, but also “beautiful”. In addition, that word was only applied to a handful of buildings in the square, such as its main tower, for example.