It's time to get spooky with these frighteningly fun ghost facts! Do you believe in ghosts? Delve into these eerie stats and stories all about ghosts! Find out about different types of ghost, where you can spot them, how to hunt them and other scientific explanations we may have for ghosts! And you can check out more fun facts here! How about these spooky jokes for a ghoulish giggle? Or maybe you think you can brave more ghosts facts here! We've even got this quiz that lets you know if your house is haunted!

1. Ghosts Appear In All Cultures

Ghosts have one thing in common - they appear in all cultures, all over the world! Ghosts and ghost stories appear in houses, battlefields, graveyards, places of worship and even on the sea! In some cultures, ghosts are celebrated, like in Mexico's Day of the Dead, where people get together to remember their ancestors. Other cultures see ghosts as omens of bad luck, like the Irish banshee, whose spooky scream is meant to foretell ghosts. What are the stories your culture has about ghosts?

2. Some of the Earliest Ghost Stories Are 1000s of Years Old

Ghosts have been around for as long as people have been around to talk about them! One of the most famous early ghost stories is 'The Chain Rattling Ghost of Athens', told by Roman writer Pliny the Younger. According to the story, a man working late one night in the ancient Greek city of Athens was interrupted by a ghost covered in chains, who led him to a site where the man uncovered his skeleton. After that, the hauntings ceased. Lots of stories about ghosts centre on this theme of being put to rest.

3. There Are Different Types of Ghosts

What do you think of when you picture a ghost? You might think of someone in a long white sheet, or maybe a see through figure, but there are actually lots of different types of ghosts! Apparitions are ghosts who appear and disappear suddenly. Poltergeists can't be seen, but throw things around. Some ghosts are just a smell, or a sound, like music playing somewhere far away. There are even ghosts of animals, like the Carew castle monkey, a ghost who is said to haunt this Welsh castle on dark and stormy nights!

4. There Are Lots of Famous Ghosts

Some ghost stories have become so famous that lots of people all over the world know about them. Stories about Borley Rectory, the most haunted house in England (supposedly) were so famous in the 1930's that the paparazzi even turned up to film the spooks! Then there's stories like the Amityville Haunting in New York (probably a hoax that got out of hand), or the ghost of Anne Boleyn, who is said to haunt loads of places all over the UK! She must be tired! What ghosts stories come from your local area?

5. Poltergeists are Noisy Ghosts

One of the creepiest types of ghost is a poltergeist - the word comes from German and means 'noisy ghost'. That's because they like to throw things around, ring bells, knock on floorboards, and other disruptive things. In fact, poltergeists are often more annoying than scary! They are thought to occur in places where there is lots of emotional energy, like houses with teenagers in them, and researchers aren't quite sure if they are real ghosts, or a type of energy. One of the most famous poltergeist cases was The Enfield Poltergeist, who haunted a family in London in the 1970s. Look it up if you dare!

6. Lots of People Believe in Ghosts

Whether or not they are real, lots of people believe that ghosts exist. In fact, in the UK, a 2017 study by Statista shows that almost 40% of people under 55 believe in ghosts, much higher than the older age groups surveyed. Belief in ghosts can be determined by a number of things, including cultural background, religion, life experiences and current events. What do you believe?

7. The UK Is Very Haunted

The United Kingdom and its neighbours like Ireland are infamous for the amount of ghost stories they have! Some of the spookiest places in the UK include the Tower of London, which has been home to many different ghosts over the years (including a phantom bear!), and Edinburgh in Scotland, a city with a gory history that has produced plenty of gruesome ghost stories. There is also a haunted battle site in Edgefield, Warwickshire, which is meant to be populated with ghosts of the English Civil War, who can be seen on the anniversary of the battle. We've also got haunted roads, haunted castles, haunted bridges and even haunted paintings! Phew!

8. There Are Scientists Who Research Ghosts

If you think you'd like a career in ghosts, good news! You can actually become a scientist who studies the paranormal. These scientists are called parapsychologists, and its their job to try and find out exactly why spooky things happen. The bad news is that 99% of the time the answer is something pretty boring like temperature, hallucinations, sleep deprivation, coincidence or even simply people who make stuff up! Still, its a real job, honest!

9. Harry Price Was A Famous Ghost Hunter

One of the most famous psychic researchers was a man called Harry Price, who lived in the first half of the 20th century and made it his lifes mission to investigate spooky things. Harry Price has a big collection of complex equipment to help him with this, and investigated many famous cases, including the previously mentioned Borley Rectory. Sadly, it seems like he also faked some of the evidence, as he wanted to prove so badly that ghosts existed. One of the most important parts of his ghost hunting kit was a packed lunch - he thought it was very important not to ghost hunt on an empty stomach!

10. It's Easy To Fake a Ghost

There are lots and lots of photos and videos out there that appear to show 'real' ghosts - but the truth is most of them aren't ghosts at all. Sometimes people make a mistake and think a shadow, a reflection or a fault in the camera is a ghost. Other people will fake ghost photos on purpose, and now that most people have access to apps and filters, editing photos to make them look haunted is easier than ever! This practise is actually as old as photography though - there are hundreds of Victorian photos showing 'ghosts' that are actually just simply double exposure!

11. Ghost Hunting Shows Are Very Popular

Whether or not ghosts are real, there's no denying we are fascinated by them! Shows like Ghost Adventures, Most Haunted and Buzzfeed Unsolved prove that we can't get enough of ghost hunting -even if most of the time, it's just some people scaring themselves by shouting into an empty room! It's very easy to believe ghosts might be real if you're in a spooky building in the middle of the night, and that's why we keep watching!

12. Ghost Hunters Need Lots of Equipment

Ghost hunting is a very scientific hobby. It's very important to take careful notes when hunting ghosts, because if you find a real one, it could be the scientific discovery of the millennia! When you're ghost hunting, you'll need a notebook and pen to record events, a digital thermometer to read temperature changes, a camera to record anything you see, an audio recorder to pick up any noises, an infrared camera, and lots of snacks!

13. We Don't Know What Ghosts Are

There's no real consensus on exactly what ghosts are. Lots of people think they might be the spirits of those who have passed on, come back to give us a message. Other people think that they could be a type of energy we haven't fully researched yet. And other people think there are all hallucinations. Some people even think that ghosts could be a slip in time - two different time periods getting blurred together! There's still lots we don't know about how the universe works, and ghosts are one of them!

14. And They Might Not Be Real

At the end of the day, no one has ever proved that ghosts exist. And the truth is, they might not. There are lots of natural explanations for why people think they see or hear ghosts, as well as plenty of people who make things up for a good story. But even if they don't exist, they can tell us a lot about ourselves and what we find interesting and important! Some people take great comfort in the idea that people they love might have come to visit them from the other side.

15. But We Love To Hear About Them!

Whether or not ghosts are real, there's no denying that human beings love talking about them! Movies, tv shows, books, paintings, video games and more all about ghosts show that even if they don't really exist, they'll continue to fascinate us for a long time to come!