Today’s list presents 25 Surprising Facts About Tattoos That You Probably Didn’t Know! There’s no doubt that we live in one of the most progressive eras in history. Our society is more open to different cultures and trends than ever before.
Tattoos have been around for thousands of years and they haven’t always been viewed negatively. In certain societies, tattoos symbolized something sacred or even honorable. Nowadays, many people see tattoos as works of art or as a way to enhance one’s beauty.
Still, there are those who see them in a dark light. In their minds, tattoos represent prison life, gangs, drug use, and racist organizations among other bad things. So, are you one of those people who want to get a tattoo but are skeptical about it? The following 25 Surprising Facts About Tattoos That You Probably Didn’t Know will enlighten you enough to make the right decision.

"The Iceman" loved tattoos
The Tyrolean Iceman, also known as Ötzi, has the oldest tattoos on his well-preserved skeleton. He has a black cross on the inside of his left knee, six straight lines on his lower back, and parallel lines on his ankles, legs, and wrists.
When scientists X-rayed his body, they discovered joint disease under each tattoo. This led them to believe that these tattoos were meant to relieve his pain.
Tattoo equipment goes back to the last ice age
Archaeologists have discovered tools in France, Portugal, and Scandinavia that were probably used for tattooing. These are at least twelve thousand years old, or from the time of the last ice age.
The Polynesians "baptized" tattoos
The word tattoo derives from the Polynesian word ta. Ta in Polynesian languages describes the sound of a tattooing spike being hit against skin. The first recorded reference to the word tattoo is in the papers of Joseph Banks, a naturalist aboard Captain Cook’s ship. Europeans called tattoos “marks” or “prics” until then.
Polynesian tattooing rules
Tattoo removal was kind of gross in antiquity
Laser tattoo removal is the modern way
The advance of science and technology made tattoo removal easier and less disgusting. These days laser surgery is considered the most effective and popular way to remove a tattoo.
The laser penetrates the skin and breaks up the tattoo pigments. This way the pigments are carried away naturally by the body’s immune system.
The Greco-Roman view on tattoos
Caligula found tattoos amusing in a strange way
Pope Adrian I banned tattoos for centuries
The Byzantines found tattoos humiliating
Tattooing wasn’t viewed positively in Eastern Europe either. Especially in the Byzantine Empire. The Greek emperor Theophilus for example, took revenge on two monks who had publicly criticized him by having eleven verses of obscene iambic pentameter tattooed on their foreheads.
In Ancient Egypt women loved tattoos
But Tommy Lee loves them even more
Pamela Anderson made tattoos "cool"
Speaking of Tommy Lee, his ex-wife Pamela Anderson has a history with tattoos too. Actually, she was responsible for the rise in popularity of tattoo armbands in the late ’90’s. How? She was the first celebrity to bear one on Baywatch.
British and Russian royalty approved tattoos
From the middle of the eighteenth century till the early twentieth, tattoos were particularly popular with English and Russian royalty. They were so expensive that only the rich could afford them. When tattoos became more affordable, they started to be deemed “trashy” until the tattoo renaissance in the mid-twentieth century.
Yakuza's full-body suits
Many gang members will have an “honorable” tattoo of their affiliation somewhere on their body. However, the title for the most famous of all criminal tattoos goes to the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza.
Its remembers are “legally to blame” (among other things) for the popularization of the full-body suit tattoos.
Thomas Edison's "contributions"
HIV and tattooing
Winston Churchill and mom fancied tattoos
Winston Churchill’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, had a tattoo of a snake around her wrist. She would cover it with a diamond bracelet for formal occasions. In case you didn’t know, Churchill had an anchor on his forearm.
Women prefer tattoos more than men in the US
In the United States, more women than men are tattooed (23% vs 19%), according to a 2012 survey. Women are twice as likely to get their tattoos removed than men though.
Tattooing is a billion-dollar industry in America
The Statistic Brain reported recently that nearly 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo. Americans also spend more on tattoos than any other nationality, approximately $1.65 billion annually.
Lindbergh's case made tattoos popular with kids
Tattoos make you "sexy"
The most tattooed man on the planet
The "Disney tattoo guy"
George C. Reiger Jr., also known as the “Disney tattoo guy,” has over one thousand Disney tattoos, including all 101 Dalmatians. He had to get special permission from Disney because the images are copyrighted.