Tattooing has been practiced for centuries, and along the way has created some pretty entertaining stories and body art. For how much of the population has a tattoo not too many people are knowledgeable about them. Here are some fun tidbits of tattoo facts that you can whip out next time your friend asks you to go with him to get his butterfly tattoo on his ankle touched up.

• Tattoos are technically considered a minor medical procedure. Not sure if your boss will take the note from your tattoo artist excusing you from work though.
• It was illegal to get a tattoo in Oklahoma until 2006
• A man name Hollis Cantrell holds the world record for the most tattoos as of 2009 with 801
• Tattoos on the lips last only 1 to 5 years and need to frequently be retouched
• New York City’s most expensive tattoo artist charges $350 an hour
• The first white man to have a Chinese character tattoo (on record) was American president James Polk
• Maori women of New Zealand get facial tattoos to hide aging lines
• Tattoos have been used to smuggle secret information  in times of war
• As of 2010, The Marine Corps prohibits tattoos on the hands, fingers, inside of the mouth and wrists
• Over 40 million people in the United States have tattoos
• 26% of people with tattoos say that it makes them feel more attractive