“So we must not refer a history of sexuality to the agency of sex; but rather show how “sex” is historically subordinate to sexuality.”
Michel Foucault
Contrary to what many people think, sex is not just about intercourse and masturbation; this fascinating subject holds many curious facts that will surprise you.
Scientific Facts
1.- Dolphins and humans are the only animals that besides reproduction also have sex just for pleasure.
2.- A man ejaculates approximately 7,200 times in his life, of these 7,200, 2,000 will be due to masturbation.
3.- During ejaculation, semen reaches a speed of 45 kilometers per hour (28 mph).
4.- The average male penis measures between 12.7 and 15.3 centimeters (5 to 6 inches), while the penis of a blue whale measures 3.6 meters (11 feet).
5.- A man has an average of 11 erections during the day, and during the night, about 9.
6.- Sperm have to travel approximately 7 to 10 centimeters before reaching the egg.
7.- A man can achieve an erection in less than 10 seconds.
8.- Men’s first erections occur in the last trimester of pregnancy, when they are still fetuses.
9.- The average ejaculation is 5ml to 10ml.
10.- The sperm necessary to duplicate the current world population would fit in the circumference of an aspirin. The eggs needed to double the current world population would fit into the egg of a hen.
11.- An orgasm lasts approximately 3 to 10 seconds, and orgasmic contractions occur at 0.8-second intervals in both men and women.
12.- During orgasm the heart can beat 140 times per minute.
13.- Testosterone, a hormone associated with masculinity, is also produced in smaller quantities by women, and is responsible for sexual desire in both sexes.
14.- The pH of a vagina is between 4-5.
15.- On average, a couple wishing to have a child requires 5 and a half months of unprotected sex before they are successful.
16.- The ovum measures approximately 0.14 millimeters and can be visible to the human eye. It is the largest cell in the human body.
17.- The average menstruation consists of between 50 and 175cc of blood and tissue.
18.- Fetishism, exhibitionism and vouyerism are practiced mainly by men.
19.- If each sexual intercourse lasts 15 minutes, the average couple will enjoy 610 hours of sexual intercourse during their married life.
20.- On average, men and women lose their virginity at the age of 17.
21.- The average gestation period of humans is 280 days, that of a black rhinoceros is 450 days and that of a whale is between 480 and 500 days.
Historical Data
1.- In Greece small, firm penises were admired, while large penises were considered unaesthetic.
2.- During medieval times it was believed that men and women produced sperm.
3.- The punishment for adultery in Rome was the amputation of the nose.
4.- Until 1884, a woman in England could be imprisoned for refusing sex to her husband.
5.- In ancient Babylon, men were allowed to offer their wives as collateral payment for a loan.
6.- The first edition of Playboy magazine was in December 1953, its cost: 0.50 cents. The cover featured Marilyn Monroe.
7.- It is said that the pharaoh Ramses II fathered 160 children.
8.- In medieval times, Christian doctrine mandated that sexual intercourse should be avoided at all costs. Sexual intercourse was only for procreation and no pleasure was to be felt during the sexual act.
9.- During the Victorian era, women who had menstruation were considered sick and were forced to remain in bed.
10.- In 1987, a television station in San Francisco was the first to run a commercial for condoms.
11.- In the United States, oral sex is illegal in the states of Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Lousiana, North and South Carolina, Utah and Virginia.
12.- For hundreds of years the only position accepted by the Catholic Church for sex was the missionary position (man on top of woman).
13.- Until 1972, homosexuality was considered a mental illness in the United States.
14.- In ancient Greece, all prostitutes wore specific garments that identified them with their work.
15.- In Paris, after the year 1635, prostitutes were punished with whippings, had their heads shaved and were expelled from the city.
16.- Theodora, wife of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, before marrying him, practiced prostitution.
17.- Nevada, in the United States, is the only state where prostitution is legal.
18.- In ancient Babylon, the code of Hammurabi, punished the woman who was sexually violated. If a married woman was raped, it was considered an act of adultery on the part of the woman. She and the rapist were sentenced to death by drowning.
19.- Ancient Hebrew law obliged the rapist to pay a sum of money to the victim’s father and marry her.
20.- In 1996, Americans spent more than 8 billion dollars on pornographic material.
