Let's be real for a sec- we all have our plans for survival in the event of a zombie apocalypse. People have a tendency to stockpile facts intended to keep ourselves alive. Ya know, just in case. Here are the best ones.
u/joshuap120 asked: What is a fact that could possibly save your life?
Get out of there.
Actual fires spread shockingly fast. We all like to play "What's the one thing you'd grab if your house was on fire?" but the real right answer is that if it's not alive, you should leave it and get the hell out.
People tend to imagine a fire burning on the floor in a corner somewhere, but the reality is often that it's running across the ceiling and circling around the walls. Just get out.
Bad kitty.
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If you encounter a mountain lion, DO NOT turn your back on it. Walk backwards.
Cats are ambush predators. They don't want to fight you head-on and will wait for you to turn around to attack.
There are videos showing this behavior with tigers at the zoo! People will sit in front of the enclosure, and as soon as they turn their back to the cat, the tiger goes into stalk mode. They turn around to face the tiger, and the tiger goes out of stalk mode.
Keep an eye out.
If you have a cut that gets infected and see a streak of red going up from it, go to the doctor immediately. It is a sign of serious infection that can lead to sepsis.
A girl in my middle school pointed out the girl sitting in front of me and started yelling that she needed to go to a hospital right away. The girl had what looked like a red/purple tree root tattoo coming out of her sock and up her calf. Turns out she was right and it was some kind of blood infection. I was really confused at the time but never forgot it. That stuff is no joke.
Good to know.
If you've gone two and a half or more days without water, and you have to choose between drinking water without any way to sanitize it or not drinking water, drink the water. If you don't, you'll definitely die soon. Most of the diseases you can get from bad water take a couple days to set in, which gives you more time to find help.
Scary stuff.
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If you ever find yourself caught in a riptide, swim PARALLEL to the shoreline until you get out of the riptide. Swimming directly back to the shore while caught in one won't get you anywhere and it'll only exhaust you, making it extremely dangerous to do so.
Always be prepared.
You CAN do the heimlich maneuver on yourself. Seriously, think about how often you eat or snack when you're by yourself - even if someone is in another room, if you're choking you cannot talk or scream.
Everyone should learn it. It's simple. Just make a fist and shove it up and into someone's rib cage.
My fiancee was choking on some cake in bed and I was able to dislodge it that way. Sh*t f*cking happens, be prepared.
Ice skaters, take note.
If a friend of yours has fallen through ice into a frozen body of water and you would like to save them, lie down on the ice and crawl out to them, DO NOT walk out to them standing up. This maximizes your surface area and lessens the likelihood that you will fall through the ice as well, getting you both f*cked.
Good call.
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Learn to swim. You don't have to be Michael Phelps racing a shark. Just learn the basics.
Learn to recognize the signs of distress in water and use the buddy system in water over your head. My brother was a marine. He drowned in a popular swimming hole because no one realized he was having trouble and they were too far away once he went under.
ALWAYS do this.
Lock your doors at night. If you've been stabbed and the weapon is left in your body, do not remove it.
Edit: as has been brought to my attention, lock your door ALWAYS.
Smart advice.
Not really a fact, but someone once told me this: "If you wouldn't dare to put your d*ck in there, don't put your finger in there neither". This is useful, especially with big machines and other things with 'holes'. You can prevent some serious injuries like this.
Don't stick your pinkie where you wouldn't stick your winkie.