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A Collection Of Incredible And Weird Facts That Show Just How Profound The World Is.

A Collection Of Incredible And Weird Facts That Show Just How Profound The World Is.

Sometimes we just need to have our minds blown.


1. Viagra, when dissolved in water, can make cut-flowers stay erect for up to a week longer than they usually would. Try it!

2. There's a part of the brain that allows you to recognize yourself. If it's damaged you view yourself as a separate entity. You can literally lose who you are.

3. A survey was conducted in 2008 of British Teens and their knowledge of history and historical figures. 58% thought Sherlock Holmes was a real guy and 20% thought Winston Churchill was not.

4. Through the use of optogenetics, scientists were able to create a false memory within a mouses brain. This was done by marking the neurons that fired in the mouses brain when in one environment, transferring the mouse to a second environment and making these neurons fire whilst shocking the mouses feet, then transferring the mouse back to the first environment. This made the mouse believe it had had an unpleasant experience in the first environment when in fact it hadnt. Freaky!

5. Platypus' have no nipples and yet still feed their offspring with milk.

6. Scientists don't know how dinosaurs procreated because there are no fossils of dinosaur genitalia.

7. Humanity in its modern form appeared 200,000 years ago. Written records start around 6,000 years ago. That means 97% of what has happened to humanity has been unrecorded and it's, for most purposes, lost.

8. There are some eerie similarities between Lincoln and Ford. Suspiciously weird. To start,

Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theatre, Kennedy was assasinated in a Ford Lincoln.

Lincoln sat in box number 7 at Ford's Theatre; Kennedy was in car number 7 in the motorcade.

Both presidents were shot in the head on a Friday, seated beside their wives.

But that's not all!


(Continue reading on the next page...)

After shooting Lincoln, Booth ran from a theatre to a warehouse; after shooting Kennedy, Oswald ran from a warehouse to a theatre.

Both were elected to the House of Representatives in '46.

Both lost their respective party's vice-presidential nomination in '56.

Both were elected to the presidency in '60.

A week before his assassination, Lincoln was in Monroe, Maryland

A week before his assassination, Kennedy was in Marilyn Monroe

Lincoln was succeeded by Andrew Johnson.

Kennedy was succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson.

9. Of all the people in history that have reached 65 years of age, half of them are living right now.

10. When referring to something burning, most people say the object is on fire, but think about it. Nothing is on fire, fire is on things.

11. Even though Urban Dictionary is fun and silly now, it will someday be a valuable resource to anthropologists studying the 21st century.

12. The First Self-Made Female Millionaire in the U.S. was named Sarah Breedlove. She was born in 1867 to two african-American slaves. Her early life includes being orphaned at 7, married at 14, and widowed at 20. She became a single mother earning $1.50 a day as a washerwoman, and rose to millionaire status after creating a line of hair products catering to Black hair.

13. Most of the decisions around women's reproductive rights are made by men. Most of the decisions around middle-class and lower-class rights are made by the upper-class.

14. When a craving calls, Elvis answers. One night, the King himself flew from Graceland to Denver and back just to buy a Fool's Gold Loaf - an 8,000 calorie sandwich made from a hollowed out load of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam and a pound of bacon.

15. It is possible to be blind but still be able to locate objects in space and track movement. Here's how it works:


(Find out how on the next page...)

It's called blindsight. Here's how it works: the area of the brain that gives you a conscious live feed of what your eyes see can be damaged rendering you blind. But there's a different area of the brain that processes movement and locates objects in space. So even though you have no conscious visual image of your surroundings you still know when something is moving towards you or that the person you're talking to just pointed at something.

The reverse is also possible where the movement detection area is broken but your normal vision is fine. When this happens you are unable to process that an object is moving in real time. So a baseball being thrown at you would appear to be far away for the duration of its flight until suddenly it hits your face. Like your brain processes movement at fewer frames per second.

16. With funds from ALS 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge, scientists found a gene called NEK1 and can now develop gene therapy to treat inherited ALS.

17. On the Japanese island Yakushima, macaque monkeys are known to ride deer for transportation, and in return they groom deer and share food with them.

18. William Still, the father of the Underground Railroad, interviewed and kept records of every escaped slave he came across. Once, while interviewing a man, he discovered that the man was actually his long-lost brother.

19. Elephants are one of the only animals who can understand human pointing, without any training.

20. Justin Bieber once held up a sign from his hotel room window saying Go to McDonalds and get me a Big Mac. He got his Big Mac.

21. There's no way of knowing how other people experience colour.

22. Every autumn you can exchange chestnuts and acorns for gummy bears at the HARIBO factory in Germany. This is because the founder wanted to give poor children the opportunity for some free sweets.

23. There is a cruise ship, called The World, where residents can permanently live as it travels around the globe.

24. Once you become President of the United States of America you can no longer do many things that you would have been able to do while leading a regular life. The weirdest one of all?


(Continue reading on the next page...)

Once you become President of the United States of America you can no longer drive on public roads.

25. During Hurricane Katrina, Thousands of prisoners were abandoned in Orleans Parish Prison, where the water and sewage rose up to neck deep. They went days without food, water or ventilation.

26. 'Jersey Shore' was shown in Japan under the name 'MTV Jersey Shore: the New Jersey Life of Macaroni Rascals'.

27. As the artists showed up to participate in recording "We Are the World", Stevie Wonder informed each of them that if the song was not finished in one take, he and Ray Charles would be driving everyone home.

28. Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is a trained opera singer who can sing opera in seven different languages.

29. There is an uninhabited island in the Bahamas known as Pig Beach, which is populated entirely by swimming pigs.

30. Airheads the company found a unique way to use the leftover flavorings they had. Their white mystery flavor is just the leftover flavorings that couldn't make a full batch.

31. Apple orchards rent thousands of bees from bee keepers to pollinate their trees in the spring. After a couple weeks when the trees have been pollinated the bee keeper comes back for his hives and transports them to the next orchard in need.

32. Bill Gates has a McDonalds Gold Card for unlimited free fast food. Bah dah dah dah dah he's lovin' it.

33. In Italy, like in most places, it's a crime to steal. However, there is one circumstance in which Italy actually allows its citizens to steal.


(Find out why Italy allows its citizens to steal on the next page!)


In Italy, it's not a crime to steal food if you are hungry and have no other means of nourishment.

34. When Freddie Mercury recorded the album Mr. Bad Guy he planned on collaborating with Michael Jackson but cancelled after one song because he felt uncomfortable recording with Jackson's pet llama in the studio.

35. Walmart Loses $3 Billion a Year to Theft. That's a whole lot of missing blenders!

36. Throughout history, 3 people have tried to sell Coca Cola's secret ingredient to Pepsi, but Pepsi reported them to Coca Cola and the FBI. Now that's doing business right!

37. Alex Smith took so many AP tests in high school that he entered university as a junior. The quarterback received his bachelor's degree in two years, and began working on a master's degree, before becoming the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft.

38. November 26, 2012 was a great day for New York City! It's the only time in recorded history that there were no reports of violent crime.

39. Marilyn Monroe was really good friends with Ella Fitzgerald. Monroe was actually instrumental in getting Ella past racial barriers to perform and they stayed friends till death.

40. Unlike many other big cats, snow leopards are not aggressive towards humans. There has never been a verified snow leopard attack on a human being.

41. The first call ever made on a cell phone, was from an engineer named Martin Cooper calling a rival engineer to brag about his accomplishment. Hello? Yes, it's me, Martin. Just calling to show you how brilliant I am.

42. There was one Titanic survivor who didn't completely understand the severity of the situation. Katherine Gilnagh, who was 16 when the Titanic sank, didn't realise the seriousness of the ship's situation until she reached New York. She thought that...


(Continue reading on the next page...)

She thought that disembarking in lifeboats and being picked up by another ship was all part of the journey. It's all part of the adventure!

43. Despite popular belief, there has never been a report of someone handing out poisoned candy to strangers on Halloween.

44. China has banned live streams of people eating bananas in a "seductive" fashion. How do those things even exist in the first place?

45. Ducks learn to be ducks by watching other ducks. In fact, newborn ducks will take on the characteristics of the first animal they see. So if the first animal they see is a human, then they will think they're human and grow up thinking they're human.

46. Seinfeld paid a lot of attention to detail on the show. The opening theme song was re-recorded every episode to work perfectly with the opening monologue.

47. You would think Dolphins would never get thirsty, seeing as they live in water their whole lives, right? Well, actually, like humans, dolphins cannot drink seawater. The only source of liquid they consume is from the food they eat.

48. Talk about timing! Steven Spielberg waited 10 years after being given the story Schindler's List to make the film, as he didn't feel mature enough at the time.

49. In 1977, former advertising executive Harvey Rosenberg released the world's first gay action figure doll, called Gay Bob. The packaging looked like a closet, and Every Gay Bob came with a message: COME OUT OF THE CLOSET WITH GAY BOB.

50. During the height of the CA gold rush, an egg would cost the equivalent of $25 in todays money, coffee went for $100/pound, and a pair of boots would set you back more than $2,500.

Bonus! The average reading speed is 200 wpm in America. That means if you are an average reader, it took you a little over 8 minutes to get through this article.

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.