People Share The Weirdest Facts They Know
Reddit user Former_Ladder9969 asked: 'What is a weird fact you know for some reason?'
We've all heard some things that sound too good to be true, but we've also certainly heard some things that were too weird to be true.
But as strange as they might sound, from weird scientific facts to things that people have done to animals that actually exist outside of a distant, mystical realm, there are some things that are simply, stranger than fiction.
Curious about others' takes, Redditor Former_Ladder9969 asked:
"What is a weird fact you know for some reason?"
The Draw of the Deck
"The King of Hearts is the only king without a mustache."
- MR_dizzaster
"He's also sticking a sword in his head."
- Uwumeshu
"He was shaving and missed."
- puneralissimo
Random Facts About Strangers
"Diddy, the music artist, doesn’t like the way towels feel on his skin. So instead of drying off like a normal person after a shower, he walks around his house to air dry instead."
"Why do I know this?"
"Because for some reason, this was a fact given during an old show on VH1 called 'Pop Up Videos,' where they would play a music video with random facts being shown throughout. I have zero idea why of all the vital things I should have stored in my memory, this was one that stuck after all these years."
- dabking24
Spacial Awareness
"Australia is wider than the moon."
- MrSatanachia
"I can't decide if I'm more amazed that the moon is actually way smaller than I imagined, or that Australia is way bigger than I imagined."
- 5Beans6
"This is my confusion, lol (laughing out loud)."
- TheTinyHandsofTRex
That's Commitment
"Crabs have a muscle that enables them to release their claw if they have to."
- Norwegianxrp
"It took me an incredibly long time to realize this means like… fully release it, like remove it from their body. I thought it just meant release the grip they have."
- wowowaoa
Mystical Representation
"The national animal of Scotland is a Unicorn."
- Batmans-dragon80
"Yes, that’s true. Mainly because we have so many of them roaming wild in the glens. Chasing the Haggi and avoiding Nessie."
- Bri1311
Education through Music
"Because of a song that used to constantly play on the radio I have it pretty well memorized that there are 86,400 seconds in the average day."
- Vanilla_Neko
"Because of a song on the radio, I learned that the minimum expectation for displays of love can be measured in 500 miles."
- Slight_Bodybuilder25
Where the Grass is Greener... and Newer
"There were no grasses on the earth when dinosaurs were here."
- Snowfl4ke85
"During the Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous, the higher flora was dominated by cycads, ginkgoes, conifers, and ferns. Other groups of plants included extinct seed plants with fern-like foliage. The exact origins of flowering plants are uncertain, although evidence suggests that they are not closely related to any group of modern non-flowering plants."
"Flowering plants underwent rapid radiation beginning around the middle of the Cretaceous period, and makeup around 90% of living plant species today. With the spread of these plants came the decline of previously dominant groups such as conifers. During the Cretaceous, ferns would also begin to diversify."
"The oldest known fossils of grasses are from the Early Cretaceous, with the family having diversified into modern groups by the end of the Cretaceous. The oldest large flowering trees are known from the Late Cretaceous, with the trunk having a preserved diameter of one-point-eight meters and an estimated height of 50 meters."
- UnexpectedDinoLesson
Weird Way to Say Hello
"Manatees control their buoyancy by farting. Toot toot, floaty sea cow."
- Plane-Vacation-1228
"Wait, so those bubbles you see on the water surface that signify their presence are...?"
- DismalDude77
Goals for Building the Longest Train...
"There's no maximum length to a train, you just add another engine."
- TrueGritt90
"That tracks."
- Snedro
The Smallest Philosopher
"That dead ants produce a pheromone that alerts the other ants that they need to move them to the ant graveyard."
"If a drop of this pheromone is placed on a live ant, it will take itself to the graveyard and stay there until the pheromone dissipates."
- Jessi_L_1324
"The ant: Am I dead?"
- Professional_Stay748
"That ant would make a great philosopher."
- skatalite2020
High-Risk Flights
"Some military helicopters on aircraft carriers are made of magnesium and should they catch fire, it's literally impossible to put them out as the magnesium will take the oxygen from the water and use that to keep burning."
"So the only thing that can be done is to push them overboard and even as they sink they will continue to burn until the magnesium is completely burned up."
- Strange_Stage1311
The First Scapegoat
"Some tribes of ancient people used to tie up a goat, whisper their sins to it, then allow it to 'accidentally' escape so it would carry their sins away and thus resolve them of guilt."
"It was, literally, their 'escape goat,' and that's where the term 'scapegoat' comes from."
- TheAbyssGazesAlso
The Power of Percentages
"Percentages can be reversed."
"For example, five percent of ten is ten percent of five."
- Routine_Leading_4757
"43 years and I'm only learning this now."
- TheMechTech80
Wordy Phobias
"The fear of long words is called 'hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.'
- Illustrious_Hawk_734
"Also, the fear of palindromes is called 'aibohphobia,' which just goes to show that the people who name phobias are a**holes."
- PhoenixMason13
"The question is, who even has a fear of palindromes?"
- ConduckKing
"Eve, Bob, and Hannah."
- Lostarchitorture
Not only are these facts unexpected, but it's wild to think that some of them are true.
But the simple, plain truth is that the truth is always all that simple. It can be weird and hard to believe, and yet, there it is.
A long time ago, in a land far, far away (AKA Ancient Greece), it was believed that redheads turned into vampires when they died. This was because redheads are naturally pale and sensitive to sunlight, both of which are characteristics of fabled vampires.
This is known as a ridiculous historical fact. I only know it because of research I did for a paper back in high school.
Apparently, there are a lot of ridiculous historical facts, and Reddit users know a lot of them!
Curious to find out exactly what facts they know, Redditor yeet42021 asked:
“What are some ridiculous history facts?”
Car Accidents Can Never Be Avoided
"In 1895, the entire state of Ohio had only 2 cars."
"Both cars managed to still smash into each other"
– cannedrex2406
"And apparently no one here has learned how to drive better since."
– Supringsinglyawesome
Never Forgot The Scolding
"When Alexander the Great was a child he was reprimanded by a teacher for wastefully throwing two whole fistfuls of rare incense into a sacrificial fire. When he was an adult and captured Gaza, which happened to be the prime agricultural source of the incense he wasted, he sent home 18 tons of it home to the same teacher as a gift."
– oh_its_him_again
"Was that a "Have some of this valuable incense!", or a "It's not so rare after all, is it?""
– ThisIsUrIAmUr
"More like a “F*ck you, I’m Alexander. I’m so great I added it to my name.”"
– Smayteeh
Shoot Me Twice, Shame On You
"Former US President Andrew Jackson was approached by a man who pulled a gun on him.(smaller history fact this was the first assassination attempt on a US President). The man pulled the trigger and the cap went off but the gunpowder failed to light. The man pulled a second gun and fired, but the gunpowder again failed to light. The assassin tried to get away, but not before Andrew Jackson got him and beat the sh*t out of him with a cane."
– nkonkleksp
Mistaken Prediction
"Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day."
"July 4th, 1826. The 50th Anniversary of them both signing the declaration of Independence."
"Adams's last words were: “Thomas Jefferson survives.”"
"He was wrong by about 5 hours."
– MiataCory
Never Forget
"The first bomb dropped on Berlin by the British during WW2 claimed no human casualties. But it did kill an elephant."
– Dapianoman
So Many Interesting Tidbits Here
"When the romans laid siege to Themyscera, a real place weirdly enough, they attempted to tunnel into the city. The Themyscerans released bears into the tunnels."
– OnionsHaveLairAction
"RELEASE THE BEARS OF WAR"
– __xor__
Royal Heritage
"When the Netherlands was occupied by rhe Nazis in 1940 many people fled to Canada, including Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Their daughter, Princess Margriet was born in Ottawa."
"Not knowing if the baby would be male, and hence the heir to the throne, Canada declared the maternity ward of the Ottawa hospital extraterritorial, which means it became an international territory. This meant that the baby would derive its nationality only from its mother, making it 100% Dutch."
– SlothOfDoom
"I'm writing a paper on this for Uni right now."
"The Dutch still send thousands of tulip bulbs to Ottawa as a thank you every year, and as a result, Ottawa has its own tulip festival."
– PegBundysBonBons
Winter Is Evil
"The longest ever US presidential inauguration speech was made by William Henry Harrison on March 4th, 1841. The day had terrible weather, yet Harrison chose to deliver his speech nonetheless, running 8445 words."
"In fact the speech was so long, and the weather so terrible, that Harrison caught pneumonia and died on April 4th, making him the shortest reigning US president ever"
– TiBiDi
Well, That Tracks
"The only Japanese passenger on the Titanic, Masabumi Hosono, survived the disaster, only to loose his job for "Not dying honorably like the others.""
– Compens8ing
Repeated Trauma
"Abraham Lincoln's son (Robert Todd Lincoln) was present at three different presidential assassinations. After McKinley, he decided not to accept any more invitations."
– m_sporkboy
Malta
"The entire country of Malta was awarded the George Cross for its efforts in WWII. It's still on their flag."
PotentBeverage
"Interestingly enough, it sounds like the conditions for the awarding of the cross are kind of similar to how the Knights Hospitallier operated back in the sword and shield days. If you're unfamiliar, they were more or less a precursor to the red cross and the first real paramedics."
Graawwrr·
Potato Propoganda
"Potatoes were not very popular as a food in France. Like they were seen as fit only for animals. Not only that but they were considered generally not digestible by humans. So a pharmacist named Parmentier knew they were good food and wanted to popularize them among the working class. So he got a 2 acre farm to grow potatoes and placed armed guards around it at all times. People assumed armed guards meant something very valuable was growing there so they began to steal the potatoes."
"That's how potatoes became popular in france's working class."
burningmanonacid
Forgot to claim peace
"Montenegro technically was in war with Japan for 101 years and they signed a peace treaty in 2006. Montenegro was alligned with Russia in Russo-Japanese War and they declared war on Japan but they forgot to peace."
Erlichten
Spies
"Once FDR died, Truman didn’t know about the Manhattan Project, but when he found out he subtly tried to tell Stalin they were working on something big. Stalin was like “yeah dude, I knew before you did.” Since he had so many spies in America."
Lafuffa
Seclusion
"Henry Cavendish. The man who was vital in the discovery of gases and discovered hydrogen. He inherited a ton of money from his uncle, and built a special castle, I think. He was incredibly introverted, so it was designed so that he never had to meet or see any of his servants. He communicated with them through notes only. He did, however, appreciate other scientists coming to visit and talk. His works mostly came after his death of course, but I found this guy interesting."
Warden_2102
The Rules of Battle
"During the Viking era, there was a leader named Sigurd. He allied with a Viking warlord named Thorstein. He wanted to conquer more land and expand his territory. He had already been very successful in doing so. This was until he feuded with another leader called Máel Bucktoothed or Máel Tusk, as his front two teeth were abnormally large and bucktoothed."
"They decided to settle their matters on the battle field and both agreed on bringing 40 men each for the battle. However, Sigurd ignored the terms and brought 80 men. Bucktoothed had realised he had been betrayed but did not give up. They killed a number of Sigurd’s men, but alas, they were overpowered and were all killed."
"Here’s the catch; after the battle, Sigurd ordered his men to behead all the enemies and tie them to their saddles as trophies. However, as Sigurd rode home in victory, the severed head of Bucktoothed pierced his leg, which lead to an infection, killing him soon after."
sourcec0de1010
Yeah, I would’ve done the same thing.
Do you have any juicy historical tidbits to add? Let us know in the comments below.
Why can't we all be brilliant at making tons of money doing only things that make us happy? And things that are easy? Why do we have to be gifted at things that drive us crazy? It's infuriating but it's life. We all find ourselves in certain situations were we realize... damn at good at this. WHYYYY?!?!?! (Said tons of waiters everywhere!)
Redditor u/BananaRepublew wanted to know what talents they regret having the ability to perfect by asking.... What are you good at, but hate doing?
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY PEPPY, SUSAN?!
GiphyGraphic design.
Every bloody person comes out of the woodwork for invitation design. Weddings, Engagement parties, Baby Showers, Birthdays... agh.
The worst part is, friends make the worst 'clients' (apostrophes because I would never charge them).
'I love it! But can you make it a bit more peppy?' Well, what do you mean by peppy?! Font? Color? I don't know what you don't like if you can't tell me. ceeelljay
Keep it Smooth...
Taping and mudding drywall.
nice. It takes practice. Less is more is the best advice. Use the green first, and less is more. The heavy has more moisture and shrinks down, but it is strong. Keep it smooth as possible. The second and third coats are lightweight. Again, less is more. Also, run the knife over the the first coat before the next (2-3) coats to knock down any boogers.
Don't worry about inconsistencies with the lightweight because it sands down easily (if you suck at it). If you can work the knives in order to feather the outer edges you should be good. It's possible to finish with very minimal sanding. Sometimes a wet sponge is good enough to eliminate dust. Practice makes perfect; I still hate it. jackofallwagons
So Tired.
Working as a programmer. I'm good at it, it's lucrative, but after 15 years I'm so tired of it. I just want to make enough money so I can do something else. triple_verbosity
I think it depends what you are making. If you are programming in a big team and have no say over anything, for me I would burn right out. But working on my own smaller projects within a business makes me feel really fulfilled, even if all I made was some minor efficiency. MrStump
I just wish I was doing anything else.
Sales.
I've been in retail for the better part of my adult life. I'm pretty decent, can get customers to where they need to be, and just overall make sure someone is happy with their purchases.
I just wish I was doing anything else.
I just don't know what else I can go and do. I don't have any degrees, and need money to live, so I just keep plodding along at the safe comfortable job. l1vewire
Me either Janet, me either.
GiphyPublic Speaking. I always get told how calm and collected I am, that I am clear and good at making it interesting, easy-going and interactive.
Inside I am screaming, feel like I am going to puke, panicked, absolutely sure I have a giant stain on my shirt or booger hanging out, adrenaline rushing that makes me feel like I am going to collapse the second I am off stage. I hate hate hate it!
So I get selected almost every time because, "You're so good at it, I would be a total mess up there, I don't know you do it!" Me either Janet, me either. Wife-B-Gone
The Strokes.
Backstroke. I'm apparently fast at it, but it's still "nasal destruction." nickwantsacake283
I just hate how blind you are, watching the ceiling scroll by, hoping to catch a glimpse of the flags soon. My high school had 25 yard pools. That was bearable, but the 50 meter pools are like you're lost in the abyss. softwaremommy
Help me!
Customer support. Help me! sarcatsticks
Same. My coworkers have always told me I have the best customer service but I absolutely despise it and get anxiety just knowing I have to speak to these people. kimchiblues
Just Go!
Firing people. I've had to terminate people in multiple jobs (usually when I'm the new person brought in to turn things around).
The last time I had to tell someone, the HR VP who was in the room as well told me "wow you are really good at this. We should have you do a video training on how to let people go."
Btw if you have to fire someone (aside from a really bad reason like theft etc), get them a severance, don't fight their unemployment claim, and cover their healthcare for a few months. Not every person works out for a job and these things make landing in their feet much easier. Cardsfan961
Taking Sides.
Mediating between people who can't get along. It is so damn annoying and I haaaate it, turns I get stuck doing it all the time at work. Ugh, just thinking about it is stressing me out. Wishyouamerry
It's nice to know I'm not the only one. Recently informed a bunch of people I'm going to start billing them. SweetPotatoFamished
Hey Techie....
GiphyFixing computers. Sad part is I do this for a living. I love everything about computers, networking, etc. But when I get a phone call from an inept user who makes triple my salary, or an older relative calls for "computer help," the eye rolls ensue and the thoughts of hanging up kick in. Tucker727
People Share The Most Disturbing 'Fun Facts' They've Ever Learned
Ever learn a fun fact that, well, isn't quite so fun? You know, something that you wish you could unread so it isn't constantly in your head after you learn it? Here's a list of the weirdest ones, courtesy of Reddit. Read at your own risk.
u/LysDesTenebresasked:
What is your most disturbing fun fact?Poor babies.
Prairie dog mothers guard their young in a group because if left alone, mothers will eat the competing young so that their children don't have to share as much food.
Sh*t, hamsters will eat their whole litter themselves just so they don't have to be bothered with motherhood. Rodents are brutal.
There HAS to be a better way.
GiphyFalcon breeders let birds f*ck their heads.
Many bird species acquire their sexuality through sexual imprinting. They are interested in partners who look similar to their parents. If they are raised by a human instead, they will be sexually attracted to humans, but not their own species.
Nope.
When a pregnant woman dies, relaxation of muscles and buildup of gasses mean the fetus is sometimes expelled from the body a few days after death. Sometimes at speed.
That's one way to celebrate.
A gorilla AGGRESSIVELY masturbates after winning a fight with another gorilla
With just their thumb and forefinger, because gorillas have the smallest penises of all primates.
Hungry boys.
GiphyRabbits are designed to eat continuously. They need their body volume in dry roughage daily, or their GI system shuts down. If a rabbit doesn't eat for 12 hours, it's an emergency, and they must be force fed. At 24 hours they go into GI stasis, and even with intervention they can die.
Sounds painful.
Female spotted* hyenas have a 'pseudo-penis'.
Yes, they give birth through it.
Yes, that's exactly as painful and dangerous as it sounds.
Neat.
GiphyThe location of the serial killer H.H. Holmes' infamous 'Murder Castle', located at 63rd and Wallace St in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, is now a US Post Office.
Gross.
A male blue whale ejaculates roundabout 10 litres of semen at a time, most of which goes into the sea.
most of which goes into the sea
And you wonder why the sea tastes so salty...
People Share What Others Are Always Shocked To Learn About Them
Do you ever do that thing where you drop insane life facts about yourself, and then never mention it again? I know I sure do. We all have those weird facts about ourselves that no one believes. Here are some of the best ones.
u/catbraithwaite asked: What are people shocked to learn about you?
Thank goodness for bendy bones.
That as a 1-2 year old I ran at a window, shoved the screen out, and fell two stories onto a bed of rocks head first.
Doc said the only reason I survived was because I was still young enough for my bones to bend rather than break so my neck didn't snap. I lost a tooth though.
That's a colorful history.
GiphyI'm a quadruplet. It's an interesting life.
My mom is 60 and my dad is like 75 I think. Before all of us he married and divorced the same woman twice, all before he met my mom. I also have a step-brother from my dads first marriage. Another interesting tidbit for all of you nice people.
I have the opposite problem...
Nobody believes I'm not bisexual or gay, whenever they first meet me. Seriously, the amount of people that have insisted I am gay is absurd. I'm not sure what exactly in my demeanor gives the impression that I'm gay, but it is what it is.
It's more common than you think.
I'm left handed. Everyone is always surprised at the fact that I'm left handed, even if I've known the person for years.
Most of the time, I just casually bring up the fact that I am and people are so surprised. Sometimes, people actually notice it and exclaim: 'You're left handed?!?' Yes buddy, I'm left handed...
There's no rush.
GiphyThe fact that I never kissed a girl. Really, every time I tell people I never had a girlfriend they say "it's okay, you are just 19, your moment will come", but when I say I never kissed a girl everyone remains shocked af. I don't know why.
I hear ya. 25, never had a boyfriend or kissed anyone. Co-workers were shocked and asked me why and I said I was never really interested in putting myself out there and am just trying to concentrate on my career at the moment. They usually follow up with the usual "you better find someone fast! Pregnancy gets tougher when you're older!"
People always assume I want kids. And even if I want kids I still won't have them unless I'm financially, emotionally, and mentally stable.
Pork products aren't for everyone.
I don't like bacon. I tried it many times and I just don't like it.
My first instinct was to not like you, but then I realized that your dislike means more bacon for me, so you're cool.
Ugh.
That I'm in my final year of college/university, my country has its racist aspects as it is a very bicultural/diverse country, as people of my ethnicity not considered exactly "intelligent" or become very successful here.
When people ask "oh, what do you study?" And I say "law and criminal justice" the look on their faces says it all. "Oh, really?! Interesting, first year?" "Fourth year" and then their demeanor changes rapidly.
What an exchange.
GiphyI'm a 46 year old virgin.
I loved your movie.
I'm 6 years older than that guy, it's disconcerting.
That's annoying.
That I'm older than they think I am.
I'm almost 30, but constantly get told by strangers that I look like I'm 15-18.
It's okay sometimes, but getting ID'd for every little thing is super annoying. Particularly since I'm pretty certain I don't look like a child anymore.
I could understand if I was acting like a child and dressed like one, but I was buying some groceries the other day and talking to the cashier about Christmas shopping and why it sucks, how I think I'll just get everyone stuff from the Pound shop because my gas bills are too high in winter.
She gave me the weirdest look and said,
"Doesn't your mother deal with that stuff? You should just be worrying about school right?"
Explaining to her that I was almost 30 was a painful experience, she refused to believe me till I showed her my ID.
This happens far too often.
Interesting.
I have a disability to my arms (basically look like a T-Rex: Thalidomide) but I can drive with my feet and have had a license for 15 years.
This is the first that I found to be surprising, mostly because it sounds interesting. I hope you don't mind my asking, but how do you have it set up?
Hi, no I don't mind at all. It's an automatic so right foot controls the pedals. Left foot goes into a stirrup attached to a disk on the floor that turns the wheel.