People Confess Which Unsolved Mystery They'd Like Answered In Their Lifetime
There so many questions I want answers to before I succumb to the slumber of the great beyond.
Some answers are to the ethereal and spiritual questions, and some are hardcore murder mystery and drama answers.
What happened to Hoffa?
Are all of the episodes of Dateline NBC correct?
I love a great mystery but an unsolved mystery just eats away at me.
I'm not alone.
Redditorhavehartwanted to discuss the greatest mysteries that plague us all. Will we ever know? They asked:
"What is the unsolved mystery you'd most love to see solved?"
This is why these crime series on Netflix and podcasts have gotten so popular.
Everyone loves a good mystery.
In the Sky
"Would love to know exactly what happened to Amelia Earhart. The theories are all more than likely and one of them is probably the truth! But it would still be cool to have the full story and closure." ~ Bitter_Theory5467
GiphyEruptions...
"What happened in 536CE?"
"Records from around the world talk about 3 years of winter, destroying vineyards, frost in the Mediterranean…dendrochronology (tree ring studies) shows a period of reduced to no growth during that period in places as far flung as Ireland and the Pacific Northwest."
"There were no supervolcanic eruptions that year, no evidence of meteor/comet impact. It’s theorized Iceland had an eruption that spread on the jet streams to affect the northern hemisphere, but the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Project has never reported a volcanic event higher than a VEI 6 (basically, amount of ejection and damage), and nothing higher than a 5 from the two most active volcanoes of the period (Katla and Hekla)."
"VEI 8 is a supervolcanic/caldera event, like Jemez in New Mexico or Yellowstone. So what happened? 536 CE - Smithsonian Global Volcanism Project" ~ BSNmywaythrulife
Long Pause
"Why the Polynesian people stopped sailing for ages in an event known as the Long Pause. About three and a half thousand years ago some time after Polynesians explored the Pacific and arrived at Fiji, and despite some evidence that they were expert wayfarers and navigators and boat builders, they just stopped."
"Stopped sailing, stopped exploring, stopped travelling for nearly two thousand years. And no one really knows why. We've got theories from multiple bad storm seasons, to El Nino effects, to Moana's interpretation that it was caused by the Rock stealing the heart of creation and causing sea monsters."
"That last one is probably the least likely. But we have enough evidence to be confident it happened and no concrete idea why. And its a tantalising mystery, because there was so much of Polynesia left to explore." ~ TerrisKagi
Jane
"Opelaika Jane Doe. I know there are a lot of cases for Jane and John Does being solved recently through DNA, and I only hope DNA can help here. Opelaika Jane Doe just stands out to me/pulls at my heartstrings because she’s a young child that was clearly neglected and/or abused during her short life."
"There are pictures that show a young girl that I think even police think is the Jane Doe but no one has come forward with information regarding who she might be." ~ bookaddict1991
Dahlia
"Who killed Elizabeth Short aka 'The Black Dahlia.'” ~ Cosmic_TentaclePorn_
"I feel like this is one of many cases that was never solved bc of corruption in the LAPD- it just happened to get the most attention. that Dr guy (i’ve forgotten his name) had like no morals, he had the surgical skills, he had a lot of power over officials in LA at the time, and when he moved to the Phillipines, another woman was murdered near his home there in a similar manner to Elizabeth Short. the evidence is all there, imo, so unless someone was trying very very very hard to frame him, it was the Dr." ~ romanian-gal
Amelia, Amelia... where are you?
We'll never know.
Or is it obvious???
9/11
"What happened to Sneha Anne Phillip, the NYC doctor who disappeared on the night of September 10, 2001. She was officially added to the 9/11 victim list and memorial in 2007 after her family fought for it in court."
"But her rocky marriage, professional problems, and the fact that no one knew where she was the night of Sept. 10th have led to a lot of speculation that she was the victim of foul play, or that she took 9/11 as an opportunity to run away and start a new life." ~ Darmok47
March 2014...
"What happened to eight-year-old Relisha Rudd? She went missing from a DC homeless shelter in March 2014. She had been absent from school for several weeks and they didn't follow up to ask about her absence. Her mom didn't file a police report immediately either. All the adults in her life failed her, poor girl."
"She was last seen with the janitor who worked at the shelter and used to treat her often. He was found dead of apparent suicide during the search for the girl. His wife/partner was found shot dead in a hotel room."
"The police searched a local park and didn't find a body. So they must have had a lead but never shared anything new after that. I check every year or so since it happened but nothing. Here's a link to more info if anyone's interested." ~ Crohnies
Only 3 have been found...
"The Secret. In 1982 an author published a book with clues to 12 hidden boxes containing keys buried in North America. The keys can be traded in for jewels. Only 3 have been found. The author died and supposedly only he knew the exact locations. I live in one of the cities that likely has a buried key and it drives me crazy that the rest of the puzzles will likely never be solved!" ~ Ashleysmashley42
Into the Wild
"What happened to the LA wild chimp. Okay this one is niche and I can't find anything about it except for a clip from 'Monsterquest' in an episode I've forgotten. Here's the gist: A private chimp owner had their pet chimpanzee escape into the LA national forest. Theoretically from a biologists standpoint this habitat would kill a chimp within weeks from hunger."
"California's forests just don't have the resources for an ape. but a few years later a wild great ape was spotted for just a moment on a hiking trail near a dry wash. If it was a real spotting how did it survive?" ~ CyanideTacoZ
“Peaked Interest”
"Andrew Godsen. Kid who just randomly got on a train one day and disappeared completely." ~ bumford11
"There is a YouTube channel called 'Peaked Interest' hosted by a person who shares this case, then does a very compelling segment where he turns over the different theories and presents the one he thinks makes the most sense."
"It is a GREAT video, I highly recommend it. Long story short, he feels there is a lot of evidence (that he lays out very well) that Andrew skipped school to probably go see a concert with the intention of staying with the family they had in London, and didn’t tell anyone before because he wouldn’t have been allowed to go."
"However, he met some terrible end in London. I think it’s the closest we will get to an explanation. Do check it out!https://youtu.be/o-AmGp3N4RA" ~ nomoanya
1996
"Two hikers on the Appalachian Trail were found in their tents with their hands bound and their throats cut. They never found who did it." ~ sev1nk
"Was that the couple that were killed in Shenandoah National Park, summer of 1996? I was working on the AT that autumn close to where they were killed. It really shook up the trail community." ~ pozzledC
"That's the one. Bill Bryson talked about it in his book as he was in the area just a year after it occurred." ~ sev1nk
Brutal
"I’d like to know who did the Hinterkaifeck murders. Five members of the same family and their maid, all killed. Six months prior to the murders, the previous maid quit because she heard weird sounds coming from the attic. The dad found a strange newspaper. They thought maybe the postman had lost it. But it turns out nobody in their little village subscribed to this particular newspaper."
"A few days before, the dad found tracks in the snow leading to their machine room whose door was broken into. Later that night they heard footsteps in the attic. The day of the murders, the new maid arrived. And then it happened. All six people killed."
"Four of them were lured to the barn where they were killed with an axe or some other farm tool, I forgot. Then the killer or the killers went into the house and freaking killed the two year old kid and the maid with the same axe. It’s considered one of the most brutal murders in the history of Germany." ~ ChhotaKakua
The Escapees
"What ever happened to the guys that escaped from Alcatraz." ~ T00_pac
"They survived. Hell, they even attended one of their mother's funerals in drag and didn't get noticed. Odds are they just left the country or something after escaping and only made very small revisits to the USA for things like family funerals." ~ Hudsony12
Origins
"How the universe started. What was it before? If it’s nothing, how did something come from nothing? Will people have the ability to comprehend such an answer?" ~ -Four-Foxx-Sake-
"Yep, this is absolutely the one for me. Since I was a kid I would sometimes just lay in bed and think 'but what existed before… and before that.. and before that?' It’s the one thing that makes me think existence still has mysteries to us, which I actually find kind of comforting." ~ bottleglitch
Valentine's Day
"The case of Asha Degree. It's been over twenty years and we have no idea why a nine year old girl left her home in the middle of a rainy night. Other than a few eye witness reports and some belongings, there's essentially nothing. No body, few leads, and it's been over two decades. The worst part is that the parents' worst nightmare happened on Valentine's Day, which also happens to be their wedding anniversary." ~ MissDeathAssistant
Lindsey
"I haven’t seen any other comments about this so I’m just gonna put this out there: what exactly happened to Lindsey Baum Me and Lindsey were family friends just before she went missing. She was 10, I was about 8. I didn’t grasp what had happened until years later."
"TL;RD: 10 year old girl is abducted without a trace in 2010 from McCleary, WA. The case is completely cold until 2017 when a fragment of her skull was found 100+ miles away in eastern Washington. Authorities have a possible suspect but to this day no arrests have been made." ~ bayliascaris
Ask Kendall Rae...
"I wish I knew who killed my dad. It’s been 6 years now, and the police have never tried to make a move towards it. And I am not sure how to solve this mystery myself." ~ Direct-Painter5603
"I'm sorry for your loss. the only thing I can suggest is perhaps reach out to Kendall Rae, she's a true crime YouTuber who helps smaller cases like yours. She takes suggestions from family members of those lost. She's huge, too, and she could help give the police a kick in the a**."
"From what I see, she isn't in it for the money. Families she's worked with say she donates all ad revenue from the video(s) about their loved ones, and in addition donate to any fundraiser. I think she genuinely wants to help. If you want to look into it, she has a link to a form you can fill out in every video description." ~ dawnmountain
The Sodders
"Realistic unsolved mystery I would like solved is what happened to the Sodder children. The surviving family members deserve peace after so long. Unrealistic unsolved mystery I would like to know what some of these UAPs we have seen the last 7 or 8 years are. For real." ~ RadicalTzar
Closure
"The Delphi Murders." ~ breadtanglewrangler
"This one drives me crazy. Those girls did everything right. They were together and managed to record their murderer. Yet he continues to live on. They were so brave. They deserve justice. Their families deserve closure." ~ Jigelipuf
"The recording that has been released to the public is apparently just a snippet of what they actually have. This gives me hope that they have more evidence they have not released and that it will lead to the killer." ~ star_guardian_carol
Back of my Mind
"Brian Shaffer's case is one that's been sitting in the back of my mind for years now.The fact that he vanished without ever being seen exiting the Ugly Tuna and that authorities didn't find any trace of him even after looking through everything in the bar is terrifying yet sad.I have a feeling that his friend may be hiding some piece of info but we may never know for sure what it is." ~ GIANTFLOATINGCOCK420
Some questions will just always remain a mystery.
Which is such a negative about life.
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Things People Secretly Love But Would Never Admit To In Public
Reddit user sweet_chick283 asked: 'What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?;
What makes us all unique is our passions and the things we love, whether it's singing in the shower, reading books, or listening to specific music artists.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where we are judged for our various tastes and interests thanks to social media, and it makes us consciously selective about sharing the things we love on the internet.
Curious to hear about people's personal desires under anonymity, Redditor sweet_chick283 asked:
"What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?"
These aren't really chores for the following Redditors.
Good Clean Fun
"Mopping, im a janitor and generally hate my work... but damn mopping is so good."
– MrDDog06
"When you have a great rhythm going it is something special. I get the same feeling while I vacuum, but won’t let my wife know I enjoy it."
– Bogus_34
Act Of Unwrinkling
"Ironing clothes. A dozen of them. Can’t explain how it relaxes me. I told one person and they looked at me like I’m crazy."
– eerie_white_glow
"My mum misses the days when dad would be out on a Friday night, my brother out with friends and me upstairs quietly playing PS1. She would pour herself a Bacardi & Coke and do the ironing while watching her TV shows."
"I'm sure she doesn't really miss it now that we've moved out and they've retired but it was her wind-down after a busy working week so I can see how people can find it relaxing."
– xdq
Our solo actions can spark joy.
Big Brother Is Watching
"pretending to be on the Truman show and whenever im in my house i act all inconspicuous so they dont know that i know that they’re watching me."
– Bec_121
"C’mon man, you’re not supposed to let him know. You signed a contract when signing up for live views. I’m reporting you."
– doeswaspsmakehoney
The Multi-Tasker
"Playing video games naked at home while eating cheese."
– thickening_agent
Releasing The Kraken
"I love the feeling when you've eaten good fibre and let out a solid long train log in the toilet. That feeling is heavenly."
– therapoootic
"Even better when it’s a clean wipe and not a poo crayon."
– TheWarmestHugz
Ultimate Comfort
"My (male 41) weekend routine is coming home from work, make hot chocolate, start a fire, dress in a ugly pink nightgown made for old ladies and watch forensic files."
– crazyloomis
Some people are obsessed with collecting things.
So Kawai
"Sanrio stationery stores. All those different multicolor pens, a thousand kinds of erasers, spiral bound notebooks galore... my kids sadly have absolutely no appreciation for this wonderland..."
– HavingNotAttained
It's A Staple
"Office supplies have a weird, special place in my heart ever since I was a kid. They don't even have to be 'cute' necessarily."
"Japan's legendary stationery stores is unironically a reason I want to go."
– _CozyLavender_
Not Caring Anymore
"The older I get the shorter that list gets. Not because I love less things, but because I don't care about hiding it."
– Bi-Beast
"YES!! I'm 53 now. I'm working my first job in public since 2006. Today is Halloween and we're allowed to dress up so I am sitting here waiting to go to work dressed as a VERY bad Wednesday Addams. My bf said I'd 'look stupid' because no one else will probably dress up and I'm like, 'WHO CARES!' My makeup looks horrible and not like I practiced, but I DO NOT CARE! I'm having fun with it anyhow and I don't care if my coworkers dress up or not. I'm bein' ME! :)"
– deanie1970
Honorable mentions start here.
The Savior
"Picking up worms from the street and sidewalks when it rains and moving them into the dirt so they don’t burn in the sun, every time it rains I do this."
– sky_kitten89
Hero Of The Moment
"Yoooo I scoot SO many snails and worms. I work as a tech/mechanic at an automotive shop, I had a peoject car towed to my house the other day and it was covered in snails. I saw them when the tow guy/coworker was unloading and I was like, 'oh! It comes with free snails!' and began moving them. He laughed then realized and said, '... Oh, you're serious. Uh... Okay.'"
"I don't care who knows it. These little things barely can look out for themselves, why shouldn't we if we can take a moment to help? I don't care what happens next, it probably doesn't matter overall but I can help this moment."
– chris14020
Why should some of the hidden desires mentioned above have to be secret?
Redditors opening up about some of these would make them a hit at parties–no shaming.
As a matter of fact, I'll totally be down for a Forensic Files viewing party where we all make hot chocolate, light the fireplace, and cozy up together in our respective pink ugly nightgowns for old ladies.
We've probably all heard some variation of the saying "Truth is stranger than fiction."
Real life isn't just strange, it can also be downright ridiculous.
History is riddled with moments of absurdity.
So ridiculous that people have a hard time believing real life is, well, really real.
A Redditor asked:
"What’s an event in history that is so ridiculous it sounds fake?"
Moostaken Identity
"Hannibal saved his army by tying torches to the horns of 5,000 cows and driving them in one direction."
"The Romans thought they were the enemy army and converged on them, while Hannibal quietly snuck his 10,000 man force out of the valley by another route."
~ Marxbrosburner
War Without Casualties
"That time Denmark and Canada (I think) had a 'war' over Hans island."
"Every time a Navy vessel drove by they picked up the flag of the over nation, planted their own and left a bottle of alcohol."
"I heard it stopped not that long ago."
~ FairyQueen89
"It also means that both Canada and Denmark now share a land border with more than one country."
"Also (jokingly) means that Canada could potentially join the EU, as it now borders an EU nation."
~ millijuna
Oh, 💩
"The Erfurt Latrine Disaster occurred on 26 July 1184, when Henry VI, King of Germany (later Holy Roman Emperor), held a Hoftag (informal assembly) in the Petersberg Citadel in Erfurt."
"On the morning of 26 July, the combined weight of the assembled nobles caused the wooden second story floor of the building to collapse and most of them fell through into the latrine cesspit below the ground floor, where about 60 of them drowned in liquid excrement."
~ amerkanische_Frosch
Running On Empty
"The 1904 Olympic Marathon in St. Louis."
"32 athletes took part, but only 14 were able to finish—there was only one water station in the entire 26-mile course. The 'winner' was later disqualified because they found out he drove half the race in his car."
"The new winner (the guy who came in second) had to be carried over the finish line by his trainers because they’d been dosing him the whole time with a strange mixture of strychnine, brandy, and egg whites."
"Several people almost died of internal injuries. Multiple runners stole things from passersby."
"Most people in the race weren’t even Olympic-level athletes, just amateur runners, many of whom didn’t even have to run a full marathon to qualify."
~ Blacl-Owl
Stonewalled
"When two perfectly working pistols failed to fire on US President Andrew Jackson who then beat his would-be-assassin so badly that the presidential security detail had to pull him off to save the man's life."
~ sleepwalkfromsherdog
The Log Shot First
"The guy who founded Scientology once engaged in a multi-day naval battle with a log. He would then go on to commit an act of war against Mexico."
~ Duck_Whistle
"In June 1942, Hubbard was given command of a patrol boat at the Boston Navy Yard, but he was relieved after the yard commandant wrote that Hubbard was 'not temperamentally fitted for independent command'."
"In 1943, Hubbard was given command of a submarine chaser, but only five hours into the shakedown cruise, Hubbard believed he had detected an enemy submarine. Hubbard and crew spent the next 68 hours engaged in combat."
"An investigation concluded that Hubbard had likely mistaken a 'known magnetic deposit' for an enemy sub. The following month, Hubbard unwittingly fired upon Mexican territory and was relieved of command."
"In 1944, Hubbard served aboard the USS Algol before being transferred. The night before his departure, Hubbard reported the discovery of an attempted sabotage."
"I believe he had his men fire into hills in Baja California. He must not have realized that you can’t just use another country for target practice."
~ csfshrink
Bling, Bling
"The Field of the Cloth of Gold, where King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France tried to out-bling each other."
"The fact that two monkeys covered in gold leaf were far from the most ostentatious display is a good indication of how tasteful it was."
~ notatravis
"I assumed you meant two statues of monkeys in gold leaf."
"But no, actual real-life monkeys. Somebody painted actual real-life monkeys gold."
~ Youre_so_damn_fat
Sorry We Can't Shoot You
"When America went to war with Spain, the Spanish forgot to tell their territory, Guam.
"The US sent a single warship to the island where they took 13 shots at the fort."
"The leaders on the island rowed out to apologize they couldn't return their 'salute' because they had no gunpowder."
"That is why Guam is a US territory."
~ Wetworth
Ribbit
"The Great Windham Frog War."
"In 1754 Windham, Connecticut was still a frontier settlement. One hot night the residents awoke to gruesome sounds that convinced them that the local Natives were attacking."
"Throughout the night they strove to drive off the attackers with steady gunfire. In the morning they crept out, to find thousands of dead frogs who had spent the night competing for the dwindling water."
"Rather than being ashamed, this has become a central part of the town’s character. The town’s symbol is a frog and the bridge is decorated with large frogs at each corner."
~ DdraigGwyn
Psych!
"Operation Mincemeat."
"Basically, the British dressed a random dead guy in a military uniform, put fake invasion plans in his pocket, and dropped him on the shore of Spain."
"The Spanish found the body (and invasion plans) and informed Germany."
"Germany, believing the invasion plans were real, sent an army to Greece—which is exactly what the Brits wanted, because they were actually going to invade Sicily."
~ ThePinkTeenager
They Got Worms
"For a very long time the Roman empire was able to acquire silk through trade over 'the silk road' to China, but never able to unlock the secrets of producing it domestically themselves."
"Until 552AD, when two monks preaching in India then travelled to China, where they witnessed the guarded methods of using the live silk worm to spin the famous thread."
"Knowing the importance of what they'd learned, the monks returned to Constantinople to report directly to the emperor Justinian."
"He personally met the monks, heard all the details of what they'd seen, then asked them to return to China and find a way of smuggling these worms back to the empire."
"They agreed, and prepared for the 2 year ~6,500km (4,000mi) trek back to China on foot, hoof and wheel."
"Once back in China they acquired either eggs or young larvae, since the adults are too delicate for transport, and tucked them into hollowed bamboo canes for the long journey straight back home."
"Once the monks made it back to Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey), domestic silk production slowly ramped up and the need for long journeys along the 'silk road' ramped down."
"Over time, this allowed the same type of silk monopoly which China had enjoyed through the prior centuries to now be established in the Mediterranean, becoming one of the bedrocks of the Byzantine economy for the next 700 years.It's crazy to think about these two guys."
"1500 years before you or I were born, making their second multi-year, 6,500km trek back from China, smuggling two bamboo canes full of bugs which would fuel the economy of one of the world's largest civilizations for the next 700 years."
"I wonder if they knew and understood these possibilities when they went to scoop the worms from their baskets in China...Imagine the anxiety trying to keep them hidden and alive the whole way back!"
~ ChipHazardous
Ape 💩
"The Gombe Chimpanzee War."
"It sounds like something right out of a Planet of The Apes movie."
"The Gombe Chimpanzee War, also known as the Four-Year War, was a violent conflict between two communities of chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park in the Kigoma region of Tanzania between 1974 and 1978."
"The two groups were once unified in the Kasakela community. By 1974, researcher Jane Goodall noticed the community splintering."
"Over a span of eight months, a large party of chimpanzees separated themselves into the southern area of Kasakela and were renamed the Kahama community. The separatists consisted of six adult males, three adult females and their young."
"The Kasakela was left with eight adult males, twelve adult females and their young."
"During the four-year conflict, all males of the Kahama community were killed, effectively disbanding the community. The victorious Kasakela then expanded into further territory but were later repelled by two other communities of chimpanzees."
~ DeadalusJones
Hong Xiuquan Christ?
"The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864)."
"Hong Xiuquan, who failed the imperial exam on the third try to become a civil servant, had a breakdown and dreamed that he was the brother of Jesus Christ."
"He later led a revolution resulting in between 20 to 30 million deaths. That's the bloodiest civil war in the world and the toll of death surpasses the totality of casualties in WWI."
"British diplomats at the time wanted to support the revolution but later discovered that Hong Xiuquan literally never read the Bible and they thus deemed it would be disastrous if he were to get the throne."
"This historical event feels like a fever dream everytime I hear about it."
~ Freezemoon
Pied Piper
"John 'Mad Jack' Churchill was a British officer in World War Two. He’s famous because he brought along a Scottish claymore, bagpipes, and a bow and got the 'only confirmed longbow kill of the Second World War'."
"One time he was with part of his commando unit and a shell exploded and injured everyone but him, so he played a Scottish Jacobite song on his bagpipes until the Germans captured him and sent him to a prison camp."
"He promptly escaped via a tunnel he dug and almost got to the ocean before he got recaptured."
"By then, it was April 1945, and the German military was falling apart, so they let him go pretty quickly."
"He’s famous for the quote 'any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed'."
~ 3000ghosts
What absurdly, ridiculous event would you add?
Companies and products rebrand for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes they want to revitalize a dying brand.
Or stay fresh and modern.
Other times they're trying to put a negative public image in their rear view mirror.
And sometimes, someone somewhere in a company has low impulse control.
Anyway...
Reddit user PulakHasan asked:
"What's the Weirdest Rebranding of all time?"
Weight Watchers
"Weight Watchers abbreviated their name down to 'WW' and in doing so, increased the syllables needed to pronounce their new company name."
~ hambone10
"You burn more calories uttering the extra syllables."
~ jungl3j1m
waitr
"Waitr was an extremely successful delivery service here. They had full time employees and you could get food delivered in 30-45 minutes."
"Then, they made everybody an independent contractor and started calling themselves ASAP."
"'As slow as possible' caught on and they lost the majority market share within a month."
~ bravesgeek
GiphyHBO
"I still don’t understand HBO dropping probably the most prestigious name in cable tv/streaming."
~ stoneman9284
"Right?! Also it literally means Home Box Office - that’s the best name for a streaming service????"
~ oreos_in_milk
Nordic Choice Hotels
"Nordic Choice Hotels rebranded to 'Strawberry'."
"They have to mention their old name all the time, because Strawberry could be absolutely anything."
"If only it were 'Strawberry Hotels' but it's not. It's just Strawberry."
"They removed the part that explains what kind of business it is."
"Madness."
~ WoodSheepClayWheat
GiphyUSWest
"USWest-->Qwest-->CenturyLink-->Lumen I don’t care what your name is."
"Can I have more than 10mbps DSL at my address?"
~ Trickycoolj
"In Europe, and it's now Level3--> Centurylink--> Lumen--> Colt."
"I'm sure they rename in the hope people forget the incompetence."
~ ConsciousValence
"My mom has worked for them since 1977 when they were Northwestern Bell."
"She's been through a billion name changes."
~ CorporalBB
Circuit City IQ Crew
"Circuit City rebranding their PC technician division from IQ Crew (which predated Geek Squad, by the way) to..."
"Firedog."
"I worked at a Circuit City from 2005-2008 and we all thought it was a prank when we saw the announcement."
"'The intensity of fire with the loyalty of man's best friend'."
"I sh*t you not—that was the marketing."
~ Tiberius_Jim
GiphyBritish Petroleum
"When after a major oil spill, BP changed their branding to Beyond Petroleum for an ad campaign showing how they were investing in renewables."
"Logo change too."
~ RandomAmuserNew
"An oil spilled followed by a huge effort to cover it up, including dumping Corexit into the water to mix with the oil and make it sink."
"So it was no longer visible from aerial shots, but it did far, far more damage mixed with a dangerous chemical and sitting on the sea floor than slowly evaporating or being soaked up on the surface."
~ LurkerOrHydralisk
Amoco
"When BP purchased Amoco, they quickly rebranded all the stations to BP."
"Not sure if it is everywhere but Amoco had a lot of brand recognition in the Midwest and a lot of people just didn’t like BP."
"Eventually, they started rebranding some of their stations back to Amoco to cash in on nostalgia."
"I always thought it was dumb but never realized that so many people hated it until after I worked for BP (very briefly) and was told the story of how much pushback they got."
~ anitabelle
British Petroleum (BP Oil)/Paul Sableman
Overstock.com
"Overstock.com I think qualifies for weird rebrand."
"Bed Bath and Beyond went out of business and was bought out by Overstock and then Overstock just rebranded everything to Bed Bath and Beyond."
"If you go to overstock.com it’s just BBB."
~ WhatsABuckland
Snoop Dogg
"When Snoop Dogg (temporarily) changed his name to Snoop Lion to make a reggae album."
~ RomanOnARiver
"Snoop’s original name on Death Row was 'Snoop Doggy Dogg'. When he left Death Row and went to No Limit, he had to alter his name (which might have been his original name) to 'Snoop Dogg'."
~ GotMoFans
"Snoop’s mother used to call him Snoopy as a nickname which is the origin."
~ OpanaMan
"The Charles Schulz people would have had a field day."
~ GotMoFans
GiphyBooks-A-Million
"Books-A-Million to 'BAM'."
"I was in a parking lot with one and had no idea it was a bookstore, as I was a bit too far out to see more than 'BAM' from where I was parked."
~ lynnyfox
KIA
"Everytime I see the new KIA logo I assume its a NIN [Nine Inch Nails] fan."
~ vinyalwhl
"I thought it was KN for an embarrassingly long time."
~ VulfSki
"KIA changed their logo on their cars and Google showed an uptick in the searches for 'K N cars' because people liked the look of them but didn’t realise it was a KIA."
~ User_Deleted_Content
Mark Chan on Unsplash
Royal Mail
"Royal Mail deciding Consignia was the way to go forwards."
~ PonITdude
"They wanted to go international but they lost so much money that year they had to stay national and reversed the name back."
~ ShinyHead0
"Twitter to X."
~ sandiercy
"And then everyone still refers to it as Twitter."
~ Safety_Drance
"'A user on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted…'.”
~ tommyk1210
"Rather like to see 'A user on Twitter, erroneously known as X, posted...'."
~ SagittaryX
"'A user on twitter, largely unknown as X, posted...'."
~ Pinksters
"A few days ago, I saw an article that said 'Twitter, which Elon Musk incorrectly thinks is called X for some reason...'."
"That was pretty funny."
~ temalyen
GiphyCity Landmarks
"In Chicago we still call it the Sears Tower [renamed Willis Tower in 2009]."
~ baccus83
"And in Pittsburgh, it’s still Heinz Field [renamed Acrisure Stadium in 2022]."
~ NoVaBurgher
"And in Toronto, it’s still the Skydome [renamed Rogers Centre in 2005]."
~ nonanarchist
"And in New York when you take 287 across the Hudson it's still the Tappan Zee Bridge [renamed Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in 2017]. "
~ keytarin
"A lot of LA people still call it Staples Center [renamed Crypto.com Arena in 2021]."
~ New_Simple_4531
"In Denver we will always say Mile High Stadium [renamed Empower Field at Mile High in 2019]."
~ SheBrokeHerCoccyx
Some rebrandings make perfect sense to the public.
Others are utterly baffling.
What would you add to this list?
I freely admit I'm of a certain age where my primary education occurred before the age of the internet—when our questions were answered with conversations with experts, encyclopedias or knowing how to use card catalogs.
My knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System is largely useless today.
Research is drastically different now—sorry Melvil Dewey. Internet search engines quickly became the difference between occasionally finding an outdated version of the information we were looking for and rarely not finding current information on the most obscure of topics.
Unless your Google game is super weak, you're likely to find what you're looking for or something close to it unlike the good old days when our chances were hit or mis—with lots of misses.
So what do we use this amazing, life-changing tool for?
Well...
Reddit user b-secret asked:
"What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever Googled?"
How Much?
"what's the alcohol percentage in 70% rubbing alcohol?"
~ LightsJusticeZ
"55% alcohol, 15% rubbing"
~ FishOfFishyness
Who?
"I Googled my work because I couldn’t remember my boss’ name after working there for 8 months."
"I just blanked and couldn’t think of it."
~ HCxTC
Spellcheck
"I Google how to spell restaurant all the time."
~ ParkOk6450
"I'm like that but with Febuary."
"EDIT: February"
~ NeoNero_x
"I go into incognito mode to check spellings of words I should know how to spell."
~ LordCaptain
GiphyUm, No.
"I was trying to find the name of those signs where a word is written down the side and each letter is used for a descriptive word."
"Confusing I know."
"So here’s an example: False Evidence Appearing Real"
"I know it has to have a name. So I googled 'Sign where every word starts with a letter' and Goggle responded with 'Did you mean a sentence?'.”
~ Team_Lift
Looks Like...
"Googled green beans once, was super high and forgot what they looked like."
~ testies2345
"I did the same thing with beets."
~ Jjetsk1_blows
Gaby Yerden on Unsplash
That Movie, With the Guy and the Stuff...
"I'll forget the name of a movie and just type in random sh*t I think I remember. Usually it works."
"Like 'that movie where the kid sleeps and has weird dreams and flies on a bed'."
"Works like a charm."
~ fohsupreme
Did They Have Blue Feet?
"big boobies"
"I was only 10."
"I was surprised to find some."
~ PoopPower99
"I’m 39 and I Google this every day."
~ dekkact
"They're nice birds but are they really worth Googling everyday?"
~ redwolf1219
Blue-Footed Boobies
GiphyPredictive Text
"I used to search something like 'no clothes' or 'without clothes' or something like that when I was a kid."
"Then I learnt the word NAKED because of the TV show Naked and Afraid."
"Then searched it so many times that my autocorrect started to show that word first when I wanted to type something."
~ sniper8207
NSF...S?
"My favorite band growing up was 'The Barenaked Ladies'."
"When I was at school, I once Googled them and clicked on a link that said 'free shows!'."
~ BW_Bird
Good Description
"I forgot what a 'gondola' was called so I typed in 'Thing that carries you through the mountains in a basket'."
~ TheGreatJaceyGee
"I once forgot the word for 'door' so my brain reached for adjacent concepts, smashed them together and threw them out my mouth: 'house portal'."
~ Tail_Nom
GiphyIt Just Doesn't Translate
"I have to search a random word 'auf Englisch' or a random word 'auf Deutsch'."
"Every damn day."
"It took me a minute to realize that there was no way to translate Schadenfreude into English."
~ grammar_fixer_2
Ah, Memories...
"I found out that as long as you're logged into Google, all your searches are saved to your Google account (I'm not talking about browser history)."
"So I looked back, and the 1st thing I ever googled after getting a Google account was 'Can ducks fly'."
"I've no idea why I googled this. I know ducks can fly."
~ caca__milis
GiphyYou Ate What‽‽
"Once I was with some friends and I was telling them about how when I was a kid we only got to eat nuts as a special treat around Christmas."
"Then I mentioned how much I liked squirrel nuts and no one knew what they were. So I Googled 'squirrel nuts' with image search."
"Not at all what we ate at Christmas time."
"Finally found out what my family called 'squirrel nuts' were actually called hazelnuts."
~ 123fofisix
100% NSFW
"A few years ago my coworker and I were looking at the calendar at work. It had pictures of birds and we were trying to figure out what kind of bird was pictured for that month."
"I can’t remember what she thought it was, but I darned sure it was a Great Tit."
"We have a great relationship and have been working together for a long time but we tend to argue like an old married couple. So we went to Mr Google for the answer."
"Let me tell you that Googling Great Tit at work isn’t something I will ever do again."
"For the record, I was right. The bird was a Great Tit."
~ pi11bott
Great Tit holds an insect in its beak
A Perry on Unsplash
Hope some of these folks remembered to clear their browser and search histories.
So, what's your hilarious—or embarrassing—little Google secret search?