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People Describe The Worst Field Trip They Ever Went On In School

People Describe The Worst Field Trip They Ever Went On In School
Photo by Elijah Ekdahl on Unsplash

In February of last year, there was a story that broke about a predominantly black school taking their students to a plantation to pick cotton as part of a field trip.

Unsurprisingly this did not go over well.


One Reddit user asked:

What was the worst field trip you ever went on in school?

and hey guess what? This wasn't even the worst "bad" field trip! This was racist and gross, but nobody died. That can't be said for some of these responses.

We don't know who is in charge of field trip planning, but please stop doing crap like this.

Spawn

We went to a beach where horseshoe crabs mate. Hundreds and hundreds of horseshoe crabs, latched onto one another and jizzing in the 95 degree heat.

The smell was unimaginable. I remember scraping salt/dried foam off of my shoes on the bus ride home and realizing what it actually was

Google "Delaware Bay horseshoe crab spawn" for pictures.

- StopCounting

Tourism Class

white water GIF Giphy

Worst field trip was a trip we took for tourism class. We planned to do a high wire rope course, abseiling and white water rafting.

We went white water rafting first, and the rest of the trip was cancelled after a girl drowned, several of us nearly drowned, part of the class got swept away down stream and had to be rescued while the rest of us had to pull our dead classmate out of the river and then continue down the river to the get out point, all the while suffering hypothermia due to being out there for hours trying to get our classmates body out while in soaking wet wet suits. The rest of the day was spent smoking while trying to get warm and waiting to be interviewed by the cops.

Second worst was 6 months later when our traumatized class was forced on to high speed jet boats in extremely low water levels, when none of us felt comfortable going anywhere near a boat yet. Tutors told us to suck it up, get on the boat, or we'd fail the year.

I was 18 at the time of the accident, but turned 19 that same year, and the oldest student was in his 40's. A lot of us actually didn't last the year, we dropped out. I did ask if there was any chance I could defer the rest of the year and come back to finish it the following year, but was told I'd have to pay for the full year again to complete it, so I ended up walking away from it, which promptly ended my career in tourism, but mentally I just couldn't cope.

I'd lost two other people in my life in the two days following the drowning, and my dog was put down a month or so later (I'd had her since I was 4, and I'd just turned 19) so my mental health was just non-existent. I took the following week off after it, but only because I got an exemption, everyone else had to return on the Monday, the accident happened the prior Thursday, and apparently after 1 day off talking about it they were all expected to return to normal by Tuesday.

I do kind of regret not completing the year, because it was my third and final year, but financially I couldn't afford to defer it, and mentally I couldn't keep up with the course load after everything that had happened. Save to say it wasn't the best environment to stay in, it's not that the tutors weren't nice, or that it was a toxic environment, but clearly they didn't know how to deal with that kind of trauma, let alone help their students through as best as they could.

-ngatiara

Museum Of Work

To the museum of work. Yeah, take the 8 year old children and show them the magical and interesting world of the 8 hour workday. Brilliant idea!

- jauxerous

If it is work 8 years old are interested in like firefighters, pilots or nurses I think it is a good idea for a field trip. But probabbly it was an exhibit of office supplies.

- Saint_Schlonginus

That would have been cool! We actually visited the firestation once and it was a blast! But this museum was about the textile industry. We went around for 3 hours and looked a 150 year old sewing machines and yarn spindles. It was so boring we all lost the will to live at age 8!

- jauxerous

Fetus Jar

We went to the museum (if I recall correctly it was a Bodies exhibit, where they have actual human cadavers) and I remember two kids in my class fighting and knocking down a fetus jar. It didn't break but our teacher was so pissed she just ended our tour and argued with us all the way back to school.

- TheInfamousShart

Cow Ghosts

Slaughter house to "see how hot dogs are made". Elementary school, early 60's, Rapid City, South Dakota. Black Hills Packing was the company. No longer there. Condos or apartments there now. If cows and pigs had ghosts that place would be haunted AF.

Thing that struck me was the bolt to the head. Always assumed they used a gun to kill the animal. First time I saw No Country For Old Men I knew right away what that device was.

- Schid1953

Salt

My sister watched her friend suffocate and die in a pile of salt on a school trip to the salt processing plant. They let the kids climb on the mountains of salt and she hit a hollow spot and just fell in. Salt closed over her and they couldn't pull her out in time.

"How was the field trip!?"

"My friend died."

I think they were in 5th grade? I think about that poor girl a lot.

- alicedeelite

Well, I Googled it and found this article...

Russell and several other students were climbing on a 30-foot salt mound when a conveyor belt activated and apparently opened up an air pocket under the mound.

They let kids play on a salt mound while it was being processed? WTF? I hope those parents sued the hell out of the salt company.

- tweakingforjesus

Moon Moon

black and white moon GIF Giphy

We visited a rainforest at night. It was actually really cool, but I had recently lost weight due to a bad case of pneumonia, so my pants were loose.

I bent over to pick up my backpack and accidentally flashed everyone in the middle of a forest under a full moon. Someone pointed out my round, pale ass perfectly matched the moon and I was called Moon Moon for the rest of the year.

- manlikerealities

Funeral Home

We went to a funeral home in elementary school. One kid passed out as the nice old creepy AF guy explained the embalming process as we all stood around the embalming table. I think it was the line "...and the blood runs down these gutters on the sides of the table" that put the kid over the edge.

I went to a catholic school run by nuns. One of those crazy old penguins came up with the idea.

- dpcaxx

My class did a funeral home trip too! The guy giving us the tour told us how he broke the door frame when he first started because the body moved and he couldn't get the f out fast enough.

And a guy I tangentially knew had recently died in a car wreck so I wondered if he'd been embalmed on that table.

- formynexttrickanvils

The Worst Pep Rally

In middle school we went to Colonial Williamsburg and the tour guide asked us questions like "who did all the work?" "Who was out in the fields?"

And had us chant "slaves!" Like it was some sort of pep rally. Very odd

- cloudsandlightning

I was at the civil rights museum in Memphis and a class had just started their tour in the lobby. The tour guide said "What's special about this museum built into a hotel?" And some of the kids were like "Martin Luther King was shot here!! :D" they sounded so excited lol

- MarchKick

In eighth grade we went to this living history museum where everything was an American town in the 1800s. We literally had to pretend to be slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad while a "crazy guy" chased us with a rifle shooting blanks and were saved by an "old white quaker couple." My school was almost entirely white (maybe 30 poc, 10 of which were maybe bipoc, out of 300 in the class). I guess not a single person thought how poor taste this actually was...

We all look back at it now like wtf

- thrivingbutnotreally

Ending Your Career Before It Begins

Army academy. I wanted to be a soldier, had a solid career path wherein I was going to Nursing school first and then become an Army medic. Plus side is if you enlist with a degree you immediately become a ranked officer. So yeah, get in, learn all about it, then they tell me I was too short to enlist. I stopped growing at 4'11", and minimum height requirement was 5'2" then.

I cried on the way home.

- pinkballoffluff

Whomp Whomp

jimmy fallon no GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Giphy

Trip to a fort. We had a look from the bus since they wouldn't allow us in and went back to school.

HitherFriendly

Feeding Times

Had the opportunity to do an overnight stay at a zoo once as a class trip, which included seeing all the animals after hours, feeding times, and getting to go into some of the enclosures to feed certain animals. Unfortunately only two of us voted for that option, everyone else voted to go see Jurassic Park 2 at the movies.

I'm still bummed about not going to the zoo 25 years later.

ngatiara

Dull River

We went to the canoe museum. You know what is NOT fascinating? Canoes.

Narniach

Peterborough?

I enjoy our canoe museum (granted I first went as an adult) just because I liked the history of the country that they presented, canoes themselves I could give two hoots about. (lol sorry, as I was thinking of what I write that came up and made me laugh).

net8713

Manducation....

We went to a community college. That was pretty fun, but it was a girls only field trip, so the poor boys were stuck listening to speeches about becoming a man.

KindGrade

Now listen here boys you don't need no fancy pants education what y'all need is to be MANLY.

Weirdnoodle03

Locked Up

My girl scout troupe went to the police station. It wasn't initially terrible, but they locked us in a cell and took pictures while the cell next to us actually had a lady that was arrested earlier. We heard a lot of curse words that day, I have a faint memory of her peeing herself as well.

itaintevensix

I'm Gonna Blow....

We went to the fire station in first grade. We were getting back on the bus and as I was going up the steps to board the bus, the kid in front of me turned around and vomited all over me. My hair, my face, the front of my shirt, my shoes: covered in vomit. Had to spend the rest of the day at school and the walk home in vomit hair and clothes.

TreeHuggerKatCo

A "Normal" Day

Can tell you the worst field trip that I didn't go on. In 5th grade we were supposed to go see some circus thing. It was September 11, 2001.

djc8

I was actually on a field trip that day when one of my teachers got a call on her cell phone, which stuck out in my head because cell phones were so rare at the time. I remember her being upset and talking to some other teachers in hushed voices, but the field trip continued as normal.

Evolving_Dore

In November?

My school had the bright idea to do a camping trip in November in Canada. Everyone spent the whole time in their tent trying to stay warm.

ihopeyoulikeapples

To the Pink Palace

I went to Memphis for an overnight trip in 5th grade. I caught a fever the night we got there and was deathly ill the entirety of the next day. I remember going to the Pink Palace and sitting on every single bench with my friends, waiting for everyone else to get through the exhibit. After that we went to a stop on the Underground Railroad where I almost certainly got my first migraine. Finally, on the bus home, I vomited all over one of the chaperones and the bus floor.

Aceofkings9

by myself....

Six flags. All everyone wanted to do was shop and didn't want to ride any rides, so I rode them all by myself and nobody even realized I was gone. Just get there early, go on rides, eat, then maybe have a look around the shops before hopping on the rides again.

But don't spend all day shopping ffs. Everyone I've ever gone with has done that crap, so I just started going by myself. Thing is, it sucks doing things like that by yourself.

UnknownThreat25

Just Why?

When I was 10 we went to a Bunnings Warehouse. To this day I don't know why they decided to bring school kids to a hardware store.

MrTossPot

Schools take young kids to stores and I don't get it. Like why the he'll would you want to drive all the way out to a Petsmart for a field trip?

siegewolf

BRAVO!

Phillipa Soo Disney GIF by Hamilton: An American Musical Giphy

In sixth grade our entire middle school went to a high school play. It was so boring that one of our teachers fell asleep.

MSN_AL3X

Prayer Trip

In 7th grade we went to see a nunnery. It was 3 hours of only praying and 20 minutes explaining why the nunnery existed. Most boring day of my life.

IInternet_Explorer

"If you're happy and you know it it's a sin!"

RedButterfree1

No Love Boat

titanic night GIF Giphy

Was supposed to be on luxury cruise around the harbor. The captain of the vessel never showed.

EdgelordZeta

Into the Storm

In the first grade we went to the harbor and were supposed to learn about boats I think? The weekend before the trip a whole HURRICANE came through and destroyed the entire boardwalk. We still went. The outer edge of the hurricane was still scudding over, everything was muddy and destroyed. Then we went to a museum about duck decoys. Which are cool examples of folk art and all, but they did absolutely nothing for a seven year old.

I'd also like to nominate my being left behind in a darkened room of the Natural History Museum in DC. I think it was a dinosaur display? It was so, so terrifying. The second time I was left behind (Air and Space Museum) I was just like "ah crap, here we go again."

Briggsnotmyers

Behind Bars....

In elementary school, we took a field trip to prison. I don't remember much, but it was very boring and we did a lot of walking. I do for whatever reason, remember my teacher saying "it always breaks my heart whenever I see one of my previous students here". I also remember some kids were actually scared to even be there. Not sure who thought it was a good idea but I'd rate it a 3/10.

Nemdeleter

Sad Truth

The holocaust museum. We were in 4th grade and half of the kids didn't even know what a holocaust was.

tbvm30

Last year, my 8 year old cousin and his class went to a human rights museum with a big Holocaust section and it traumatized the f**k out of him. His parents had to reassure him that he wasn't going to be murdered for being Jewish for a month or two after.

punkterminator

Left Behind

See U GIF by swerk Giphy

When I was in 6th grade, we made a trip to a hospital, on bicycles. Mine got a problem and I got left behind. One of the worst memories of my childhood.

adnanoid

Muddled 

Rice farm. We had to help with transplanting the rice seedlings. Part of community service and volunteer initiative.

It started raining. A crab bit my little toe. Fell into the mud. The lunch college provided was dry. Got a cold.

But it was still pretty interesting. Especially the mud fight.

Nixexs

ASU

Freshman year of high school, a number of us toured ASU (Arizona State University). A bunch of us got lost due to highly conflicting information, which ended up involving Tempe Police, a bunch of parents, and a teacher being suspended (he resigned a few days later).

Reddit

Scrambled Trip

eggs GIF Giphy

An egg processing plant in first grade. It was just watching eggs go down a conveyer belt through a factory. Yawn.

DeathSpiral321

Simba?

Trip to the Zoo.... I've never been to the Zoo before and I've always wanted to go and see a lion. I was so excited. We get there and they said the lion was sick or some crap and I said can I go to the back and see him for just a second. Please, I've never seen one and my teacher said no. Kids who I thought were my friends were laughing at me and one of them said get a book and look at one. Smh.

FultonHomes

"mudball monster"

A sewage treatment plant. We got to see how our own toilet water became clean enough to send to the ocean.

mrmonster459

All I remember from ours is they showed what they called a "mudball monster", collection of iron & dirt deposits from a clogged drain that had developed to look like a sea urchin that looked like its 'tentacles' were moving when it floated in the jar.

snotso_goodmans

Domino's Next?

Winning Pizza Hut GIF by SportsManias Giphy

Walked to Pizza Hut and crushed it as a part time student Chef.

InsecureBigToe

Get Out! 

We drove 2 and a half hours to a theme park, only for it to be evacuated 10 minutes after we got there due to a bomb threat.

FlexTape549

Supermarket Sweep

When I student taught, one of the science teachers took her class on an impromptu field trip to the grocery store. Somehow the class started discussing diet coke and mentos. So the teacher decided what the hell, they're going to walk a block to the grocery store to pick up supplies for said experiment.

Gogo726

Through the Island

School trip to Ellis island before it was restored in the 90s. It was the middle of winter we were so cold kids were crying. The holes in ceilings and walls had freezing rain pouring through them. Utter misery.

When I relayed the story to a very old neighbor who actually went through Ellis island, in winter, as a child she said she had the same experience as I had... even leaky holes in the ceiling, except for her it was, "the best day of my life."

Spacedude50

Coked Up

Probably the Coca-Cola factory in Elizabethtown, KY. I think they had a museum too. Got some free coke at least.

FearTheKeflex

All but Me

Barf boat. Our seventh and eighth grade classes went whale watching. As soon as the boat pulled away from the dock kids started barfing from motion sickness. Three hours and Everyone got sick except me. There was vomit everywhere.

acp1284

Thanks, MP.

Overnight hike/camping trip, divided into four groups for some reason. I was in the last group.

I got hypothermia because my group got lost and it was raining, and while everyone was soaked apparently my body decided it should die first.

We didn't go to the hospital, or even a doctor- no nurse visit when we went back to school the next day either. slept in a van with no food, didn't have breakfast because mom sent me with no money for it, and I was blamed for why the school wouldn't let outside overnights happen again for a few years.

Thanks, MP.

Vulpine-Poltergeist

I Had to GO! 

I went to a pioneer village type place in third grade. I ended up peeing my pants because I couldn't find a bathroom in time. It turned out okay because my much older friend (who was in the class with me) pretended that he peed HIS pants too just to make me feel less alone.

Then some old lady made a joke I didn't understand and we left.

Not a great day.

acjgoblu

HEAD STRIKE!!!

bowling fail GIF Giphy

In 1st grade the school decided to take us to our local bowling alley. One kid was laying down on the ground and got hit with a bowling ball straight to the head. He was sent to the hospital and the field trip was cancelled. He became my best friend in 3rd grade and we've been best friends ever since. We both just graduated high school this year.

Ur_sad_not_deppresed

Standing Only

When we graduated my entire class was supposed to go to Disneyland on 4 busses.

Half way there, one of the busses breaks down. They did not account for the possibility of needing extra seats.

I spent a good 8 hours sitting criss cross on a bus floor, with about 30 other kids also crammed onto the floor. People were triple seated, it was screwed.

EsahcWhoRoams

Critical Missing

The field trip was fine but what happened afterward was one of the worst things to happen in hindsight. I was 10 years old when this took place. Went to a fort in elementary school, and I had just transferred to a new school. There were lots of schools there that day, and I happened to see my old friends. Broke away from my group to be with them instead. At the end of the day I ended up getting on their bus without thinking, and my old school at the end of the day would drop kids off to an after school center first then take the others home.

Now I don't know why attendance wasn't taken or anything, but I got off with my best friend at a YMCA type place. They took account for the children there, and asked me why I was there because I was not on their roster. I said I was with my friend and they then asked if my parents knew, and I answered no. Well turns out that an hour later a missing child report would go up on the local news channel with my photo.

The staff at the center immediately called the police to tell them where I was. I was picked up by police and taken back to my school. Where my parents were going crazy at the fact that my teacher had lost me and didn't realize it until my babysitter who normally picked me up had asked where I was. Not comprehending the gravity of the situation at the time, I didn't know what the big deal was. Now though, I realize how bad it was. I got into hella trouble with both my parents and the school. And I wasn't allowed to go on any other field trips for the rest of the school year.

electrichick

Age Limit

Went to a play for 6-10 year olds when we were 15/16.

Teachers saw their mistake after though and we all got ice cream and some time to walk around the Christmas market in little groups.

X3ni44

Arrrrr

johnny depp ew GIF Giphy

I remember going to The Queen Mary in Long Beach in 4th or 5th grade and volunteering to bite into an onion when no one else would when the "pirates" were telling us about scurvy.

randousr88

Alternatives

I go to an alternative high school, and every month or so, we go on "Leaving to Learns". One time, my class went to a local robotics place. It was pretty decent, but the employee that was giving the tour looked down at my stomach right as she said "large". Later that same day, I volunteered to help rake an elderly couple's yard with some classmates from another grade. Before we raked the yard however, the couple treated us to lunch (warmed-up canned chili and hot dogs). Guess who got a way bigger bowl of chili than everyone else? The universe was telling me to lose some damn weight that day. Anyways, the elderly couple were really nice, but very "country" and very religious. Before we ate, we had to do a prayer circle. While we were eating, they were playing a harmonica cover of "Amazing Grace". When we were done, they gave us each "letters from God". I never thought I'd see my fellow foul-mouthed, weed and vape smoking classmates in a freaking prayer circle, it was hilarious.

pepperannfan6

The Border 

I'm a teacher in the US. Chaperoned a school trip to Canada. We got to the border and realized one of the girls didn't have her passport.

Definitely the worst field trip experience I've had!

As an aside, as a teacher, I can't believe some of the trips in this thread even got approved!!

moncoeurquibat

I Need Air

Nervous Ted Striker GIF by filmeditor Giphy

To a not air conditioned community center gyms basketball court to celebrate being in the middle of middle school. Some of the longest 3 hours ever.

ainsleyisabel

Infamous Internet Rumors That Ended Up Being True

Reddit user strakerak asked: 'What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?'

boy playing at laptop inside room
Photo by Ludovic Toinel on Unsplash

In 2017, I returned to my office after my lunch break to hear my supervisors discussing Tom Petty. This seemed like a random topic to me until one of my supervisors told me Tom Petty had passed away. He was a huge fan of Petty and spent the next hour or so combing through the internet to get more information.

He came back into the room my other supervisor and I were working in and announced that Tom Petty wasn't dead after all. News outlets had jumped the gun to announce his death, but he was actually still alive.

The next day, I came in to find out that Tom Petty was dead; the news may have been premature, but true.

This is a classic example of the rumor being started on the internet. Sometimes, like with the news of Tom Petty's death, the rumor can run wild and appear everywhere. Other times, the rumor can be seen by just a few people and dismissed. However, a lot of times, these rumors turn out to be true.

Redditors know a lot of internet rumors that turned out to be true, and are eager to share.

It all started when Redditor strakerak asked:

"What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?"

The King Of Pop

"Michael Jackson writing the music for Sonic 3."

"He actually did, but was never credited on the game because it would breach his contract with his record label."

– -WigglyLine-

"He did the same when he appeared on The Simpsons. He appeared under a pseudonym, and the Producers said it was an impersonator."

"Only years later they confirmed it really was Michael."

"His singing voice was actually done by an impersonator, though."

– given2fly_

The Truth Comes Out

"In 1998, US Men’s National Team captain John Harkes was shockingly cut from the team right before the World Cup. The coach claimed it was because Harkes wouldn’t fit into his new preferred formation, but rumors flew on the early internet that it was actually because he had slept with his teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife. The rumor was so well-known in soccer circles that Harkes expressly denied it in his autobiography the next year."

"Fast forward 12 years to 2010 and Wynalda admits it’s true. The coach then came out and admitted it was why he dropped Harkes, but that he’d planned to keep the secret as long as Wynalda did."

– guyfromsoccer

Video Evidence

"The Tim Burton Hansel and Gretel that aired once on halloween in the 80's."

"I heard for years that it was fake but I knew it was real because my dad recorded everything in the 80s and he recorded that. We let a good friend of ours borrow it and switch it over from VHS to DVD and soon after that it made its way on to the internet , and there it is now. I know it's our copy because the tracking in the beginning is screwed up. Still have the VHS."

– Frozenthickness

"There was a similar story with a Nickelodeon movie called Cry Baby Lane. It was supposed to be so scary that Nickelodeon got complaints and denied its existence for years. Someone uploaded a taped copy to youtube about a decade ago."

– PattiAllen

The Movie Business

"That North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because of The Interview movie."

"I worked in the movie business at the time and the account managers at Sony all basically needed to get new identities as all of their personal information got leaked online."

OldMastodon5363

"My partner worked on that movie and the production bought all the crew 1 year of an identity theft tracking service."

CMV_Viremia

Keep Away From The Ears Of Kids

"Some banned episodes or scenes of cartoons."

"For example, I remember there was a Dexter’s Lab cartoon where he clones evil versions of DeDe and himself and they swear like every other word (censored of course), and people debated whether it even existed cause they only aired it like once. Now it’s pretty accessible online."

– Spledidlife

Yes, It's True

"Echelon, a massive electronic espionage system by the US and allies to intercept all electronic messages, especially emails."

"In the mid-nineties it was a topic on conspiracy BBS boards. A lot of people in my bubble at the time (mainly uni students in Europe) were including fake threats to the US in the their email signatures as a way to "protest" and "fill the system with false alarms" (obviously useless)."

"Then, in 1999-2000 came out to be true and a lot of security service agencies from UK and other US allies started to admit they were part of the espionage network."

– latflickr

How The Mighty Fell

"John Edward’s love child."

– ACam574

"A reminder that he was cheating on his wife while she was hospitalized for cancer treatment."

– Fanclock314

Ugh...

"Carrie Fisher's heart attack. Some a**hole who was on the same flight was livetweeting the whole medical emergency and justified it by insisting she was just making sure the family was informed."

– everylastlight

It Actually Happened

"Every year around her birthday there was a rumor that Betty White died. When I heard she died, I scoffed, saying that dumb rumor is back.... then saw it on the news. I was in shock."

– Known-Committee8679

"The fact that Betty died literally right before she turned 100 is such a Betty White way to go out."

– Paganigsegg

Big Actor, Small Roles

"I distinctly remember some rumors about the reason why Bruce Willis was taking so many roles in sh*tty movies before it was announced he has dementia."

– KampferMann

"RedLetterMedia did a deep dive on his recent movie activity to try and work out why exactly he was taking part in basically scam-movies. They noticed he had an earpiece in one of the scenes and joked that the director was feeding him lines. I remember they even disclaimed over the rumours at the time, and possible made a follow-up vid when it was revealed to the public."

– CardinalCreepia

What To Do Next?

"That the writer of LOST were making it up as they went."

"Turned out to be absolutely true."

– homarjr

That last one was kind of obvious!

Do you have any to add? Let us know in the comment below.

Person holding large stack of books
Photo by Jay Lamm on Unsplash

Whether you're naturally interested in fun facts and trivia or not, it's always nice to know a few that you can pull out of your pocket at a moment's notice as a nice conversation starter.

But there are some fun facts out there that are so weird, people become more preoccupied with how the teller found out that information rather than the information itself.

Redditor Dry_Bus_935 asked:

"What is your 'don't ask me how I know' random fact?"

Nuclear Fail Safe

"You have quite a lot of time, certainly more than ten seconds, to turn back on the main pumps of a nuclear reactor once you have accidentally turned them off."

- egorf

"I'm not surprised. The amount of fail safes, redundancies, and emergency scenario planning for nuclear power plants is insane."

"I toured a nuclear plant and wrote my high school senior thesis on the plans put in place to ensure the Fukushima disaster would not happen at that plant."

"I'm sure the secondary pumps are plenty capable of handling the reactor until the main pumps are repaired or just turned back on."

- Borderlandsman

Happy Cat

"If your cat chews on fresh eucalyptus, they might start hallucinating and fall over repeatedly, leading to a $400 emergency vet bill just to be told she’s just kinda high."

- oddidealstronghold

"And, that's part of why koalas love it. Little stoners."

- littlebluefoxy

Archaeology: Do Not Lick

"Old human bones are very porous, so if you lick them, they’ll stick to your tongue."

- clanculcarius

Sharing is Caring

"A pigeon will only eat a Starburst if you chew it up a little bit first. Just to clarify: chew the Starburst, not the pigeon."

- OhTheHueManatee

"Instructions unclear. Pigeon unhappy."

- Wild-Lychee-3312

Intriguing Anatomy

"Everyone is here with the creepy crime stuff, and I'm just like, 'A soft fur rat has 22 nipples.'"

- horroscoblue

"Okay, so either they have really small nipples, their nipples overlap, or they have nipples in places where there shouldn't be nipples."

"(I've never written the word 'nipples' so many times in a singular sentence before.)"

- GdeGraaf

'Don't Ask Me,' Indeed!

"Turmeric can be used as clothes dye. It is capable of permanently dyeing cotton cloth even after it has passed through the digestive tract of an adult male."

- SlefeMcDichael

"You s**t your pants, didn't you?"

- PMmecrossstitch

"I'd prefer not to answer that question."

- SlefeMcDichael

High-Risk Survival Skills

"If you ever trying to survive in the Arctic, don’t eat polar bear liver. It is so high in vitamin A, it will kill you."

- WrongWayCorrigan-361

"It's also surrounded by a lethal amount of angry polar bear."

- horanc2

Real-Life Spies

"TV shows and movies go out of their way to make military/intelligence officers look bada**."

"But real-life 'spies,' by design and training, are boring. They have regular houses and standard second-hand cars, they dress down, and they have vague, boring job titles (accounts receivable) as cover, and they do not draw attention to themselves. Most come from specialized academia."

- Ok_Worth_1093

Haunting Reality

"Your muscles can keep twitching for several hours after you die."

- JustDave62

"Also, beards can appear to grow. This is however not because the beard itself grows but because the skin shrinks."

- RRautamaa

"I worked at a morgue for over eight years. If you grasp the hand of a dead body to move the arm, the hand will grasp back, but that's just muscles and tendons reacting to the tension."

- goneferalinid

The Sneakiness of Drowning

"When a drowning victim is revived, get them to a hospital as soon as possible. Drowning is the leading cause of death of kids from the age of one to seven and is ruled as accidental drowning when it comes to secondary drowning or dry drowning."

"Basically, your lungs are full of water despite being revived. Your lungs will absorb the liquid, but not before your body acidifies from high levels of carbon dioxide. The only chance to survive is to have the lungs pumped with oxygen via CPAP machine and time."

"Also, drowning is extremely quiet. You don’t hear the victim go under. And if you see flailing, do not attempt to save the victim otherwise you’ll become another drowning victim. Throw them a lifeline and hope their amygdala realizes that a rope or something is floating near them and grabs on it."

- Dfiggsmeister

Not Everyone's Favorite Chocolate

"Hershey’s chocolate has the strong smell of vomit or feces to some people (me), and that’s because they use butyric acid as a preservative. Butyric acid is the compound that makes vomit smell so bad."

"Edit: Digging further into it, there are some claims that they may not be “adding” the butyric acid, but rather it is occurring from essentially spoiling the milk in their milk chocolate. Either way, the butyric acid and putrid smell remains a part of their product."

- hefewiseman1

"That explains the weird aftertaste I always get! I don’t smell it but their chocolate always has this super unpleasant sharp/acidic aftertaste that I find repulsive. I assume this is why!!"

- PomegranateNo975

Do Not Lick the Asbestos

"Asbestos tastes like chalk. And if you lick it, it has the texture of extremely gritty sandpaper. Which is actually the feeling of microscopic asbestos needles piercing your flesh!"

- TooYoungToBeThisOld1

Mapping Out the War

"Beginning in 1911 in anticipation of the outbreak of WW1 in 1914, two statesmen, one from England and one from France, began visiting locations in France that they believed would be the settings for a number of major battles that would occur during the great war."

"Long bike rides through these future battle zones in the countryside and weeks spent building a foundation for a French-Anglo codebook that would later prove important in helping win the war."

- fjordperfect123

Avoiding Lawsuits > Protecting Patients

"Doctors, or surgeons more specifically, that make too many mistakes during surgery, ie, leaving instruments in patients, frequently gets ‘quietly traded’ to other hospitals where they continue their path of destruction with the patients not being aware of their past record. Hospitals tend to keep quiet about the matter to avoid lawsuits."

- Kittytigris

Bonus Points: Do This While Having Lunch in Your Car

"If you overfill a fast food gravy cup and then put a lid on, it will create a pressurized gravy stream that sprays all over your face and uniform while your coworker looks on in horror."

- thechaosjester776

This subReddit thread was so a roller-coaster of random facts, we've surely all walked away learning something.

But the biggest takeaway might just be: Maybe don't lick so many things.

Shocked woman covering her mouth
vaitheeswaran Nataraj/Unsplash

When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.

But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.

Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.

It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.

Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:

"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"

These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.

Bleeding Out

"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."

"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."

– DongLaiCha

Tragic News

"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."

– accountnameredacted

Bottom Of The Barrel

"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."

– Crotch-Monster

A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.

Like Father, Like Son

"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."

– psycospaz

Busted

"Flashing blue lights."

– FiddleOfGold

"This sobered me up just thinking about it."

– redmaple_syrup

Losing Sight

"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."

– MissHibernia

Quitting The Bottle

"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."

– omgtater

These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.

Unplanned House Guests

"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."

– Oneinsevenbillion75

Serious Health Warning

"Elevated liver enzymes."

"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."

"So I opted for recovery, instead."

"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."

– Far_Meal8674

The Joyride

"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."

– foxfood9116

The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?

How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.

But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.

Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.

Woman holding multiple shopping bags
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.

Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.

These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.

From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.

Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:

"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"

"Tale As Old As Time..."

"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","

"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."

"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."

"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."

"Lol!"

"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom

"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."

"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."

"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."

"I think he was a germaphobe."

"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."

"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."

"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.

"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."

"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."

"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000

Money Burn GIF by nog Giphy

Who Wore It Better?

"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."

"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."

"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."

"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'

"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"

"No."- mertsey627

Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...

"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."

"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."

"It was very low key."

"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."

"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."

"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."

"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."

"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa

south park wedding GIF Giphy

See You In Court!

"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."

'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."

"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."

"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."

"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."

"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin

It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!

"I work in a public library."

"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."

"A popular book that just came out."

"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."

"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten

A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!

"My own."

"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"

"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."

"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"

"Unacceptable!"

"This shall not stand!"

"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."

"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."

"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."

"I got over it."- DeathGrover

homer simpson episode 23 GIF Giphy

Holy Matrimony!

"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."

"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."

"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."

"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."

"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."

"It's just a party."

"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree

When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...

"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore

In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...

"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."

"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."

"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."

"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."

"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."

"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."

"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."

"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."

"We don’t offer wrapping services."

"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."

'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae

Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso Giphy

Happiest Place On Earth!

"I used to work for Disney."

"That in itself should tell you everything."

"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."

"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."

"Suddenly got worse huh?"

"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."

"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."

"I'm not kidding."

"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."

"My wife worked booking."

"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."

"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."

"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."

"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."

"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."

"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong

Disney World GIF Giphy

The horror!

Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!

It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...

Said absolutely no one.