Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Facts That Were Once True But Aren't Any Longer

People Break Down Facts That Were Once True But Aren't Any Longer
Marcus P./Unsplash

As time trudges on, things change. Science and technology is developed, we learn more about our world and our society.

The things we once considered factual (or objectively true) are no longer.

Redditor Artichao wanted to know:

"What fact used to be 100% true in the past, but now no longer is?"

This list will really get you thinking about how things change!


The meaning definitely changed.

"My parents always referred to a really good parking spot as a 'glory hole.' It was not until I started college and exclaimed to my friends that I had found the perfect glory hole in the Chipotle parking lot that I realized that my parents' usage of the term was very, very wrong."

- kajnemed

"Reminds me of the guy who thought "LOL" in a text meant 'Lots Of Love' so he kept having message exchanges like:"

"Hey, I can't meet up with you today, we need to put my dog down."

"LOL"

- meatfrappe

Laughing Out Loud Lol GIF by GIPHY Studios OriginalsGiphy

This one hurts.

"Pluto is a planet."

- retraut

"Still a fresh wound."

- _johnfromtheblock_

Pluto GIF by DiscoveryGiphy

The fastest instant messenger.

"Carrier pigeons were the fastest way to get a message to someone."

- JAdamsidk123

"The original Tweet."

- Erik-Grilla

pigeon GIFGiphy

Back to the past.

"Back to the Future 2 happens in the future."

- fadevelocity

"This hits hard."

- Bryan_Fitch

back to the future film GIFGiphy

The Last Airbender.

"There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

- NobodySpecialSCL

"Went from true to not true to true to not true again to true."

- Raetekusu

GIF by This My Channel This My ShitGiphy

Was it ever true?

"'Politicians work for the people.'"

- LeftBase2Final

"That's sadly never been true."

- Soft_Worker6203

"Yeah, what kind of people [do] they serve?"

- Prince-Otter

Impeachment Try Me GIF by GIPHY News

"Themselves, and their corporate masters."

- LeftBase2Final

"I know plenty of entirely selfless members of Parliament that are absolute pillars of the community. Not everyone in politics is in it for their own good."

- Best-Refuse5435

Excited Season 4 GIF by Parks and RecreationGiphy

Kids will believe anything.

"My dad told me that the stripes on the sides of the road, the ones that make a sound when you ride on them, exist so that the blind people can drive without going off the road. We were kids and believed it for some time."

- Jaded_Manufacturer49

"My best friend's mom always told us they were put there so when moms fell asleep, the strip would wake them up before they went off the road."

- lostandwandering123

Everyone believed this for decades.

"Smoking is good for you. Endorsed by doctors."

- PM_THE_REAPER

"That was an ad campaign."

- Ophelia550

"It was and they more than likely weren't doctors, but people in white coats."

- PM_THE_REAPER

"Yeah, the whole 'doctors recommend' thing was totally made up. No doctor, even then, would ever recommend smoking."

- Ophelia550

"It's like the "Dentists recommend" today, I suspect. Open to correction."

- PM_THE_REAPER

The more we know, the more we understand the world around us.

shooting star GIFGiphy

Want to "know" more?

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Donald Trump; Pete Buttigieg
@Acyn/X; KC McGinnis/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

Clip Of Trump Mocking Pete Buttigieg As His Cronies Laugh Feels Like It's Straight Out Of 'Austin Powers'

A sycophant is a person who "acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage." An acolyte is a "true believer who helps carry out orders like a henchman, sidekick, or disciple."

While the words often get used interchangeably, they don't mean the same thing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Prince Harry; Donald Trump
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Prince Harry Just Took A Hilariously Brutal Jab At Trump During Surprise Appearance On 'Colbert'

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, joined late-night host Stephen Colbert as a surprise for his opening monologue on Wednesday evening, and mocked President Donald Trump while he was at it.

Colbert was in the middle of ribbing the Hallmark channel and its string of royally-themed Christmas TV movies this year when he joked about how no one just "runs into a prince at their job." But then in walked Harry, who said he thought he was auditioning for a Christmas-themed Hallmark TV movie.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Dragged After Making Ridiculous Claim About Randomly Finding Billions On The 'Tariff Shelf'

President Donald Trump was criticized after he claimed to reporters this week that officials in his administration suddenly found $30 billion they "never knew existed"—located on what Trump referred to as the "tariff shelf."

Tariffs are a tax on imported goods, usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price. While tariffs can shield domestic manufacturers by making foreign products more expensive, they are also used as a tool to penalize countries engaged in unfair trade practices, such as government subsidies or dumping goods below market value.

Keep ReadingShow less
food prep
Katie Smith on Unsplash

Professional Chefs Share The Top Mistakes Average Home Cooks Make

With the expansion of cable television and then streaming services, a number of competition shows featuring amateur home cooks. Shows like Master Chef and The Great British Bake Off garnered huge followings and spawned numerous global and domestic spin-offs.

The food produced by these amateurs is beyond the talents of even some professional chefs. But what about the average home cook? What can they learn from the professionals?

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

RFK Jr.'s HHS Blasted As CDC Panel Considers Dropping Life-Saving Hepatitis B Vaccine For Newborns

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), met Thursday for the first of two days of discussions about childhood vaccine schedules and recommendations.

The panel focused on the hepatitis B vaccine and plans to vote on Friday whether to continue recommending it be given to all children at birth or to recommend something entirely different. The panel previously tabled making a decision on infant and early childhood hep-B vaccination in September.

Keep ReadingShow less