Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share Their Favorite Mind-Bending Facts About Time

Time is of the essence. And time is not definable. Those are lessons we learn as we get older; as times passes and fluctuates in front of us.

Time is always fleeting yet always catches up to us. I find myself shocked when I wake up on certain days and realize I'm a particular age of my parent that sticks out for me.

Like, how did that happen? I guess I should just be thankful I'm still here to witness it all.

Redditor u/TW1103 wanted to discuss the meaning... of time and all of its affects by asking:

What fact really puts the scale of time into an insane perspective?

Ok, who is watching the clock? Those seconds aren't going to count themselves. The only way to understand time is to be its witness. Although that can get depressing. Let's focus on the light and cool.

History...

Calculate Figure It Out GIF by OriginalsGiphy

"If you are an 80-year-old American, you have lived through approximately 1/3 of our nation's entire history."

- NeedsMoreTuba

Those Days...

"The 80s were 40 years ago."

- ijustneedanametouse

"This is what messes me up because I was born in 82 and graduated high school in 2000 so for some reason my brain is stuck on the 80's being twenty years ago. The 70's thirty years ago etc etc. I have to stop and realize sometimes that my concept of how long ago things happened is way off."

- offspring515

Time goes by...

"We observe that light travels at 186,000 miles a second, but given the vast size of the observable universe, that's a snail's pace. But from the point of view of a particle of light, time doesn't even exist."

- starfish80

"Time slows down as you approach the speed of light, and theoretically stops completely when you reach the speed of light."

- treetreehasakid

Years Gone By...

"MLK Jr. and Anne Frank were born in the same year."

- Willish32

" Betty White was born in 1922. Automatically pre-sliced packaged bread loaves became commercially available in 1928. Betty White is six years older than sliced bread."

- PaniqueAttaque

Long Live the Queen!

queen elizabeth images GIFGiphy

"The queen and Marilyn Monroe would've been the same age."

- Nice_Swordfish_69420

"And Marilyn Monroe and Andy Griffith were born on the same day!"

- osme1

I swear Liz is going to outlive dirt. Wait, I believe she already has. Well she won't be alone, she'll have Betty White. At least she better have Betty. Time is nothing without Queen Betty.

TV Time

Season 2 Omg GIF by Paramount+Giphy

"Happy Days was a TV show made in the 1970s-80s about teenagers in the 1950s. Similarly, That 70s Show was made in the 90s-00s about teenagers in the 70s. If a similar show were to be made today, it would be about teenagers in the 2000s."

- VVillyD

A Croc

"If a T-Rex imagined a creature as ancient as the T-Rex is to us, it would be a Stegosaurus. If that Stegosaurus imagined a creature as ancient as the Stegosaurus is to us, it would be a Crocodile. If that Crocodile imagined a creature as ancient as that Crocodile is to us, it would be a Shark."

- FamousMiddleName

On the Clock

"On a twenty four hour clock the amount of time that humans have been on the earth would total around five seconds."

- Apprehensive-Pin1474

"How about this one: If Homo Habilus first appeared at midnight, 24 hours ago, that means the first Homo Sapiens appeared at 9:25 PM, or about 2 and a half hours ago. The first human civilization, in lower Mesopotamia, appeared at 11:57 PM, or about 3 minutes ago."

"The Western Roman Empire fell at 11:59 PM, or 1 minute ago. Everything that has happened since - the Crusades, the Plague, the discovery of the New World, the world wars, all of it - has happened in the last minute of human existence."

- Red_AtNight

And that's just OUR Sun...

"The span of our lives are so insignificantly small that our Sun will last another 5 billion years. That's 9 zeros people. Our eldest live to around 100 in the best places. That's 50,000,000 (50 million) times longer than any person can reasonably expect to live. And that's just OUR Sun. The universe as a whole has probably existed for magnitudes longer than that already and will continue to exist until the end of time as we know it."

- LoadingTOS

Tell Me a Story

william shakespeare GIF by will herringGiphy

"We know what a good storyteller Shakespeare was but there were Greek playwrights who wrote shows nearly 2,000 years earlier that are pretty good, too."

- Ok-Age-2923

I hate time. Only because I'm petty and irritated of the amount I squandered. That's neither here nor there though. Time marches on and continues to amaze. I'll keep watching.

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

screenshots of videos of RFK Jr. working out
@elxavipapi; @deniscepalacios/TikTok

RFK Jr. Got Roasted By Both People On Either Side Of Him After He Did A StairMaster Workout In Austin

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently visited Austin, Texas. The trip at the end of February was part of his "Take Back Your Health" tour.

During the trip, RFK Jr. spoke at a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) "Eat Real Food" rally at the Brazos Center. He also visited Cunningham Elementary School to discuss the nutrition of their school food program, and ate at Terry Black's BBQ to promote his red meat-heavy dietary recommendations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tony Gonzales
Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Ripped For Trying To Play The Victim After Admitting To Affair With Staffer Who Died By Suicide

Texas Republican Representative Tony Gonzales, a married father of six, admitted to having an affair with a staffer who later died by setting herself on fire, claiming in remarks to TMZ that he had "asked God to forgive me, which he has."

The House Ethics Committee announced Wednesday that it will open an investigation into Gonzales following findings from the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC), a nonpartisan watchdog that concluded there is “substantial reason to believe” he engaged in a sexual relationship with a subordinate.

Keep ReadingShow less
President Donald Trump; Pokemon Pokopia
Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images/Pokemon Pokopia/Nintendo

Trump's White House Just Tried To Use A Pokémon Meme To Promote 'MAGA'—And The Internet Pounced

The White House is facing criticism after its social media team attempted to capitalize on a new meme from the game Pokémon Pokopia to promote President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, prompting almost immediate backlash from fans.

Pokemon Pokotopia was released on Thursday to stellar reviews, and it appears to already be a massive hit with fans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jared Moskowitz; Screenshots of Donald Trump and Kristi Noem from "Apprentice" edit
Heather Diehl/Getty Images; @JaredEMoskowitz/X

Dem Rep. Shares Perfectly Edited Clip From 'The Apprentice' After Trump Fires Kristi Noem

Florida Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz joined his fellow Democrats in mocking Kristi Noem after President Donald Trump announced he will replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary with Oklahoma Republican Representative Markwayne Mullin—by posting a perfectly edited clip from The Apprentice.

Trump said Noem will instead take on the role of Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a newly-created organization intended to foster a right-wing alliance across South America.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jenna Bush Hager (left) became emotional while discussing Savannah Guthrie's (right) returning to visit the Today show set.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Jenna Bush Hager Fights Back Tears After Savannah Guthrie Visits 'Today' Show Set For First Time Since Mom's Kidnapping

It was an emotional reunion on the set of Today when Savannah Guthrie visited Studio 1A more than a month after her mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared under circumstances authorities believe may involve kidnapping.

The 54-year-old anchor stopped by NBC’s New York studios Thursday to spend time with colleagues, including Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones. During the fourth hour of the show, Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, Bush Hager grew visibly emotional while describing the moment Guthrie returned to the set.

Keep ReadingShow less