Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Impart Their Most Useless Bit Of Knowledge

Information is important to have. The older you get, the more we want to know and learn.

So all acquired information is a good thing. But it's also fascinating when we review the info stored in our brains.

Who hasn't looked backed and wondered... "Why do I know this?"

Our brain seems to just pick up and store morsels or useless tidbits every now and again. And we don't even realize we've saved it.

If nothing else, a random bit of quality know how can liven up a conversation at any party.

Redditor KingTrashTheThirdwanted to share all the things they know, and they have no idea why, they asked:

"What's the most useless piece of information that you know?"

My brain is too full. I have information falling out of my ears.

Shapes of things...

90S Snacks GIFGiphy

"The shape of a Pringle is called a hyperbolic paraboloid. Learned it when I was 16/17 in a technical drawing class and it just won't leave my brain." ~ sublime_mime

Lost "A"

"That no number from 1-999 contains the 'a' in its word form." ~ pokemonmaster778

"I've heard this a few times and still check various numbers every time I hear it again. It sounds so impossibly wrong." ~ Hrnghekth

Seeds

"Strawberries are the only fruit with the seeds on the outside." ~ 1clovett

"It's an aggregate accessory fruit. The fleshy bit we eat is the structure that supports the ovaries. The 'seeds' on the outside are the ovaries with seeds inside. So technically, the strawberry 'seeds' are the fruit since a fruit is a mature ovary, and the seed contained within." ~ Lumber_Tycoon

Backload

"A butt load is a real measurement. The butt is a specific size of wine barrel. A pretty big one, as it happens. They're hyperbolic rather than factual. A butt actually is a measurement. 491 liters for ale or 573 for wine. Or in American/Idiotic units, about 126 gallons of wine, or a little over two standard barrels' worth." ~ shaodyn

Dots

Its Me Stop GIF by joonasjoonasGiphy

"The dot on "i" and "j" is called a tittle." ~ Dunka_Chino

Well that is fascinating, and I'm researching as I write. I never even thought to name that dot anything but dot.

The Traveler

glow red blood cells GIF by Erica AndersonGiphy

"It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to travel around the body." ~ Fishcake_K9

PI

"The first 20 digits of PI." ~ WillsWei22

"Hey, I beat you by two digits! Memorized them in a stupid competition against my sister to see who can memorize the most digits of Pi in a day when we were kids. My sister got to 40 after an hour, I gave up at 22." ~ rockaether

"For me it's the square root of Pi. 1.77245385091." ~ AgentCarmichael20

Which cam first?

"The Lighter was invited in 1823, the Match wasn't invented until 1826." ~ N00dleLoop

"You think that's crazy? What if I told you that the can opener was invented 50 years after cans? 50 years!! Imagine opening cans with hammers and chisels for 50 freaking years! Literally the manufacturer recommended way of opening cans was with a hammer and chisel. Tin snips wouldn't work because the early cans were made with thicker metal." ~ Ziff7

The Return

"People often refer to the money they get back after filing their taxes as their "return." It's not a return, it's a refund. You file a tax return and receive a refund if you're overpaid. Also paid is not spelled payed. Get your crap together Reddit. "Consider the two phrases synonymous, although your reference, you've, sounds better for what I wrote."

"Form 2210 is the form used to calculate underpayment penalties. If you owe them money, you're underpaid and may need to pay penalties depending on your specific situation. If the IRS owes you money, you're overpaid and will get a refund, or can apply the overpayment to the subsequent year."~ BrundleflyftwI

Look Closer

See Season 16 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy

"You can't really see The Great Wall of China from space." ~ Sea-Horror-814

A lot of Diamond...

"A Minecraft diamond block would be worth $11.2 trillion US dollars." aventador7716

"Minecraft is a video game with a world made from kubes (you might know this, but just in case). Each Cube is 1 meter, by one meter, by one meter. The average weight of 1 m3 is equal to 3500 kg. So that's a lot of diamond. Then he probably multiply's it with the weight per gram or kilograms for diamond." ~ Mathematical_Screwup

These Low Effort Jobs Have Surprisingly High Salaries | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Have you ever worked one of those jobs that paid you to kinda sit there? If you have, you know the joy that comes with watching the entirety of Breaking Bad ...

recitals...

"Avogadro’s Number. Can still recite it, haven’t found a use for it outside of school." ~ slider728

"The 'mole number?' I'm sure you will use it all the time if you are a chemist, biologist, chemical engineer, bioengineer, pharmacist, or whoever work in the related field. It's like all those other technical knowledge that's useless to most of the 'commoners.'" ~ rockaether

Insignificant

"Any useless piece of information I share here would instantly be promoted to 'useful in answering this thread,' and therefore would be more useful than all the other insignificant information that I will never share here or anywhere else." ~ OddScentedDoorknob

"Thanx, your input is very useful to know that you are not planning on sharing information here or anywhere else that can be deemed useful. Thanx again, it's a time saver. I will seek my answer elsewhere." ~ UnfilteredPerception

Extreme Weather

"Extremophiles are organisms that survive under extreme temperatures. Thermophiles are organisms that live in extreme heats, whilst psychrophiles are organisms that survive in extreme colds. Mesophiles are organisms that survive at moderate temperatures." ~ r_e_c_e_d_i_n_g

"Extremophiles also include organisms that survive in other extreme conditions besides temperatures! For example, halophiles that live in super salty areas, acidophiles that live in areas below pH 3.0, and piezophiles that live in areas of high hydrostatic pressure! Life, uh, finds a way." ~ rabbiskittles

Top Students

3/14 pi GIF by NjorgGiphy

"3.14159265358979323846264389790- My 5th Grade Math teacher dared me 'To know whether or not you're better than the 'top students,' recite the most digits of pi,' And now Idk what I'm supposed to do with this information." ~ Trip_koLng

Men at Sea

"The myth of the Kraken was likely started by men at sea observing a whale orgy. Several male whales will often take turns with a female, and will cool off their whale sized penises (called dorks) by swimming upside down with their giant dorks flapping around in the air. It's thought that men saw this and assumed that all the different penises were the many tentacles of a massive octopus like creature. The myth of the Kraken was born." ~ skewed-perceptions

I hate Math

“'Y equals negative B plus or minus the square root of B squared minus four A C all over two A.' Sung in a deep slow funeral baritone by my high school Algebra teacher. I’m literally a scientist and regularly do so much math but have never needed to solve a quadratic equation. I’m ready though." ~ jaaaamesbaaxter

You rang?

"Originally Lurch the butler in The Addams Family TV show was going to be silent. But when he made his entrance during rehearsal of the first episode he improvised, 'You rang?' in his deep rumbling voice, and everybody cracked up so they decided to have him speak." ~ refried_pancakes

Maturity

"I posted this somewhere yesterday and got like 500 upvotes so let’s try again, armadillos have four baby’s at one time (quadruplets) and all baby’s will be off the same gender as this prevents inbreeding as they stay as a family past sexual maturity." ~ Party_Comfortable406

Sweet Spot

seth meyers fries GIF by Late Night with Seth MeyersGiphy

"Ketchup from a traditional glass bottle travels at approximately 27 miles per year, and tapping the ‘57’ on the neck is the sweet spot to get it to flow." ~ Early_Government198

I feel educated. Not ready for 'Jeopardy,' but I could throw out some intriguing tidbits at a party. And now you can too.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

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

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshots of Matt Gaetz and Scott Pelley
YouTube/60 Minutes

MAGA Has Meltdown Over Brutally Accurate '60 Minutes' Open About Trump's Cabinet Picks

President-elect Donald Trump's supporters were not pleased with 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley's assessment of Trump's cabinet picks as not particularly qualified for the posts Trump has chosen them for.

Pelley noted that “some nominees appear to have no compelling qualifications other than loyalty to Trump" in his brutally accurate observation:

Keep ReadingShow less
Security footage of alleged bear inside a car
KCAL News

Four Arrested For Using Bear Costume To Damage Cars In Bizarre Insurance Fraud Scheme

A group of people in California were arrested for their involvement in an alleged car insurance scheme after they claimed a bear had caused significant damage to their fancy cars.

However, a Department of Insurance investigation quickly discovered the claim was fraudulent when close inspection of video evidence indicated the alleged beast wreaking havoc inside the car was just a person in a bear suit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Dr. Nick from "The Simpsons"
Allison Robbert/Pool/Getty Images20th Television

People Are Trolling Trump With The Famous 'Doctors' They Think He'll Pick As Surgeon General

As President-elect Donald Trump continues to nominate wildly unqualified MAGA cronies for his administration, social media users can't help but jokingly guess who he might pick to be the nation's next surgeon general.

The surgeon general is the chief medical doctor and health educator for the United States; in their role, they provide Americans with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande; AP journalist Liam McEwan
AP News

Ariana Grande Stunned After Interviewer Reveals He Found His Partner Through Her Fandom

Compatibility is a crucial foundation for healthy relationships, but couples sharing the same passions for music and art can reinforce a deeper and more meaningful connection.

So, it's no surprise that fans of Ariana Grande's catchy music and lovable personality have forged strong bonds, which is a testament to her artistry and relatability.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman with her head in her hands.
woman in black tank top covering her face with her hands
Photo by Julia Taubitz on Unsplash

People Break Down Which Things Are More Traumatizing Than Folks Realize

We've likely once stated that we were "traumatized" by an experience.

We, of course, were mostly talking in jest, and might even laugh about that memory more than anything.

Keep ReadingShow less