Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Most Surprising Facts They've Ever Learned

People Share The Most Surprising Facts They've Ever Learned
Image by Walkerssk from Pixabay

The world is a bigger and more interesting place than we realize.


While we typically use the technological marvel that is the supercomputer in our pockets to doomscroll or keep up with the Twitter drama between two internet celebrities you've never heard of who have collectively 50 million followers, it turns out you can use it to learn something. Thank you, the internet.

Reddit user, u/Worried-Elevator-443, wanted to learn something new when they asked:

What's a random fact that surprised you when you found out?

These shouldn't really be taken as trivia, but instead be understood as something, "Of course it's true. How else do you explain the human body?"

Sopping Skeleton

"Your skeleton is wet while you're using it."

"It makes perfect sense but it DEEPLY upset my brain to have 2 and 2 put together."

reydolith

"I actually prefer it that way."

"The thought of warm wet muscle and connective tissue scraping over dry, dusty bones would be horrible."

beetus_gerulaitis

A Mommy Carrot And A Daddy Carrot...

"Mine is that baby carrots aren't real, they are just cut and shaved full-size carrots."

Worried-Elevator-443

"Man we really are so disconnected from the food we eat. I didn't know this till very recently either"

guesswhob*tch288

Who's Out There Testing This?

"Squirrels can't die from falling from any height"

_Piggy_Smalls

"This is kind of alarming😳😳 also has this been tested?? Like what if I dropped it from the top of the Empire State it would be fine?"

Worried-Elevator-443

"Outside external factors such as shock or say less oxygen at a higher altitude or being hit by a passing plane etc aside"

"the actual action of a squirrel falling in itself would not kill it die to their low Terminal velocity"

_Piggy_Smalls

Further Proving The Point That Cats Are Secretly Aliens

" Cats are safe from injury in any fall as long as they fall from a certain height or higher. Basically, small animals are so light that air resistance slows their fall to a safe speed. For cats, they have to have enough time to adjust their body and spread out to increase resistance and slow their fall."

paigezero

These facts, while never affecting the processes of your day to day life, will make you sit down for a moment and go, "Huh...well, what do you know."

Okay, Well, Time Is Meaningless, Then

"The mammoths died out after the pyramids in Egypt were built."

EchoingEchoes

"Cleopatra was born closer in time to ww1 than she was the building of the pyramids."

Harry_monk

We Don't Know What We're Eating, Do We?

"Bananas are berries and strawberries arent"

NOTMEMEJA

"Pineapples are also a bunch of berries that have fused together"

FishGolfDive

"Did you know that every banana that you have ate is a clone of another banana."

SerMickeyoftheVale

Now You'll Never Be Able To Unhear It

"The famous circus music we all know is actually an 1897 military march called 'Entry of the Gladiators'."

Response_Proper

clowns star bloodily chopping off each others limbs

Chacharealroughdood

Sometimes the stars align, the planets are in perfect view, and the timing is so spot on you couldn't have written it any better. This is what we call, "life."

None Now Live Who Remember It

"The year JRR Tolkien died is the One Ring verse but backwards.

1973!

Three rings for the elven kings

Seven for the Dwarf Lords

Nine for mortal men

One Ring to rule them all"

Little_Hobbitt

*POP*

"An atomic bomb exploding doesn't make that terrifying roar you hear in movies. It just makes a regular BANG! like any ordinary explosive."

"Most of the footage of nuclear bombs has no sound, so directors add in the sound effect later."

PaulsRedditUsername

People Share The Most Selfless Thing They've Ever Secretly Done | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

We've Been Living A Lie

"Buffalo sauce is just hot sauce and butter. Rocked me to the core."

stumr

"I think its specifically Frank's. But yeah, I was shocked when I found that out. Makes sense why it's so many calories."

clburton24

Transplants

"That we have a means of transplanting a full heart into a human being but if your colon stops working the best thing we have is to make a hole in your navel and have you crap in a bag."

- RolyPoly1320

"Less meat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains. Less processed food more whole foods. Brown rice instead of white rice, whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta, whole wheat bread instead of white bread, etc. If u want more tips dm me."

- dathrowaway89012

Sky Numbers

"All the other planets could fit between the Earth and the Moon."

- billbaperky

"While I have known the actual numbers, this has never entered my mind! Fascinating? Now I'll be able to imagine the size of Jupiter in the sky."

- geneticadvice90120

"Not gonna doubt your fact friend, but Jupiter is pretty dang huge 😅. I guess if I looked into the numbers I'd see it though."

- Frenchtoast2870000

Losing Life

"There are 30% less birds in North America now than there was in 1970."

- staggere

"And speaking of this--insects. I don't have a percent handy, but the reason cars don't get a bunch of bugs all up on their windshields anymore is because we have so many fewer insects now than in the 70s."

- NW_thoughtful

No Voices

"Not everyone has an inner monologue."

- YoSo_

"I discuss this with my boyfriend from time to time. My brain has 38 tabs open at the same time and three of them are playing off key music. His brain is apparently blessed silence. All the time silence. How? I want him to teach me the ways. Meanwhile he doesn't understand what it means to have constant narration in my head."

- theyarnllama

Abigail

"I just found out that Abigail Folger (Daughter of Folger's coffee chairman Peter Folger and heir to the multi-billion dollar company) was murdered by the Manson family and her death was overshadowed by Sharon Tate."

- AskJamie

"I was not aware of that however I was aware that Charles Manson never murdered anyone. Which I find odd and surprised me."

- Deathbyart

Lips Together and Blow...

"I was mostly surprised because I thought "man, wouldn't it be cool if that existed?" So I googled it and found out it existed!! A language made of whistles. That way you can communicate from far off. It was developed in some mountainous place where people had to communicate from mountain peak to mountain peak before the use of binoculars."

- BoobieFaceMcgee

Dust to Dust

"Regarding cremations: The word "ashes" is typically used instead of cremains."

"But contrary to common belief, cremains are not ashes at all. For the most part, they are dry calcium phosphates together with some other minerals, including potassium and sodium, which in simpler terms means bone matter."

- Back2Bach

"I didn't really consider what they looked like until I got my baby dog's (she was 14) ashes back. Bone fragments and strange colored grains I hadn't expected, and yet it was still heavy. It feels weird to think about."

- Mothstradamus

Falling Blue

"Blucifer (the Blue Mustang sculpture located at the Denver International Airport) killed its creator, Luis Jiménez, when a section of the sculpture fell on him, severing and artery in his leg."

- Ryukotaicho

"I love seeing posts about my home state. All of the crazy thing people believe about DIA crack me up. This one is actually true. Blucifer will always have a weird place in my heart because he's there to see you off and welcome you back home."

- joiey555

The Wings

"Dragon flies used to have a 21 inch wing span. They are also the greatest fliers of all flying creatures even better than humming birds. They are also the most successful predator in the world with a success rate of 75% to 80%. Most canine and feline species are at around 8%."

- spytez

Sort of the same

"Heteropaternal superfecundation. It's a thing."

"In rare cases, fraternal twins can be born from two different fathers in a phenomenon called heteropaternal superfecundation. Although uncommon, rare cases have been documented where a woman is pregnant by two different men at the same time."

- LuciditySpice

"This happens in the animal kingdom more often because they have litters, so more chances for twins with different fathers."

- LazerWolfe53

Keep your ears open. You never know what you might learn. Always remember: Buffalo sauce is a lie.

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

Screenshot of Summer Lee
Oversight Committee Democrats

Dem Rep. Expertly Pinpoints Why Republicans Are Dismantling DEI Programs In Mic Drop Rant

Speaking during a House Oversight Committee hearing, Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Summer Lee expertly pinpointed why diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are being targeted by Republicans nationwide, noting that "remedying past discrimination is not, in turn, a discrimination."

DEI programs are organizational strategies aimed at ensuring fair treatment and full participation for everyone, with a special focus on historically marginalized or discriminated groups. These frameworks strive to create an environment where all individuals, regardless of their identity or abilities, are valued and included.

Keep ReadingShow less
pho with vegetables beside chopsticks and glass of water
Matthew Hamilton on Unsplash

People Describe The Absolute Best Meal They Ever Ate

I've traveled quite a bit—for work and pleasure—and had some memorable meals along the way.

There was the borscht, pierogies, and sausage at Polish restaurant Mazurka (R.I.P.) on Rue Prince-Arthur in Montreal, Canada. The poutine I sampled across Quebec and the Maritimes. All the fresh breads, doner kebabs, schnitzel, and baked French onion soups I ate while TDY in Germany. The yakisoba, sushi, and seafood curry I had while working for the DoD in Japan.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Admits He Has No Idea What A 'Zaddy' Is After Becoming Internet Meme

In the wake of the election, Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom has risen to a new level of fame after he was tapped as the "future of the Democratic Party" in the wake of Kamala Harris's loss.

That of course meant it was only a matter of time before all the internet's young people turned him into a meme. And THAT of course meant it was also only a matter of time before he became an object of people's thirst.

Keep ReadingShow less
Statistics on a laptop
Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash

People Explain How A Single Bad Decision Destroyed A Successful Company

We're human, and we all make mistakes. Most of the time, we can apologize, strive to do better, and move on.

But sometimes we make mistakes that leave a much deeper mark, and they can ruin a person's reputation, their future, or even bring down an entire successful business.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk; Matt Gaetz
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Elon Musk Mocked For Hilariously Wrong Prediction About Matt Gaetz—And Yeah, That Did Not Age Well

After former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz dropped out of contention for President-elect Donald Trump's Attorney General post, a hilariously over the top post from billionaire Elon Musk—who is tapped to lead Trump's "Department" of Government Efficiency—resurfaced that showcases how wrong Musk was about Gaetz's future within the second Trump administration.

Gaetz was previously the subject of a Justice Department investigation into alleged sex trafficking involving a 17-year-old girl and has faced scrutiny from the House Ethics Committee over accusations of sexual misconduct. However, that inquiry effectively concluded last week when Gaetz announced his resignation from Congress.

Keep ReadingShow less