Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The Saddest Facts They Know

People Share The Saddest Facts They Know
Image by Mandy Fontana from Pixabay

We live in a big, beautiful world... but there's a lot of pain and sadness in it, too. Did you know that on the tape of the Jonestown massacre you can hear the sounds of children crying as their parents feed them cyanide? Sorry to dump that on you, but that's a sad reality––and trust me, you don't want to listen to that tape.

People had plenty of heartbreaking facts of their own to offer after Redditor graham_cracker asked the online community,

"What's the saddest fact you know?"

"It was a mating call..."

"There's a recording of the last Kaua'i Oo bird singing before it went extinct. It was a mating call sung by a male bird. The song has breaks for the female bird to respond. There's no response because the male Kaua'i Oo is the last of its kind."

azalea

Kauai 'O'o

And that's the recording:

"He pulled his boat out of the lake..."

"A guy in my area had just retired on a Friday. The following Wednesday he was out fishing and a thunderstorm came up. He pulled his boat out of the lake and while standing next to his car on the boat ramp lightning took him out. 5 blessed days of retirement."

Hoppertime

Life can be cruel. What even are the odds of that happening?

"Elephants will mourn..."

"Elephants will mourn other elephants in their group dying and will hold funerals for them and will even recognize the bones of said elephant and cry out in sadness."

wanderingstalker

Rare Footage: Wild Elephants “Mourn” Their Dead | National Geographic

Of course I had to look this up. Thank you, National Geographic.

"There is a plastic bag..."

"There is a plastic bag at the bottom of the Mariana Trench."

Meh657

"Swans can die..."

"Swans can die of a broken heart when their mates die.​"

supadupaman

Ever heard of broken heart syndrome? Humans have been known to experience it as well, especially after sad and stressful events like the loss of a loved one.

People Share The 'Dirty Secrets' That Their Bosses Don't Want Customers To Know

"Dodo birds..."

"Dodo birds were really friendly because they had no natural predators and we killed them all."

Zach_Zootah

"Whales that sing..."

"Whales that sing in the wrong key get lost and are alone in the ocean."

MeowthePrettyKitty

Noooo. Why did you tell us this? Nooooo.

"A majority of people..."

"A majority of people, when asked, would rather die at home than at the hospital. A majority of people, when recorded, die at the hospital rather than at home."

DaShortRound

"For animal testing..."

"For animal testing involving dogs, most laboratories use beagles as they are the most forgiving of the people inflicting pain on them."

ShutUpChunk

I know what you're thinking. That was too much. That's why I've come prepared with these pictures of happy puppies from the American Kennel Club to brighten up your day. I'm nice like that and frankly, my own heart needed it.

Have some of your own facts to share? Feel free to tell us all about them in the comments below!

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

Eric Dane; Eric Dane and Alyssa Milano
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images; @milano_alyssa/Instagram

Alyssa Milano Pens Touching Tribute To Honor 'Charmed' Co-Star Eric Dane After His Passing

Actor Eric Dane passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, after a battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He was 53 years old.

Dane shared his diagnosis in April 2025 after a diagnosis in 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Seth Meyers; Donald Trump
Late Night with Seth Meyers/YouTube; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Old Seth Meyers Joke Resurfaces After Trump Announces He'll Release Government Files About Aliens

The liberal outlet Meidas Touch resurfaced late-night host Seth Meyers' joke predicting that President Donald Trump would pivot to talking about the existence of aliens to distract from his role in the Epstein files.

Trump has done everything he can to dismiss or downplay the outrage surrounding the documents, which are said to contain detailed lists of some of his former friend and associate Jeffrey Epstein's most high-profile clients and enablers. The late disgraced financier was a convicted pedophile and sex trafficker.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Abby Phillip; Donald Trump
CNN; Chip Somodevilla

CNN Anchor Calls Out The Brutal Truth About The Countries That Joined Trump's 'Board Of Peace'

CNN anchor Abby Phillip pointed out the brutal truth about the countries that joined President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace," noting that citizens of half the countries that have joined the initiative are considered so "unreliable and risky" that they can't even get a visa to the U.S.

Those who've joined the Board of Peace include Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Egypt, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Donald Trump Says 'Stupid People' Rate 'Make America Great Again' The 'Number One' Political Phrase

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he declared that "stupid people" would rate his "Make America Great Again" slogan "the number one phrase in the history of politics in America."

Trump made the remark during a press conference while pledging that "together we're going to 'Make America Great Again'—though he didn't have great things to say for the slogan he claims to have come up with.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lauren Utter; Tyra Banks
@gutterutterart/Instagram; Darren Gerrish/Franca Fund/Getty Images

Former 'Top Model' Contestant Shocks Fans By Revealing Contract Clause In Event She Was 'Killed' On The Show

The tea about America's Next Top Model just keeps spilling, and apparently, there's a lot of tea.

With the launch of the Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, more people who were involved have started coming forward to share their experiences from the show, including Cycle 10's Lauren Utter.

Keep ReadingShow less