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."
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."
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."
Rare Footage: Wild Elephants “Mourn” Their Dead | National Geographic
Of course I had to look this up. Thank you, National Geographic.
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."
"Whales that sing..."
"Whales that sing in the wrong key get lost and are alone in the ocean."
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."
"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."
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!
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Laura Michalski on Unsplash 
