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Content Warning: Healthcare, Mental Health, History, Animal Death, and Other Bleak Statistics
When we think of facts and trivia, we usually think of a game that we play together with a group of friends on a Thursday night.
But there are facts in the world, like truths about life and dark corners of history, that are far too sad to make an appearance at those gatherings.
Bracing themselves, Redditor urmomsloosevag asked:
"What is the saddest fact you know that most people will not know?"
The Missing Fossils
"Scientists think that only something like one tenth of one percent of all species that ever existed happened to be lucky enough to find themselves in the perfect conditions to fossilize for us to find."
"The vast majority of critters lived out their whole existence and either evolved to a new form or died out without leaving any trace for us to find whatsoever. Without a time machine we can never know they existed, and if you could go back in time far enough the majority of what we saw would be to some extent more or less a mystery."
"And we're not only talking about super ancient animals, squishy things that don't fossilize, or tiny microorganisms but relatively recent megafauna too. For instance, within our DNA, we have found evidence of a ghost population of a mystery species of our hominin cousins with whom we, homosapiens, interbred."
"We have no other tangible fossil evidence for them. They weren't Neanderthals or Denisovans; we have no idea who these people were and wouldn't even have any idea they existed at all if we relied on the fossil record alone."
"They were an entire species of people that we lived with and 'knew intimately,' just up and gone without a physical trace. What other creatures might have been that we cannot begin to imagine."
- DaemonBlackfyre_21
The Tragedy of the MH17 Flight
"That on the MH17 flight that was detonated by a missile, only some of the people on board were deceased immediately on impact. Some of them would've survived for a few minutes, hopefully losing consciousness due to the air pressure, but we don't know for certain how long that would've taken."
"This weighs on my mind because I have no idea where my coworker-friend was sitting in relation to where the missile hit. I just know it took days for her to be found."
- -aquapixie-
Relentless Poaching
"Pangolins (a scaly anteater) are believed to be the most illegally trafficked animal in the world. Their scales are sold on the black market for Asian traditional medicine."
- Moon_Jewel90
The Realities of Old Age
"Your loved one probably didn't say any last words."
"I worked in a nursing home. People always ask, 'Did they say anything,' and the truth is most of the time, no. We obviously don’t say that to the family but death is not like in the movies."
"Also, a weird thing that happens sometimes is that 24 hours before death, they get a sudden spike of energy, which may look like they’re getting better, so it confuses the family members sometimes."
"Also, 80% die alone."
"Working with old people broke me a little bit."
- anbelroj
The Irony is a Gut Punch
"Among dog breeds, Beagles are particularly friendly, sweet, and forgiving. That's why they're one of the most common breeds used for animal testing."
- mossadspydolphin
"That second sentence hit me like a bus."
- NedFlandersLordOfAll
"It’s so heartbreaking. I’ve often thought that someday when we can accommodate a dog, we’ll adopt a lab beagle."
- Anne_Anonymous
"Beagles are saints. Stubborn, food-obsessed, and occasionally obnoxiously loud but saints nonetheless."
- ehy5001
Childhood: Destroyed
"Judith Barsi, the talented young voice actress behind Ducky from the first 'The Land Before Time' and Anne-Marie from 'All Dogs Go to Heaven' was killed by her father at age 10."
"Ducky’s memorable, 'Yep, yep, yep!' quote has made me sad to think of ever since learning this. It's also engraved on her headstone."
- Nanaman
Just Giving Up
"So many dogs in the shelters have just given up. What's doubly sad is that potential adopters often overlook the sad dogs (and too many think the dog in the shelter is going to be the same dog (personality) at home)."
"It also doesn't help that most shelters are understaffed so they can't give all the animals all the care and attention that they need."
"We pulled quite a few dogs for rescue that had just given up. A week or two of rehabilitation and they were getting back to themselves."
"As a volunteer (dog walker at a small shelter)) while the agreement was to walk the dogs once, we never did that. We'd get there early and walk all the dogs, then they would be fed, we'd walk them after. Then, when the feeding was all done, we'd walk them a third time while their kennel was being cleaned. (and these weren't quick walks either for most of the dogs (yes, the ones with health issues had shorter walks)."
- draggar
.....Ugg
"If you're a parent, you'll either never live to see your child live their full life, or you will. Both are pretty heartbreaking to think about."
- ShawshankException
"This instantly made me sick to my stomach. I think about this here and there but it really hits me the hardest on milestone occasions."
"It cuts me to my core knowing there’s going to come a day when I’ll never see or be there for my kids again."
"I can’t imagine not being there for them in the good times to enjoy and make memories with them and the bad ones to support and comfort them when they need it the most."
"I can’t imagine missing any milestone in their lives. Or my kids being sad or upset and not being able to fully enjoy these milestones because of my absence."
"The worst part is that it’s out of my control, and there’s absolutely nothing I can do to avoid it or stop it from happening."
- GoodbyXlove
"I will sound cheesy, but if you did a good job you’ll never really be gone. They’ll remember funny times, advice you gave them, odd quirks you had. You’ll be a core part of who they are and will stick with them for life."
"I don’t mean to undermine your feelings but the alternative of them going first is so so so much worse."
- GlumCity
Until Death Do Us Part
"A successful marriage ends with watching your spouse die."
- Fickle_Diamond_675
Emergencies Everywhere
"If you watch footage of the 9/11 aftermath, you'll hear a ringing sound in the background. It's not actually ringing, it's a chirping device on first responders who were buried in the debris."
"Usually, the device doesn't make a constant noise, but there were so many people buried that it created an unbroken wail coming from under the rubble."
- Dynamite86
The Truest of Friends
"Very few people in your life would actually drop what they were doing to help you. Cherish the ones that would."
- Unique-Struggle-8267
"I only had one person like this during a very rough time in my life. He asked what he could do to help my depression, and almost as a joke, I said, 'Check on me every day, and make sure I'm still alive.'"
"I didn't think he'd do it, but he did. He texted every day for over a year."
"I married him."
"Although if someone called him at 1:00 AM, I'd pack hot drinks and a snack and probably go with him. If he ends up stuck in the snow somewhere with a friend, I'd rather be there to help shovel, etc."
- Artist850
End of Life Realities
"As people age, they often experience loss of friends, family members, and social connections. In many cases, elderly individuals may find themselves living alone, with limited mobility, and facing health challenges that further isolate them from the outside world."
"Studies have shown that chronic loneliness among the elderly can have serious negative effects on physical and mental health, leading to depression, anxiety, and even increased mortality rates. Despite their wealth of life experience, wisdom, and often a desire for companionship, many older adults struggle with profound feelings of loneliness, which can go unnoticed by society at large."
- Pauloc99
"There's an old joke about this... that really isn't that funny."
"At two, success is not peeing your pants."
"At six, success is having friends."
"At 16, success is being able to drive."
"At 18, success is having a job."
"At 22, success is living in your own place."
"At 30, success is having a spouse."
"At 55, success is having a spouse."
"At 60, success is having a job."
"At 70, success is having your own place."
"At 75, success is being able to drive."
"At 80, success is having friends."
"At 90, success is not peeing your pants."
- Blenderhead36
The Last Good Day
"You don't recognize your lasts."
"The last time you ever hung out with your school friends. The last time you spoke to your grandfather. The last time you hugged your pet., etc."
"The point is, we never know when we are in a moment that this could be the last time you ever do this, unless going through some kind of life change, you just don't realize this moment is special and because of that, you most likely won't remember it."
- powercrazy76
Justice for This Pair!
"When I was about 12 years old, I unchained my dog from the yard where my abusive parents kept him locked up, walked him into some nearby vacant lot, and let him go, because I thought at least one of us should be able to get out. I never saw my dog again."
- Starlightriddlex
Their Furever Home
"It took my dog a couple of years to realize she was here to stay. I was her seventh owner. I am his last."
"She was returned to the shelter multiple times for behavioral issues, and when she acted out, she would immediately get depressed, thinking she was going back. She's a very good dog, very happy now, and has turned into quite an entitled princess."
- HarvestingEyes
"I once had a dog from the shelter. When I first got him, he seemed okay. But when I got him, you know, he didn't leave my side."
"One time I stopped for gas and he was looking at me out the window. I started walking into the gas station to pay and get a coffee and he just started SCREECHING in the car. Like the most scared I had ever seen a dog."
"I realized he had severe separation anxiety. I went back and picked him up and took him into the shop with me and held him the whole time. I think he realized then I was going to take care of him."
"I let him sleep on the bed with me at night and accommodate him as much as I could. Leaving him to go to work was rough but eventually, he got over it and then got over it entirely. Near the end of his life, I'd just be like, Okay, time to go to work,' and he'd go get in his crate and bury himself in a blanket and was fine with it."
- Jaereth
This is such an incredibly sad conversation to have but an important one. It's so easy to take life for granted, and it's so obvious from these end of life stories, pet stories, and more, that we simply don't have time to take that chance.