Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Things Everybody Knows That They Just Now Learned

People Explain Which Things Everybody Knows That They Just Now Learned
File:Dying candle.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Make us preferred on Google

You were "today years old" when you learned....what?

You learn something new every day, even if you don't think you do--but when you're aware that you learned something that you really should have known, boy, you are really aware.

At the same time, you're like...how did nobody ever tell me this? Was I supposed to divine this from thin air on my own?


u/Lawvamat asked:

What did you just recently learn that "everybody knows"?

Here were some of those answers.

Hoodwinked

I went to Venice with my school and a group of girls told me that they eat their tampons after they are done with them. It was for some stupid reason like to regain their iron or something. I believed it and even the teachers played alone. I went back home to the UK and for about 6 months after the trip I still believed this lie. It wasn't until I asked my mum whether she ate her tampon.

She was HORRIFIED. Then she burst out laughing. I can't believe my whole class tricked me for so long.

BruverJack

 A Nest Is Not At Home

Birds don't live in their nests.

My wife is never going to let me forget that this was a mind-blowing revelation for me.

Basstracer

Earth To Stars

The North Star isn't unique because of its brightness, it's unique because it doesn't move, always stays north, while the others rotate around it.

mjt9119

For extra trippage: the north star changes over time. The ancients had a different one from us. The point in the sky that north points to moves over time, making a complete circle every 26,000 years.

ETA: the relevant Wikipedia article.

pterrorgrine

To Extend Where No Pencil Extended Before

I don't think everybody knows but I just discovered pencil extenders are a thing. I was just complaining on social media that I had a bunch of unusable pencils worn down to 2 inches, and just as I pressed send, I thought "there's probably something for that." I'm 41 and I've drawn all my life, never knew they existed.

portsherry

Just Dandy

Dandelions (the yellow flowered weed) and Dandelions (the fluffy white weed) are the same plant.

I'm 29 and my dumb @$$ didn't connect that they have the same name.

ali_whi

Not A Bent Arrow

Oh man, for the longest time I thought the phrase "straight and narrow" was "straightened arrow" e.g. a person goes through a rough patch but now is on the 'straightened arrow' because you know, a straightened arrow flies straight and true while a warped one is all wild an erratic. Oof.

Don't get me started on my misunderstanding for an alternative word for crossing.

Bashful_Tuba

Bones In Your Face

That babies are born with a full set of baby and adult teeth already in their heads. Their teeth don't form when it's time for them to get them, they just push down out of their gums because they were always there.

RayDeaver

It Was Really A Farm

When I was a kid, we had a huge dog that attacked a girl (because she was throwing rocks at him), so we had to get rid of him. My parents told me that they took him to a farm, where he would be happy and free, thinking he was dead.

Six months later, a farmer showed up at our house asking to give the dog back because he ate the cab of the farmer's truck.

AdeptLength

Be S-Pacific

Not me but a friend of mine graduated high school and that same summer we discovered he didn't know which ocean was the Atlantic or Pacific

MangoBrando

How Is Candle Work?

I learned this a few months ago and shared it on Reddit, which was apparently the first time many people learned this.

The wax in a candle actually fuels the flame. The heat from the flame melts the wax around it. The wick then draws the liquid wax up towards the flame. As the wax gets closer to the guy and therefore is warmed up even more, it goes from liquid to gas, and then the vapors burn to sustain the flame. Everyone seemed to think that the wax was just there to keep the wick vertical, but no, the wax actually feeds the flame.

MasteringTheFlames

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jake Lang making a fool of himself at a cat adoption event.
@JakeLang/X

Far-Right Activist Dragged After Crashing What He Thought Was A 'Furry' Convention That Was Actually For Cat Owners

Far-right lunatic and grifter Jake Lang is once again the laughingstock of the internet for seemingly confusing cat owners with furries.

Like many right-wingers, Lang, who received a pardon from Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 coup attempt at the Capitol, has made a career out of being a deranged provocateur online.

Keep Reading Show less
screenshot from C-SPAN
C-SPAN

Trump Dragged Over His Desperation After Calling Into C-SPAN Show—And Even The Host Is Caught Off Guard

During the premiere episode of C-SPAN's Washington Journal Primetime, viewers were stunned to hear MAGA Republican President Trump calling in to speak with surprised looking host Mimi Georges.

Trump answered some questions off the cuff about his immigration policies and his Iran War. As usual, he embellished the truth to flatter himself and denied any wrongdoing.

Keep Reading Show less
Pete Hegseth; Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Pete Hegseth Just Claimed His Controversial Military Operations Were All 'Ordered' By Trump—And Everyone's Making The Same Point

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was criticized for saying that military operations in Iran and Venezuela were "ordered" by President Donald Trump while responding to articles of impeachment brought against him by Republican Representative Thomas Massie.

The impeachment resolution brought by Massie alleges that Hegseth abused his office in several ways, including launching military action against Iran without congressional approval, failing to safeguard civilians, and overseeing deadly strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.

Keep Reading Show less
Abdul El-Sayed; Peggy Flanagan; James Talarico
Finn Gomez/Getty Images (left and right); Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images (center)

The Incoming Freshman Democratic Senators Posed For Their First Selfie At Orientation—And It's Honestly Everything

Social media users can't get enough of the first group selfie featuring incoming freshmen Democratic U.S. Senators, including Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico.

Last week, Democrats swept midterm election races to win back both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in a clear repudiation of the Trump administration.

Keep Reading Show less
Lori Huang and Jensen Huang attend the 12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Tech Billionaire Apologizes To Wife Of 40 Years After Affair With Alleged Chinese Spy: 'I Am Deeply Sorry'

Most cheating scandals end with awkward family dinners and a whole lot of explaining. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's comes with allegations involving Chinese intelligence and questions about American national security.

And somewhere in that mess is Lori Huang, his wife of more than 40 years, who just received a very public apology.

Keep Reading Show less