#1 This Wild Orangutan Tried To Save A Man From A Snake Infested Pond Believing That He Was In Danger. The Man Was Actually There To Remove Snakes From The Pond To Keep The Apes Safe. This Ape Made Repeated Attempts To Help The Man, By Reaching Out His Hand
#2 In 2019, A 5-Year-Old Michigan Boy Invitied His Kindergarden Class To Witness His Adoption. His Entire Class Showed Up
#3 Chen Si Is A Man Who Spends His Weekends Visiting The Largest Bridge In China To Prevent People From Jumping. He Has Saved Over 300 People
The All Things Fascinating X (formerly Twitter) account has a simple goal: sharing “fascinating facts, stories and videos.” And although it has only been around since 2021, it has already shared over 900 posts and amassed nearly 100k followers. The creators even have a YouTube account and Instagram page sharing even more information about the world you might not know but would probably like to!
When it comes to learning fun facts, it can be challenging to know where to start. But according to J. Keith van Straaten, Host, Co-Creator, Co-Producer and Co-Writer of the Go Fact Yourself podcast, we should never stop seeking out new information. “What makes life interesting and expansive is a willingness to examine the stories we tell ourselves -- and a willingness to change the narrative," J. Keith told Bored Panda in a previous interview.
#4 In 2001, Kenny Waters, A Man Wrongfully Imprisoned For 18 Years, Was Finally Released After His High School Drop Out Sister Went To Law School, So That She Could Prove His Innocence
#5 In 1996, A Mother Cat Named Scarlett Rescued All 5 Of Her Kittens From A Building Burning In NYC. She Walked Through Flames 5 Times To Rescue Each One
#6 Daniel Kish Is A Blind Man Had To Have His Eyes Removed Before He Was 13 Months Old Because Of Eye Cancer
"What usually makes a fact fun is that it challenges an existing narrative. In a small way, fun and random facts remind us to stay humble and be open to being surprised," J. Keith explained. "Plus, if you need something to talk about at a party or on a date, you've always got something in your pocket."
And there are no fun facts that aren’t worth knowing, as the podcast host shared that he knows plenty of facts that might make people wonder why in the world he knows that information. “A few [strange facts] that come to mind: Famed astronomer Carl Sagan sued Apple for calling him a butt-head. The Bellagio Hotel's lake is wider than the Titanic was long. The currency of the Cook Islands featured a topless woman riding a shark... Harley-Davidson once sold its own fragrance called Black Fire,” J. Keith previously told Bored Panda.
#7 In 2000, Zanjeer, A Mumbai Police Dog, Was Was Honored With A Full State Funeral When He Died
#8 In 2018, A Heroic Dad, Brad Lewis, Saved His Youngest Son From A Fatal Fall From A Balcony By Jumping After Him And Cradling Him To His Chest, Taking The Brunt Of The Impact
#9 In 2009, Sgt. Dakota Meyer Disobeyed A Direct Order To Pull Back From His Position And Instead Rescued Wounded Soldiers From A Firefight Nearby
While there are plenty of ways we can acquire interesting information these days, J. Keith says him and his co-host Helen Hong spend dozens of hours searching the internet and visiting the library for each episode of their show. “A great resource for lesser-known facts are interviews on YouTube," J. Keith noted. "You pick up a lot in a spoken discussion that hasn't already been disseminated in articles. Of course, when possible, we go to the sources themselves -- making calls to professors and authors to make sure we have our facts straight."
#10 In 2007, Us Marine, Brian Dennis Befriended A Stray Desert Dog Called Nubs In Iraq. After The Dog Was Stabbed With A Screwdriver, The Marine Nursed Him Back To Health
#11 In 1836, The Directors Of The Bank Of England Received An Anonymous Letter, In Which The Author Claimed To Have Direct Access To The Gold In The Bank
#12 Barry Marshall Was Convinced That The Helicobacter Pylori Bacteria Caused Stomach Ulcers, But No One Believed Him
But no matter how much research J. Keith does for his podcast, he’s not worried about becoming bored of fun facts any time soon. “Our show is based on the interests that our guests have, many of which I don't share. So there's always more facts to investigate and more knowledge to celebrate," he previously told Bored Panda.
"'Go Fact Yourself' uses trivia about topics our guests love, to bring people together with experts on that topic. It's always a point of pride when we ask a question of our guest that even our expert didn't know the answer to," J. Keith shared. "Or to discover something NOBODY knew about (Did you know Celine Dion sang the wrong words to one of her songs on a best-selling album??)"
#13 In 2012, A German Kindergarten Teacher Named Ina Koenig Jumped Down A 75-Foot Mine Shaft When A 3-Year-Old Student Of Hers Fell Into It
#14 In Cluj, Romania, You Can Pay For Your Bus Ticket By Doing 20 Squats. Disabled And Elderly People Get To Ride For Free
#15 Earlier This Year, A Portuguese Dog Named Bobi, Set The Record For The Worlds Oldest Dog. He’s 30 Years Old
For another previous Bored Panda article featuring fascinating fun facts, we got in touch with fellow lover of fun facts and author of How to Kill an Earworm, Jana Louise Smit. When it comes to why we should never stop learning, Smit says, "Continuous learning makes you smarter and can ground you in a world where people are being swept away by false stories. I believe that fun facts make the best teacher. They’ll educate, inform, and open the mind merely by being entertaining."
#16 On April 1, 2001, Hooters Offered Employees The Chance To Win A Toyota As Part Of A Beer Sales Contest
Hooters claimed the entire contest was only an April Fools’ joke.
#17 In 1993, A Man Named James Scott Purposely Damaged A Levee And Caused A Massive Flood Of The Mississippi River Only To Stall His Wife From Coming Home So That He Could Party
#18 Richard Batista Gave His Wife A Kidney. Four Years Later, She Filed For A Divorce. During Court, Richard Demanded She Return His Kidney Or Pay $1.5 Million
Smit also shared why she was inspired to write a book featuring psychology fun facts we all should know. "I want people to fall in love with the wonderful rabbit hole of psychology and that means giving them something of value, something that will keep their eyes glued to the page," she explained. "For this reason, I decided to write a book packed with unusual facts that provide quick shortcuts to a deeper understanding of the human mind."
#19 In 1994, A 73-Year-Old Man Who Was ‘Too Blind’ To Get A Driver's License Drove 240 Miles From Northwestern Iowa To Southwestern Wisconsin, On A 1966 John Deere Lawnmower To Visit His Brother, Who Recently Had A Stroke
#20 Li Jingzhi, A Chinese Woman, Was Reunited With Her Son, Jia Jia, Who Was Kidnapped In 1988
