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The OP told Bored Panda that it was curiosity that encouraged them to pose the question to the online community. “I know Reddit users are knowledgeable about a lot of random stuff and what better way to learn more random stuff than asking the people who know a bunch of them but don’t know anyone who would be interested in hearing them?”
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“I’m curious about a lot of things and I always try to find out more,” the OP shared, adding that they didn’t expect to see so many answers in the thread that they started. “I almost lost count; it honestly surprised me how people know all of these things.”
They revealed that the fun fact they love the most is that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. “I always get a laugh at that one,” they said.
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On 8 April, 1942, a detachment of Polish soldiers, deployed to Iran by the Allies, bought a **bear cub** from an Iranian boy. In August the bear was given to the 22nd Artillery Supply company and named Wojtek by the soldiers.
They fed him condensed milk, honey, fruit, and beer, which ended up being his favorite drink. He also picked up smoking, and enjoyed wrestling with his human friends, and bunking in on cold nights.
When the Polish II Corps was redeployed it Italy to fight alongside the British, the Brits wouldn’t transport mere mascots on a troop ship, so Wojtek was formally enrolled in the Polish army as a private.
During the brutal Battle of Monte Cassino Private Wojtek helped keep the guns firing by hauling boxes of ammo, each containing four 25 pound shells. These crates normally took four men to haul. For his bravery and service in battle Wojtek was promoted to Corporal, and his visage became the emblem of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company.
After the war the 22nd was sent to Scotland, before being demobilized, at which point Wojtek was given to the Edinburgh Zoo, where he was often visited by Polish soldiers until his death in 1963.
**TDLR:** Polish soldiers adopted a bear named Wojtek in 1942. He served in WWII, carrying ammo at the Battle of Monte Cassino, and was promoted to Corporal. After the war, he lived in the Edinburgh Zoo until 1963.
The reason so many redditors seem to have at least one or two fun facts at hand is because, according to cognitive scientist and researcher Elizabeth Bonawitz, curiosity is innate in all humans. “Curiosity acts as a kind of filter you put over the world to help the mind decide what information to attend to,” Harvard Graduate School Of Education cites her saying. “It’s a physiological response that helps drive action and decision-making to support learning.”
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Talking about curiosity, Dr. Michael E. W. Varnum pointed out to Bored Panda that a recent meta-analysis examining hundreds of studies found that curiosity appears to be positively linked to intelligence. “The personality trait of openness is also associated with higher levels of curiosity. Age may also play a role,” he added.
“Some work suggests that curiosity may decline in old age. On the other end of the lifespan, young children, much to the delight and sometimes consternation of their parents, tend to be incredibly curious.”
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Even though our curiosity might decline in old age, according to Dr. Varnum, we tend to keep learning throughout our entire life. “In fact, research suggests that crystallized intelligence tends to increase in adulthood into old age, although at extremely older ages dementia or other sources of cognitive decline may kick in. But nonetheless, in general we do continue to accumulate knowledge and experience throughout our lives.
“In terms of the importance of curiosity, studies have found that it may improve well-being and enhance success in academic settings among other benefits,” the expert added.
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Somehow, they missed the drummer yelling "F**k!" at 0:54
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