Curiosities,Interesting FactsSEP 17, 2023

"What Is A True Fact That Sounds 100% Fake?": 50 Interesting Facts

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Every once in a while, you might hear something that makes your brain go “Huh?” An idea, fact, or detail that does not at all sit right. So you sit down and Google it, only to have your entire worldview upended.

Someone wanted to know what facts sound definitely made up but are actually factually correct. The experts and trivia aficionados of the internet came together to share interesting and obscure facts that you can use. So get comfortable as you scroll through, prepare to have your mind boggled, and be sure to upvote your favorite facts. Comment any other interesting facts you didn’t see mentioned.

#1

Over 70 years ago then Naval Lieutenant James “Jimmy” Carter led a team that walked into a melting nuclear reactor core and shut it down safely. He got dosed with so much radioactivity (10,000x more than what we now consider safe) he pissed radioactive whizz for months. Yet he outlived not only his Presidential successor but his successor. He’s the nations oldest President ever, and recently celebrated his 77th wedding anniversary, also a record for a President.

He’s currently in EOL Hospice care. And has been… for almost 7 months now. The man is made of iron.

biffbobfred

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429points

#2

it would be cheaper to have medicare for all than the current private healthcare scheme we have in the US. like trillions of dollars cheaper and would help with a lot of the social ills we have at the moment.

Youngworker160

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421points

Given the number of scientists and historians around the world, it’s not surprising that we have new bits of information or inventions to marvel at every day. For example, if someone were to tell you about holographic animals at a circus performance, you would wonder what sci-fi show they had just watched.

Well, Germany's Roncalli circus has actually done that, using footage they filmed in 1991. The circus boss, wonderfully named Patrick Philadelphia, says the idea came from musicians doing the same. “If you can project someone who's no longer living onto a holographic screen, why can't you do it with an animal, a horse, an elephant? So that's where the idea came from,” he shared with Euronews.

#3

Brazil is so big that the northernmost point in Brazil is closer to Canada than it is to the southernmost point in Brazil.

Remain_silent

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284points

#4

"What Is A True Fact That Sounds 100% Fake?": 50 Interesting Facts

Bats help pollinate the agave plant. So if you like tequila, give props to the bats

Intothewasteland, https://unsplash.com/photos/qAts81pZrbg

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274points

#5

You could be a carrier for any number of genetic diseases and not ever know it, and if you just happen to have a child with another carrier of the same disease, there is a 25% chance they will have it. Many of these diseases can be treated very well if caught on a newborn screening, but the majority of states don't have many genetic diseases on their newborn screening panel, so you won't have any idea until your child shows symptoms, and in most cases, by then it is too late.

Source: Me

I am a carrier for a rare terminal genetic disease called Krabbe Disease. Had two perfectly healthy children, then when my third child was 20 months old, he lost all of his abilities to walk, crawl, and even sit up unassisted in a matter of weeks. He is the 25% chance we didn't even know existed since no one in either of our families ever had the disease. Now, he is fighting for survival through a stem cell transplant to prolong his life.

He has a page we use to spread awareness for anyone interested in seeing his journey. It's called Prayers for Arthur, hope for a cure.

Vetchemh2

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258points

While that does seem like a solid idea, have you noticed that you often do your best thinking in the shower? No, you aren’t imagining it, it’s a real feature. Unless you’re taking a cold shower, the relaxation and heat help your brain produce dopamine, which stimulates creativity. So if you are feeling stuck with something, hop in the shower and see where it takes you.

#6

Pocahontas and William Shakespeare died less than a year apart and within 150 miles of each other.

FLEXXMAN33, wikipedia

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236points

#7

Sharks are older than both trees and the rings of Saturn.

drewsiferr, Gerald Schömbs

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222points

#8

"Häagen-Dazs" has no meaning in any language, it was meant to sound "European". It was started by Reuben Mattus, a Polish immigrant to New York who sold fruit ice and ice cream from a horse-drawn cart.

FLEXXMAN33, Willis Lam

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197points

Speaking of ideas, anyone who has spent more than four minutes in a city has no doubt encountered what some deem the “flying rat.” If that wasn’t enough of a hint, it’s a reference to the pigeon. Bumbling, clumsy, and somewhat annoying, these birds can actually tell the difference between the works of Picasso and Monet, despite not being able to tell a breadcrumb apart from some sand.

#9

80% of Soviet males born in 1923 didn’t survive WWII.

FLEXXMAN33, Emily Schultz

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196points

#10

Trees existed for a while before there was bacteria to break down trees, so most of the earth was just a pile of dead trees for awhile

IndianaJonesDoombot, Jordan Madrid

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190points

#11

The moon is roughly 400x smaller than the sun, but also coincidentally about 400x closer to us than the sun. This makes them appear as though they are the same size - helpful for solar eclipses! This will change over time though as the moon drifts away from us, we just happen to live in a time that they appear the same size!

bobfossilnoway, Drew Rae

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187points

The blue whale tends to feature on this list a lot, as the largest mammal and animal on our planet. Its heart might not fit into most commercial pick-up trucks and we could slide down its veins like a water park ride, but did you know that its massive cardiovascular system works with such power that you can hear its heartbeat two miles away?

#12

A kind of moth is found in Madagascar that almost entirely subsists on the tears of sleeping birds.

Technical-SaladE22, Dan Doucette

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178points

#13

Tsutomo Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip and on the day he was supposed to leave, the atomic bomb dropped. Tsutomo survived with minor injuries and returned to his home in Nagasaki where he went to work 3 days later. As he was describing his experience to his supervisor, the second bomb was dropped and he survived without any injuries. He ended up living into his 90s.

FLEXXMAN33

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173points

#14

The founders of Adidas and Puma were brothers with a sibling rivalry.

VerendusAudeo

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165points

As mentioned before, there are more and more interesting facts about the world being revealed every day. Logically, not all of them will “make sense,” so if you want to read more, Bored Panda has got you covered. Check out our articles on facts that sound fake at first but are actually real and our collection of “stupid facts” that are still true.

#15

There are more hydrogen atoms in a single molecule of water than there are stars in the entire Solar System.

hymie0, Lisa Fotios

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164points

#16

There were already fossilized dinosaur bones while dinosaurs were still alive.

mjohnsimon, Narciso Arellano

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163points

#17

The timespan between the use of copper swords and then steel swords is longer then the timespan between the use of steel swords and the nuclear bomb.

hclpfan, Gary Todd

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145points

#18

Jimmy Carter left nuclear codes in his jacket, which he had sent to the cleaners.

RegularEmbarrassed36, Library of Congress

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139points

#19

Human children do not develop kneecaps until they are 3 years old.

Patient-Window6603

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136points

#20

Salamanders are commonly associated with being summoned by fire in folklore. This is because they like to hide in decaying wood. And when people would burn the wood the salamander wouldn't notice right away until it was fully engulfed in flames and then come out of the wood and crawl out from the coals.

BlunGold

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127points

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