A wonderful part about being alive in the information age is the ability to access, you guessed it, information in volumes our ancestors could probably not comprehend. A side effect of this is that there is simply so much to learn that you can encounter a new fact every single day.
We’ve gathered a collection of interesting posts from people who just discounted something recently. So get comfortable as you scroll through, perhaps jot down the ones that were new for you, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts and own experiences in the comments section below.
#1
In 2001, a 13-year-old Boy Scout named Cody Clawson went missing for over 18 hours near Yellowstone Park. Clawson resorted to using his belt buckle to signal to planes overhead. Eventually, he got a pilot’s attention - and that pilot was none other than Harrison Ford - who rescued Clawson.
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300points
#2
in his suicide note, mass shooter Charles Whitman requested his body be autopsied because he felt something was wrong with him. The autopsy discovered that Whitman had a pecan-sized tumor pressing against his amygdala, a brain structure that regulates fear and aggression.
272points
#3
In 2015, a woman's parachute failed to deploy while skydiving, surviving with life-threatening injuries. Days before, she survived a mysterious gas leak at her house. Both were later found to be intentional murder plots by her husband.
261points
#4
A group of horses were trained to communicate whether they wanted a jacket. All horses in the group successfully communicated that they did want a jacket when it was cold and did not want a jacket when it was hot.
259points
#5
Octopuses deliberately throw shells at each other. Researchers found that 66% of throws were made by females, often in response to mating attempts. For a creature with no thumbs or rotator cuffs, they had a 17% hit rate.
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249points
#6
In 1976 groundskeeper Richard Arndt caught Hank Aaron's 755th home run ball & tried to return it to Aaron but was told he's unavailable. The next day the Brewers fired Arndt for stealing team property (the ball) & deducted $5 from his final paycheck. In 1999, he sold it at auction for $625,000.
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227points
#7
The first African American woman to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel in 1939, wasn't even able to attend the premiere of the movie she preformed in due to it being held at a whites-only theater.
224points
#8
A man named Göran Kropp from Sweden rode his bicycle to Nepal, climbed Mount Everest alone without Sherpas or bottled oxygen, then cycled back to Sweden again.
221points
#9
During a rap beef, Jay-Z wrote a diss song against Nas, describing him having an affair with Nas girlfriend. Jay-Z's mom was disgusted with her son's behaviour and made him apologize to Nas and his family.
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220points
#10
On April 18 1930, the BBC's evening news report simply said "there is no news" and then played piano music for the entire segment.
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206points
#11
Lady Gaga is the first woman in history to win an Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA & Golden Globe in a single year, in 2019 for her perfomance in A Star is Born.
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199points
#12
Chief Baker of the Titanic, Charles Joughin, survived by getting smashed on Brandy and calmly paddling around until dawn when he was rescued by a lifeboat. He was also one of the last people off the ship, riding the stern rail into the sea like an elevator.
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197points
#13
More people died taking selfies (379) than from shark attacks (90) between 2008-2021.
192points
#14
Muhammad Ali's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is on a wall instead of on the ground. This is because Ali, a devout Muslim, did not want people stepping on the name "Muhammad".
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188points
#15
In the early 60s, the US Coast Guard got letters from the public demanding to know why the castaways on the TV show Gilligan's Island had not yet been rescued.
175points
#16
War pigs were used by the Romans because the squeals would scare war elephants into fleeing, and cause them to trample their own armies.
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174points
#17
That 'Rocky' (1976) was inspired by the true story of Chuck Wepner, a local boxer from New Jersey who was set up for a dream fight with Muhammad Ali. Wepner quit his job to train full time, and against all odds, lasted 15 rounds with the champ. Stallone was in the audience.
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162points
#18
Most animals can see UV light — humans being blind to it is the exception not the rule.
162points
#19
Steven Spielberg desperately wanted to release Schindler’s List in 1993 in time for the Warsaw Ghetto anniversary. But Universal wanted him to finish Jurassic Park first. To keep Universal happy, he had George Lucas oversee Jurassic’s post-production while he’s filming Schindler’s List in Poland.
156points
#20
While dogs may not pass the traditional mirror test, they do pass a "smell mirror" test, suggesting they understand the concept of 'self'.
148points