#1 In 1959, Police Were Called When 9-Year-Old Ron Mcnair, A Black Boy, Refused To Leave A Segregated Library In S. Carolina
#2 Syndrome K Was A Fake Disease Invented By Italian Doctors Giovanni Borromeo And Vittorio Sacerdoti During WWII To Protect Jews Hiding In Their Hospital
#3 After A Woman Told Shaq His Shoes Were Too Expensive For Kids, He Walked Away From A $40M Reebok Deal And Signed With Walmart
Many of the photos and stories shared by members of the r/CantBelieveThatsReal are stellar. And yet, in this day and age, you’d be forgiven for being skeptical about everything and anything that you see online. Not only are many of the images you see on social media photoshopped and filtered, but now, with generative AI being so widely available, lots of content (read: slop) is outright fake but presented as human-made and monetized. For artists of all kinds, this is frustrating.
Being skeptical of the information and content you stumble across online is a core part of media literacy. And yet, ironically, malicious actors can turn that skepticism against you by employing the so-called liar’s dividend.
#4 In 2009, A Quaker Parrot Named Willie Saved A Toddler’s Life
#5 A Finnish Photographer Documented An Unlikely Bond Between A Female Grey Wolf And A Male Brown Bear
#6 Christina Santhouse Had Half Her Brain Removed At Age 8 To Stop Constant Seizures
The liar’s dividend is a way for people to protect themselves by claiming that real and legitimate information is supposedly misinformation or disinformation, simply because fake information exists at all. They might claim that the evidence that proves their guilt is allegedly false or deep faked, for instance, with AI.
“This approach has the benefit of muddying the waters so that people, especially those who traffic in misinformation, are able to evade or blunt scrutiny embedded in accurate words or actions that are then not believed by others,” Encyclopædia Britannica states.
“In a world in which information can easily be falsified, a politician might claim that they did not do or say what they in fact did or said. The mistrust in the mainstream news media, for instance, allows political actors around the world to evade or blunt legitimate scrutiny of their words, decisions, or actions. The liar’s dividend pays off for those who sow mistrust and then use that same mistrust to their own advantage.”
#7 Laurence Tureaud Named Himself Professionally As Mr. T Because He Hated How His Father, Uncle, And Brother Who Returned From Vietnam Were Disrespectfully Called "Boy" By Whites
#8 Hyundai’s Founder Grew Up In A Poor Farming Family In What’s Now North Korea. In The 1930s, He Stole A Cow To Buy A Train Ticket To Seoul And Start A New Life
#9 Ken Allen, The San Diego Zoo Orangutan Nicknamed “The Hairy Houdini,” Became A Legend For His Daring Escapes
The r/CantBelieveThatsReal online community has been entertaining and inspiring photography-loving internet users for more than 6 years.
Created in early 2020, the group was meant to be a place for everyone to share real images, videos, or moments that “look too crazy, surreal, or impossible to be true… but are.” The community remains vibrant and active to this day.
Authenticity, high-quality content, and communal participation lie at the core of everything that the r/CantBelieveThatsReal group does. Everyone is encouraged to post the unbelievable but real things they find. However, there is a fundamental emphasis on sharing real, verifiable content.
“Your content must depict real, unaltered events, objects, or phenomena,” the moderators stress.
#11 Researchers Taught African Grey Parrots To Buy Food With Tokens
#12 In 1825, Painter Samuel Morse Got A Letter Saying His Wife Was Ill. The Next Day, Another Said She Was Gone. By The Time He Rushed Home, She Was Already Buried
According to the mods who keep the community running smoothly, the things that you’re allowed to share in the group include real photos or videos, CCTV or broadcast footage, firsthand captures, and verified historical footage.
Furthermore, as a poster, you have to help the moderator team verify the authenticity of your content.
So, you are encouraged to include a link to a credible source to prove that your content is, well, real. For example, you might share a news article, a reverse image link, etc.
However, if you saw something firsthand and took a photo or video, you should describe where and when it happened. Meanwhile, if you are reposting someone else’s awesome content, don’t claim ownership. And don’t repost content that has already appeared in the group within the last half-year.
#13 Scientists Discovered A Real-Life Kermit The Frog In Costa Rica, First Spotted In 2015 By Dr. Brian Kubicki. The Species, Hyalinobatrachium Dianae, Has A Bright Green Color And Cartoon-Like Face That Makes It Look Just Like The Famous Muppet
#14 In The Forearm There’s A Very Small Muscle That Contracts Only When Lifting The Pinky, Otherwise It Stays Invisible
#15 A Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps Himalayensis) Warding Off Intruders By Showing Its ‘Fake Eyes’
Another way that the r/CantBelieveThatsReal maintains standards is that it forbids low-effort or off-topic content. In a nutshell, everything you post ought to match the theme of the subreddit, namely, “That looks fake, but it’s real.”
Things like coincidences, pareidolia, or optical illusions that look generic and believable are better suited for other photography-related online communities.
Furthermore, the moderators take a very strict approach toward the use of artificial intelligence. “This isn’t a place for AI-enhanced selfies or images altered to ‘look fake.’ If you used AI in any part of the creation process, do not post it here,” they stress.
Moreover, you must avoid clickbait, misleading titles, and sensationalism. Shock value, excessive punctuation, and all-caps in your titles won’t get you much love in this community.
#16 A Woman Named Patricia Stallings Was Jailed For Life For Poisoning Her Child With Antifreeze
#17 After A Stroke At 43 Left Him Completely Paralyzed Except For One Eyelid, French Editor Jean-Dominique Bauby Wrote His Memoir The Diving Bell And The Butterfly By Blinking Each Letter As An Assistant Recited The Alphabet. It Took Him About 200,000 Blinks To Finish
#18 “Radium Girls” Painted Glowing Watch Dials With Self Luminous Paint, Licking Their Brushes To Keep A Sharp Tip
Tell us what you think, Pandas!
Which of these striking photos and stories impressed you the most, and why? Which ones did you upvote?
What is your relationship with photography and history like? You can share your thoughts—along with the most impressive facts you recently learned and cool photos from your personal album—in the comments at the very bottom of this list.
#19 In 2004, Police Uncovered A Secret Cinema, Bar, And Restaurant Hidden Deep Beneath Paris’s Catacombs, Complete With Electricity, Phone Lines, And A Barking-Dog Alarm
#20 American Engineer Lonnie Johnson Invented The Super Soaker While Working With The U.S. Air Force. In 2013, He Learned Hasbro Was Underpaying Him, Sued The Company, And Won Nearly $73 Million In Royalties
