It’s no secret thatthe internetis brimming with random facts that are often not only interesting, but very amusing, too. And that’s one of the things that makes it fascinating - you can find yourself reading about something you never knew you were interested in—until that very moment—just because you accidentally wandered off a few clicks away.
Though, below, you will find not only the fun facts, butBored Panda’sinterviews with the redditor who started the thread, as well as Social Psychology Area Head and Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University,Michael E. W. Varnum, PhD, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions, too.
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There is a tiny little island in the Arctic called “Hans” island. It has been disputed Territory between Canada and Denmark. Denmark would plant its flag, and leave a bottle of schnapps. Eventually the Canadian ship would arrive remove the Danish flag and take the schnapps. They would then raise the Canadian flag on the island and leave a bottle of Canadian club. This has been going on since the 1980s and was finally resolved in 2022 when they decided to share the island.Ladies and gentlemen, this is how war should be fought.
For my fellow 90s kids who heard a lot about this growing up - the hole in the ozone over antarctica is basically fixed! Turns out we do have the power to make positive environmental changes if we work together as a global community.
When Haiti was fighting the French in a civil war the French send some polish to deal with it when they saw how the slaves were treated the Polish joined the haiti revolution.
The OP told Bored Panda that it wascuriositythat 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?”
Cows have accents depending on where they’re born and they also have best friends and get depressed when separated.
They found a giant ocean of water floating in space thats supposed to be something like 140,000 times the size of our solar system. Space sharks might actually exist.
“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.
“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.
Elephants can purr, like cats.
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.
The reason so many redditors seem to have at least one or twofun factsat 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 Educationcites her saying. “It’s a physiological response that helps drive action and decision-making to support learning.”
Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln was an elite wrestling champion. In 300 matches, he only lost one. Bonus fun fact: He was also a licensed bartender.
Whales are mammals. Mammals make milk. Whale milk is so high in fat it is the consistency of toothpaste.I love to bust that one out while someone is brushing their teeth.
Pigeons mate for life.
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.”
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.”
Ignaz Semmelweis, who was the doctor that tried to convince other doctors to wash their hands, was mocked for it and eventually suffered a mental breakdown. He spent the last years of his life in an asylum.
Playing a B flat on a tuba can cause arousal in alligators.
In 1884, a crew stranded on a boat on the high seas ate the cabin boy, Richard Parker, to survive. (R v Dudley and Stephens case)In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe’s first and only novel was published (The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket). In the novel, a group of whaling sailors are stranded on a boat. To prevent them from dying of hunger and thirst, one of the crew offers to draw lots. The crew agrees. The one who draws the short straw is also the one who offered it. But the irony is not there. The real irony is the name of this fictional character in the novel: Richard Parker.And no, you didn’t misread the dates!
Even though ourcuriositymight 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.
Even though ourcuriositymight 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.
Gandhi arrived in London right before Jack the Ripper started his k*lling spree and there were no more murders after he left. He can’t be ruled out as a suspect.
“Louie Louie” was a #2 hit in 1963 for The Kingsmen. The vocals were so garbled and slurred, rumors spread that the lyrics were dirty. The FBI investigated the song on suspicion of violating obscenity laws. After two years, they decided the lyrics were “unintelligible at any speed.“Somehow, they missed the drummer yelling “F**k!” at 0:54
Chessy (Lisa Ann Walters) from Parent Trap (1998) gave birth to twin boys on October 11th 2000 which is the same birthday the twins had in the movie!
Spider legs are on a hydraulic system. To move their limbs, they use their hemolymph (basically their blood) which is why when they die, their legs curl.
Penguins have an organ behind their eyes that turns sea water in to fresh water.
The word millennium has two N’s in the middle, because it comes from the Latin word for “year”, annus.If you spell it with one N, this changes annus to a**s, which makes it mean not “a thousand years” but rather “a thousand a******s”.
Brett Michaels had the cops called on him when a hotel maid saw him shooting up when in fact, he’s diabetic and was giving insulin.
Oxen are just bulls (or a cow) with jobs, not a whole separate species of bovine.
The tips of giraffe tongues are dark purple, to protect against the sun. They spend most of their time in the wild, eating.
Dragonflies suck water up their butts and shoot it out like jets when they get tired.
The reason UK Pubs had stupid names, was so the illiterate patrons could find them with the artwork.
See Also on Bored Panda
El Paso, Texas is closer to San Diego, California than it is to Houston, Texas.
Cold water holds oxygen better than warm water. Which is why you’ll usually find fish in shadier areas during sunny days.Also, if you want ice cubes to be clear, you have to boil the water first to get the extra oxygen/bubbles out.
Imitation vanilla used to be made from Beaver a**l sack juice.
The universe has either been around for all of eternity, or it literally went from absolutely nothing to suddenly having a universe. Thinking too hard about either one can make your head spin.
The first predator movie has two United States governors in it.
Donald Ducks middle name is Fauntleroy.
Marijuana was not decriminalized in Jamaica until 2015, despite its association with the country.
Before the movie Psycho came out, movies didn’t have showtimes. You just walked in and watched until you’d seen the whole movie.Alfred Hitchcock didn’t want the twist spoiled for people, so he insisted on showtimes.
A cockroach can live up to 168 hours without its head.
Meaty human thighs have 13,355 calories.
Someone in the world just died as you were reading this.
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Your bones are wet.
Some species of frogs have butt cheeks.
In the old days, some women wore fake pubic hair pieces called ‘merkins’.
Sharks are older than trees.
Birds are actually the only line of dinosaurs that survived mass extinction and evolved to rule the air as mammals took over the land. The line is called theropods. Don’t belive? Search it up I dare you.
Did you know that Viggo Mortensen broke his toe….
Nebraska is the only triply landlocked state.
Cornflakes were invented to try to stop kids jerkin off.
Fruit doesn’t contain protein, but in the nutritional information on juice bottles, there is a protein content…. from unlucky insects.
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Curiosities
