One of the peculiar things about human beings is that we can get stuck in our own worlds. Our own bubbles, our own feedback loops, and even in our own heads – which means that sometimes we can have a skewed perception of what is “common” and what is not.
These 21 people, for example, thought these little facts were something everyone knew, but actually, they’re new information to many!
21. I’m sorry, what?
Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment isn’t just a cat in a box. There has to be a device that may or may not kill the cat.
More importantly, the thought experiment is what Schrödinger argued that shouldn’t happen.
He basically said that his opponents’ model is so absurd that it can result in a cat being dead and alive at the same time.
20. So we should capitalize it?
LASER is an acronym for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”.
19. And it happens quite often.
The moon and the sun can be in the sky at the same time.
Yeah. On almost any given (obviously not cloudy) day you can find the moon.
The amount of people who don’t refuse this despite literally being able to look at the sky and see it is amazing.
18. Ok I knew that one.
Scuba is self contained underwater breathing apparatus.
17. But…science?
Often, when I mention something about the multiple moon landings (manned flights), some people think there was only one landing (and that it was probably fake).
I only learned this a few years ago. It makes sense but, nobody ever talks about the subsequent ones.
The info made Apollo 13 problems make more sense.
16. We learned this from the movies, yeah?
In a formal meal where there are multiple forks/utensils on both sides of the plate, they’re placed so that you can work from the outside inwards for each course.
15. Don’t make it awkward.
If you hold open a door, don’t do that by standing in the doorway.
i’m kinda short and i’ve had people do that to me, expecting me to walk under their arm? it’s so stupid. just get out of my way!
14. The more you know.
Va*inas don’t get “loose” from having s^x they snap back into place pretty easily. If someone with a va*ina felt loose and easy to be “in” during s^x it meant you were doing a good job and they were aroused.
Also, if someone has long labia minora (inner labia), that does not mean they’ve had a lot of s^x or a lot of partners. It’s just genetics.
Vulvas come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors, and p*rn doesn’t always do a good job of showcasing that diversity.
13. What’s the name of the plane, then?
Air Force One is not the name of the aircraft, but the call sign for whatever aircraft the president is onboard. ( I’m in the uk).
Just planes, as far as I am aware.
Plane carrying POTUS- Air Force One
Helicopter carrying POTUS- Marine One
I know that the Secret Service refers to the presidential armored limo as “the beast” due to all of its crazy customizations (it’s effectively just a rolling bunker), but I believe that is what they call it whether the president is aboard or not.
12. A trick we can all use.
I knew this but stole the whole text directly from google search:
Percentages are reversible. So, 16% of 25 is the same thing as 25% of 16 (4). Only one is easier to calculate in your mind than the other.… Now, the trick isn’t great for numbers where you can’t do either percentage in your head, like 17% of 39 or 39% of 17 (fuck knows how much that is… 5.5? 6? around that, pretty good still…)
11. Unless you like to be yellow.
I got laughed in my face when I told people that smoking (amongst other harmful things) is very bad for your skin.
and your teeth. Not just staining, it damages your gums.
10. Just to have babies.
Chickens do not need roosters to lay eggs.
And I just learned this from my nana who grew up on a farm…if you slaughter a chicken and see their innards, they have multiple eggs inside of them, in different stages of development, in different sizes.
I was shook, I had no idea about that.
9. It’s just a myth.
That the idea that you eat x number of spiders every year is complete hogwash.
The myth is that you eat eight spiders a year in your sleep. There’s a really good video about this by the channel LEMMiNO on YouTube.
He actually falls down the biggest rabbit hole, learning that the myth apparently originated from an article written by one Lisa Birgit Holst in a magazine.
He then finds that the origin of the myth… is a myth in and of itself, simply to prove how easy it is for people to believe what they read.
8. A simple trick.
You know when there’s a Friday the 13th in the calendar because that particular month starts on a Sunday.
If there is a Friday the 13th in September, there will also be one in December.
I also once had to explain why Halloween could never fall on Friday the 13th.
7. It’s not as cush a job as many think.
The academic job market for professors has been horrible for decades. It’s not a new problem.
Just saying because when I hear people complain about having a PHD and not being able to get a faculty job.
WTF, didn’t that come up during grad school?
6. I bet there are so many things like this.
If you hold down the Windows key and press the left or right arrow it will snap the open window to that side for multitasking.
Lots of people waste time dragging and resizing.
5. Nobody likes a bully.
Crows chase birds of prey – some small birds will do it too.
There are pictures at work of raptors getting mobbed by smaller birds and I’m always surprised when people are amazed by it. It happens fairly often in my neighborhood.
4. Nature is weird.
Platypus lay eggs but are mammals.
My aunt had to check on google for my dad to believe me lol.
I knew this ever since I was a kid because i loved reading about animals and always thought it was common knowledge.
3. You know which of your friends to ask.
Apparently, the difference between “your” and “you’re”.
and “there” and “their”
saw “to” mistaken for “two” yesterday, I had to close the app.
2. If only more people knew…
When you get added to a Facebook group with thousands of members, there is absolutely no need to make a post thanking everyone for letting you join.
1. Sad but true.
I’m definitely not the only one. But there is a big gap between those working in the medical/scientific community and the general public.
For example, a lot of people don’t realize the huge biological differences between different cancers.
One drug is never going to cure all cancer types.
Cancer isn’t one disease.
Every instance is different.
I’m not saying which ones were new to me, but I definitely learned a few things.
What fact would you add to this list? Surprise us in the comments!
