Article created by: Greta Jaruševičiūtė

Though the sensation has probably been around since our ancestors developed emotions, it wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that we started describing the uncanny as something that gives us "the creeps." Charles Dickens, who enriched the English language with plenty of new words and expressions, is credited with the first use of the phrase in his 1849 novel 'David Copperfield,' to mean an unpleasant, tingly chill up the spine.

A few days ago, Reddit user Mimiqttt set out to find out what the definition means to different people, and posted a question on the platform, asking, "What are some creepy facts you know?" From natural phenomena to the biological workings of our bodies, here are some of the most popular answers they've received.

#1

Men's restroom sign with a disability emblem on a tiled wall, illuminated by overhead light. One of the most common places to find a dead body is on the toilet. Cause when they're alive and not feeling well, the first thing they do is go to the toilet thinking it could be a bowel issue.

pumpkinthighs , Grant Hughes Report

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    #2

    Person holding a tablet displaying anatomical diagrams, related to creepy facts about the world. When you have a kidney transplant, they don’t remove your original organs, and the Transplant does not go in the place of your old organ. Source: have had three kidney transplants in my lifetime. I have a total of five kidneys in my body.

    Blackthorne519 , RF._.studio Report

    #3

    Happy black and white dog looking up at the camera, set against a textured concrete background. Due to human artificial selection, dogs are evolving eyebrows.

    Light_of_Niwen , Helena Lopes Report

    #4

    Close-up view of two eyes side by side, emphasizing eerie differences in iris color, illustrating creepy world facts. Your eyes have their own immune system that works separately from your body’s immune system. If your body’s immune system found out it would attack your eyes. I read this here and at my last eye appointment I asked if it was true. The eye doctor said “Yeah, it’s kinda weird” and I was like “Kinda?”

    McSmackthe1st , cottonbro studio Report

    Bacon Tentacles
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Uh, doc, you pronounced "horrifying" wrong.

    #5

    Diver explores ocean depths, highlighting creepy facts about the world, with a flashlight illuminating the deep blue waters. I believe around 5-10% of the ocean has been explored. We have the technology to study space but it’s not advanced enough to see what’s down there (due to water pressure and darkness and stuff)

    OffBeatBerry_707 , Maël BALLAND Report

    #6

    Dramatic view of a volcano with eerie cloud hovering above, illustrating creepy world phenomena. There are about 40 supervolcanoes in the world that have yet to erupt. One supervolcano is in Yellowstone National Park and has a magma chamber that is large enough to fit the entire city of Tokyo inside it. There's no indication we're due for a super eruption in our life time, but the thought it could happen still creeps me out.

    BansheeBallad , Jordan Corrales Report

    #7

    Hands examining unsettling crime scene photos and evidence on a table, conveying creepy world mysteries. For every 9 people on death row 1 is found to be innocent. Sometimes after death and sometimes after the innocent was on death row for 30 years.

    Loud_Advertising_947 , RDNE Stock project Report

    #8

    A person and child looking out a window, with trees outside, evoking a sense of curiosity about the world. The only double-hanging of women to be carried out in modern times was the execution of the Finchley baby farmers. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters would "adopt" unwanted babies for a fee. Then, supposedly, find homes for them. They did not find homes for the babies.

    The_Patriot , Marco Fortes Report

    #9

    Person sitting alone in a dim, empty room, conveying a creepy feeling of isolation. Cotard’s syndrome is a condition where you just think you’re dead or don’t exist. People who have it sometimes stop eating because they think they’re dead.

    PurdueJohn:

    Similarly there are high anxiety conditions of depersonalization and derealization, where someone doesn't believe the world around or them exists or are real at all, or that they don't exist themselves. My daughter had this when she was young. Quite unsettling.

    BlueCanary434 , Pixabay Report

    #10

    Baby's feet on a patterned blanket, embodying the world's eeriness with a touch of innocence. Youngest "woman" (I use that term loosely) to give birth was 5 years old.

    Sassysewer , Michael Morse Report

    #11

    A hand reaching towards hanging chains, illustrating creepy facts about the world. Today there are more slaves in the world that at any other time in history.

    Separate_Mango_666 , Zulmaury Saavedra Report

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    #12

    A starry night sky over a forest, highlighting the world's creepy mysteries under the Milky Way. When a star dies it explodes and releases a gamma burst and it destroys all in its path, if one goes off near Earth it’ll lead to extinction and there's no warning because it happens immediately.

    wetlettuce42 , Pixabay Report

    #13

    Close-up of a person applying red lipstick, highlighting beauty products. Carmine, a red food dye commonly used in food and makeup, is made of COCHINEAL INSECTS.

    LemonMeringue26 , Leonardo Luz Report

    #14

    A halved fig on a blue plate, revealing intricate seed patterns, related to creepy facts about the world. When you eat figs you are quite likely to be also eating the mummified carcass of a wasp.

    stilloldbull2 , Pixabay Report

    #15

    Crime scene outline with markers on pavement, illustrating creepy facts about the world. At any given time, there are 40-50 active serial killers in the United States.

    Prince_Pancake69 , cottonbro studio Report

    #16

    Close-up of a person's lips and nose, capturing a detail of the human face. You have millions of mites, known as demodex, living on your face.

    Gr8hound , MART PRODUCTION Report

    #17

    Dust particles illuminated in sunlight, creating an eerie atmosphere. The floating specs you see probably aren’t dust but dead skin cells.

    sleepy_potatoSalad , Furkan Dokuzlar Report

    #18

    A spiral galaxy in space, set against a starry backdrop, illustrating the creepy mysteries of the universe. During the merger of two black holes,a black holes can occasionally get ejected from the system and get shot out into open space and become a wandering black hole, the creepy part for me is that because a large part of the way in which we see black holes is through their interactions with their surroundings we wouldn’t really be able to see it coming towards us

    rflok34 , Alex Andrews Report

    #19

    Blurry crowd in a dimly lit subway station with a clock showing time, evoking a creepy world atmosphere. Really just the fact that we can die or have our lives unimaginably ruined at any moment from a basically endless number of ways and that eventually within a handful of decades (or maybe seconds or any time in between) or so it IS going to happen.

    DontDiscRedditMe , Adeeb Al-Sibai Report

    #20

    Missing person poster on a street pole highlighting one of the creepy facts about the world. Last year in the US alone over half a million people were reported missing. About 1% are found.

    buntybop , Daniel Lobo Report