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The internet and social media aren’t there just to entertain you—they have a lot of educational potential as well. When you take educational content and add an entertaining spin, perhaps mixing in a dash of weirdness as well, you get something that’s captivating.

The ‘Weird Facts’ Instagram account has been taking this approach for years and years. Today, we’re featuring some of the freshest, most unusual and intriguing facts about the world that the curators of the project have shared online. Scroll down to take a peek—these posts are something that might just pique your curiosity and awaken your inner researcher.

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    Something that the ‘Weird Facts’ team pointed out in a recent post is the huge number of centenarians living in Japan.

    The country has long been known for the longevity of its people due to a wide range of factors, from eating a healthy diet and leading an active lifestyle to being incredibly social in one’s local community.

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    As reported by the Japan Times in late 2024, the number of centenarians in Japan stood at over 95,000, according to the data from the health ministry.

    This is a record high for the 54th year in a row. Back in 1963, when Japan began recording statistics, the country had barely 153 people aged 100 and over.

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    By 1981, the number of Japanese centenarians had already reached 1,000. It jumped to 10,000 in 1998. By 2012, this number stood at a jaw-dropping 50,000. It climbed over 90,000 in 2022.

    Now, there are an average of 76.49 centenarians for every 100,000 people living in Japan. The areas with the highest number of elderly people living to be over 100 were Shimane, followed by Kochi, and Kagoshima.

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    #11

    Bearded bassist with glasses playing on stage, featuring a "producer switch" on his instrument for a unique effect.

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    G Bono
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    An amazing bass player who has played on everything from Carole King’s Tapestry to Jackson Browne’s Running On Empty to everything James Taylor.

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    Meanwhile, the lowest numbers lived in Saitama, Aichi, and Chiba. The Japan Times notes that the number of people turning 100 during the fiscal year 2024, running through to March 2025, stands at 47,888.

    These individuals are given a congratulatory letter, as well as a silver cup to mark this momentous occasion.

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    #14

    Squirrels with orange fruit, adopting young squirrels is a weird and random fact.

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    CatD
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Baby animals didn't evolve to be cute for humans. They evolved to be cute for other animals.

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    Nippon states that there were 95,119 centenarians living in Japan as of September 1, 2024, an increase of 2,980 compared to the year before.

    The vast majority of Japanese living to the age of 100 or more are women. They account for 88.3% of all centenarians, with men making up just 11.7% of the total.

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    There is a flood of information to be found online, so in this day and age, content creators and educators alike have to find new ways to stand out from the crowd. Walls of text and long-form content (while valuable in their own right) find it hard to compete with short-form ways of presenting info.

    There’s a premium on internet users’ attention spans, so you have to find a way to be as concise as possible without losing the essence of your message.

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    #19

    Big dog running on a snowy path, representing a fact about big dogs being better behaved due to training effort.

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    Hippopotamuses
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'll second this. Although very much a dog person, I'm more weary of small dogs than of large ones.

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    Aside from keeping your caption brief, it also helps a ton if you use a font that’s super easy to read, as well as high-quality images that grab your attention. Try putting yourself in your audience’s shoes and think about how you like to consume edutainment yourself.

    There is no way that it’s possible to explain any topic in all of its nuance and complexity in a single social media post. However, it can be a good way to pique your audience’s interest and put them on the path of doing some independent research.

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    If a topic sounds interesting enough, it makes you want to read up more on it. Or is that just us? It’s always a good reminder to look at multiple sources to examine how reliable certain claims are and to avoid as many biases as possible.

    When gauging a source’s reliability, try to look at its track record, the type of information it relies on, whether it provides links to the original sources, how transparent it is about having made mistakes in the past, and whether it seems like it might have an agenda. Generally, a good source is one that looks at facts and doesn’t just present its opinions as objective truths.

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    #26

    Buckingham Palace with text about a man embarrassed before Queen Elizabeth in the 1600s, featuring a random fact.

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    Pyla
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Well she shuffled off this mortal coil in 1603, so maybe 16th century, not 1600s.

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    Which of the facts featured in this post intrigued you the most? Which ones were completely new and unheard of to you, dear Pandas? Were there any topics that you were so curious about that you couldn’t stop yourself from learning more about them online?

    What do you think inspires you the most to keep on learning new things, no matter how old you are? We’re always happy to hear from you! If you have a moment, share your opinions in the comments.

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    #34

    Man with glasses at an event, inspiring character in Rain Man. Weird facts about his unique reading abilities.

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    Multa Nocte
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I knew this man. He was incredible. It's really strange seeing a picture of him after all these years.

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    #35

    Man celebrating as dollar bills fall around him; weird fact about winning lottery after returning orange juice.

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    Trillian
    Community Member
    5 days ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Gas is too cheap when you will actually drive back to the store to have 2.50 refunded.

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    #37

    Beethoven portrait with fact about music improvisation duel against Steibelt displayed below.

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    The Scout
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Legend has that a guest of Composer Johannes Brahms was once greeted by the sight of him at the piano trying to play a score of Richard Wagner, whom he did not hold in great esteem, upside down. Whenthe guest made a mention of this, Brahms said "I have already tried it the other way round - it does not sound any better...".

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    #41

    Rustic yard restaurant setup with tables; part of weird and random facts series.

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    Theo Blackwood
    Community Member
    5 days ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    His name is Oobah Butler, he’s a film maker and author. I’d recommend searching for The Great Amazon Heist on YouTube. It was absolutely brilliant.

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    #42

    A man riding a John Deere lawnmower with a trailer on the road, illustrating a weird travel fact.

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    KDS
    Community Member
    5 days ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Well that’s a better reason than George Jones riding one to get liquor after his wife hid the keys to his car.

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    #43

    Cartoon depicting jazz bands playing to prevent a New Orleans serial killer's threat in 1919.

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    XenoMurph
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So I had serious doubts about this, so I fact checked it. Here is the letter he did indeed send: Hell, March 13, 1919 Now, to be exact, at 12:15 (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a little proposition to you people. Here it is: I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have just mentioned. If everyone has a jazz band going, well, then, so much the better for you people. One thing is certain and that is that some of your people who do not jazz it out on that specific Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe.

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    #44

    Person walking in dense forest with text about unusual fact involving self-rescue by chopping power poles.

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    Tucker Cahooter
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My take away from that is that I should always take an axe with me if I go for a walk in the woods

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    #45

    House on snowy street with clear roof; caught for cannabis, illustrating weird and random facts.

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    Nimitz
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is actually a technique they used a lot here in Canada before it was legalized. The cops would take tips from realtors. Later they just started using infra-red cameras

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    #48

    Person on beach holding turquoise hat; text shares a weird fact about a Polish saying.

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    Nitka Tsar
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I never heared this in Poland, but I‘ve read it loads of times in English on the internet

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    #49

    Man relaxing on a parked truck with mountains in background, highlighting random facts about truck usage in the U.S.

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    Jared C
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That is why I bought a 40 mpg Ford Fiesta, put a hitch on it, and bought a little trailer. When I need to haul something I hook up the trailer. The rest of the time I get great mileage.

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    #55

    Man standing in front of a large crowd, showcasing the setup of an army tent, a weird and random fact event.

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    Nimitz
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Considering that most Korean men are required to perform 2 years military service, the appeal makes sense

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    #56

    Heroic man carries dog through flames, unaware it's an LSD-induced hallucination. Weird facts.

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    Multa Nocte
    Community Member
    5 days ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    NBC News: "There was no fire, state police told WNYT-TV. The man had consumed LSD and cough medicine and thought his neighbor's home in Saratoga County was being consumed by flames last Thursday, officials say. He went around his Halfmoon neighborhood banging on doors and yelling about a fire, WNYT reported." "He went around his Halfmoon neighborhood banging on doors and yelling about a fire, WNYT reported. When no one would help, he drove his black BMW sedan through his neighbor's fence, went to the back door and smashed through it to retrieve the dog. He emerged triumphantly with the large white dog, and responding officers found him standing outside the home with the dog in his arms, police said. "He believed that the residence was on fire and he was rescuing the dog," State Police Troop G spokesman Mark Cepiel said. The man, 43-year-old Michael Orchard, was arrested on charges of burglary and criminal mischief. He was jailed on $15,000 bail."

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    #59

    A prisoner in Sweden escapes for a dentist visit, then returns.

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    CatD
    Community Member
    5 days ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He was in for a one month sentence, and they gave him an extra day for escaping.

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    #60

    Prisoner escaping through bars, illustrating a weird and random fact about laws in Germany regarding prison escapes.

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    AtMostAFabulist
    Community Member
    Premium
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Is the guy in the picture levitating? Jumping on a trampoline? Blown upward from the force of his farts?

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    #61

    Woman in a factory assembling drone technology during WWII, related to weird and random facts.

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    Ace
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    🎵And it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind. . . . Never knowing who to cling to when the rain set in

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    #67

    A vintage photo of a young girl with text overlay sharing a weird fact about being mailed by parcel post in 1914.

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    Tucker Cahooter
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You couldn't do that safely any more. She would still get to the destination okay, but then you would run the risk that the postal worker delivering her would just toss her over the fence

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    #71

    Five Guys restaurant exterior with sign, highlighting a weird fact about their extra fries in the bag strategy.

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    Shawn Hall
    Community Member
    Premium
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is why I always order a small fry (called "little") from them, still plenty. They are quite tasty, cooked with 100% peanut oil.

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    #79

    Close-up of a human eye showcasing weird and random facts about Veronica Seider's extraordinary eyesight abilities.

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    Hax Deschain
    Community Member
    5 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3DbmBrArTY This one is Fake, in the Origin a Hoax of the Guinnes World Records, It didn´t exist a Veronica Seider. Look at the investigate Video, there it be explained.

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