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Someone Asked People To Share “Real But Crazy Facts That Could Save Your Life” And Here Are 30 Of The Most Helpful
Ever since the internet, the so-called information superhighway, introduced us to its inexhaustible stream of data, there is only so much schools and universities can teach us that can't be found online. Things that even might one day save our precious lives. Particularly, if we talk about the most random, crazy tidbits of information you might've never stumbled upon if not for curious places such as r/AskReddit.
When one person decided to ask this 40-million-user community "What are some real but crazy facts that could save your life?", the responses were as impressive as ever. From bleeding-stopping tea bags to Bear Grylls-esque survival tips involving plastic bags and tree branches, you would need an entire notebook to write down people's wildest responses. But do not worry! Bored Panda has handpicked the most fascinating facts that are equally handy and quite nuts. Hopefully, there won't be any reason for you, dear pandas, to try them out in reality though.
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#1
Point at someone and delegate. People freeze up in emergencies or assume someone else will handle a problem. Point at someone as say 'you guy in the blue shirt. Go to the gate and tell the ambulance where we are. Ma'am? please go with him.' Don't ask 'does anyone know CPR.' Point at someone and ask if they do. Even if they don't people are more likely to step forward in fear of being asked next and judged for not acting sooner then volunteering from the beginning.
jdtimid123 1 year ago
This is why you can't really judge people for not doing anything. Freezing is one of the fight or flight responses too. And people don't necessarily think straight enough to go "hey, I should do something."
We've all been there – scrolling through our feeds, only to be interrupted by a random fact that we never knew existed or needed to know. From the fact that a group of flamingos is called a "flamboyance" to survival using a plastic bag, there's no denying that random facts have an almost hypnotic appeal to us all. Especially those that increase our odds at survival.
The fascination with random tidbits of information, then, has become kind of a cultural phenomenon. There are websites like Reddit and social media accounts, such as 'Unbelievable Facts', dedicated solely to sharing these curious pieces of information. But what is it about these facts that capture our attention? The element of surprise or, perhaps, the feeling of stumbling upon something absolutely gobsmacking?
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#2
If you get stabbed or impaled, LEAVE THE FOREIGN OBJECT ALONE. Do not attempt to remove it. Yeah, it's horrible and it's freaking you out, but your odds of survival are much higher if you just leave it be. Medical professionals will remove it in an environment equipped to deal with it.
Take me to dinner first 1 year ago
All these days watching medical/police/firefight tv shows have taught me so much :')
In order to dig deeper and understand the appeal of random information, Bored Panda reached out to Scott Young, an entrepreneur and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of "Ultralearning." He believes that there's no such thing as useless information, whether you're reading about sea cucumbers breathing through their butts or the King of Rock, Elvis', tragic demise on the toilet.
"I tend to think that we tend to underrate the value of 'useless' knowledge," Young said in an email. "The more things you know about something, the better you’re able to remember and reason about new information you encounter." We guess, when putting it that way, trivia nights don't sound that bad.
#3
Not too crazy but if someone is acting drunk but didnt had any alcohol, ask them to smile, if one side of their mouth is down, take them to a doctor cause they are having or will have a stroke.
Stardust she/her 1 year ago
The FAST test can help you determine if someone is having a stroke. F for Face drooping, ask the person to smile and check if the smile is lopsided. A for Arm weakness, ask the person to raise their arms. If the person is unable to raise the hands without one of them drooping, it could be the sign of a stroke. S for speech, if the person is unable to speak properly without slurring the words and the person is showing other symptoms then get them to the hospital ASAP! T stands for time, as time is of the essence. Call the emergency number for a hospital in your country and get the stroke victim as fast as possible to the hospital
#4
If your house smells like fish for absolutely no reason, 9 times out of 10 it means that there is an electrical fire. The other time it means you need to take a shower.
#5
I learned this from a firefighter video I saw years ago, probably here on Reddit. If you are ever choking and there is nobody to help you, lay on the floor on your hands and knees, then drop your body to the floor. This should create a sudden puff of air, pushing the food out of your throat. If at first you don't succeed, try it again! It will save your life.
Anyone-for-tea? 1 year ago
Or find a chair or sofa and throw yourself onto the back of it, so the back hits you under you rib cage, which is hard to describe but I hope you know what I mean!
Another reason why we can't get enough of these lists full of juicy bits of information is quite simple, really - it's curiosity. Or as Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, called it, "the lust of the mind."
Duncan Pritchard, a professor of philosophy, specializing in epistemology (the science of knowledge) at the University of California, Irvine, believes we are quite lucky to have this biological trait. "We often don’t know what facts are useful in advance, so it’s helpful to be gaining new information," he told Bored Panda in an email. "Particularly, surprising information, as it may drive further useful inquiries in the future."
#6
Never, ever, ever go with someone who has a gun or knife pressed against you. Most people think complying with save them, but really they are just looking for a better place to kill you. Make them kill you in a crowded location or the current one. Chances are they won’t or they wouldn’t have asked you to go with them.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
Never, ever go to a second location. Do whatever it takes, because once they move you you are *finished*.
#7
If the ocean water suddenly recedes at the beach you're at a tsunami is probably coming. Run, don't look at the fish.
Take me to dinner first 1 year ago
This is something that actually makes me wonder: is it worth it? How much time do we have until the tsunami hits? How far can we actually get? I mean this very seriously, not joking this time
#8
A motorcycle helmet is stronger than a skull.
Susie Elle 1 year ago
Also a motorcycle suit is stronger than skin, and you can't live as just a head.
You know that feeling when you're scrolling through your feed, and suddenly you find yourself deep in a rabbit hole reading about a celebrity's latest feud, or some obscure conspiracy theory, like "Illuminati"? Well, turns out, that's just your insatiable curiosity at work. The same way we accidentally learned how to make a fire by striking rocks against each other.
Yes, the practical application of most of this information applies to water cooler chats and awkward 'breaking the ice' moments. Still, though, we just can't help but indulge in learning about things that seem utterly irrelevant to our lives. Partly because it makes us feel good about ourselves.
"Learning something surprising can make us feel clever — this is one feature of the internet, in that it makes us feel that we know things that we probably don’t know that well at all," Pritchard explained. "It’s nice to feel clever!" It sure does, especially when there's dopamine involved, a Scooby Snack-type of hormone that makes us feel good as a reward for doing/learning something new.
#9
Pretending to order a pizza while calling the cops most likely will work . Some women who lived with domestic abusers have done this.
#10
If you get bit by a wild animal, you must get the rabies vaccine. Rabies is not like a flu or mild inconvenience. It’s one of the most lethal diseases on the planet. It has a near 100% fatality once the disease takes hold (and it’s a horrible way to go).
#11
If you end up having to survive in a forest, crickets or grasshoppers chirping is NOT annoying. It is your sign of safety
(Crickets stop chirping when something big is moving close to them).
#12
If you ever get in a fight never fight fair go for the dirty s**t kick people in the balls throw s**t in their eyes etc. If you really need to make an opening for yourself grab the ear and pull it only takes 7 pounds of pressure to tear an ear off
And thus, "sometimes we are just interested in surprising information for its own sake," as Pritchard argued. "There’s a joy we get from learning something new, independent of whether it has any practical utility."
But what happens if your hunger for curiosity suddenly starts declining? It's been widely reported that as we get older, naturally, we start showing a lower level of intellectual curiosity. For those who would like to rekindle their eagerness to learn new things, Young suggests looking at it this way: "What’s something you’re already curious about and could perhaps make an effort to learn more about?"
Curiosity, he explains, "can be paradoxical in that it tends to increase as we know more — more knowledge doesn’t just fill in what we know, but also shows what we’re missing."
#13
If you find yourself stranded in a desert, ration sweat, not water. Of course don’t drink all of your water in one go, but the rate a which you’ll dehydrate and overheat if exerting yourself (e.g. walking/hiking too fast or climbing over obstacles in the heat of the day) will kill you much quicker. Many people are found dead, with water, which is terrifying.
#14
Don't swim towards the cute dolphins. Those m***********s will hit you with their tails, headbutt you, and drown you if they feel like it.
Seriously, they're big, strong, wild animals, and although they are generally pretty chill around humans you really don't want to meet one in a bad mood.
#15
If you’re a lady being followed in a city, liquor store/corner stores are great places to duck into. Clerks are great people to tell. Have been followed in sketchy neighborhoods a number of times and they’ve been great and down to tell a creepy f****r off or just keep an eye out for me 9.5/10 times.
Would write an ode to them if I could.
cerinamroth 1 year ago
I used to work at an off-licence (liquor store to my US brethren) and we did help out a few people in distress. Just the presence of other people and security cameras, plus a panic button the back, was enough to deter most of the creeps. However, we (the staff) got all sorts of s**t from the low-lifes who came in there and threatened in the most awful way. One guy even followed me home once after saying he was going to attack me after work. Terrifying. I left soon after.
Wellsandra Hill 1 year ago
Or you can act crazy like crab walking singing the abc’s to the rhythm of living on a prayer. Chances are that they will think you are a maniac and will leave you alone
Tetelestai 1 year ago (edited)
I’d do that but… actually, there is no “but”! If someone’s definitely stalking me to hurt me, I’m going to freaking SING THE PI SONG. “THEY SAID WOULD YOU LIKE SOME PIE, I SAID YES I WOULD. I FORGOT THEY MAJORED IN MATH, I WOULD UNDO IT IF I COULD. THEY SAID 3.1415926535897932384626433!!!” Based on your suggestion, I should add a movement, so… moonwalk or saut de chats into the nearest store!
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Hilary Gilbertson 1 year ago
Banks, on the other hand are lousy places to get away from your followers. I did this. Turned out I'd mistaken my followers' motives, and they were going in, armed, to rob my local bank. Not an experience I ever want to repeat.
Moezzzz 1 year ago
Yeah, those people generally either hate their lives and could care less about telling someone off who is following you or it's their store and will be damned if they let a******s ruin the area. They've always been some of the nicest people I've ever met- genuinely want to talk about the brands they have, what is the best and won't kill you with a hangover the next morning.
DarkViolet 1 year ago
I had that happen to me once, after working late. I had to duck into a liquor store in my neighborhood, where the staff knew me. To this day, I don't know what was said to him, but I never saw him in my neighborhood again.
#16
If you're in water and don't know which way is up, blow out some air and follow the bubbles
If you're under snow and don't know the way up, drool and let gravity do its thing.
If you're getting jumped at or anything like it. scratch the skin on the person (face would be easiest) to get some DNA under your fingernails. (Maybe not directly life saving, but at least makes it easier to identify the perpetrator).
#17
If you think your house is haunted and "feel a presence", you may have a carbon monoxide leak. Get a detector at home depot. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include hallucination.
#18
Never leave unsecured heavy objects like tools on the back seat/parcel shelf of your car. In a high-speed collision, such items can kill you.
#19
Teabags stop bleeding. They have an acid called tannic which is a natural clotting agent.
#20
Don't eat a lot of food right away after a long fast.
black_dragon3453 replied:
my great-grandfather was an Italian soldier and POW during wwii. as his camp was liberated, the us troops gave the starving prisoners as much food as they could eat, but he knew better and did not indulge. he and the americans watched in horror as cramps and nausea took over and most of the prisoners died. scary sh*t
cerinamroth 1 year ago
It is terrible how many people died after liberation due to this. It has now been shown that small amounts of mashed rice porridge are the best thing to give in such a situation.
#21
If you crash into an electrical pole, immediately call 911 (or your country's equivalent) and stay in the car. You could have downed an electrical wire, and the wire will still be live. Assume the entire area around your car is electrified. Only get out of the car if there's an immediate danger, such as a fire. When you exit the car, make sure both feet touch the ground at the same time, and only take small, shuffling steps, and make sure both feet are touching the groud at all times.
There were 2 teenagers from my hometown that were electrocuted after an accident like this.
Katy McMouse 1 year ago
We had a severe ice storm years ago that left lines down all over our yard. One line fell on our car and it took three days before the linemen from a neighboring state reached our street. Turns out that it wasn't electrical, but we weren't about to test it ourselves. We were stuck for 3 days, but it was kind of fun.
#22
If you ever have to rescue a drowning person, throw them something to grab onto beside yourself.
#23
Ammonia and bleach do not mix.
Take me to dinner first 1 year ago
Translation: it can kill you, don't do it. Phrased like that sounds as innocent as water and oil
#24
If you're choking, don't get embarrassed, don't go to the bathroom, don't walk away from people. I've seen a couple people nearly die because they were panicking and walked away from the dinner table(s) and such while choking.
Do the universal sign for choking with both your hands on your neck, and most people will get the message.
Take me to dinner first 1 year ago
my mom's friend saved my life by taking a sausage skin out of my throat. Thankfully she is a doctor and acted really quick while my mom was away getting food
#25
If you see a dog running at you, do not run. This triggers their hunting instinct and causes them to see you as prey. If they look aggressive, hold your ground and shout as loud as you can. Make yourself look bigger and the dog will usually turn tail and run.
Annie Persson 1 year ago
When I was a mail carrier I met lots of dogs. Some were very tough guard dogs and thought I was going to steal their human's mail box. I realised that if I told the dog in a happy voice "oh what a great watch dog you are! You have done SUCH a good job guarding for your human" most would turn happy and goofy and proud and let me give them lots of love and scritches
#26
The rule of 3: 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. Prioritize water first in a survival situation
Edit: many people are saying I missed "3 hours without shelter". I absolutely agree. It's very temperate this time of year here, so it wasn't at the front of my mind. Find shelter, then water in those cases.
Take me to dinner first 1 year ago
I think you should really prioritize the air first, but you do you...
#27
If you rescue someone from water and they are unconscious you need to give 5 breaths of air into their lungs before starting to resuscitate them. This will often cause them to vomit all of the inhaled water and bring them back.
For normal resuscitation if you are going to do breaths into the mouth then you should start with 2.
In the UK if you choose to help someone and make the situation worse, say they need CPR and you break their ribs, you will not get in trouble for it, you are protected by the Samaritans act. So many people have refused to help someone in fear of doing it wrong, this has cost a lot of savable lives.
Louise Clarke 1 year ago
Also if you or someone has or thinks they have inhaled water you/they need to go to the hospital. Even if revived one can suffer from secondhand drowning.
#28
When caught in a rip at the beach just swim slowly along the beach, parallel to the shore untill you feel the pull ease up then swim towards the shore.
#29
Try to avoid eating rice that has been sitting at room temperature for too long. There is a bacteria that can take root that, even if you cook the rice again, it possibly can destroy your liver. It's called (no joke) b.cereus.
There was a kid who was killed by his d**khead roommates when they replaced his pre-cooked pasta with some that he had sitting around for a few days.
*...he had to go outside to air out his pants...*
In short: old pre-cooked pasta or rice can kill you even if you reheat it.
Susan Robinson 1 year ago
Am I the only one wondering about the “airing out the pants” part of the story?
#30
Put a lid on a flaming pan to smother it and remove from heat carefully. Never throw any liquid on it. Don't remove the lid for at least 5 minutes.
What do you think ?
HelluvaHedgehogAlien 1 year ago
Here comes the paranoia… trying to memorize these, but maybe I should be checking the facts first
Mocha The Lion 1 year ago
also, if sombodys following you, ACT F*****G CRAZY like a mental patient on cocaine, 9 out of 10 times the guy following you is going to leave you alone
Tetelestai 1 year ago
You’ve had at least 10 guys follow you then, and can attest to that?
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Gandalf the Pink 1 year ago
If you are close to a black hole, do NOT attempt fate by trying to skim the edge. You will not be able to know if you've reached the edge before already having passed it, and then it will be TOO LATE and you will have NO way out of the black hole. Again you won't know exactly when you've passed the point of no return, things will look normal for a little while but you have entered a region of spacetime with no other direction than inwards. So always, ALWAYS make sure you have enough escape velocity and stay a healthy distance away from black holes.
Lauren Caswell 1 year ago
if you travel away, time will flow differently on different parts of your ship (dr who). One person's second is another person on another floors century
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Angry Unicorn 1 year ago
They didn't include this, but I thought this was worth mentioning: If you’re at a bar/a place that only serves food, tell a staff member: Ask for Angela, that means whatever is happening, you feel is not safe, if you’re on a date or someone is following you, the staff members will watch you very closely Angel Shot, This means you need help IMMEDIATELY, there are different types, so if someone asks which one, make sure to remember. Angel Shot Straight Up/Neat is code for, “I need an escort to my car.” Angel Shot on Ice/on the Rocks is code for, “Please call a taxi/uber/lyft for me.” Angel Shot with a Twist/Lemon/Lime is code for, “I am in immediate danger. Please call the police.”
Jude Laskowski 1 year ago
I was on a date with a man who drank way too much before the food was served. I was still sipping my first glass of wine and he was ordering a second bottle. I excused myself to use the rest room, and asked the kitchen staff if there was a back exit as I was afraid for my safety. They showed me the way out and I grabbed a cab right away.
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HelluvaHedgehogAlien 1 year ago
Here comes the paranoia… trying to memorize these, but maybe I should be checking the facts first
Mocha The Lion 1 year ago
also, if sombodys following you, ACT F*****G CRAZY like a mental patient on cocaine, 9 out of 10 times the guy following you is going to leave you alone
Tetelestai 1 year ago
You’ve had at least 10 guys follow you then, and can attest to that?
Load More Replies... Gandalf the Pink 1 year ago
If you are close to a black hole, do NOT attempt fate by trying to skim the edge. You will not be able to know if you've reached the edge before already having passed it, and then it will be TOO LATE and you will have NO way out of the black hole. Again you won't know exactly when you've passed the point of no return, things will look normal for a little while but you have entered a region of spacetime with no other direction than inwards. So always, ALWAYS make sure you have enough escape velocity and stay a healthy distance away from black holes.
Lauren Caswell 1 year ago
if you travel away, time will flow differently on different parts of your ship (dr who). One person's second is another person on another floors century
Load More Replies... Angry Unicorn 1 year ago
They didn't include this, but I thought this was worth mentioning: If you’re at a bar/a place that only serves food, tell a staff member: Ask for Angela, that means whatever is happening, you feel is not safe, if you’re on a date or someone is following you, the staff members will watch you very closely Angel Shot, This means you need help IMMEDIATELY, there are different types, so if someone asks which one, make sure to remember. Angel Shot Straight Up/Neat is code for, “I need an escort to my car.” Angel Shot on Ice/on the Rocks is code for, “Please call a taxi/uber/lyft for me.” Angel Shot with a Twist/Lemon/Lime is code for, “I am in immediate danger. Please call the police.”
Jude Laskowski 1 year ago
I was on a date with a man who drank way too much before the food was served. I was still sipping my first glass of wine and he was ordering a second bottle. I excused myself to use the rest room, and asked the kitchen staff if there was a back exit as I was afraid for my safety. They showed me the way out and I grabbed a cab right away.
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