“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers)

Numbers can be very powerful. Even though a few bits of data cannot provide the full nuanced context about something, they can subtly change how we perceive the world. Random stats and facts are also one (albeit a slightly geeky) way to break the ice at social gatherings.

Redditor u/magica12 recently sparked an interesting discussion after asking the incredibly active r/AskReddit online community for their favorite true statistics that stun other people. We’ve collected some of the most interesting ones, and it’s quite likely some of them are going to be completely new to you, too, dear Pandas. Scroll down to see for yourselves.

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“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Sharks have existed for longer than the North Star, by a considerable margin.

Not that sharks have existed for longer than the star was in position along Earth's rotational axis. Polaris, the star itself, only formed 70 million years ago, whereas the first sharks evolved **450 million** years ago.

Also, sharks are older than trees.

CarnivoreDaddy , Jonas Allert Report

Final score:

134points

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Two_rolling_black_eyes 8 months ago

Polaris is actually 4 stars really close together. The big one Polaris Aa (6-7 times the size of the sun), which provides most of the light, is less than 70 million years old.

52points

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“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) 51% of all Americans aged 16-72 cannot read above a 6th grade level, which makes it impossible for them to educate themselves on their own, as they lack vital skills in the areas of cross-referencing information or even finding a particular piece of given information in a body of text.

You can send that [insert political party here] person as many links to articles to prove your point as you want. They literally will not be able to understand them.

Edit: what's worse is that statistic is more than 20 years out of date and ~~education~~ classrooms have steadily been decreased funding since. The studies involved took place at the height of education in the US.

3shotsb4breakfast , Thought Catalog Report

Final score:

134points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

Plato: 'One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."

123points

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“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) There are greenland sharks up to 500 years old out there in the ocean. That means atleast one out there was born in the 1500s.

FlyingTiger101 , Colton Jones Report

Final score:

125points

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Chelsea McKee 8 months ago

Long live the king.

38points

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In real life, unless you’re a high-profile scientist, you probably won’t have the time or the resources to do research to confirm or deny any claims that sound iffy. It’s next to impossible to double-check every tiny little bit of info yourself. So, when it comes to determining whether or not a stat or fact is true or not, your best bet is to evaluate the reliability of the source.

First of all, focus on who’s making the claim. Consider whether they have any obvious biases. Think about their expertise in the area. Then, look at where they’re getting their data from. Are they the original researchers themselves, or are they simply referring to the data? Do they provide references for their claims, or are their sources something they might have (mis)heard or (mis)read years ago?

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) For me its gotta be that hippos have a higher kill count yearly than sharks. Its a good example of confirmation bias, or at least as far as ive been able to tell. And i think its because pop culture has conditioned us to think of sharks as the one of the ultimate predators.

magica12 , Wade Lambert Report

Final score:

120points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

Hippos are actually way more terrifying, too- they will actually chase and kill you for the heck of it; are built like tanks, and wander around on the land - at night. Where's the movie!!!??

113points

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“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) You are closer in time to a T-Rex than the T-Rex was to a stegosaurus

Apollo_T_Yorp , Narciso Arellano Report

Final score:

119points

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BC 8 months ago

I love this one.

34points

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“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Water blocks more radiation than the same amount of concrete or lead. And coffee grounds can set off Geiger Counters.

Tmavy , David Becker Report

Final score:

105points

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Me. 8 months ago

The top of a nuclear cooling pill has less radiation than background levels. Source: what if.

29points

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If the person making the claim isn’t the original source, then there are a few other questions you ought to consider asking.

What organization or study is the claim they’re referencing from? Do the organization and researchers have any obvious biases of their own? Is the information up to date? Does the research account for any alternative explanations? Are there any obvious flaws that you can spot in the way the data was collected?

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) America had twice as many deaths from Fentanyl in 2022 than all the U.S. casualties in Vietnam.

Flat_Resolve6236 , James Yarema Report

Final score:

104points

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Libstak 8 months ago (edited)

Freaking useless for pain. I was given some post OP once, asked the nurse what the hell it was. Made me feel all sorts of weird, physically nauseous, mentally all over the shop , did absolutely nothing for the pain. I pointedly asked for panadol because that was one loopy but crappy pain killer.

47points

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“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Did you know that honey never spoils? It's like nature's forever candy!

cute_minou , Arwin Neil Baichoo Report

Final score:

104points

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BC 8 months ago

They found some in the pyramids, it was still good!

60points

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“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Joe Biden was born closer to Lincoln’s second inauguration than his own inauguration.

No hot take, no politics, no comment, just a wild fact.

halfhere , Ed Fr Report

Final score:

100points

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Gavin Johnson 8 months ago

The man who assassinated President Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, had a brother, Edwin, years after the assassination, Edwin had just got off a train when a man fell under the wheels of the moving train, Edwin dragged the man away from the train and saved his life. The man who Edwin had just rescued was the son of… President Lincoln.

73points

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If you happen to have a background in statistics or data analysis, you can also take a peek at the researchers’ methodology to make sure that everything’s sound. For example, you can look at the sample size they used and whether it’s big enough to come to any firm conclusions. On top of that, it’s vital to remember that just because some factors are correlated does not mean that they’re in a causal relationship.

Meanwhile, reality is very rarely black and white. It’s often nuanced, subtle, and complex. If the conclusions exaggerate one particular point of view, it might be worth reexamining the data, methodology, and any potential biases. Good science lies in replicating the results and withstanding the peer review process.

#10

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) The largest air force in the world is the US Air Force.

The 2nd largest air force in the world is the US Navy.

CONFIGdotSYS , UX Gun Report

Final score:

98points

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LaserBrain 8 months ago

We no doubt must spend more money on machines that kill people.

68points

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#11

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) The solved rate for murder in the USA is 50%.

If no arrest is made in the first 48 hours, it drops to 28%.

MicroCat1031 , Kenny Eliason Report

Final score:

95points

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Chelsea McKee 8 months ago

I hope the cases are truly solved and the prosecution isn't just looking for percentages. ☕

47points

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#12

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Did you know that caterpillars have more muscles in their bodies than humans do? Mind blown, right?

meilleuramie , Jonah Brown Report

Final score:

89points

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AnnaB Premium 8 months ago

Especially if you're comparing them to me.

38points

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#13

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Not really statistics, but;

The lighter was invented before the match

Oxford University predates the Aztec empire

Brothersunset , Kilian Seiler Report

Final score:

88points

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Hugh Cookson 8 months ago

And the Inca empire too .... Also, Chinese 'civilisation' (ie with writing, recording history, politics and social enterprises go back more than 5000 years) Egyptian history goes back even further and Indian history goes back, arguably, further than that. We in the West are mere historical pygmies.

30points

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#14

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) The leading cause of death for pregnant American women is homicide.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/homicide-leading-cause-of-death-for-pregnant-women-in-u-s/

Dolly_Dagger087 , Ömürden Cengiz Report

Final score:

84points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

Particularly ugly since US pregnancy deaths are worse than most "developed" countries.

56points

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#15

20% of CEOs are psychopaths

Proud_Lavishness2265 Report

Final score:

84points

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Zaach 8 months ago

That few?

162points

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#16

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) If you took away Wayne Gretzky’s goals he’d still lead the NHL in points just on his assists.

ScSM35 , Markus Spiske Report

Final score:

83points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

Be still my heart!!!

12points

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#17

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Meerkats are the most homicidal animals on earth. ~20% of meerkat fatalities are due to other meerkats

trash_gobl1n , Dušan veverkolog Report

Final score:

72points

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Lewis KR 8 months ago

I believe only 1 in 8 male Lions make it to adulthood. The rest are either killed as cubs when a new lion takes over the pride from their father, or die as adolescents when they try to challenge an existing pride leader and lose. Not necessarily killed outright in the latter, but a serious injury = can't hunt = die of starvation or infection.

41points

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#18

The last survivor of the transatlantic slave trade died in 1940.

tremynci Report

Final score:

70points

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Gavin Johnson 8 months ago

The slave trade / slavery is bigger business today than it ever was during 1700-1850 the years that are considered ‘the slave era’.

9points

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#19

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) The Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal is further west than the Pacific entrance.

GrinningPariah , el.chamilo Report

Final score:

69points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

Kinky!

15points

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#20

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) There are estimated to be more Earth-like planets in the Universe than grains of sand on Earth

HavartiBob , David Menidrey Report

Final score:

69points

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Surenu 8 months ago

There are more water molecules in a single raindrop than there are stars in the entire solar system. Mind blowing, isn't it?

24points

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#21

Half of all the bones in your body are in you ankles, feet, wrists, and hands.

Gbrusse Report

Final score:

65points

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Stardust she/her 8 months ago

16 carpals, 10 metacarpals, 14 phalanges, 14 tarsals, 10 metatarsals along with some bones who I forgot about

28points

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#22

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) There are more Panda Express locations in the world than living pandas.

scottcmu , Elena Loshina Report

Final score:

64points

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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 8 months ago

How many Bored Pandas?

83points

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#23

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) A deck of cards can be arranged in so many different ways that every time you shuffle a deck, it's (so statistically unlikely that it's fair to say) impossible that any deck of cards has ever been in that exact order.

DayVDave , Crystal Berdion Report

Final score:

64points

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PattyK 8 months ago

Show us the math, please.

15points

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#24

Since Its Birth, The USA Has Only Had 17 Years of Peace

Creepy_Energy7249 Report

Final score:

64points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

By special arrangement with the munitions manufacturers.

57points

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#25

The single largest investor in the stock market is the Norweigan government.

JonSnowDontKn0w Report

Final score:

63points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

Bloody Vikings again!

53points

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#26

Violet Jessop was a stewardess who survived both the Titanic, and on it's sister ships, the Britannic and the Olympic. and on all 3 voyages, something went wrong.

- The Olympic, when it was struck by a torpedo. the ship survived and actually retaliated, striking head on into the German U-boat that fired on it.

- The Titanic when it sank from the Iceberg

- and finally , the Britannic when it sunk from an underwater mine, during WW1. She was serving as an on deck nurse.

The Olympic was the only surviving member of it's liners, before being dismantled in the late 1940s.

EDIT: correction, the Olympic actually collided with the British warship HMS Hawke, when Jessop was on board. the U-boat incident happened after her service on the ship.

itsCS117 Report

Final score:

60points

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Violet Jensen 8 months ago

Anyone wanna go on a cruise with me

3points

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#27

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) In a group of 23 people, there’s a 50% chance that at least 2 people in the group share a birthday. In a group of 57 people, there’s a 99% chance that at least 2 people in the group share a birthday.

snoozysuzie008 , Sergei Solo Report

Final score:

59points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

My statistics professor was sweating bullets in my class of 31, when he got to 29 and no match - but - #30 came through.

54points

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#28

People who grow up in inner city communities in Atlanta have higher rates of PTSD than soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

IntrudingAlligator Report

Final score:

59points

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Amanda Young 8 months ago

I did that and have that. Crazy actually

18points

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#29

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) One thing that only happened yesterday: The youngest F1 driver on the grid was born *after* the oldest driver on the grid got his first win.

_NAME_NAME_NAME_ , Brian McCall Report

Final score:

54points

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Mark 8 months ago

Fernando Alonso’s first win was in 2003 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and Ferrari substitute Oliver Bearman was born 8 May 2005.

24points

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#30

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) If Kobe Bryant (RIP) took another 5000 free throw attempts and missed them all, he would still have a better career free throw percentage than Shaq.

scottcmu , Tom Briskey Report

Final score:

50points

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Kat O'Sherry 8 months ago

Kobe Bryant raped a woman, but because he was a good ball player people overlook that. It's disgusting

104points

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#31

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) There are 10^11 stars in the Milky Way.

There are 10^120 legal chess board configurations.

Gbrusse , Wander Fleur Report

Final score:

47points

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PlatinumThe8-BitCat 8 months ago

What does ^ mean?

14points

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#32

Your foot is about the same length as your forearm

djc6535 Report

Final score:

47points

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T'Mar of Vulcan 8 months ago

Learned that from "Pretty Woman"!

29points

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#33

Wayne Gretzky was the fastest player to hit 1000 points. The second fastest? Also Gretzky, his second 1000 points was done in like 8 games more than his first.

igcipd Report

Final score:

45points

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DRMAGDN 8 months ago

It's Wayne's World, It's Excellent

20points

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#34

One of the first people who used a fax machine (or early version of what we know to be fax machines) was Napoleon

Dokmatix Report

Final score:

44points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

It was a vest-pocket model.

10points

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#35

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Coconuts do actually [migrate](https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/113/4/565/2768952?login=false), no swallows needed.

MacduffFifesNo1Thane , Shahzal Report

Final score:

41points

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Libstak 8 months ago

Of course they do, they fall onto shorelines, rolling down dunes etc, get taken out by tides and float through oceans until they strike land.

34points

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#36

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) If the earth was the size of a marble it would be the smoothest object you’ve ever encountered.

imsurethisoneistaken , NASA Report

Final score:

41points

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Surenu 8 months ago

I bet my brain is smoother than that.

53points

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#37

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) About half of social security disability applications are never approved. I work in healthcare and many people think if they just get an attorney their application will definitely be approved. The statistics show otherwise. https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2020/sect04.html

4PurpleRain , Scott Graham Report

Final score:

39points

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Penny Hernandez 8 months ago

My social security application was approved (on my first application) and I didn't have a lawyer. (Disclosure: the first time I was treated for my disability I was 12 years old and have been hospitalized a number of times since then)

19points

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#38

The furthest any human has traveled away from the Earth is 280,000 miles (and back). Second furthest is 600 miles.

imsurethisoneistaken Report

Final score:

39points

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PattyK 8 months ago

… farthest …

31points

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#39

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) Not a statistics, but scales.

The distance between the lowest point in the ocean and the highest peak is less than the length of Manhattan.

If you put all the planets in the solar system and line them up side by side. They fit between the moon and the earth with room to spare.

Oracle5of7 , Martin Jernberg Report

Final score:

37points

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Cosmikid 8 months ago

Is that the Manhattanhorn there?

42points

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#40

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) For most mammals over 3kg, it’s takes about 20 seconds to evacuate the bladder.

(I just timed myself. 20.5 seconds)

PAXICHEN , Zdeněk Macháček Report

Final score:

37points

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Kevin Snyder 8 months ago

Pregnant women and men with enlarged prostates excepted.

25points

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#41

Most people have an above average number of fingers.

DasquESD Report

Final score:

37points

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PattyK 8 months ago

Explain, please.

17points

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#42

10,000 people on Facebook die everyday

Careless-Unit6921 Report

Final score:

36points

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Surenu 8 months ago

Due to the anti-vaxxer propaganda?

85points

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#43

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers) If you took the Edmund Fitzgerald and stuck it nose down on the lake bed at the point it sank, over 200 feet of it would be sticking out of the water.

firestarter764 , Claudia Chiavazza Report

Final score:

27points

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The Starsong Princess 8 months ago

The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy

74points

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#44

The whole of South America is east of the state of Florida.

Gnome00 Report

Final score:

27points

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Scotira 8 months ago

From what I could find, this seems to be wrong. Singer Island at 80°02′15″W long Florida's easternmost point versus Punta Pariñas, Peru, at 81° 19' 21.00" W the westernmost point of South America. 🤷‍♀️ so only "most" of South America is east of the State of Florida.

13points

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#45

About 6-7% of all people throughout all of history have never died.

(simply because there have been about 120 billion humans in total since homo sapiens became homo sapiens... and there are about 8 billion alive now)

dumb_password_loser Report

Final score:

19points

POST

PattyK 8 months ago

Huh?

19points

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What do you think ?

Be aware and warned; some of the statistics here are NOT "True" - it's just that the person posting really believed they were. And sometimes they were wrong/ fooled. This may be the great curse of our times - we are suddenly all required to become information experts and detectives.

Ryan Mercer 8 months ago (edited)

Except none of this information is particularly useful to start with, and no one is going to remember or recount it with any accuracy either way. Tomorrow someone will tell a coworker that they just learned 51% of sharks are over 400 millions years old and that meerkats are more dangerous than hippos. I once had drinks with a guy who said they used to investigate gossip for a living, and you know what he said...?

2points

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ƒιѕн 8 months ago

Well, I mean it did come from reddit, at least one step up from tiktok...

0points

Astro 8 months ago

I agree! It’s a blessing and a curse to have so much (true and false) information at our fingertips.

Sky Render 8 months ago

The population of virtually every country on Earth is smaller than the estimated total number of readheaded humans (~1-2% of all humans). Half of all humans live in one of the 7 most populated countries on Earth (China, India, USA, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, or Brazil).

1point

Floeckchen 8 months ago

So far as we know the coldest spot in the entire universe does exist on the earth.

Michael Ruggiero 8 months ago

You're divorced?

Brenard 8 months ago

Jolly ranchers are technically considered a form of glass. That is why if you blow a hair dryer on one and stick it on a window, the window will break if you try to pull the rancher off with enough force. Look up Amorphous solids if you're interested to see more.

TennesseeHomesteadUSA 8 months ago (edited)

Can we please taper off the chronic dumping on the USA for the duration of my nephew being in Lithuania training border security forces ? Leaves a bad odor and taste in the mouth while he's there... He is paying somebody else's share for security right now.

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers)

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