45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World

While social interaction has proven to be a major factor in improving cognitive health, other components of trivia, such as learning new facts and recalling older information, can also be significant, says Professor Scott Brown from the University of Newcastle.

"Practicing pub trivia helps maintain our cognitive reserve, which is especially important as we age because it can provide a buffer against cognitive decline and other forms of dementia. It's the 'use it or lose it' notion, where if we keep doing these activities to work our cognitive muscles, it keeps them from atrophying early," he explains.

Professor Brown adds that the rewards of getting questions right, or even better, winning, can boost your mental health, and the dopamine rush can be both rewarding and motivating to learn more.

So let's dive straight in! Reddit user Own_Championship7862 made a post on the platform, asking everyone, "What's an unusual fact that most people don't know?" Since the replies have been pouring in, we decided to compile some of the most surprising ones and help you expand your knowledge.

This post may include affiliate links.

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World Wearing white wedding dresses only came into fashion after Queen Victoria started the trend. White isn’t meant to have any other meaning or represent purity as many people think. Before this trend most brides just wore their best dress of any colour as it was expensive to buy a dress just for the occasion.

week7 , Jill Wellington Report

Final score:

287points

POST

Catherine 1 year ago

Imo it's outlandish to spend thousands on a dress that is worn once

262points

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Pink used to be a masculine color.

During the height of the British Empire, the soldiers in the far reaches of the world donned their red coats in battle and patrol. The newer recruits would look especially sharp with a bold red color. The rugged war-heroes though? Their coats were faded and worn into more of a pink color. If you saw a guy wearing a pink coat, odds are they have stories to tell with a thousand yard stare. This became a desirable thing to show off your experience and grit.

Hence pink was associated with combat prowess and ruggedness, and became a masculine color during that time.

ChristIsLordAlmighty Report

Final score:

269points

POST

Catherine 1 year ago

Colors don't have a gender. They're for everyone!

183points

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45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World The tongue of a blue whale weighs the same as a fully grown African Elephant

KevinT1701 , Thomas Kelley Report

Final score:

261points

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Leanne Hailes 1 year ago

Amazing Mammals 💙

50points

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45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World I have recently learned that Lobsters don't display senescence which is the deterioration of the body as it ages. Their bodies are continuously growing and their exoskeletons get heavier and heavier, hence when they molt into a new exoskeleton it takes more and more energy to take off the old one. Eventually they die because one day they just go, "Yeeeeeaaaah sooo like this exoskeleton is too heavy so imma just go meet Lobster God and head out from the mortal world."

Now a thought... If a group of people helped a lobster shed it's exo- skeleton... And if said lobster kept growing... Technically, a giant lobster could be brought into existence should the lobster not die from old age.

FunnyComedian8290 , Ilona Ivanova Report

Final score:

256points

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Catherine 1 year ago

Immortality does exist! Unfortunately for them they are delicious 😋

102points

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Each time I read a question like this I am reminded of this,

If you made 10,000 dollars everyday since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in August 2, 1776, you still wouldn’t wouldn’t have 1 billion dollars.

And it is just mind boggling!!

idealeftalone Report

Final score:

231points

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TheAmericanAmerican 1 year ago

Yuuuup! Billionaires should not exist! 🤗

25points

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45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World The Korean people have an enzyme that makes us have dry ear wax and a propensity to lack body odor.
For the first 20 years of my life I had no idea why my earwax was flaky when everyone else's was more like a jam or paste and why I didn't have to wear deodorant.

I'm not saying that Koreans are immune from body odor but it is much less prevalent and requires much more disregard for hygiene.

Mixxleplix , Markus Winkler Report

Final score:

212points

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Jill Rhodry 1 year ago

Why were you comparing your earwax with everyone else?

149points

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45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World Bald eagles are not actually bald. Balde is old english for white

whodunnitno , Stephen Meyers Report

Final score:

204points

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Leanne Hailes 1 year ago

Balde is beautiful

52points

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When basketball was first invented, at every game, they would have a man who would go up a ladder to retrieve the ball after every basket. It took them around 20 years to figure out maybe it would be a good idea to cut the bottom of the basket out to make retrieving the ball a lot easier. 20 years!!!

SeanChewie Report

Final score:

191points

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Mycroft1967 1 year ago

How long did it take us to figure out you could put the spout for ketchup at the bottom so you didn't have to shake it?

67points

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45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World Playing Tetris up to 6 hours after a trauma can help against PTSD

Alf973 , Nik Report

Final score:

183points

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SadieCat17 1 year ago

How do they test this?

78points

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#10

I love when this question comes up because I get to talk about the thunder clappers.

When the Lewis and Clark expedition were exploring the west of North America, their diet of dried meat left them constipated. They were all taking these pills called thunder clappers to make themselves s**t. The active ingredient in thunder clappers is mercury, and historians can track the expedition because they left increased deposits of mercury in the soil.

KerchBridgeSmoker Report

Final score:

181points

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Catherine 1 year ago

Wow 😳 That's both horrifying and interesting!

85points

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#11

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World The male giraffe will continuously headbutt the female in the bladder until she urinates. The male then tastes the pee and that helps it determine whether the female is ovulating. If she is, it’s business time.

hornypandey , Harshil Gudka Report

Final score:

167points

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Catherine 1 year ago

That's not exactly the foreplay that gets the ladies 😒

201points

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#12

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World For every single human being on Earth, there are 2.5 MILLION ants.

Yes, this means that there are about 20 QUADRILLION ants on this planet.

If the ants decide to take over, are you strong enough to handle the 2.5 million that you'll be responsible for killing? If you've got kids, you might have to kill more because a 2 year old isn't going to accomplish a god damn thing if millions of ants are marching towards them

[deleted] , Maksim Shutov Report

Final score:

167points

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KombatBunni 1 year ago

Flamethrower should even the odds a tad :D

124points

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#13

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World The fruit was called orange waaaaay before the colour was

ElementalWorkshopII , Philippe Gauthier Report

Final score:

160points

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Thiago Gonsalves 1 year ago (edited)

What was the name of the color before? Don't say pumpkin

67points

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#14

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World There are more tigers kept as pets in the USA than there are in the wild

Sensitive-Bag-819 , Kevin Woblick Report

Final score:

157points

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Catherine 1 year ago

This one is sad 😞

255points

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#15

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World We are always seeing our own nose but the brain ignores it

PYROMANIA6 , Brittany Colette Report

Final score:

139points

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Catherine 1 year ago

Anyone else just look at their nose too🙋

164points

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#16

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World A day on Venus (one complete rotation around its axis) is longer than a year (a complete revolution around the sun) on Venus.

GRL_1151 , martinholverda Report

Final score:

134points

POST

Apple Jakes 1 year ago

Venus is making me kinda hungry

41points

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#17

LEGO manufactures more tyres than any other company on the planet.

SquidFetus Report

Final score:

134points

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PlatinumThe8-BitCat 1 year ago

I wonder if Lego tires/tyres could work as real tires/tyres

35points

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#18

Iron is the most stable atom in the universe. When fusion in the sun's core 'burns', it fuses *up* the period table until it reaches iron. From that point, fusion really isn't generating any more energy and the core collapses.

From the other side of things, all elements heavier than iron eventually fission down to iron (though i grant you, it may take a *very* long time, even at cosmological timescales).

Atoms are perceived to be everlasting and timeless. That's technically not *really* the case over the very long term except for iron. This is why, if I ever get married I'm going to request an iron wedding band. If I want a timeless representation of my love I can think of nothing better, than something that will last, (even if only elementally) to the heat death of the universe.

alpacaMyToothbrush Report

Final score:

128points

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PolymathNecromancer 1 year ago

How, then, do the heavier atoms come about?

12points

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#19

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World It’s possible to lactate without being pregnant

senSoreeSeakar , Sarah Chai Report

Final score:

128points

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Max Fox 1 year ago

Men can lactate.

69points

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#20

A man named Wilmer McLean owned a farm in Manassas, Virginia USA where the very first battle of the US Civil War was fought. After the battle he's like "I'm outta here" and bought a farm way out in the country at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia...where Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses Grant in McLeans living room four years later

rgrtom Report

Final score:

128points

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Catherine 1 year ago

He really didn't want to be involved but they were like "No, this starts and ends with you."

119points

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#21

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World When someone gets a kidney transplant they generally just cram the new one in and don't take out the old ones. So the person ends up with three kidneys.

More eels swim out of the Bermuda Triangle than swim into it

Optimal_Towel , Vidal Balielo Jr. Report

Final score:

126points

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Catherine 1 year ago

My brain really trying to connect these two facts as of they're not mutually exclusive 😂😂

136points

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#22

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World McDonald's engineered bubblegum flavoured broccoli in an attempt to get kids to eat more vegetables.

They still didn't want to eat it.

cmad182 , CJ Dayrit Report

Final score:

107points

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Mycroft1967 1 year ago

Just dump lots of cheese sauce on it.

102points

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#23

The Eiffel Tower can be 15 centimeters taller during the summer due to thermal expansion

Light944 Report

Final score:

103points

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Leanne Hailes 1 year ago

I knew this thanks to Vincent Nigel-Murray; Bones 💙

36points

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#24

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World Bluetooth is named after Danish King “Harald Bluetooth “

punjab-grit , Sara Kurfeß Report

Final score:

100points

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Catherine 1 year ago

It was to unite devices the way Bluetooth united the tribes of Denmark. The symbol is the two runes of his initials overlayed.

72points

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#25

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World Redheads require more anesthesia than non-redheads

JohnnyWall , Tyler McRobert Report

Final score:

96points

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Nicola Mawson 1 year ago

So do alcoholics

51points

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#26

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World The raw image we see with our eyes is actually upside down. Our brains subconsciously flip it back to the correct way.

MarioFanatic64-2 , Jon Tyson Report

Final score:

95points

POST

Sweetie Dahling 1 year ago

Is this not commonly taught in biology class?

77points

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#27

Marriage between pirates were common and where the term Matey comes from. the French word for Matey is “Matelot” or “Matelotage” which was an agreement between two pirates to share their income and even inherit the other’s property in case of death

Think-Huckleberry965 Report

Final score:

91points

POST

_mentally_insane_(she/her) 1 year ago

Our flag means death?

40points

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#28

Medical students commonly learn how to administer pelvic exams by practicing on unconscious patients, often without first obtaining explicit consent from patients to do so. While 21 states currently have laws that require teaching hospitals to obtain consent from patients to participate in this educational experience.

TrailerParkPrepper Report

Final score:

90points

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Catherine 1 year ago

Oh hell no!

83points

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#29

A quarter of the population of Iceland is part Native American because when Lief Ericsson landed in Newfoundland, he brought one Native American woman back with him.

Not-sure-wtf-I-am Report

Final score:

86points

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Jorgen Bjerke 1 year ago

His name was Leif, not Lief, and it is pronounced almost like the English word "life". The name is still common in Norway.

67points

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#30

The Atari 2600's release date and the last execution by guillotine happened less than 24 hours apart

SleeplessShitposter Report

Final score:

86points

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Leanne Hailes 1 year ago

😱

19points

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#31

Pirates are why the US isn't on the metric system

DarthDregan Report

Final score:

81points

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Jill Rhodry 1 year ago

And there's been no other chances to change since that happened in 1793.

78points

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#32

Octopuses have a brain in each of their tentacles as well as a main one in their body.

ImportantProcess404 Report

Final score:

79points

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Gabby M 1 year ago

Wow I read tentacles as testicles

63points

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#33

T-Rex is closer to us than Stegosaurus. Curse your sudden yet inevitable betrayal

CrabbyBlueberry Report

Final score:

79points

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KombatBunni 1 year ago

We will rule over all this land, and we will call it “this land”

54points

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#34

Sharks are older than trees

IndianaJonesDoombot Report

Final score:

75points

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Mav Mav 1 year ago

sharks walked with God on the sixth day.

14points

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#35

Male rhesus macaques will pay to see pictures of female monkey butts. Payment is in the form of trading their juice rewards

WantAllMyGarmonbozia Report

Final score:

74points

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BeepBoop is Lonely (she/they) 1 year ago

I'm not comprehending what this is trying to say

39points

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#36

The average fully grown horse puts out around 14 horsepower

mankytaint Report

Final score:

73points

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Catherine 1 year ago

I'm not an expert at math but how does 1 = 14 again 🤔

45points

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#37

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World Bone marrow transplant, it’s possible blood type may change to the donors blood type

NoSanitySab , National Cancer Institute Report

Final score:

72points

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Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago

I know a woman who had leukemia and who got a bone marrow transplant from a male donor. She said after that, mosquitos never touched her again. Very odd.

58points

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#38

Portugal is the world's largest producer of cork.

ShadowTsukino Report

Final score:

66points

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JB 1 year ago

And Italy is home to the largest population of cork soakers!

29points

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#39

Frogs swallow with their eyeballs. They use their eyes to help them push the food down.

FunkySpookyDoodle Report

Final score:

65points

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PlatinumThe8-BitCat 1 year ago

I’ve seen frogs do this before

16points

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#40

A species of frog, the African clawed frog, was the most reliable pregnancy test for a few decades before at-home tests were widely affordable and accessible

kawaiikaeru23 Report

Final score:

65points

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Catherine 1 year ago

I want to know what they did with the frog but I also don't want to know 😒

65points

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#41

A bone “break” is the same as a “fracture.” Fracture is just the medical term. It does not have any correlation with the severity

Horror-Impression411 Report

Final score:

61points

POST

Svenne O'Lotta 1 year ago

I don't think anyone thought it did

31points

HappyShannon 1 year ago

I know a lot of people that thought they were different. I thought a fracture was when a bone had a split or was cracked and a bone break meant it broke all the way through and even separated apart some

42points

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Gourdeous 1 year ago

Almost everyone thinks this. Ortho here.

8points

Mir Adwari 1 year ago

Sadly they do. When my arm was broken in a collision I was asked a few times, "broken or fractured?" I was surprised as I thought it was well known as the same thing.

8points

Orion Red 1 year ago

I did. Until just now. I thought a fracture was like a crack partway through, and that a displaced fracture was like when the break has a gap or the new ends move.

6points

Dawn Henderson 1 year ago

Guess who though wrong.. oops!

6points

Grace Knowlton 1 year ago

What about hairline fractures? Or spiral fractures? 🤔

4points

Saj 1 year ago

You'd be surprised! The number of people I have come across who say "oh, not broken just fractured" 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

4points

Kangaroo Ratz 1 year ago

I thought it did???? I thought a fracture wasnt as severe as a break

3points

tuzdayschild 1 year ago

You would be wrong

2points

GoldfishCrackers 1 year ago

I thought there was a difference. *Knock on wood* I’ve never broken/fractured a bone, so I never looked into it. When other people have told me about their injuries, I haven’t questioned their verbiage.

2points

StrangeOne 1 year ago

I thought it was different.

2points

Snorky The Pig 1 year ago

...I did. Not only that, but 8 year old me went around telling everyone that my mom didn't break her ankle, she only fractured it. Either way, be careful of ice in winter, people.

1point

brittany 1 year ago

i thought fracture meant cracked but not completely and breaks meant complete separation of one side of bone from the other

1point

Binky Melnik 1 year ago

Sure we do. I was given to understand that a fracture is just a crack, while a break is a BREAK (e.g., there’s an angle involved).

1point

Sarra R 1 year ago

I always thought fracture meant hair line fractures where breaking a bone meant a full snap in half....

0points

A girl 1 year ago

Recent accident, orthopedic Dr used the term shattered. The upper section of my humorous was crushed. Fracture didn't really acknowledge the severity.

4points

Lauren Baker 1 year ago

I have a genetic disease where I break bones easily. I cannot count the number of times I've said "I fractured my (insert bone here)" and they reply "Well at least it's not broken!!" 🤦🏼😫

2points

Spittnimage 1 year ago

I don't know about anyone else, but I already knew break and fracture meant the same thing.

2points

Christian Dyson 1 year ago

I did which is funny because I broke my wrist Wednesday and they were wondering if it was a fracture I was thinking its probably broken but I hope it isn't fractured

2points

Holy Shimmering Sheeps541t 1 year ago

In my experience fractures are harder to detect i.e. every fracture I've had was never detected on the initial X-ray, the only break I've had was easy to detect as my nose was at a "jaunty" angle.

1point

Kika González 1 year ago

Ie: stress fracture? As apposed to broken bones?

1point

BluEyedSeoulite 1 year ago

Stress fractures are just very tiny hairline breaks, most cannot be seen until after they start healing

1point

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DuckDuckGooseberry 1 year ago

So. Many. People. Have said this to me. “Its not broken, its fractured”. It drives me insane

1point

Laura Williams 1 year ago

Yep I have a broke back fusion. It hurts

0points

Jean Lancelin 1 year ago

Fracture is a french word

0points

Xray0976 1 year ago

I'm am xray tech....many of my patients don't know that there is no difference between the two. I'll ask if it's broken, and they'll tell me "No, the doctor said it's fractured".....

0points

Sarra R 1 year ago

I didn't know this til now, either. In the Army, I had stress fractures in both heels and tibia's. They said also where my femur fits into my pelvis, it was ready to shatter at any moment. This was back in 03. I had to leave and wasn't able to return. anyway, I always thought a fracture was a stress fracture or hairline, a simple not as serious thing, where a break is a complete bone breaking in half all the way/sticking out of the skin. So ppl would ask if I ever broke any bone and I'd say "thank goodness, no. I DID get some stress fractures in the army though." TIL.

0points

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Riley Quinn 1 year ago

If only we all spoke the same language, but every occupation seems to have their own with terms that are similar to commonly used words, but not quite.

0points

Jennifer 1 year ago

Oh yeah? Tell that to one eyed Willie!

0points

Mora Chilis 1 year ago

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#42

Cereal was invented to make people less horny

SamimeFanimeIfAnime Report

Final score:

57points

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Sky Render 1 year ago

Specifically one of the founding brothers of the Kellogg cereal company was anti-sex to the extreme and believed that bland food would reduce sex drive. The other brother rightly noted that most people don't want bland food and started sweetening their offerings.

61points

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#43

Cleopatra is closer to the invention of the iPhone than the building of the Giza pyramids

feedg Report

Final score:

57points

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Edgar Rops 1 year ago

By a thousand years, or so. Pyramids are roughly 5000 years old, Cleopatra lived in 1 century BC, so it is 2000 between her and us, and 3000 between her and the pyramids.

17points

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#44

Warm lemons rolled between the table and your palm give the most juice.

Dapadabada Report

Final score:

56points

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BeepBoop is Lonely (she/they) 1 year ago

I always juice a lemon both ways, when you use squeezer thingy, out it skin side up then also skin side down. This started with me not knowing the right way to fo it anf you'd be surprised how much more juice comes out 🤷‍♀️

7points

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#45

45 Hard-To-Believe Facts That Make People Reevaluate Their View Of The World There are more possible chess positions than atoms in the universe