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In the Middle Ages, people thought farting in jars and sniffing them would help prevent death. True or false? Weirdly enough, it actually checks out as true. In fact, during the Great Plague of London in the 1600s, some doctors would recommend that people keep “fart jars” to ward off the bubonic plague.

While it more than likely did not save many people, the strange piece of information has been forever immortalized in history books. And it's just one of many very strange but fascinating tidbits that can be found on the Weird Facts IG page. Over 1.2 million people follow the account for their daily dose of oddly interesting information.

Bored Panda has picked out a few of our personal favorites from the page for your scrolling pleasure. Upvote the ones that leave you intrigued, and enjoy sharing your newfound knowledge with your family and friends this holiday season.

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    #10

    People watching a movie in a dark room, weird facts about the calming effect of rewatching favorite films displayed on screen.

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    #12

    Brain scan image with text describing a weird fact about a woman hearing voices that led to a tumor discovery.

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    Danny Dorito
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It is nice when the voices are nice most times you hear they nasty

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    #13

    Doris Miller during Pearl Harbor attack, manning a gun; historical bravery depicted in 2001 film.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pearl Harbour might have turned out to be a good film if it concentrated on this character, rather than all that silly romantic gubbins and Ben Affleck.

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    #15

    Illustration of a stressed woman with text about weird facts related to a 2013 survey on mothers' stress sources.

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    Tyranamar Suess
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm often relieved to not have a husband. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have one to help. Then I remember all the stuff they'd probably want me to do for them.

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    #17

    Man in glasses and checkered shirt, associated with weird facts about apologizing for creating pop-up ads.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As I read this there is a pop up advertising Bored Panda on my screen, whilst I am on Bored Panda. BP stop it.

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    #18

    Two men seated together, smiling, with a text overlay sharing a weird fact about the founding of Ben & Jerry's.

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    Dragon mama
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And now it's owned by Unilever and the quality went down the tubes

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    #19

    Old haunted house linked to carbon monoxide and hallucinations, illustrating weird facts about eerie experiences.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    All the devices these ghost hunters use incorrectly whilst searching for ghosts, they just need a carbon monoxide detector.

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    #20

    Man adjusting glasses beside Chewbacca costume; text reveals he chose to play a hero. Weird facts from movies.

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    Riley Quinn
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This wonderful person, whom his fellow cast called a "a sweet man", suffered with such pain. He had Marfan syndrome and gigantism that caused respiratory problems, and he was forced to use a wheelchair due to the pain.

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    #21

    Vintage photo of Vince Coleman and his gravestone, highlighting a weird fact about his heroic telegraph message saving 300 lives.

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    Major Harris
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    06 dec 1917, halifax nova scotia. the s.s. mont blanc, a freighter HEAVILY loaded with explosives for the war raging in europe, collided with another ship in the harbor. the mont blanc caught fire and the crew could not put it out. they radioed the harbor of the situation and then abandoned the ship, made it to shore and took shelter behind a small rise. the explosion is one of the largest non nuclear explosions caused by man, killing 1,782 people in the town.

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    #23

    Tomb of Antoine-Augustin Parmentier in Paris adorned with potato plants, highlighting an interesting historical fact.

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    Brian Droste
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If I die I think I might want potatos plants each year planted on my grave site. My favorite food when growing was mashed potatoes and gravy. Either that be cremated and my ashes be spread in a potato field.

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    #30

    Aerial view of a blue whale, the largest known animal, swimming in the ocean; a weird fact about its size is highlighted.

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    Riley Quinn
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can't help but think of Alan Davies (QI) every time I read/see something about Blue whales.

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    #31

    Man sitting, mentioned as RADAR inventor caught speeding, expressing surprise at use of his invention.

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    Kira Okah
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    One of the designers that created the breathalyser was recently done for drunk-driving and has been banned from driving for a year, was in the local news yesterday, think they did use a breathalyser on him too.

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    #32

    Close-up of an eagle's eye and beak illustrating weird facts about their vision capabilities.

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    #36

    Crowd of students in South Korea preparing for Suneung, a major exam day, highlighting unique cultural practices.

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    Yvonne Dauwalder Balsiger
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Scholastic_Ability_Test On test day, the KRX stock market opens late, and bus and metro service is increased to avoid traffic jams and allow students to get to the testing sites more easily. Planes are grounded during the listening portion of the English section so their noise does not disturb the students. In some cases, students running late for the test may be escorted to their testing site by police officers via motorcycle.

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    #39

    Man in a suit sitting at a table, with text discussing a weird fact about school drop-offs.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That sounds like the dads had up until this point has been dropping the wives off at school.

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    #40

    Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, noted for realistic psychopath depiction in "No Country for Old Men" by psychologists.

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    Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The strangulation scene still haunts me. It seems to take so long, when compared to strangulation scenes in most movies. Yet it is supposedly realistic. Strangulation is not a quick death.

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    #44

    Bowl of tomato sauce on a table with a spoon, highlighting a weird fact about its Mexican origins.

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    LilliVB
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Mmm, yes? I'm Italian, but even I know that tomatoes weren't endemic in Europe. It's quite obvious that tomato sauce was a thing in the place where tomatoes naturally grew.

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    #45

    Orca swimming in the ocean, addressing a weird fact about no recorded fatal attacks by wild orcas on humans.

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    keyboardtek
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Still. If I were to be in the water and see one of them, I am outta there!

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    #50

    Actors in a comedic barbershop scene, wearing capes, highlighting a weird fact about "Dumb and Dumber" salaries.

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    Kira Okah
    Community Member
    4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They didn't want him in the role because he hadn't done any comedies, so they made him an offer they thought he'd refuse, but he didn't because he wanted to get into comedy and wanted to act with Jim. Context: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jeff-daniels-dumb-dumber/

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    Note: this post originally had 80 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

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