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We all go through life with a certain amount of knowledge. While usually these amounts are different, depending on the person's education, character, and other things, from time to time, some folks assume that the things they know, others do, too.
Today's list is full of stories like that. To be more specific, it's full of facts people thought everyone knew, only to learn that they didn't. Mind you, these are pretty obvious ones, at least to us. Did we pique your interest? Read on and maybe you'll learn some basic facts you didn't know before, too!
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#1
That vaccines don't cause autism
The only "reliable" indicator on what "causes" autism is having a parent with autism
TLDR:
(Now No longer Doctor) Andrew Wakefield conducted a very flawed study that claimed that the MMR vaccine (Measles Mumps and Rubella combo vaccine) caused a (alleged) condition in the stomach that somehow causes autism. And that that the vaccines for each disease should be given seperately instead. (He also had a financial incentive so he definitely conducted the study to get money)
So not only did he NOT claim Vaccines cause autism he claimed that ONE vaccine causes autism and that other vaccines were safe.
RELATED:
#2
That the McDonalds Coffee Lawsuit was 100% legitimate and the media is a big ol' sack of d***s for how they handled it to defame that poor woman.
There’s no chance that you've ever heard a saying along the lines of “knowledge is power” or “knowledge is a path to success.” Well, we can’t say that these sayings aren’t true—they are. After all, learning new information makes a person grow personally, professionally, and in other ways.
It improves our awareness of facts, experiences, cognitive processes, communication, and logic, to name a few. Basically, knowledge itself is a very broad term, carrying many smaller things under its umbrella, which makes it a rather important one.
#5
An undercover cop doesn't have to tell you they're a cop.
Cops can lie to you, but you can't lie to cops.
Even if you're innocent, don't talk to the police without a lawyer present.
Yet, even though it’s so important, quite a few people have plenty of knowledge gaps. They can come from many places—from not paying attention at school and getting lost in a sea of information to mental disorders or disabilities that might disturb the learning process, like ADHD or dyslexia.
On today’s list, you’ll find examples of facts that seemed like basic knowledge for some people, yet shocked them when they found out that it wasn’t for others. These range from fundamental computer skills to math to biology. People are different, so their knowledge gaps are, too.
#7
Ctrl+C
Ctrl+V
Astounding the number of people who go through life working in a corporate office who had no idea about this. Truly worrying.
Granted, some of these actually look pretty basic and, surprisingly, someone might now know that, but as we made clear previously, there are plenty of reasons why this has happened.
Maybe they have some underlying issues that go between them and the knowledge they wish to have. We might never know, so blindly judging someone for not being smart about something, especially in non-threatening situations, isn’t the best choice you can make.
After all, having a knowledge gap isn’t the end of the world (unless you’re in charge of important things, but aren’t qualified for them—but that’s a topic for another day.)
Just as the term knowledge itself is broad, there is a broad range of choices to gain said knowledge from, too. The most common is school—whether it’s middle school, high school, or higher education institutions—they all teach people certain things, improving their skills.
There are also more unconventional ways. Well, they might seem quite conventional for you, depending on what kind of person you are. You know, different strokes for different folks. Here, in this online thread, you can find plenty of suggestions for how to improve your smarts.
#14
As a tradesman I asked everyone who walked by me one day how many 8ths are in an inch. The answers I received from other tradesmen were embarrassing.
Quite a popular suggestion is reading, and, well, it’s not a bad one. After all, when you read, you not only broaden your horizons on the topic that the text is about but also improve your reading, literacy, and critical thinking skills. So, it's a win-win situation.
Besides reading, doing research on things that interest you, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, and talking to people can be a part of your learning process, too. Again, it all depends on who you are and what fits you the best.
What are your methods for improving your knowledge? Share with others in the comments!
#16
Percentages are reversible. 8% of 25 is the same as 25% of 8 and one of them is much easier to do in your head.
#17
Not everyone has internal monologue. For some people, thoughts are purely conceptual. They do not have a narrative voice in their head.
Also, some people scrunch toilet paper to wipe their a**e. Others use it flat.
Neither group is aware the other exists.
#18
Most (not usually cheap ones, but sometimes) suit jackets (and sometimes pants) have the pockets sewn close for shipping. Your jacket doesn't have "fake pockets" you just need to cut them open.
#21
Vast majority of eggs are not fertilised by a rooster. Only the ones from your local farmer could end up with a surprise inside. Simply, no rooster no chickens.
#22
Reindeers are real animals. An ex girlfriend of mine insisted that they weren’t real and that they’re made up creatures that help Santa fly his sleigh. I had told her that I’ve seen them in real life and she said that I must’ve been confused lol.
#23
That feeding an animal the wrong thing can k**l it.
I run a rescue and people find baby animals all the time, and immediately just want to feed them something.
They think "something is better than nothing" but this is not true. Don't feed baby wildlife until you speak to someone trained.
#25
All Visa credit cards start with a 4
All Mastercard credit cards start with a 5
All Amex credit cards start with a 3
… Discover…. 6.
#26
When presenting in PowerPoint, hitting the "b" key will turn the screen black (so that the audience will focus on the speaker instead of the slide). The "w" key turns the screen white. In both cases, hitting any key will return it to the slide.
Also, if you know the number of the slide you want to go to (again, in presentation mode), just type that number and hit an ENTER key. You'll go right to that slide. I use this when I launch a slide show and find myself on slide 45 - type a "1" and "Enter" and you're at the first slide.
#27
Male dogs and cats ALSO HAVE [private parts] people! I see so many posts in pet subreddits of people panicking because they discovered their pets [private parts].
#28
Don't center your plates or bowls in the microwave. It heats better off center. There's like a dead spot in the middle. That's why the bowls get hot but the food stays cold.
#29
The government can allocate money to a new program without raising taxes. I’ve had so many interactions where someone can’t imagine how a new spending initiative doesn’t require more revenue without realizing that the existing revenue can just be reallocated.
#30
I've had so many people not believing me that Israel is in Asia. They reply with "no, it's in the Middle East!". The Middle East isn't one of the continents. Israel is in fact part of the Asian continent.
#31
Stamps are only good in the country in which they are issued/purchased. You can’t drop something into the British Post with just American stamps on it.
#32
I work in construction, I have to explain the Pythagorean Theorem to people who make 3x what I do at least twice per year.
#33
There a viruses that infect *every living thing*.
Humans. Every animal you can think of. Plants. Fungi. Algae. Bacteria. Even "extremophile" microorganisms (those that make a living in nearly impossible situations: scalding hot springs, perpetually frozen arctic/antarctic ice, or inside salt crystals with basically zero water).
There's even viruses that infect other viruses.
Life is *everywhere* and viruses tag along to take advantage.
#35
I worked with and was mentored by some brilliant programmers only to find out they were young earth creationists. Not once but twice and they both tried to convince me the planet was only 6,000 years old.
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