This Instagram Account Shares Fascinating Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Learn In School, Here Are 50 Of Their Best Posts
According to a survey from the American Historical Association, two thirds of people in the US consider history to be no more than a collection of names, dates and events. But we know that the story of our world is living, breathing and so much more than that. So regardless of whether or not history was your favorite subject in school, pandas, we’re certain we’ve got some fun facts down below that will pique your interest!
We’ve taken a trip to the Blowing Fact Instagram account, which shares historical information that you probably didn’t learn in school, so enjoy reading through these fascinating facts and be sure to upvote the ones that inspire you to do a deep dive into history’s archives. And keep reading to find a conversation between Bored Panda and history expert Jaunting Jen!
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It’s always great to continue our education, pandas, so if you’re looking to learn something new today, you’re in luck. The Blowing Fact Instagram account has shared over 3,000 posts featuring fascinating information that you may have never heard before, and clearly, it’s a crowd favorite, as the page has amassed an impressive 3.9 million followers. From fun facts about celebrities to random tidbits of information about plants and animals, this page just goes to show that there’s no limit to what we can learn!
Blowing Fact is a great resource to add to your Instagram feed, so that while you’re scrolling through and liking all of your best friends’ pics, you can also learn that it’s probably not wise to feed a moose (unless it’s been fed before!) and that 7% of men for some reason believe they could beat a grizzly bear in a fight. You might even find out something that is important for your health to know, such as the fact that staying awake for over 260 hours can cause lifelong effects on your health. So get that rest, pandas!
What to do if you encounter a wild bear: If it's black, fight back If it's brown, lie down If it's white, say good night
I’m not proud to admit it, but personally, I was never a fan of history class in school. I found it extremely boring, and I could not for the life of me remember important dates or names. I didn’t see the point! But now I wish I had payed closer attention, because apparently today, American kids know less about history and geography than previous generations. The Nation’s Report Card found that 8th graders in the United States have been scoring lower and lower in recent years on history and geography tests.
But 8th graders aren’t the only ones struggling, as their scores are indicative of the rest of the nation’s declining knowledge of history and geography. “Many teenagers may not know what the American Revolution was all about, how a city differs from a state, or how to locate the United States on a map of the world,” Natalie Wexler writes for Forbes. “Undergraduates at Texas Tech asked their peers questions like ‘Who won the Civil War?’ and got answers like ‘The South.’ Jimmy Kimmel showed randomly selected adults a blank map of the world and asked them to identify just one country. Not a single person in the video, including at least one with a college degree, was able to comply.”
I love River Monsters, I wish someone would come up with a new show for Jeremy.
To learn more about how exciting studying history can be, we reached out to blogger, traveler and history teacher Jaunting Jen, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda about her lifelong love of the subject. “From making paper pyramids in elementary school to my childhood collection of National Geographic magazines, history has always been a part of my life,” Jen shared. “One of my earliest memories is visiting the Town Creek Indian Mound site in North Carolina. It was fascinating! I love studying history because it's like opening the door to another world. No one is too old or too young to enjoy history. There will always be something to learn.”
Brian Fargo himself has debunked this. It's just an internet rumour which seems to have started on Reddit. Vault Boy is just meant to be a cheery inspirational mascot who's doing a thumbs up and a wink to encourage people.
We were also curious if there are any parts of history that Jen is partial to, and she shared, “My favorite time periods are ancient Greece and Rome and the ancestral pueblo people of the Southwest U.S.A. Many people don't know we still have buildings standing in America that are over a thousand years old.”
And as for why it’s so important that we educate ourselves about the world’s past, the history expert says, “First, it helps us understand and process current events. Second, history absolutely repeats itself. If we don't know where we came from then we won't know where we're going.”
Can confirm, am sleep deprived . . . my school is starting later next year, thank goodness.
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American schools seem to start really early in the morning, (I've heard of some schools starting at 7:30, which is just insane.) In the uk and most European countries schools start around 9am and finish between 3pm & 4pm and people still complain that it's too early!
I am 42, my 9th grade high school started at 6:50, 10-12th started at 7, my vocational school started at 8. My kids schools start at 7:25 and 8. They get home at 2:45.
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I'll never understand how adults completely forget what it was like to be a kid or a teenager. Or maybe they just think "I had to go through it, so do you"
"Just go to sleep earlier" except I can't because I had homework :)
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I hear this a lot as a USA high school teacher. The problem with this is would make all the after school activities (such as the beloved sports programs) start later too - students would be getting home from practices and especially games far too late.
I've heard this point many times but I don't think it's fair to make everybody wake up earlier just for the kids who are in sports and have in school extracurriculars
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I totally support this! Those little rugrats are up at the crack of dawn anyway, send them to school and let the teenagers sleep
I've thought this should be obvious to school boards and superindents since learning about circadian rhythms in 10th grade Biology in 1984. Also would reduce the time the teens have alone before their parents get home. Start the little kids early and you'd need fewer buses too.
My middle school and high school started at different times to use fewer buses, but the high school started an hour before the middle school
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That'll happen after the 4-day work week, universal health care and mandated paid vacation.
Get out and vote and make your friends vote. It's the only way things are going to change
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Teachers unions continue to push back on later (appropriate)start times because of the logistics of end times and what that means for them working late.
Yes, it sounds good. But if you start school later, the kids will just stay up longer the night before. It doesn't solve anything.
It actually does solve a lot of problems for these young people. You're not going to learn a thing if you're sleep deprived. As a parent, you need to take some responsibility and make sure your teenager is in bed by a reasonable hour. If they stay up til 3am, that's on you
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Two things: 1. If you start school later, won't teens just stay up later & still suffer from lack of sleep? 2. Isn't part of the point of school to prepare you for life after school where you are expected to be at work on time at a time set by your employer (e.g., 8 AM)?
They circadian rhythm is that of a night owl. They may stay up later, but they'll also be more rested and ready to learn. It's the parent's responsibility to set bed times for their children.
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but then adults dont get their free daycare to further ignore raising their kids.
In that respect I agree 100% with the CDC. I rarely got enough and:or sufficiently restorative sleep as a teenager and that definitely had negative impacts on my health and academic performance. As an educational professional, I also believe firmly that sleep should be a priority in our every day and we should both encourage students and their families to take care of themselves and make sure that we are taking care of ourselves!
If sleep deprivation doesn't prepare you for adult life, what will?
I think these early start times are just artifacts from when the majority of people lived on farms and got up sometimes hours before dawn, so sending your kids off (when they did) after doing their chores wasn't considered so early.
Or, maybe, idk... The kids could, like, go to bed earlier? I know it's an "out-there" idea, but I just have this feeling.... And maybe leave electronic devices shut off after 9pm?
That would help, but the other side of the issue is teenager's need almost as much sleep as young children, and much more than adults. And most aren't very responsible yet. They think it's cool or fun(i did) to stay up till 3am then get up at 6 for school. It doesn't sound very grown up, but teens still need a bed time.
Not sure it would work though. Pretty good chance pushing back starting hours pushes everything back, meaning they'll crash later at night. So their startup time will need to be pushed even later again. And it just goes round and round.
I had a relatively early bedtime for my age. Like 10pm when I was a teen. I would have my light out but never felt alone, so I would stay up staring at my night light next to my bed or the digital clock. Just watching time go by, for a long time. I'd end up passing out around midnight.
See that why I like my school growing up. Afternoon naps for all grades.
They'd just stay up later knowing they started school later.
How would schools starting later work when parents have to be at work between 8 or 9am? Curious to see how it is in other countries - in South Africa school busses are not the norm, so majority of kids are taken to school by parents who then drive to work. Or use public transport which is not exactly reliable here. Example timeline: wake kids at 6am, everyone eats breakfast and gets ready, leave house at 7am, drop kids at 2 different schools so they make the 7.45am bell, head to work to get there between 8.30 and 9.
They do. (I still do). They just need to work something out for jobs now. 😂🤣
In high school we had public transportation The bis picked up top of my road at 7:30. School started 8:40, gave you an hour to walk around town, get breakfast, head to school early get breakfast there, g out with friends I dont remember when the final bell rang maybe 2:40? but again, had to take public transport and i believe the one bus came at 3:15 which i know school was over but we had to walk for a cpl minutes to get to the bus stops & if we missed that, I wasn't getting home till almost 5 because the next bus wouldn't come for another 40min and with all the stops, it sucked, but it was either that or find a ride which can take even longer sometimes! School was a total of 7hrs, shorter than a work day.
So the school day then goes later, they still have homework, etc. How is this going to help when kids just don't want to go to bed?
Or they could actually get off their damn phones/computers and laptops......and sleep.
Amazingly, the high school my g/dtr goes to starts at 9am! She sleeps until 8:15.
Wish they'd done this when I was in school! We had a LOOOOOONG walk to school in darkness
It's already time education authorities realize about this undeniable truth. Adapt school time to students'needs!
This has been known for years, yet schools CONTINUE AS ALWAYS! We just have Morons in charge!!
It's THE RULE with no consideration of the people it applies to. It would be nice if people would pay attention to the current situation regarding teenagers.
Your biological clock shifts forward as a teenager so you fall asleep later, there's been an argument for ages that high schools should start later.
So, are businesses supposed to start later too so the parents can get to work on time?
I agree they should start school later in the morning. So teenagers don't fall asleep in class.
The school I attended for 9th grade started at 9:20 and it's amazing what a difference that makes!
And yet this won't change a thing, school's only listen to studies that benefit their view, no matter how many studies there are the school system won't change
I had such a sleep problem as a teen. Please please please do this and offer alternatives like online learning.
Graduated 2003. My Texas High School started at 7:20AM. I had to be there at 6AM for Drill Team. School let out at 2:20PM. Drill Team didnt go home till 4/5PM. If Football Game we didnt get home till 10PM. Now my kids are up and ready to play at 6AM. Their Elementary School starts at 7:30AM. We go when doors open at 7AM.
So frustrating throughout high school when we got to vote for later start times, but my friends said they wanted to keep it the same bc of after school activities. I just wanted some sleep!!! 😭
THIS! I remember reading bout this YEARS ago. Psychologists even proved the brain is not fully functioning until AFTER 8am. Schools wonder ehy kids are struggling THEY ARE TIRED
And why do they suffer from sleep deprivation? Because parents no longer give and follow a strict bedtime schedule, kids are up all night playing video games and posting tik tok "battles" to make a quick buck and then not wake up in the morning to go get an education
Parents, get them off the internet and in bed at a decent hour. Like they say in the SEALS: "You don't have to like it, you just have to do it."
And with this news kids just got another level dumber. Thanks so much big brother. Wasting humanity 1 generation at a time.
When I was a teenager (as an adult too) the time I went to bed is directly related to when I had to wake. The later wake time was, the later I would go to sleep. So this would've had exactly zero impact on how long I slept.
Well, scientist predict they will be the final generation, that will keep anyone up at night
If you delay the school time, what's to stop the kids from now going to bed later, and then we're right back where we started.
You as a parent is what's going to stop them.
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If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of history but just aren’t sure where to start, Jen recommends finding something that interests you personally and just starting from there. “It doesn't have to be a tedious academic journal. There are tons of websites out there with brief (but useful) snippets of history. I personally love the World History Encyclopedia. Also, go out and visit any local historic site, even if it's something that you're not particularly interested in. You'd be surprised how much you can learn from the small local places.”
Plus, you can always begin with Jen’s blog, so if you’d like to learn more from the history expert herself, be sure to check out Jaunting Jen right here!
I want to know what lead them to the decision to have a $3 bowl appraised?
Unfortunately, many Americans don’t even know much about their own nation’s history. The New York Post reported in 2019 that only 27% of people under the age of 45 in the US can demonstrate a basic understanding of American history, and only 40% of Americans could pass a citizenship test. A quarter of those surveyed did not know that the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, and over half didn’t know that Woodrow Wilson was the president during World War I.
But Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, doesn’t blame the students for their shortcomings. “Based on our research, this is not an issue of whether high school history teachers are adequately prepared or whether kids study American history in school,” he told the New York Post. “The answer to both questions is yes. This is an issue of how we teach American history. Now it is too often made boring and robbed of its capacity to make sense of a chaotic present and inchoate future."
The ultimate proof that the stock market is just a load of c**p akin to astrology.
In a previous Bored Panda article, we got in touch with Susan and Beckett, co-hosts of The History Chicks podcast, to hear why they believe it’s so important to remember our past. Their show shines a light on some of the most fascinating women in history who are often overlooked, so the co-hosts shared how it came to be in the first place. “We launched the show in 2011 after Beckett realized there were not only no podcasts on a subject she wanted to learn about (Gilded Age Heiresses), but there were none about Women's History in general," they previously told Bored Panda. "Uttering, 'How hard could it be?' she contacted Susan. 12 years later, we laugh because we knew the answer to her question was, 'Pretty darn hard, starting with a nearly vertical learning curve'."
"Our favorite part of studying history is discovering the interconnectivity of it all," Susan and Beckett shared. "That people in history aren't all that different from us, they just lived in different times and those times (and people) connect all the way through to modern-day in the most interesting ways."
Pretty sure a draw was the worst result ever to the people there
So why is it important to learn history accurately? "It's important so that we don't perpetuate half-truths, misconceptions, and downright lies," the History Chicks told Bored Panda. "To understand history, we have to see the whole story, not just the soundbites of history. If we just repeat an oversimplified version lacking perspective and context, we only think we know the whole story, but we're not even close. And here's a riddle: Can history repeat itself if the history we're repeating is wrong and incomplete?"
Have you been inspired to channel your inner historian and do a deep dive into these fun historical facts, pandas? If you find yourself particularly interested in any of these topics, feel free to do your own research, and I’m sure you’ll have some great conversation starters up your sleeve for your next social gathering. Keep upvoting the pics that teach you something new, and then if you’re interested in checking out another list full of tidbits of information that you probably didn’t learn in school, look no further than right here!
"Hoo boy! Let's yank off their heads" - Said by the designer LMAO
So that's 56 when they aren't in a bad mood. Depending on if you are in a s****y mood or just in general
Never knew any school that had that and a ton of us smoked. We had to go across the street and dodge the Principal..
Note: this post originally had 52 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
this is great, but do you wanna know another interesting fact? you could save 15% or more on car insurance with geico!!!
I actually sad that there weren't more facts, I loved reading this. 10/10, would recommend.
this is great, but do you wanna know another interesting fact? you could save 15% or more on car insurance with geico!!!
I actually sad that there weren't more facts, I loved reading this. 10/10, would recommend.
