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People acquire different knowledge depending on their age. You start to realize that the sun still exists even when the night comes and you can’t see it, and that the moon is also always there, so it’s not surprising to sometimes see it during the day.
You learn these kinds of facts by experiencing them, reading about them or talking about them with someone else. But sometimes they just don’t come up and you end up not knowing what is obvious for everybody else. It is never too late to learn, but you can’t help but feel embarrassed when you’re the last one to find out something.
Reddit user PralineStriking wanted people to remember that embarrassment and asked what things they learnt at an age that seemed too late for them and the thread got over 18k answers. We collected some of the best ones and we would like to know if you found anything that you experienced as well. If not, share your own facts you learnt at a late age that you should have known about earlier in life in the comments!
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
That narwhals are real. I thought they were cute mythological creatures, until I saw a brooch a friend had and asked if it was part of the companies mythological line. She asked me if I thought narwhals were myths, like unicorns. I laughed and said of course they are.
I was 35.
RELATED:
#2
That I needed glasses. At age 21 my friends were hassling me about being dyslexic because I kept getting words mixed up (second year at Uni). Until then, I had just been reading by looking at the shape of words and guessing the words based on the context and wider story. I had been reading this way for years and survived Uni before finding out my prescription was +1.50. The optometrist said it was amazing I hadn’t noticed. When I put the glasses on, everything was in 4K Ultra. I can now see individual letters.
DUN DUN (she/her) 3 years ago
"When I put the glasses on, everything was in 4K Ultra" We all who wear glasses felt that
#3
That the more work you get done at work, the more they will pile it on. I could have saved a lot of my mental health in my 20’s
#4
“Paradigm” is pronounced “pear-uh-dime”. It is definitely NOT pronounced “pear-uh-dig-um”.
…I learned this at age 19. In college. While delivering an oral report.
I try not to think about.
#5
That Abuela and Abuelo were not my Cuban grandparents actual names
DUN DUN (she/her) 3 years ago
My mum's name is not 'Mum' That broke my heart when I was 2 yo 💔
#6
I thought everyone’s mouth got itchy when eating bananas. Almost 40 years old and find out I’m somewhat allergic to them.
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
It's called oral allergy syndrome. It really sucks, at least it's only bananas for you. My list of fruit and veg that affects me gets longer every year.
#8
The the longest time I always heard of sports teams “Drafting” people. And I am tall, so as a kid I was constantly afraid I’d get drafted for the state basketball team just out of the blue, I thought it worked like a military draft.
I learned this wasn’t the case when I was like 10-12.
#9
That if you wear a white bra, you can see it through a l white shirt, but if you wear a nude colored bra, you can’t. I was 40 when a coworker shared this with me.
Valerie G. 3 years ago
The same thing holds for wearing white panties under white slacks. You need to wear nude coloured ones under those.
#11
That you can flush used toilet paper. Parents taught us as kids to throw away the paper in the trash can for fear of backing up the toilet. Wasn’t until college that I realized my parents were accustomed to that method because they had s***ty plumbing where they grew up in Central America
#12
Wasn't until I was 21 when I drank Lactose Free milk and DIDN'T go sit on a toilet for an hour that I realized I am lactose intolerant. I thought it was normal to s**t constantly after drinking milk.
#13
It’s “for all intents and purposes” not “for all intensive purposes”
#14
That our next door neighbors were lesbians and not just “good friends”. Lovely people. Didn’t figure it out until I was in college
#16
Womens pads stick to their underwear and not themselves like a band-aid.
#17
I learned how to ride a bike at the ripe age of 24
DUN DUN (she/her) 3 years ago
It's okay...we all learn something new everyday, it's not mandatory for you to learn this when you're a kid.
#18
Baby carrots are just shaved down big carrots. I was devastated a few years ago.
#19
At roughly 37, I learned pineapples grew from the ground. Not from a tree.
#20
Corned beef wasn’t made by cattle that were strictly fed corn. My mom couldn’t stop laughing.
#21
That sea horses are not roughly the size of penguins. In fact, they are incredibly tiny. Stupid Saturday morning cartoons!
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)
Omg, you should see the pygmy seahorse, it is super duper teeny tiny, it's just so damn cute.
#22
That puffer fish don't use air to inflate.
Jo Johannsen 3 years ago
I was today years old.... Actually, it's obvious (cause where would they get the air), but who stops to think about it? At least I didn't.
#23
That puffins are in fact NOT extinct. I had a 3rd grade teacher misinform me. I found the truth as a teenager in an embarrassing group setting where I was quite confidently wrong.
DUN DUN (she/her) 3 years ago
For a moment I was like "Where are the legs of that bird in the picture!?" Then I put my glasses on :)
#25
That cows are female and bulls are male. I thought they are two different species
Eat Dirt Crow 3 years ago
Technically, a cow is a female that has given birth. Before birth they're called heifers.
#27
That Flo Rida spells Florida. Also will I am was William. Realized this last year. I’ll be 42 in a month lol
Tucker Ramsey 3 years ago
That C.R.E.A.M by wu tang stands for cash rules.everyrhing around me
#28
I was 20 years old when I learned that salt lamps are indeed made of salt.
I always thought that it was plastic carved into a rock-like shape
Jo Johannsen 3 years ago
Reminds me of a recent post about putting the salt lamp in the dishwasher to clean it...
#30
I was almost 30 when I realized that travelling uphill does not always mean you're travelling north. And similarly rivers can run north because they aren't going "uphill".
I'm not normally that stupid.
#31
That when i deposit cash in the bank, there isn’t a specific money locker just for me.
#32
That menstrual fluid isn’t blue. The tampon and pad commercials had me fooled.
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
We started getting ads where the fluid they use was red. Apparently they got a lot of complaints saying its disgusting and not suitable for TV. F**k that noise, we need to stop periods being a taboo subject and something we need to hide.
#33
I thought women get pregnant at a random moment in their life until my friend told me you have to have intercourse in 7th grade.
#34
I thought the D is Disney was just some random symbol, kinda like a backwards G. It took me until like 7th grade to realize it and even as an adult I still can’t unsee the backwards G.
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
I used to think the y in Disney was actually a p and called them Disnep.
BreGerEu 3 years ago
Until now I saw none of them in the logo. From now on I will allways see Gisnep 😄
Load More Replies...
Violet Bertrand 3 years ago
WAIT I CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE 'D' IN DISNEY- OH MY GOSH ITS NOT A WEIRD SYMBOL- Sigh I'm disappointed in myself
Marissa Taylor 3 years ago
If you look at the word FEDEX on truck or box there's an arrow in the word
Jyndaru 3 years ago
I always read it as "Fed E arrow X" ever since learning this 😂
Load More Replies...
Danie McClanahan 3 years ago
I HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE CHICK-FIL-A LOGO!! I never realized the first "C" was a chicken, I thought it was just a weird smile 😂😂😂
Glynna Bowood 3 years ago
The logo is Walt Disney's own way of writing his last name- look at examples of his signature online.
Donna Stapleton 3 years ago
Its walt disneys signature d actually. I started using it for a wwhile.
Sabrina Bowen 3 years ago
Same! I could NOT figure out why it was pronounced "Disney" when it was clearly spelled Gisnep.
Vân Anh Hoàng 3 years ago
Actually in Vietnam our alphabet have this letter "Đ" and when you write this letter fast, you got exactly what in Disney logo
Venturing Outdoors, GMarin 3 years ago
Great, thanks for that Why you have to go and ruin nice things? Lol! Just kidding. But yeah, now I see that damn G.
Collin Blatt 3 years ago
I definitely didn't see it as a 'D' until like college lol. I too thought it looked like a funky 'G' and just went with it.
Lucyna Elvington 3 years ago
Me too! I still have to force myself to see the D instead of a backwards G looking thing.
Marla Singer 3 years ago
I had this same problem. Even though *of course* it's a capital d, my brain cannot see it that way.
Anita Pickle 3 years ago
Same, is still see the backwards G. I was in third grade learning cursive when I made the connection,and I still cannot unsee it.
Kelsie Dryer 3 years ago
I'm embarrassed to say I'm guilty of the Disney backwards G but it took me longer than 7th grade to see it. My brain simply didn't see a D when it saw Disney written on things. Weird
ThatSunniChick 3 years ago
Saaaaammmeee lol I was a little younger when I realized it but now I can't unsee it
Kelly Shields 3 years ago
I thought it was a Q for the longest time. I think I was in 5th grade when my mom signed a capital D the same way as Disney. Who knows how long it would have taken me if not for that.
Demonz Halo 3 years ago
As a kid I always thought it was a G and that they pronounced it like a D. Don’t ask why, idk
#35
"TP" stood for Toilet Paper. I thought to "TP someone's house" you just put toilet paper over it to look like a teepee.
#36
I was 16 when I found out you're meant to spit toothpaste out after brushing your teeth, I had always just swallowed it and thought that's just what you do... Idk how tf I don't have flouride poisoning
#37
I thought an armadillo was a reptile rather than a mammal
#39
Up until 15 I believed If I swallow a seed and then drinks water a tree is going to grow inside me.
#40
That the game show Wheel of Fortune is named after the tarot card
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
They did a pilot for “Wheel of Suffering and Desire,” but it didn’t test well with non-Buddhist audiences.
What do you think ?
Jo Choto 3 years ago
There is nothing wrong with not knowing something. Learning is always, always a good thing. The problem only starts when you learn something new and then pretend it doesn't exist. I'm looking at you, climate deniers, flat earthers, racism deniers, misogynists-- okay, I'm looking at a lot of people, but you get my meaning.
Jyndaru 3 years ago
And people should not stop trying to learn new things just because they finished school. There's always more to learn.
Load More Replies...
Francesca Annoni 3 years ago
My dad was a very smart man, he loved to learn new things and read, for me he was a sort of walking encyclopedia.. only one time I taught him something . There is an idiom in Italy "a caval donato non si guarda in bocca" "you don't look in the mouth of a gift horse" because you can tell the age of a horse by the teeth, but Donato it's also a person name.. he told me "I never understand this idiom , I thought that the horse's name was Donato!" We had the best laugh of our life... I miss you so much dad!!
Wondering Alice 3 years ago
I always assumed this idiom was to do with the Trojan horse - which never made sense to me, because if they had looked inside before accepting it things would have worked out very differently. So thanks Francesca, I learned something new there too!
Load More Replies...
Mark Richards 3 years ago
I was in my early 50s before I realized I was circumcised. I was stunned. 😂😂😂
Urbangirlatl 3 years ago
There is a clip on YouTube for the Graham Norton show where Sir Patrick Stewart talks about the same confusion. He thought he was....he's not.
Load More Replies...
Parmeisan 3 years ago
A few of these are from people who didn't realize something about themselves, and I'm here to tell you that assuming everyone experiences life that way you do is an *extremely* common thing. We only have one perspective in life except where imperfectly translated into language, and there's so many questions we don't think to ask. If you're colour blind, or you lack a mind's eye, or whatever, you will most likely believe for a long time that everyone is the same way - until you randomly come across a colour blindness test or somebody talking about aphantasia and you go "Wait, people LITERALLY count sheep?" Same reason a lot of people take forever to realize their true sexuality, especially in previous generations where we talked about sex less - "you mean not every woman just PRETENDS to like sex?" A good reminder to have patience with people because what is obvious to you, is not obvious to everyone. :)
Web Mailroom 3 years ago
Up until last year, I always thought the Mars Rover was the size of a small children's remote controlled toy. Then I found out it's about the size of an actual car. Somehow it always looked small when I saw photos of it on Mars!
Lillian Swaim 3 years ago
The banana thing is REAL I had the SAME THING happen during Organic Chem in college, we were talking about acidic foods and I was loud about how bananas must be as acidic if not more so than pineapples, since they wreck my mouth like eating too much pineapple every time. The entire class just stared at me, the prof explained how that makes sense for pineapples, due to their acidity and the rough texture, but bananas? nooooo Told me to check with my doctor about it, yep allergic to latex plants, could become a latex allergy, very important to know
Hey! 1 year ago
The bromelain in pineapple does that to you, not due to acidity and/or rough texture.
Load More Replies...
Winter 3 years ago
I am embarrassed to admit that it was only last year that I realized pockets of air can get trapped underwater by a vessel. I was reading a book where a chamber was filling up with water, and the characters only had an air pocket from an upside down canoe to breathe. I didn't understand how they had any air at all. And it was a book for young adults! Durp.
CATMONSTER2018 3 years ago
I thought soda could only be drunk after someone was 7 years old. (Because of 7-up)
Jackie Lulu 3 years ago
I believed in Santa Claus til I was 12. Overheard my aunt talking about it (not about Me). God knows how long it would have taken me to get it. There went Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Jesus, all in one fell swoop.
Dawn Burris 3 years ago
Like the saying "Don't let the bedbugs bite". I was in my 40's when I learned that bedbugs we're REAL. So now I suppose they're going to tell me that the Boogie man is real too.
Load More Replies...
Rand Johnson 3 years ago
I grew up in Texas. I thought Whataburger was like Water Burger or something because the burgers were juicy. I was in my 20's when I finally solved the riddle.
RafCo 3 years ago
The term comes from the fact that people who needn't work outdoors are often very pale, and you can see their veins through their skin. And because those veins appear blue... You get it.
Load More Replies...
Jocelynn Schreiner 3 years ago (edited)
That the band is called "Bowling for Soup" not "Bullwinkle Soup" This was like a month ago. I'm 27
Louise Platiel 3 years ago
My son looked at his puckered finger tips in the pool and cried because he thought it was permanent water damage 😆
Deep One 3 years ago
I was an adult before I found out that facade did NOT have two pronunciations. I had always thought that when referring to a building it was pronounced fa KA yd like arcade or colonnade and when referring to a person putting on a false front or face it was pronounced face-ad because they were being two-faced.
Amber 3 years ago
I dont think either of those are right. Its "fuh-sawd."
Load More Replies...
Miau Miau 3 years ago (edited)
Wolverines ARE real live animals! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine
Load More Replies...
glowworm2 3 years ago
I remember my sudden disappointment as an older kid upon finally eating my first candy apple. Candy apples aren't entirely made of candy but actually have a real apple under them.
Catarina 3 years ago (edited)
We don't have candy apples in Portugal, i've always wanted to try One and the fact that now i know it has a real Apple inside makes me want to try it more
Load More Replies...
Peri 3 years ago
I think I was 20 when I learned that female nipples don’t just have one hole where milk comes out of… and I’m female. For some reason I also thought the word “prevent” meant the opposite — as in causing something to happen — until I was 8 or 9. Up until then, the Smokey the Bear sign my dad had was very confusing.
Abby Parker 3 years ago
I think I was 20 when I finally figured out the tall man in Simon and Garfunkels’ video for You Can Call Me Al, is in fact Garfunkel and not Will Ferrell xD
Anita Pickle 3 years ago
That elected officials are not held accountable, nor do they actually have do anything.
Ines Spotify 3 years ago
I learned 2 weeks ago that pickles are cucumbers. My whole life is a lie 🥲.
thegolfball 3 years ago
Was in my 60's when it occurred to me what occupation Miss Kitty really had in the TV series "Gunsmoke"
Mariah Gensmer 3 years ago
I just learned some of these and I'm 32. I also have to care to question it.
DDmaybeandor 3 years ago
A crockpot is so called because it is a pot you put your crock in to heat it up. That took me a while.
Nikki Diaz 3 years ago
I was in my early 30s when i learned that New England is not, in fact, a state.
Shoto Todoroki 3 years ago
As a kid I thought the term drinking meants drinks overall. So when my parents taught us drinking was bad I thought they meant like juice, water, soda. Drinking and driving was another, I remember my dad had a soda and was driving I was like 'Oh no, my dad is doing something bad. It wasn't until I saw a PSA on tv about some guy drinking beer and then hopping into his car where it timeskips to him being bound in a wheelchair paralyzed that I learned 'drink' means Alcohol.
Brian Eckre 3 years ago
I think I was in junior high when I found out that not all poodles are girl dogs and all German shepherds are boy dogs!
Stephanie Casey 3 years ago
When I was younger my dad told me that if I unscrewed my belly button my butt would fall off. When I tell you I tried so hard and was disappointed it didn't work, he finally told me to truth: I didn't have the right tool. *insertdisappointmenthere*
Emmett O'Brian 3 years ago
TIL that the fine constant (1/137) is called that because of the fine gaps in the spectral lines of atoms. How did I not get that amirite? Anybody?
Barbara Weiss 3 years ago
Maybe you'll meet a woman this year. Maybe. Probably not.
Load More Replies...
Jo Choto 3 years ago
There is nothing wrong with not knowing something. Learning is always, always a good thing. The problem only starts when you learn something new and then pretend it doesn't exist. I'm looking at you, climate deniers, flat earthers, racism deniers, misogynists-- okay, I'm looking at a lot of people, but you get my meaning.
Jyndaru 3 years ago
And people should not stop trying to learn new things just because they finished school. There's always more to learn.
Load More Replies... Francesca Annoni 3 years ago
My dad was a very smart man, he loved to learn new things and read, for me he was a sort of walking encyclopedia.. only one time I taught him something . There is an idiom in Italy "a caval donato non si guarda in bocca" "you don't look in the mouth of a gift horse" because you can tell the age of a horse by the teeth, but Donato it's also a person name.. he told me "I never understand this idiom , I thought that the horse's name was Donato!" We had the best laugh of our life... I miss you so much dad!!
Wondering Alice 3 years ago
I always assumed this idiom was to do with the Trojan horse - which never made sense to me, because if they had looked inside before accepting it things would have worked out very differently. So thanks Francesca, I learned something new there too!
Load More Replies... Mark Richards 3 years ago
I was in my early 50s before I realized I was circumcised. I was stunned. 😂😂😂
Urbangirlatl 3 years ago
There is a clip on YouTube for the Graham Norton show where Sir Patrick Stewart talks about the same confusion. He thought he was....he's not.
Load More Replies... Parmeisan 3 years ago
A few of these are from people who didn't realize something about themselves, and I'm here to tell you that assuming everyone experiences life that way you do is an *extremely* common thing. We only have one perspective in life except where imperfectly translated into language, and there's so many questions we don't think to ask. If you're colour blind, or you lack a mind's eye, or whatever, you will most likely believe for a long time that everyone is the same way - until you randomly come across a colour blindness test or somebody talking about aphantasia and you go "Wait, people LITERALLY count sheep?" Same reason a lot of people take forever to realize their true sexuality, especially in previous generations where we talked about sex less - "you mean not every woman just PRETENDS to like sex?" A good reminder to have patience with people because what is obvious to you, is not obvious to everyone. :)
Web Mailroom 3 years ago
Up until last year, I always thought the Mars Rover was the size of a small children's remote controlled toy. Then I found out it's about the size of an actual car. Somehow it always looked small when I saw photos of it on Mars!
Lillian Swaim 3 years ago
The banana thing is REAL I had the SAME THING happen during Organic Chem in college, we were talking about acidic foods and I was loud about how bananas must be as acidic if not more so than pineapples, since they wreck my mouth like eating too much pineapple every time. The entire class just stared at me, the prof explained how that makes sense for pineapples, due to their acidity and the rough texture, but bananas? nooooo Told me to check with my doctor about it, yep allergic to latex plants, could become a latex allergy, very important to know
Hey! 1 year ago
The bromelain in pineapple does that to you, not due to acidity and/or rough texture.
Load More Replies... Winter 3 years ago
I am embarrassed to admit that it was only last year that I realized pockets of air can get trapped underwater by a vessel. I was reading a book where a chamber was filling up with water, and the characters only had an air pocket from an upside down canoe to breathe. I didn't understand how they had any air at all. And it was a book for young adults! Durp.
CATMONSTER2018 3 years ago
I thought soda could only be drunk after someone was 7 years old. (Because of 7-up)
Jackie Lulu 3 years ago
I believed in Santa Claus til I was 12. Overheard my aunt talking about it (not about Me). God knows how long it would have taken me to get it. There went Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Jesus, all in one fell swoop.
Dawn Burris 3 years ago
Like the saying "Don't let the bedbugs bite". I was in my 40's when I learned that bedbugs we're REAL. So now I suppose they're going to tell me that the Boogie man is real too.
Load More Replies... Rand Johnson 3 years ago
I grew up in Texas. I thought Whataburger was like Water Burger or something because the burgers were juicy. I was in my 20's when I finally solved the riddle.
RafCo 3 years ago
The term comes from the fact that people who needn't work outdoors are often very pale, and you can see their veins through their skin. And because those veins appear blue... You get it.
Load More Replies... Jocelynn Schreiner 3 years ago (edited)
That the band is called "Bowling for Soup" not "Bullwinkle Soup" This was like a month ago. I'm 27
Louise Platiel 3 years ago
My son looked at his puckered finger tips in the pool and cried because he thought it was permanent water damage 😆
Deep One 3 years ago
I was an adult before I found out that facade did NOT have two pronunciations. I had always thought that when referring to a building it was pronounced fa KA yd like arcade or colonnade and when referring to a person putting on a false front or face it was pronounced face-ad because they were being two-faced.
Amber 3 years ago
I dont think either of those are right. Its "fuh-sawd."
Load More Replies... Miau Miau 3 years ago (edited)
Wolverines ARE real live animals! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine
Load More Replies... glowworm2 3 years ago
I remember my sudden disappointment as an older kid upon finally eating my first candy apple. Candy apples aren't entirely made of candy but actually have a real apple under them.
Catarina 3 years ago (edited)
We don't have candy apples in Portugal, i've always wanted to try One and the fact that now i know it has a real Apple inside makes me want to try it more
Load More Replies... Peri 3 years ago
I think I was 20 when I learned that female nipples don’t just have one hole where milk comes out of… and I’m female. For some reason I also thought the word “prevent” meant the opposite — as in causing something to happen — until I was 8 or 9. Up until then, the Smokey the Bear sign my dad had was very confusing.
Abby Parker 3 years ago
I think I was 20 when I finally figured out the tall man in Simon and Garfunkels’ video for You Can Call Me Al, is in fact Garfunkel and not Will Ferrell xD
Anita Pickle 3 years ago
That elected officials are not held accountable, nor do they actually have do anything.
Ines Spotify 3 years ago
I learned 2 weeks ago that pickles are cucumbers. My whole life is a lie 🥲.
thegolfball 3 years ago
Was in my 60's when it occurred to me what occupation Miss Kitty really had in the TV series "Gunsmoke"
Mariah Gensmer 3 years ago
I just learned some of these and I'm 32. I also have to care to question it.
DDmaybeandor 3 years ago
A crockpot is so called because it is a pot you put your crock in to heat it up. That took me a while.
Nikki Diaz 3 years ago
I was in my early 30s when i learned that New England is not, in fact, a state.
Shoto Todoroki 3 years ago
As a kid I thought the term drinking meants drinks overall. So when my parents taught us drinking was bad I thought they meant like juice, water, soda. Drinking and driving was another, I remember my dad had a soda and was driving I was like 'Oh no, my dad is doing something bad. It wasn't until I saw a PSA on tv about some guy drinking beer and then hopping into his car where it timeskips to him being bound in a wheelchair paralyzed that I learned 'drink' means Alcohol.
Brian Eckre 3 years ago
I think I was in junior high when I found out that not all poodles are girl dogs and all German shepherds are boy dogs!
Stephanie Casey 3 years ago
When I was younger my dad told me that if I unscrewed my belly button my butt would fall off. When I tell you I tried so hard and was disappointed it didn't work, he finally told me to truth: I didn't have the right tool. *insertdisappointmenthere*
Emmett O'Brian 3 years ago
TIL that the fine constant (1/137) is called that because of the fine gaps in the spectral lines of atoms. How did I not get that amirite? Anybody?
Barbara Weiss 3 years ago
Maybe you'll meet a woman this year. Maybe. Probably not.
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