Some people like to think that they're wiser than others. But even Socrates, one of history's greatest philosophers, doubted his omniscience and famously said, "All I know is that I know nothing."
So let's remind ourselves that learning is a never-ending endeavor in this world, shall we? There's a Reddit post that's perfect for this task. Created by user u/TikiTC, it asked everyone on the platform "What's a little-known but obvious fact that will immediately make all of us feel stupid?"
Folks came through with plenty of insightful replies from a variety of topics, ranging from basic physics to human anatomy. Here are some of the most interesting ones.
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Cats, dogs, and other similar animals can't see directly below their faces.
Because their snout gets in the way.
(That's why you have to point out the treat a million times, they're not stupid, the damn thing is just in their blind spot)
If you touch a baby bird, the mother will not reject it. I don’t even know who came up with it.
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.
Okay I don't usually take things personally here because I just laugh it off, but this whole downvoting thing is getting annoying as hell. Bored Panda used to be a place where people had fun and would only downvote trolls or offensive stuff, now we're getting downvotes for commenting how we are dumb enough to not understand math. I won't erase my comment because I genuinely don't think I said something that deserved to be hidden, I just wish some people here remembered this is not like/dislike. Anyway, I'm just venting...
911 operators have no f*****g clue where you are instantly unless you're on a landline.
You HAVE to say where you are. It's not our fault movies made you think we have a spy level video of you in your car.
Know your location.
Yes, amen 1000% . I do not know where you are when I'm dispatching unless you call from an old school landline. Sometimes if you call a lot I can guess where you may be by looking through old calls but that takes time. If you are in an emergency you do not want me taking my time.
Most cats are like super lactose intolerant, and drinking milk is really really bad for them.
you don't give a person free REIGN, you give them free REIN.
a queen REIGNS over her queendom, but you REIN in a horse, which is where this comes from.
i see this mistake constantly, even in professional journalism, and it drives me nuts.
So many phrases get misused, which annoy me. Common ones are "off your own back" instead of *bat*, "could care less" instead of *couldn't*, and "have another thing coming" instead of *think*
Words that are spelled the same but pronounced with emphasis on different syllables is actually indicative of the part of speech it is.
Stress on the first syllable is a noun. Stress on the last syllable is a verb.
Examples: CON-tract and con-TRACT. The former is a noun ( sign this contract) whereas the latter is a verb (the muscles contract).
Same with record, address, impact, object, and a few others.
A couple of examples given, but there are many others that don't behave like this. Even with those they're not consistent. Address is only stressed on the first symbol in American English, most of the rest of the world doesn't pronounce it differently whether used as a verb or a noun, same in reverse with impact.
It was never mentioned that Humpty-Dumpty was an egg.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, but he had a lousy summer.
Pufferfish are filled with water, not air. It wouldn’t even make sense, yet a lot of people are like *what??*
Covered bridges are designed with roofs to protect and preserve the wooden structure from the elements. Without the cover they'd last about 20 years, with the cover they can last up to 100. They're not built that way just to look charming.
Antisocial means that you are hostile or harmful to organized society. As in being or marked by behavior deviating sharply from the social norm.
Asocial is rejecting or lacking the capacity for social interaction.
There's a 'd' in fridge but not in refrigerator. It really bothers me...
When a nurse gives you an IV - they aren't leaving the metal needle inside your arm - they actually remove that and only a soft plastic tube remains - so you don't need to keep your arm that straight, relax.
But I swear to god, if it's in your acf (front part of your elbow) keep it straight because a kinked hose will make the machine beep at us every time! lol but no. No metal.
You don't actually bite down. You bite up because of your lower jaw.
The little piggy didn't go to the market for shopping
to 'fast' means to abstain from eating. you do this every night when you go to bed.
The first meal of the day is called 'breakfast' because you're breaking your fast.
Fake, breakfast is called breakfast because back in the 1600's they had a breakdancing battle before eating and they had to do it fast or they would starve
World Wide Web contains fewer syllables than its intended short form - WWW, thus making the shorter version longer to say.
Yeah but the short form is intended for writing not for speaking. And in German and probably other languages it's just veh-veh-veh ;)
Cocunut milk is not the liquid inside the coconut, that's coconut water, coconut milk comes from the white flesh inside. The white flesh is pulped or diced and left to soak in warm water, this pulp is then squeezed through a cloth giving you the milk.
The words Laser and Scuba are actually acronyms and they stand for:
Laser- Light Amplification (by) Stimulated Emission (of) Radiation.
Scuba- Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
ATM stands for automated teller machine. So saying ATM Machine is like saying "automated teller machine machine"
Same with your PIN number. PIN stands for personal identification number
Its the same when a mechanic or a car dealership ask for the VIN number of your car. V.I.N is Vehicle Identication Number. Asking for the VIN Number is just asking for your vehicle identification number number!
Same for PDF. It's amazing how many people say PDF format. PDF stands for Portable Document Format.
Load More Replies... "I'm going to the AT machine but can't remember my PI number" makes you sound insane though.
It's simpler to just say "I'm going to the ATM but can't remember my PIN." People will know what you mean.
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True, but saying PI number got confusing. People would just spout off 3.1415....
Lol ok- let's just do what sounds/ feel right. Feel like I knew this lol just seems a lil picky.
Shrimp scampi. False pretenses. Chai tea. Sahara desert. Naan bread. LCD display. Queso cheese. Rice pilaf. And a triple: ahi tuna fish.
Same with “LED lights”. You’re saying light emitting diode light, which makes some sense but it’s repetitive
I'm in the US, and around here we always say ATM and PIN. Well, sometimes PIN number.
La Brea Tar Pits means 'the tarpits tarpits,' as Rio Grande River means Big River River.
Oooh... tautologies. Hands up if you learned this from Doctor Who. Two hands up if you knew this before Doctor Who. Your tear-stained shirt if you've just looked at a dictionary.
Have you seen the episode of Schitt's Creek where David keeps saying "PIN Number" and Johnny keeps correcting him, "It's just PIN!" LOL! Made me think of that.
Or VIN, (vehicle identification number). When I first started working for an insurance company.. I asked an older gentleman what their, "vehicle VIN number," was. The fella became super angry. Guess it was one of their pet peeves..
'Mail' means chain, so saying 'chain mail' is like saying 'chain chain'.
Drink Link (from the time when ATMs were operated by a network called Link! More often now they are just cash machines.
As a PIN has just 4 numbers, there are only 10.000 possible combinations. Your PIN is shared by many, many others.
I bet that saying something like "I need to stop by an AT machine" would confuse a lot of people.
Extravehicular activity (EVA) but even folks at NASA say EVA Activity all the time.
There is a comic strip where one of the characters refers to ATM as "Auntie Ems"
In the UK electrical appliances used at work need to be "PAT" tested. PAT stands for Portable Appliance Test. So, we get things Portable Appliance Test Tested.
Conversely, you get your car MOT'd. Since MOT stands for Ministry Of Transport you'd think 'tested' would be added to the end to make any sense.
Load More Replies... In Portugal we have CP - Comboios de Portugal, which means Comboios de Portugal - Comboios de Portugal, and I find it amazing lol
a chipotle pepper isnt its own type of pepper. its just a smoked jalapeno pepper.
the plural version of cul-de-sac is culs-de-sac
Vikings did not wear helmets with decorative horns.
Weren't all berserkers, worked most the time as farmers, craftmen and traders - and according to others were seen a bit as snobs for bathing a lot
Thee and Thou were actually the *informal* forms. The King James Bible used them so that the relationship with God would seem more personal.
Just like a dormitory is a place where you sleep, a laboratory is a place where you labor.
Tear ducts drain tears, they don't produce them.
Lacrimal glands make the tears that lacrimal (tear) ducts release/drain
My favorite thing to tell people: Penguins swim faster than Michael Phelps. Remember that discovery special that pitted a shark against him to see who was faster? Completely stupid, because even shark FOOD swims faster than he does! (Sharks eat penguins, to clarify)
Cold water cleans just as well as warm water does.
When using modern detergent, clothes will be equally clean whether warm or cold water is used. There is one major difference: warm water uses much more energy (about 75 percent of the energy used for a load of laundry comes from warming the water).
Not entirely true. Warm water can dissolve chemicals faster and with higher solubility. It can also improve enzymatic activity (up to a point specific to the enzymes) which is often in laundry detergent. Fat, for instance, is a lot easier to clean with hot water than with cold water.
Note: this post originally had 49 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Most likely was the full thing before they shortened it to the top whatever.
Load More Replies... 'A' and 'An' depend on how the 'H' is sounded. If it's silent, it's 'An' ('an honest person'). If it's pronounced, it's 'A' ('a high mountain'). So it's 'a historic event'.
Depends on what the second letter is as well. It has to be a vowel.
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#5 not always true. I called the cops on an abusive ex over 10 years ago. Grabbed and smashed the phone before I could say where I was. Cops showed up 3 minutes later 10 feet from me. Ex was shocked lol. Obviously still try to make your location the first thing you say. Not all systems may have that capability.
Most likely was the full thing before they shortened it to the top whatever.
Load More Replies... 'A' and 'An' depend on how the 'H' is sounded. If it's silent, it's 'An' ('an honest person'). If it's pronounced, it's 'A' ('a high mountain'). So it's 'a historic event'.
Depends on what the second letter is as well. It has to be a vowel.
Load More Replies... #5 not always true. I called the cops on an abusive ex over 10 years ago. Grabbed and smashed the phone before I could say where I was. Cops showed up 3 minutes later 10 feet from me. Ex was shocked lol. Obviously still try to make your location the first thing you say. Not all systems may have that capability.
