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23 “Unfun” Facts That Are Both Fascinating And Terrifying
Everybody loves a good fun fact. Did you know that ostriches' eyes are bigger than their brains? What about that most people fall asleep in about 15-20 minutes? Also, everyone’s tongue print is unique! Unfortunately, however, life has a way of balancing things out. So for every amusing and uplifting fact out there, there’s another unsettling, disturbing or disgusting not-so-fun counterpart.
Below, you'll find some of these facts that Reddit users have shared right here and here that might have you immediately wishing you had never read them, pandas. This list may not be the most enjoyable ride, but we hope you still find it fascinating, and don't forget to upvote the information you consider to be the epitome of "not fun"! Click here & follow us for more lists, facts, and stories.
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#1
Veterinarians that put down sick pets will say that the owner often chooses not to be in the room, leaving the pet frantically searching for its owner in the last minutes of his life.
Data1001 9 hours ago (edited)
That's awful. As hard as it is, you owe it to those sweet babies to be there for them in their final moments. It is still devastating to me to think about how my last dog was completely alone before she passed (she was out in the yard, on a long leash, and I was not at home...). She was nearly 15 years old, and it was just her time -- but I still wish I could have been there, and it haunts me to this day, many years later.
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To learn more about how this not-so-fun conversation started in the first place, we reached out to Reddit user Erikjb12, who posed the question "What are some NOT fun facts?" and was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. "I had seen there were a lot of questions at that time asking for 'Fun facts' about this and that, and some of them were more or less the same," Erikjb12 shared. "Then I thought I might see some actual unique responses if I posed an anti-question, to get people to think of maybe more macabre facts. Ironically, not fun facts are in some ways even more fun. And it piques peoples interest for some reason. Also I just really wanted to know some," they added with a laugh.
#3
The Nobel Peace Prize was only invented by Alfred Nobel to undo the bad PR done after he invented dynamite. He did not want to be remembered for inventing something that killed people, and for the most part, his plan worked.
#4
Over 300 people are believed to have jumped from the World Trade Center on 9/11. One of the falling bodies killed a fireman at the scene. On top of that, there are still over 1000 victims whose remains have not been found.
We were also curious if the OP had ever read any facts that they immediately regretted finding out. "Honestly, I love facts, so I can't really say I wish I didn't know something, but I once saw pictures of bone cancer and that made my skin crawl in the worst way I have ever felt. New pseudo phobia of mine. I wish I hadn't seen that."
We also asked Erikjb12 if any of the replies to their question surprised them. "Babies can die after consuming honey," they told Bored Panda. "The botulinum toxin (like the one in Botox) will paralyze their muscles causing 'Floppy baby syndrome'. I'm glad I read this one, but it sure as heck surprised me. I'm a sucker for honey, so I'm glad I got to know before I had any children. Now I feel so prepared."
#5
Almost all autoimmune diseases include ongoing pain as one of their symptoms. Most people with one autoimmune disease have several more. More women than men get certain autoimmune diseases, but men get them, too. It takes an average of seven years to get a valid diagnosis; in the meantime, the patient may be suffering on and on, feeling hopeless. Patients are often told that it's all in their heads.
#6
In Australia, there is a plant called the gympie gympie, otherwise known as the s*icide plant. When touched, it delivers multiple stings with a long-lasting neurotoxin that is so painful that people would rather [end] themselves than live through a few days of excruciating pain, and then a further several years of lesser pain, or full reoccurrence in the correct conditions. If the tiny hairs that deliver the stings are not removed, or are buried, the pain will continue for years. The pain, which has been described as feeling like being doused in hot acid and being electrocuted simultaneously, is so bad the people have been driven mad by it. Horses who have been stung by this plant have literally thrown themselves off cliffs. An ex-serviceman names Cyril Bromley is known to have fallen into one of the plants during WWII. Driven mad by it, he had to be strapped to a bed to prevent himself from committing suicide. Another rather unfortunate officer is known to have shot himself in the head after using one of the plant’s leaves as toilet paper. Rather than live with the pain in his rear end, he chose to end his life.
And when it comes to why we're so interested in these not-so-fun facts, the OP says, "I think we seek out unsettling information in order to prepare ourselves for mishaps or accidents. In some way, I also think it gives one a sense of power being able to observe danger from above, like watching a horror film or seeing live wild animals in a cage. It makes people feel a rush of power and security, paradoxically. I always found that stuff odd, but personally I can not recall any fact I regret knowing."
#7
From an older comment of mine that fits this question: The Challenger astronauts didn't die when the shuttle "exploded". The stack actually just broke apart under aerodynamic stress and the explosion you thought you saw was just the expanding cloud of hydrogen from the external tank burning. The forces involved in the breakup were very survivable. The crew cabin was left intact after it separated from the rest of the orbiter and may not have depressurized. There's evidence to suggest some or all of them were conscious at least part of the way down, if not the entire time. And photography of the disaster shows the cabin falling without spinning in a nose down attitude, meaning no excessive forces to knock them out. The impact with the ocean was what actually killed them. It took two minutes and forty-five seconds from breakup to impact. It's possible that some or all of them were conscious and aware the whole time.
#8
There is a whale that has been searching for a mate for the last 5 year. It has been wholly unsuccessful because its voice is a different frequency than other whales. So much so that whales run from it.
#10
If you're attacked by a bear, it won't necessarily try to [end] you like other predators would. It just starts eating.
#11
There are more prisons in the United states than there are colleges. And prisons have inmate quotas to meet.
#13
There once lived a man known as Tararre who is known as "the hungriest man in history." Despite being average to below-average weight, he lived his whole life with a nearly endless, insanely ravenous hunger. He would eat anything and everything he could find. Since his family couldn't accommodate him, he took to the streets where he'd eat all the raw meat, rotting fruit, live rodents, and other small animals he could find. He used this horrific "skill" to become a street performer where people would give him barrels full of cork, huge baskets of apples, more live animals, and sometimes rocks just to witness him swallow it all with ease. There are other disgusting aspects of tarrare's life that are worth reading about. I think the least fun fact about him is that he was caught several times trying to eat bodies from a hospital morgue, he was also suspected to have consumed a toddler at the same hospital. It's one of the most disgusting yet fascinating stories I've ever read.
#15
The first five people who stopped applauding at Stalin’s 1938 presidium were sent to the Gulag for ten years; their crime was that they stopped applauding.
#18
There once was a person that had a 300% mortality rate when he did his surgery. TL;DR- He did an amputation with an unsterilized saw, and was WAY too wild with it. Another user added: He cut his assistant's finger off. Both that assistant and the patient died of infection. He also cut the coat of a present elderly doctor. With the blood spurting everywhere the doctor thought he was cut and died of a panic-induced heart attack.
#19
Whales and Dolphins die by not having enough energy to surface for air, so they slowly sink into the depths of the ocean and suffocate.
#21
Every year, 150 people die from a coconut falling on their head in the US alone. Probably only fun for the coconut.
#22
Criminals that are considered unattractive usually receive a 50% longer jail time than attractive criminals.
#23
human flesh is not flammable, however if it gets too hot it boils and emits a gas that is flammable. which, if ignited, will melt through you like a candle through wax.
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