Most of us have a small Ravenclaw inside of us, and we adore learning new things about the world, especially if they’re random facts that completely blow our minds. A lot of us are still spending loads of time working and studying from home, which leaves plenty of time for random browsing—so we’re picking up semi-useless but fun new facts about the world every day.
Like the fact the American Gothic painting shows a farmer and his daughter, not his wife. Or how Gandalf carries his pipe in his staff.
You’re probably aware of the ‘I was today years old’ jokes that people post online when they want to share something weird that they just learned with everyone. Well, these jokes have made a resurgence during the coronavirus lockdown, and there are plenty of new ones to make our jaws drop.
Bored Panda has collected some of the best ‘I was today years old’ moments for you to enjoy (and to have random cool facts to drop during your next Zoom cocktail party), so scroll down for some truly weird facts that are true and don’t forget to upvote your faves.
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I read about it years ago, but didn't know they sent him a painting. That's cool and sweet too!
New Fact For Dog Lovers
So, since we’re talking about random facts today, let’s share some other cool ones, shall we? For instance, did you know that one study found that dogs prefer to align themselves “along the North-South axis under calm magnetic field conditions” when they have to go number two? Researchers studied 70 dogs over two years, and this was the first time that magnetic sensitivity was proven in dogs. Science is weird and wonderful.
Measles targets memory cells?? Thanks to every scientist who ever put an ounce of thought into creating that life-saving vaccine.
Old Weird Fact That Is True
Another brain-melting fact is that there were fewer than 1.5k people living in Central Europe for significant periods of time during the Stone Age. Yeah, that sounds unbelievable. IFL Science made a great analogy about how you could fit all those people on a modern mid-sized cruise ship.
Oh god, they really should talk to the people making cartoons. I have been gravely misinformed in my youth...
A Modern, But Random, Cool Fact
Speaking of modern times, if you’ve ever complained about TV ads being too long, just wait until you realize that Old Spice made a 14-hour promo. Their ad ran on December 18, 2018, in São Paulo, Brazil, and won the Guinness World Record for the longest TV ad ever. You can find the abridged version right here (don’t worry, it’s just over 3 minutes, not 3 hours long).
The painter's sister Nan who modelled as the woman in the paintintg, perhaps embarrassed about being depicted as the wife of a man twice her age (modelled by a dentist), started telling people that Wood had envisioned the couple as father and daughter, not husband and wife. The painter Grant Wood himself remained vague on this point.
...I grew up without these and had to learn to be mindful of them when I moved to another country. Not to say that this person wasn't just being an a*****e....but sometimes outwardly a*****e-y behaviour is just the result of obliviousness
Load More Replies...Absolutely! I told my children this long before they were learning to drive... I wanted them to remember
Load More Replies...I'm sorry to be rude, but it's just dumb that anyone did not already understand this.
It's not rude to state that. It should be basic knowledge.
Load More Replies...I've seen someone come back to their car and try to cut the hose off in a fit of rage. she tried to stab a fireman too
This is not why you don't park in front of a fire hydrant. You don't park in front of a fire hydrant to prevent firemen have to perform an extra task by having to do this and to give them ample access to one... Now you might have finally realized fire hoses are not garden hoses. Sure.
I wonder what was the reason the person thought it was before seeing that. Like, seriously, access to the hydrant, what other reason s/he might have thought?
They had none. The man grew up without them. I think the problem is that people scan read too much and then believe what they want to have heard.
Load More Replies...You shouldn't do it because it impedes access and wastes time. They punch it through your window because they are making a point.. and because they can.
Actually they punch through your window because that large supply line doesn't bend much. The intent of having the large outlet on the street side (there are smaller ones on the other sides) is so the FD can use a short, straight line right to the pumper parked in front of the hydrant.
Load More Replies...Again, trace back to the original comment and see that the poor man was from another country.
Load More Replies...Not everyone would know not to park there; not every country has fire hydrants. Or peiple may think a hose can go over their car in an emergency.
Really? 'Cause my five-year-old knows this. Mostly 'cause there's a huge SIGN that says don't do it. wtf is wrong with people?!
This isn't the reason why you don't park in front of a hydrant, this is the consequence.
And the city or county is not responsible for repair costs either by law. And you will be ticketed by the cops afterwards for illegal parking. A fine that can run upwards of $150 dollars in the US.
i wonder how old they will be when they realise not to park on a red curb?
Common sense is a misnomer, it doesn't exist in enough people to be common. The lack of sense, in this case, is undeniable, regardless of where you come from. I'm from the other side of the world and we have the same law and the same consequence for disregarding that law in an emergency. Two things should have made them wary of parking there. The large yellow metal object (the fire hydrant) and the red-painted gutter. They look different here, but I'd still know not to park there.
If you consider this the reason... You probably also never murdered someone because there is a life sentence going with it. THINK!!
And how many people think that Fire hydrants NEVER get used. As in this picture.
That is the only thing you didn’t lear, not really you didn’t learn it’s against the law TOO!
AND - There's a HUGE fine that goes with this! It's almost easier to throw away the car - especially if the owner of the property where the fire they're trying to put out decides to sue you. Massively ugly!
And if you googlie the topic, there are pics out there of high-end luxury sedans suffering this same fate...
I'm guessing that's what the red line is for? 'Oh look, I've found a parking space' Dumbass
Saw a fire truck pull behind a passenger vehicle in the fire lane in front of a grocery store. They honked, then honked again, then rammed the idiot out of the way.
I've seen this before, they do NOT F around with fires. If you're in the way they'll wreck you fast.
Not to notice but there is a RED curb in front of the fire hydrant. Both come with DO NOT park here.
Um, isn't it part of the rules of the road test? You shouldn't have to be reminded.
You have got to be f*****g kidding me how can someone be that sheltered?
I love that fire departments have a way to "work through" this stupidity.
The other option is to use their truck to push your car out of the way. And then they send you a bill for the damage your car did to their truck. This is the less destructive option.
This is exactly what they would do if it were a van or a vehicle without a window close to the opening of the hydrant.
Load More Replies...You don't own a car, so you don't care if someone else's idiocy and selfishness causes someone to lose their property, home or life to a fire? I assume your smug apathy also comes from your own imperviousness to fire? Or are you just really f*****g stupid, as well as lacking in empathy?
Load More Replies...A Source for More Daily Fun Facts
The internet continually proves that there are still things for us to learn. Luckily, someone took the ‘I was today years old’ concept and created a whole project around it. This initiative regularly shares new facts on social media, mainly Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), and their dedicated website.
However, you can always check out Reddit for a daily dose of ‘I was today years old’ moments. Two groups, r/IWasTodayYearsOld and r/TodayYearsOld, are full of weird but true facts you might want to know about.
Got Your Own Fact to Share?
Here at Bored Panda, we are always eager to learn. Have you ever had an 'I was today years old' moment? Share it with other Panda users and us. Whether it’s funny, cool, or downright strange, if you find it interesting, share it in the comments below!
How old were you when you realized Bikini Bottom is under Bikini Atoll, where the US tested hundreds of nuclear weapons? Spongebob is a nuclear mutation
I have known this for ages but forget to do it and always ended up cooking more pasta than needed.
Jesus Luke, aren't you supposed to be able to sense these things??
Note: this post originally had 51 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I was exactly today years old when I learned of at least half of these... One of my own aha moments, that this reminds me of, is much older... : The "romantic" tradition for a dad to hand over the bride is basically a symbol of how ownership of the woman is passed from father to husband. (No wonder I'm not married, huh? :P)
yup... it was a literal exchange of property. It's why women took on a man's name: as an indication of ownership (& therefore "protection" from other "suiters"). It's still within living memory, where it was ILLEGAL for a married woman to work. This "marriage bar" was only stopped in the mid-60's. If a woman got married, she got fired. :(
Load More Replies...These were all awesome but the one I can't get over is the fact that LOOFAHS ARE PLANTS????
I admit I am less than enamored with this post. Not much was that new.
I was exactly today years old when I learned of at least half of these... One of my own aha moments, that this reminds me of, is much older... : The "romantic" tradition for a dad to hand over the bride is basically a symbol of how ownership of the woman is passed from father to husband. (No wonder I'm not married, huh? :P)
yup... it was a literal exchange of property. It's why women took on a man's name: as an indication of ownership (& therefore "protection" from other "suiters"). It's still within living memory, where it was ILLEGAL for a married woman to work. This "marriage bar" was only stopped in the mid-60's. If a woman got married, she got fired. :(
Load More Replies...These were all awesome but the one I can't get over is the fact that LOOFAHS ARE PLANTS????
I admit I am less than enamored with this post. Not much was that new.