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...
The fruit, I think it's called cachew apple, is supposed to be delicious.
Any idea why we don't have the fruit available in the shops too? I'm in the U.K. cashews are really popular but never knew they were only a small part of the fruit. Can anyone describe what the fruit tastes like?
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I read somewhere that the cashew nut at this stage is actually toxic, and it needs to be processed in some way for it to be edible
You'd be surprised how many of the food we eat are potentially poisonous if not harvested or prepared properly. Tomatoes and potatoes both have the same toxin in them as belladonna (deadly nightshade) and most types of beans will kill an adult if you eat ~7 of them uncooked.
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So funny that it's not common worldwide. I'm from Brazil and it's a ridiculously common/cheap fruit around here, the juice is delicious too. We call it "caju" (cashew) and what you guys call "cashew" it's the "castanha de caju" (cashew nut) to us. :)
Im from india it's called kaju in Hindi and kashuandi in Malayalam my native language:)
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Apparently drinks made out of cashew apple juice are really popular in Brazil.
This is why you can’t buy cashews in the shell. They just don’t look very appetizing like this.
Also very poisonious eaten in this state, they have to be cooked and cleaned a few times prior to them coming out as we know them, as they are related to the poison ivy family.
We have that in our province. And I knew back then that what we eat is the colorful part not the seeds sprouting in their butt. I knew nothing.🤣🤣
How exotic is that?The colours too. Then the nut has a casing before we roast them?Nature never fails to amaze.
Now this makes me sure I have a world full of info I have too learn and they say your never too old too learn!
Apparently in some countries (South America I think?) they eat the apples. I've wondered for years what the apple tastes like.
Hmm... the fact that someone knew this, is interesting.... I THINK.....
Cashew apples taste horrible. Fresh cashews easily cook down into a creamy sauce.
Wow ! Look at Mr. Grumpy in the middle - he is fed up hanging around.
They are related to poison ivy. Most of the irritant is in the fruit which is why you never see it in the store like this. Mangoes are related to poison ivy too. My daughter is extremely sensitive to poison ivy ( emergency room and steroid shots sensitive) and mangoes affect her the same way.
Hahaha, I live in Brazil, so I grew up knowing that. But I must tell you that I thought marshmallows grew on trees ... Because I ALWAYS saw them in American movies at the end of sticks when people put them over a fire... :E This American friend of mine had the laugh of a lifetime when I asked her that.
I'm always amazed at the things that humans decided to try as food, such as this and the artichoke
I only recently learned what an insane amount of work goes into turning cashews into the 'nuts' we eat. And that that work is done in Asia, so those damn things travel the world two or three times before they end on our plates. I do like them, but their carbon footprint is ridicolous.
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.
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. :(
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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.
