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...
I do not know... I cannot laugh but pity them. If you need an x-ray at this age, it is not a good sign.
My grandson saw his baby sister in one of these and said "Why did they put Makayla in a blender?"
My son had to have this done as a baby and the poor thing screamed the whole time. It looks cute in these pictures, but it's torture to watch
It's completely fine, the babes just don't like being held still, but it's better than zapping them with x-rays 600 times because they can't hold still
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They look like they're in Augustus Gloop fancy dress from when he went up the tube
I saw a post somewhere once where a lady thought this was how abortion works, it was so dumb.
Dumb f****n conservatives use these pics all the time saying its a post birth abortion lmao. How stupid can people be?
Personally, I don't like to use them, but also love to tell people that it's completely harmless and better than zapping the baby 600 times.
Load More Replies... It’s not that funny if it’s your kid in plastic cylinder X-ray thing, especially bc the only reason they would be in one is if they’re sick or injured. My child had to do that and she didn’t fuss or anything but it wasn’t funny to watch.
It's called a papoose! You're welcome. From an X-ray technologist. It's used to prevent unnecessary radiation to unwanted areas of the child and to prevent them from harming themselves further.
This "unique" device allowed us to get Great images without having repeating the X-rays and saving the baby from unnecessary x-ray exposure, But we don't use these "barbaric" devices anymore. Rad - Tech's now hold the child even though we receive x-ray exposure. Babies are well worth the risk.
So that's why they wouldn't let me in with my son when he was x-rayed. And, of course, he was too young to say anything!
Promotes future claustrophobia But works! The babies all look submissive and not scared.
They remind me of Augustus Gloop from W***y Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
first of all, they look like cabbage patch kids, second, i would be so claustrophobic in there, and for the last, doesnt that hurt-
No When I first looked at this I was thinking about Charlie and the chocolate factory
Next thing you know the Oompa Loompas are singing in the doctors office 😆
This must have been invented in the last decade or two. When my two girls had to be x-rayed, the technician pinched them to make them cry. When they stopped momentarily to take a big breath, she snapped the x-ray. They tell adults to take a big breath and hold it. Wonder how they get these kids to take a big breath?
Not funny when your 9 month old baby is in one because he has RSV and will be spending 2 weeks in the hospital. Not funny at all. It was terrifying listening to him scream knowing I couldn't be in the room during the chest x-ray.
Omg 😂 that baby on the top right with all the little fat rolls 😍 so freaking adorable
I imagine that this is what the cat press at the vet's looks like, for vicious cats
The one in the last picture seems to be thinking "When I get out of here, I'm gonna s**t on everything you love!"
We used to call it "tadpole in a tube". I hated those things and even though they were there, NEVER once used them. Here's another device in case you were up for a little rotisserie. octostop-5...4daf91.jpg 
These pictures make me gasp for breath; having a panic attack just looking at them.
That's interesting! Little kids are trussed in the same position when they are roasted on a spit.
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??
I didn't know there was a plague outbreak in Manila in 1912! There was one around the same time in San Francisco.
I was today years old when I discovered these are called calderas and Yellowstone park is a big one with a semi solid magma pocket underneath it waiting for the hotter liquid magma pocket below it to infuse it with heat and liquify the subsurface pocket. About 20 years after that, it will erupt
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.
