50 Random Facts That Sound Fake But Aren’t, Shared By This Twitter Account (New Pics)
Life’s full of unanswered mysteries… as well as answered ones that we’re simply not yet aware of! With how busy we are in this non-stop, hyper-intense life in the digital age, it can be quite a challenge to pick up something as simple as a book to learn something new. So for those of us who are strained for time, learning new things about history and science through bite-sized tidbits of information on social media becomes the most comfortable approach.
Enter WTF Facts, stage right. The popular Twitter account shares multiple intriguing facts about the world every single day, and they’re great for anyone who’s got a curious mind and a penchant for learning new things. Some of these facts are so bizarre, your first instinct might be to doubt their veracity. However, that’s pretty much the point of the WTF Facts project—showcasing niche trivia that pushes the limits of our knowledge. Don’t forget to upvote the facts that you learned for the very first time as you scroll down, Pandas.
Oh, and in case you’re still fired up to learn some new and interesting facts about the world when you’re done with this list, you should definitely check out Bored Panda’s previous articles about the WTF Facts project here: Part 1 and Part 2. Happy reading!
Bored Panda reached out to entertainment, pop culture, and lifestyle expert Mike Sington from Hollywood to hear his opinion on media literacy, checking the (un)reliability of sources and claims, and our shortening attention spans. He shared some indications that a source, article, or fact we find online might be fake.
"Red flags to watch out for that a claim may be fake: it's outlandish, it's too good to be true, you haven't seen the claim anywhere else, you've never heard the source, the source isn't reputable, you can't find two other sources making the same claim, your gut tells you, 'this can't be true,'" Mike listed some of the things we have to be aware of.
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According to LA-based pop culture expert Mike, the popularity of social media means that the reliability of information has taken a hit. We need to be extra careful about what sources and claims we trust. "The rise of social media has decreased the reliability of information because misinformation can spread so quickly before it can be corrected," he told Bored Panda.
The expert stressed that even a simple Google search of a source or fact is a "great way to double-check reliability." You should remain skeptical if you're unable to find any additional evidence or sourcing. "Do this and think before reposting or you may be contributing to the problem. Amplification doesn’t make a claim true or accurate," he highlighted the fact that we should do the responsible thing and not spread false rumors.
Mike also shared the sources that he trusts the most. Among them are: Associated Press, Reuters, and The New York Times. "They employ fact-checkers and editors that ensure the information they post is correct. They’re basically doing the research and homework for you," he said. "There are literally too many online sources to list that can’t be trusted and should be avoided. Anyone can basically post anything they want… proceed with caution," he warned.
This is how you keep rich people from buying their way out of rules and laws
"Our attention spans have been reduced to mere seconds at a time because that’s the way information and entertainment is fed to us now. People get tiny bite-sized bits of news by scrolling a Twitter feed, they entertain themselves by scrolling quickly through Instagram and TikTok. It’s creating a habit that doesn’t have to be," Mike said. However, this doesn't mean that we can't fight back, in order to broaden our attention spans.
"The good news is there’s plenty of long-form entertainment and news available, you just have to seek it out. I believe the benefit is worth it. I’ve discovered it improves your ability to focus, it’s more calming, you retain more information, and it gives you a more balanced and nuanced view of the world."
Started up quite recently, WTF Facts has created a solid following for itself since its inception in May 2020. The WTF Facts project has already grown to over 146k followers who can’t wait for the latest weird and interesting trivia. That’s roughly a hundred new followers for each tweet that the account has posted.
However interesting these double-checked facts might be, it’s always a good idea to have a bit of skepticism whenever you read something online. Having a scientific approach and doing some of your own research is always a good idea because it helps develop your mind and also starts forming an approach that helps weed out any fake news or outright lies you might encounter while trekking through the vast wilds of the net.
One of the moderators that helps manage the r/AskHistorians subreddit previously told me that we first have to determine whether the sources we’re reading are reliable or not.
"Unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands, it’s not going to be possible to check every historical claim you see on the internet. Even then, a lot of knowledge is locked in academic libraries and behind paywalls, so can be impossible to access anyway. When looking at ‘mindblowing’ facts on the internet, a healthy sense of skepticism is essential—as is looking at the source. Is this being claimed by Twitter user @fakefacts420 or a Professor of History at the University of Oxford? Are you reading this on a university website or an email your nan has forwarded you?" they told Bored Panda during an earlier interview.
The moderator shared with Bored Panda that some people ‘weaponize’ the most well-known historical conspiracy theories in order to "exploit past events to push a political point in the present day."
These conspiracies can be, well, pretty much anything at all. “Whether this is people who want to fly the confederate flag arguing that the US civil war wasn't about slavery, right-wingers claiming that the Nazis were socialists or people with anti-immigration views trying to claim that the Roman Empire fell because of uncontrolled immigration."
Dogs do not intentionally hurt you without good reason (e.g. someone is abusing an animal) versus humans. Looking back, who hurt you the most? Most likely a close friend or family member. It's much easier to feel empathy for the innocent.
Meanwhile, Joseph M. Pierre, a professor of psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, explained that fighting back against misinformation is a difficult, ongoing battle.
“Countering misinformation is a huge challenge and is often ineffective when it only amounts to presenting accurate information as an alternative to false beliefs. In my opinion, understanding conspiracy theories and other false beliefs is best understood as a byproduct of mistrust and misinformation. If people don’t trust authoritative sources of information, they aren’t going to replace their false beliefs with facts and we’re not going to be able to agree on what facts are. That’s where we often are these days,” Professor Pierre told Bored Panda.
It´s sad life, when one cannot joke...or speak the real truth behind it.
The professor said that so-called ‘inoculation strategies’ are interventions that can, theoretically, “beat misinformation to the punch.” Though, unfortunately, it’s often the other way around in reality, with misinformation beating accurate information to the punch. Especially on the internet where information and rumors spread incredibly quickly.
“If we’re going to talk about education, what’s really needed is a retool from the bottom up, teaching people about analytical thinking, data reasoning, and media literacy starting in grade school. We’re 30 years into the internet now and I’ve never seen any evidence of this being part of education in America. It is in other counties,” the professor said.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former
In France, you have to pay fees for the register : the higher the degree, the higher the fees ; and some specialised schools' fees can also be higher. But it is something like 170€ to 500€. And they can be lowered if you have low income.
Load More Replies...Thanks for pointing out the "greatest country on earth" never ending American rhetoric. This form of egocentric marketing that country has created for itself got old during the last 20 years and now sounds insanely ridiculous. No more superlatives for 'Murica!
Norway also calles them self that, based on surveys. But when you have that stamp it gets quite easy to tell people to suck it when they dont conform. Norway ducks big time in MANY ways. One of witch is desiding to cut 20 000 student plass at higher Education, bumping up the required p0 standards, making it more or less im possible to get a place. Workingclass kids and people with dificoulties now dont have this climbing ladder out of class
Load More Replies...... and in the "greatest country on earth" you'll leave an institution of higher education with practically more debt than you're able to pay off in your lifetime. Tell me again what is "greatest country on the planet?"
In England and Wales you pay fees unless you're on a bursary or other financial assistance for low-income families. You can take out student loans to help you, which only have to be repaid when you earn over a certain amount. Most students graduate their first degree with a student loan debt around £40k.
You can also get a loan from the government when you are studying (for living expenses etc.) without interest
Load More Replies...It is so "free" that you can by a car for the price of student books each semester, but hey, if you are clever and have a cooier and a librarycard and some luck, you can still do it.
In Norway? Then things must have changed drastically since I was a student. Cars cost a lot more than I paid for books.
Load More Replies...In the UK A hell of a lot of university courses are charged at £9,000 a semester. So no not free at all.
yes, but remember the whole "brexit" thing means you aren't considered part of europe. Also, I had to leave the UK for this reason - too expensive. Their loss. Got the doctorate elsewhere.
Load More Replies...Sometimes I see people saying on the internet that university is free in Italy. I live in Italy and I know that that's not true. Not only do you have to pay to attend the university but, if you drop out before you get your degree, and then return after five or ten or fifteen years, to complete your degree, you have to pay all the fees you would have paid during those five or ten or fifteen years if you had been attending. Is that true anywhere else?
Maybe that's how Americans students can avoid the drowning student debt they incur. Study abroad. It appears that Europe is more willing to back education than the US.
But do they limit who can attend? It used to be, you had to be academically-talented enough to be able to attend college in any country that I'm aware of. Is it all universities? Do they also have trade schools, art schools, and the like for all the other jobs that society needs and for which we need talented, educated people?
I'm from the UK and I will be in around £160,000 of student debt in the not so distant future largely attributed to the rate of interest. I don't really see it as real money anymore. If I were rich I could have paid it all at once without any interest though.
In Canada, studying at libraries is free. I went from high-school dropout directly to guest-lecturer for graduating engineers. I still don't know why they didn't just read my stuff and post questions.
S**T WISH I KNEW THAT BACK IN THE 80'S BUT THAN I WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL THERE AND AT 18 NO MONEY. ARGHHHHHHH
You can study almost anything in English in North European universities.
Load More Replies...They're paid by the state. It's subsidized education.
Load More Replies...Weed contains tar and other chemicals just like cigarettes, it definitely kills people. SMOKING kills, doesn't matter if it tobacco, weed or anything else, if you're inhaling something that's on fire it's not good for you!
Me and an old cat I had use to 'lock' headbutts a few seconds and then do it over and over again every time we headbutted.
Here in Finland, mom can stay at home until the child is 3 years old, with government benefits 🇫🇮
Poor poor driver! What they had to endure (bees and driver) was terrible but i just can’t stop laughing at how dedicated the bees were.
“How you doing?” and other variations. Okay, not necessarily a lie per se, but it’s a pointless thing to say. Response: “I’m good, you?”, “Yeah good thanks”. End of. Now that’s all b ollocks. What you want to say is “No I’m not good, have you got half an hour? My physical and mental health is deteriorating, can’t get a job so I’m concerned about money, which is impacting on the relationship with my wife…”
I don't think anyone would have been paying attention to the speech after seeing that
Note: this post originally had 120 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I recently discovered that Woody Harrelson's father was a convicted hitman who died in Supermax, the highest security prison in the US and probably the world.
Yup. Admitted being involved in *dozens* of murders - ended up in ADX Florence after trying to escape from medium security in Atlanta, where he was serving double life sentences for gakking a Federal Judge.
Load More Replies...Half these facts have been posted on BoredPanda numerous times... I feel like using Internet Explorer reading that.
I recently discovered that Woody Harrelson's father was a convicted hitman who died in Supermax, the highest security prison in the US and probably the world.
Yup. Admitted being involved in *dozens* of murders - ended up in ADX Florence after trying to escape from medium security in Atlanta, where he was serving double life sentences for gakking a Federal Judge.
Load More Replies...Half these facts have been posted on BoredPanda numerous times... I feel like using Internet Explorer reading that.