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
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
Being sad about this fine...but don't go trying to be gay about it!
Load More Replies...This is not only homophobic in general, it is psychologically highly problematic, too, and will backfire eventually...
I don't live in Russia, but a small country below it. Some Russian kid found out that I was gay, and told his mother. He also thinks I am faking being black, being biased to black people, and racist to white people? I also didn't know the kid, I had only met him once or twice. When I was babysitting some kids, they wanted to go get him to play. I went up with them, and his mother comes up to me. Says my full (dead) name. I don't want to out myself or say that my name is Mars, so I correct her by saying "my name is actually *nickname*" She LITERALLY says "Ok, whatever *full deadname*." She then says to never come up to her street again, because I am older than everybody up there and that it's creepy? What? I was literally babysitting. That I have chased her son, which I never did. To stop being black? Like what? And then she had the nerve to ask me to follow her alone to her backyard to talk? I said no, but she reached for my arm to drag me and I slapped her arm. I had multiple kids
Up there with me, and they all stood up for me. I know she was Russian, but the nerve she had to tell me so basically change myself was dehumanizing for me. The kids that I was babysitting are very close friends to me, and now, the kid who was homophobic and racist has stopped playing with the oldest because he is friends with me. He says it's fine because he doesn't want to hang out with him anyway. The moral of my story is that because this is a law, it can damage people who are LGBTQ+.
Load More Replies...My daughter (10) came home from school one day and asked, if it is rude to talk about gay and black people. I didn't know what she meant and said, that it's rude to talk rude about anyone no matter who, and ask why? She said, that her teacher said, that black and gay people give her shivers and the kids are not allowed to mention them in class. I was speechless. Contacted other parents (to verify) and reported her. Unfortunately, she was not fired, just had to apologized to the class.
Now there is someone who should not be in charge of moulding young minds!! Well done for doing something about it though. Hopefully most of the children came away with the opposite message to the one she intended.
Load More Replies...It's easy to judge, but it's not THAT long ago that we had similar legislation in the UK. Have a search for "Section 28". It's about the promotion of homosexuality in schools, but in reality it was a way to avoid talking about it.
Margaret Thatcher introduced that. The implementation of Section 28 meant that LGBT groups and clubs around the UK were forced to disband and LGBT-themed literature was off the shelves in libraries. It meant that positive depictions of LGBT life were completely wiped out in schools. Theresa May spoke out in support of Thatcher’s policy, claiming that ‘most parents want the comfort of knowing Section 28 is there.’ Disgusting homophobic Tories. Labour got rid of it! 🍾
Load More Replies...Ok so if a plane/drone goes high enough is there public/accessible airspace over there, and how big should I make the flags?
They will shoot you out of the sky. Remember MH17 in 2014. Not even in Russian airspace. They give no fu*ks about lives.
Load More Replies...Wow. Not even acknowledging homosexuals' existence?? That's a whole new low even for Russia.
I guess it's time to start a f*****g riot, paint the whole damn country rainbow
We tried that. Many people were arrested. Many still are in jail. Yeah, I'm Russian and I'm LGBTQ.
Load More Replies...It's also illegal to run for president unless you're called "Putin". And if that#s not actually a law, you'll soon find a lot of other illegal things you "did" so it comes to the same count. Russia is one of those countries that gets f****d-over from their "president", and it's maddening and saddening in equal measures.
yeah. i love russia, it's beautiful and i have family there, but the government makes me so mad.
Load More Replies...Do Russian kids think we're like unicorns? "Gay people are imaginary." "I believe in them!"
In the U.S. it is legal to tell kids they exist, but it is becoming more the case that kids are informed, that it is still legal to take gay people's rights away anyway.
To ZonkeY_the_DonkeY, you are such a homophobic piece of trash. Go find a dumpster and crawl inside. How do you look in the mirror at such a dastardly, disgusting person everyday?
The old bury your head in the sand strategy. It's stupid in Russia & it's stupid in the USA too.
It's possible to understand something without agreeing, but I will never understand what it is people have against gay people. I guess my morals are based on, if it isn't hurting anyone, it's not wrong. Even my Mom, raised Baptist, was somewhat religious, born in the 1920s, who was quite prudish, somehow gay people came up between us in the 1980s. It wasn't really being talked about much at that time, hadn't seeped into shows on TV or anything. (I had some gay friends, so maybe that's why it came up.) She surprised me by saying, "Well, it's gross, but they're not hurting anyone. Leave them alone." I can forgive her for the "gross" comment. Truthfully, I think she kind of thought sex in general was gross. She was squeamish. If my Mom doesn't have a problem with it, I just can't understand an entire society having such a big problem with it to make it illegal as most state societies have at one time or another. I JUST DON'T GET IT.
Brb, gonna plan a trip to Russia with my friends just so we can parade around the streets yelling gay rights.
You will go straight to jail. For any kind of public display of opinion or protest you need authorities' permission, and 'gay propaganda' is illegal.
Load More Replies...😢 that pisses me off on another level, and you know what? We are probably the best friends you will ever have
No, we don't. We actually use messenger pigeons. We're living in a frigging Stone Age. Damn, of course, we do have internet access. Also, it's forbidden to tell that being LGBT is OK, not to tell about the existence of LGBTQ people. Still horrible, but makes some sense.
Load More Replies...If a certain portion, read "patriots", of U.S. citizens had their way this would be a law on the books in the U.S..
Ya know what else is great? F*****g off. Yeah, that would be great, thxx
Load More Replies...Peter Benchley, writer of Jaws and many other novels that portray underwater creatures as man-eating terrors, felt so guilty at the damage he caused to the shark population that he became an active advocate for shark protection; campaigning against shark fisheries, creating undersea documentaries and lecturing on marine conservation
Holy s**t balls, the parents certainly have their hands full.
So instead of getting our temperatures taken every day to go to work, can we just get sniffed up by a dog? Because I'd be way more hype to show up.
My cousin has been there and he was very disappointed. You need a quite lot of money to be able to be there and that harmony heavily depends on the people who come there. As this are mostly people from western countries, nothing is as harmonic or utopian as it seems or as it maybe once was.
It also has >100% COVID rate. That's because it has more COVID cases than citizens.
Apparently he became interested in Malia in 2008 when she was only 10. A few years later, he had the whole wedding planned out: where he wanted to propose, what drink was to be served, how he would introduce Malia to a Kenyan lifestyle. It doesn't seem as though he was successful as Malia has been dating a British student since 2017 and has never been married
If there are ones for 10 dollars, they sure don't look like the one pictured here. 🙃
Siblings take that to the next level! If one person hits another in any way and the other starts to cry, they will let the other hit them so that they do not get in trouble haha
You would also walk through areas so dangerous, you most likely wouldn't survive.
Well then i will be in the 1% if i say “🍑 juice is kind of good”
I'm pretty certain you can go further east to Vladiwostok and then turn west and enter China via Manchuria. It wouldn't be very economical to do so but it's possible if you want a long train journey.
If I remember rightly, I read somewhere that Mayweather struggles to read and 50 cent only did this to insult and embarass him. Not sure if it's entirely true though.
Not like the poor, starving people there could afford such a luxury.
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.