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FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Facts learned too late | History Defined
Interview With Expert
Our life is full of various facts. Every day we learn something new, whether it’s some facts that completely change the way we see our world, very random things that are just fun to know, animal facts, or maybe even some facts that people would rather be unaware of. In any case, whether it’s a thing that teaches us something, helps us avoid any issues or maybe something fun to tell our friends or win some extra points at trivia night - it’s not useless!
And speaking about that, one Reddit user recently created a thread online asking community members to share some facts that they learned way too late in life that blew their minds. The post caught quite a lot of attention and various submissions - so scroll through and dive into the list of facts!
More info: Reddit
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#1
I used to think that having facts and logic on your side will automatically convince someone their argument is incorrect but boy was I wrong.
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#2
You don't need to accept the abuse from them just because they're "family."
Sometimes, going no-contact is the best choice.
To dig deeper into the world of facts, Bored Panda got in touch with Jake Olefsky, CEO of Braingle.com, who kindly agreed to share his insights regarding this topic!
We asked Jake about the most interesting fact that he knows - “My favorite fact is the one that I have most recently learned, so it changes constantly,” he emphasized. “Today I learned that a stadium-sized comet is going to whizz past the earth this week! Hopefully it won't hit us.”
#5
You will face scrutiny and hatred regardless of what you decide to do, so you might as well spend your time doing what you want
Speaking about the inspiration that led Jake to delve into the world of trivia and the best part of it, he noted that the best part is definitely learning new things. “The trivia on Braingle is actually supplied by our users. Anyone can create their own trivia quiz on any topic that they are interested in,” he said.
“Of course, we have a review process where editors fact-check each question and proofread it for errors. If you are an expert in some subject, please come and make a quiz on it to share with the world,” Jake added.
Finally, we asked him what types of facts tend to be the most memorable or stick with participants long after the trivia event and Jake shared - “Shocking or surprising facts are memorable, of course, but also those facts that will be useful in a person's life.”
He pointed out that being a lifelong learner is important because it keeps your brain in shape, so you can stay sharp as you age. It also makes you a more interesting person to be around, so you'll make more friends.
“Just remain curious and try to learn something new every day,” he emphasized. “Come to Braingle.com to take a trivia quiz on a wide range of topics, or create your own quiz on anything that you are interested in!”
#8
If I don’t mind, why would anyone else?? Example: I used to not want to impose by asking for favours or help, but noticed I would jump at the opportunity to help others because I wanted to help a fellow human. Why did I ever think that nobody else would want to help me?
Side lesson that I am still learning: if you need help, fricking ask for help dummy!!
#9
The Picard quote!
"Sometimes you can play the game, and make no mistakes, but still lose anyway. That's not a weakness, that is just life."
If I had a nickel for Everytime I failed, by doing everything As Directed... I'd have about $20.00...
#10
There’s no point in arguing with people online. They’re always just waiting for their turn to type/ talk and it rarely ends cordially. Just disagree, have the thought then move on.
We also reached out to Ira Brooker, a writer and editor of Trivia Mafia. “I probably come across a newfound fact that blows my mind at least once a week, although my standards of mind-blowing are likely different from a lot of folks',” Ira emphasized when we asked to share his favorite fact.
“One of my favorite recent discoveries is that Sidney Poitier, Bea Arthur, Marlon Brando, Harry Belafonte, Walter Matthau, and Tony Curtis were all in the same acting class in New York in the late '40s. That would have been a heck of a class to audit.”
#11
How your seemingly very capable, perfectly logical parents can suddenly start to decline very quickly and become withdrawn, difficult, suspicious people who are clearly suffering but are very hard to help.
#12
Being charismatic, in the sense of getting people to like and trust you as a person, has much more to do with being a good, active listener and much less to do with being endlessly entertaining.
It's more about what you hear and how you respond than what you just open with and say.
Speaking about the inspiration to delve into the world of trivia, Ira shared that he is a writer who's always been fascinated by learning about pop culture and history. “If I discover an old band or book or movie that I didn't previously know about, or if I hear about some obscure historical event, my instinct is to research everything I can find about it.
He also noted that cataloging the past and leaving a record that puts things in their proper historical contexts is very important to him. “Writing and researching trivia for Trivia Mafia is one of the most direct paths to that goal that I can think of. And if I can get paid to do it, all the better!”
We also were interested to learn what kind of facts tend to stick with participants after trivia night, so Ira said that some of the most memorable facts they dig up are ones that add detail or context to something our players are already familiar with.
“For example, I recently wrote about the recording of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’ by Brother Bones and His Shadows, better known as the Harlem Globetrotters theme music. It's a song everybody knows, but not many people know that it was one of the only — and possibly the only — hit song to feature the Novachord, which was the first electronic synthesizer sold commercially.”
He emphasized that now the next time their players hear that song, they'll remember that little extra bit of knowledge and tell their friends. “Any time I can help someone add another ‘Hey, speaking of that, did you know…’ moment to their repertoire, I feel like I'm doing my job.”
#15
I discovered recently that I am on the high functioning/low needs autistic. I have difficulty maintaining focus, random bursts of hyper focus, random specific memory, and my social interactions are defined as blunt and pointed but genuine and honest. So many events/challenges/obstacles in my life suddenly make sense now that we know what limits I have with tasks and conversations
#16
This seems trivial, but it still blew my mind - love really works best when it's mutual.
It doesn't always have to be equal, but if the love is only coming from one side, it's not really good for anyone in the end.
So, guys, being curious and learning new facts not only may teach you useful things and keep your brain in shape, but also help you form new relationships!
And what is your favorite fact that you wish you knew sooner? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
#17
If you need to figure out a percentage of a number but it's tough out whatever, you can just... Move the percent sign to the other number and solve it that way. That's a weird way to say it, here are some examples.
What's 16% of 25? No idea. But I know 25% of 16 is 4 and there's your answer to the first problem.
60% of 125? Who knows. But 125% of 60 is easier - it's 75.
What's 4% of 75? Easy. It's 3 because that's 75% of 4.
I wish I could say that learning this actually changed my life. It didn't. But it did blow my mind as someone who thought he knew some cool obscure math tricks.
#18
I'm 2 weeks shy of my 30th birthday and move to the Portland metro area. I go up to Forest Parkwith my wife and kid and she tells me to keep an eye out for flying squirrels. "Yeah right. And you can keep your eye out for leprechauns."
And that's when I found out they were real and not some b******t made up to make fun of kids in my Boy Scout troop growing up.
#19
That the Mormon church wasn't true. I got out in my early twenties, but still too long to put up with that.
#22
When I was ateen I thought I was much better than other girls for not caring about boys...dum dum dum I'm gay.
#23
When women breastfeed, the milk comes out of the nipple in multiple places similar to a watering can... I thought it was just one hole and one stream.
#25
For most of us, there really are only a handful of people who truly love you and care about you. The rest of them are thinking about themselves and/or the handful that they love. I know that sounds misanthropic and curmudgeonly, but that's what I've come to realize on this, my 52 time, around the sun.
#27
that most people in the world can picture things in their heads. look up aphantasia. i learned about it like 3-4 months ago, and i am in my 40s.
#28
The way people, at least typical "Western" middle-class people, relate to their parents changes a lot as one ages, but in a very standard, typical way.
When you are a kid, you often look up to your parents, or at least crave their approval; you can't imagine it any other way.
As a teenager, you may still love and respect your parents, but your esteem for them just plummets. Suddenly, they seem so hopelessly out of touch.
Once you stop living with your parents, they seem a lot less annoying, but you start to take stock of all the problems you have in your life and trace them back to your parents.
This stage lasts for a while and, depending on how deep you feel the damage is, you may become a lot more distant from your parents. Some people stay this way for the rest of their lives but, in my experience, it's usually not the case.
Like with all the other stages, it feels like it will last forever, it feels you have reached your final wise conclusion. But then, at some point, you just make your peace. You see your parents as a mixture of their own problematic childhoods and issues they had as adults and shielded you from. You see how often, as bad as they may have done, they were actually trying their best for you. And you realize that the one hurting the most from your grudges is yourself.
#30
Other people are just like me on the inside of their mind. They make no sense and can do things without any reason behind them, that aren't affected by my behavior at all. Someone can be in a bad mood and there can be no reason for it and nothing I can say to change it. This hit me at like (I'm ashamed to admit it) 22 years old or so. I was f*****g floored it sounds stupid but it was such a profound epiphany. I never thought of myself as self centered before I accepted all this, but now I can see when I was younger I thought I controlled everything
#32
It wasn’t until my early 30s that I learned that hardcore reality-denying Christians were actually a really common thing in America.
I grew up Catholic in Philadelphia, in a not particularly religious family so that was most of my exposure to religion.
I got a job somewhere and one of my coworkers was some Calvinist sociopathic loon and also wanted to be my best friend and really opened my eyes to how common her mentality was. I was shocked by how non-chalantly she dismissed evolution. She was also homeschooled but went to college in Canada and somehow that did not rid her of her programming.
Prior to that my idea of her people was that one crazy a*s Christian mom on Wife Swap and that this was a rare thing. It’s not.
#36
Paprika comes from bell peppers. Then went down a rabbit hole and found out it was also used to feed flamingos to keep their color, originated in southern Mexico haha
#38
When I found out the drink Gatorade was created at university of Florida football program. Their mascot is the gators, and the drink is “aid”. Hence gator(aid/ade)
#40
Baby powder/corn starch sprinkled on your skin after the beach let's you brush the sand off effortlessly
#42
That the button on the toaster is for minutes the bread is meant to be toasted, not some abstract level of "toastiness"
#45
A good work environment doesn’t mean s**t if the ceiling is low and you can’t pay the bills. Sometimes you gotta be uncomfortable for a bit to pay it forward for future you. Stayed in a low-paying job that had an interesting title and had great coworkers. Good memories but living (less than) pay check to pay check isn’t worth it. I want to have kids someday and had an epiphany that I wanted to provide them the great childhood that my parents provided me with. Made the switch and working towards a better future.
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