Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

True Facts That Are So Baffling They Almost Seem False

A man at a computer baffled by something
Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

Facts are crazy.

They've been politicized so much in the last decade that one never knows what to believe is fact or fiction.

Who knew that one day 'The Onion' would be handing out true stories?

Or that SNL would be parodied by life itself.

There have been so many times I've sat gobsmacked by what I've read or heard coming out of an actual person's mouth.

Science and history are full of information that just sounds bafflingly insane.


Redditor Kondellark wondered about what life truths are so outrageous they nearly prove truth is stranger than fiction, so they asked:

"What is a true fact so baffling, it should be false?"

The truth will always be more off the wall than we think.

Lies have to come from somewhere.

That Decade

roaring twenties smile GIFGiphy

"There used to be a radioactive energy drink called 'Radithor' that was in the US market for a decade from 1918-1928. Some of the more prominent users had to be buried in lead coffins."

WildWonderWolf

The Power

"There is a 1 in roughly 5.2 to the 61st power chance that if you were to slap a table, all of the molecules in your hand and the table would miss each other and your hand would go through it."

"Story time: I learned this fact from a deep intellectual conversation with my engineering class 2 years ago, so there very well could be some kind of detail I'm missing here, but nonetheless, what i said is theoretically true."

32151134

Go Wayne!

"You could take away all of Wayne Gretzky’s goals that he scored during his career and he would still be the all-time NHL points leader off his assists alone."

"Bonus Gretzky fact: He and his brother own the record for being the highest scoring pair of siblings. Brent had 4 points in his whole career."

holy_cal

"Of every father/son combo in NHL history, Wayne and Trevor Gretzky have the most goals. Trevor Gretzky was a baseball player."

REDDIT

Damage

happy betty boop GIF by OctoNationGiphy

"Giant squids have a donut shaped brain so their esophagus can run through the middle. If they try to swallow too large a bite of food they can get brain damage."

VerminSupreme__

Unless a squid is fried with marinara sauce... stay away from me.

Bad Face

Wide Eyed Reaction GIF by MOODMANGiphy

"If a gorilla looks grumpy, it's because they are relaxed and at ease."

REDDIT

"So I’m a gorilla. Cool."

REDDIT

Think about that...

"When the 22nd President of the U.S., Grover Cleveland was 27 years old, he was friends with a married couple who had a baby girl named Frances. As a gift, he bought them a high-end baby stroller for little Frances. 21 years later, he married Frances and she became the youngest 1st Lady. Think about that."

FixFalcon

"This isn't mindblowing or anything, but a fun presidential fact: Grover Cleveland was also the only U.S. President to serve two non-consecutive terms. He was the 22nd AND 24th President, with Benjamin Harrison (23rd President) serving as the meat in the sandwich that was Grover Cleveland's two terms."

japanishinquisition

In the Hole

"The gravity of black holes is so great that it literally bends light around the black hole, so that if you could somehow stand close enough to a black hole and look straight ahead, you would actually see the back of your own head."

chyko9

"So going through a black hole = realizing we all live in a videogame."

"While getting close to the black hole you start seeing weird things. Thinking that light is just being freaky... you suddenly go from thinking the last thing you see before you step into the next dimension is the back of your own head, to realizing it’s actually just you currently looking at yourself on a screen in 3rd person view."

jaqueburton

no food at all...

"A morbidly obese person can survive with absolute starvation without any sickness or feeling ill (under close control). There have been studies since 60's, there is a patient in 1973 who went under a 382 day starvation diet for therapuetic purposes under close control with only vitamin and mineral supplements and water intake without protein, carbohydrate or fat intake (no food at all)."

"Dropped from 207 kg to 88kg and maintained it. After a follow up check-up 5 years later, the patient was 96 kilograms, stabilized. Prolonged fasting had no ill effects. If anybody is curious about the article, the pubmed ID is: PMC2495396."

Dartosismyname

Crunchy

Loop Waiting GIFGiphy

"Giraffes eat bones."

REDDIT

"When I was in Africa we were legit surrounded by a family (?) of 12 giraffes. Then one bent over and picked up a gazelle carcass, looked dead into our eyes as it ate it's leg. It was so f**king creepy."

Kibeth_8

I knew there was something off about giraffes.

Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Megan Rapinoe; Sue Bird
Alika Jenner/Getty Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Megan Rapinoe And Sue Bird Announce Their Breakup After A Decade Together In Touching Video Message About 'Loving Out Loud'

After a decade together, former soccer star Megan Rapinoe and WNBA basketball legend Sue Bird recently announced their split, and they did so in the most heartfelt way possible.

Rapinoe and Bird have hosted the podcast A Touch More since 2024, and in a recent episode announced they'll be going their separate ways.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ramy Youssef and Elmo
@sesamestreet/Instagram

MAGA Is Predictably Melting Down Over Video Of Elmo Learning New Arabic Words For Arab American Heritage Month

A clip released by Sesame Street on Thursday, April 16, showed Elmo with Egyptian-American actor, comedian, producer, director, and Golden Globe winner Ramy Youssef to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month.

The 41-second video showed Youssef teaching Elmo the Arabic words "salamu alaykum" and "habibi."

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Sinatra; Donald Trump
Jim Spellman/WireImage; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Nancy Sinatra Fires Back At Trump With Four Powerful Words After He Uses Her Father's Song In Cryptic Post

Singer Nancy Sinatra, the daughter of the iconic crooner Frank Sinatra, criticized President Donald Trump after he posted a video featuring her father's version of the song "My Way" to Truth Social amid his ongoing war and negotiations with Iran.

"My Way," a song about an individual looking back on their decision to live life on their own terms, was one of the late Sinatra's signature hits. Trump posted a video of Sinatra singing the song with no comment or explanation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Pete Buttigieg; Donald Trump
@Acyn/X; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg Explains Why Trump's AI Jesus Post Was So Offensive To Christian Conservatives In Viral Video

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg condemned President Donald Trump for posting an AI-generated post depicting himself as Jesus Christ, describing it as "insulting" to both people's faith and their intelligence.

Earlier this month, the Pope criticized Trump's widely unpopular war in Iran and called on the world "to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
@atrupar/X

Trump Dragged After Gushing Over His Own Signature In Ultra-Cringey Viral Clip

President Donald Trump was super proud of himself after he signed an executive order to make certain psychedelic drugs more available to treat mental health conditions, taking an opportunity to boast about his own signature.

Trump's order approves $50 million in federal funding to expand access to certain therapies and directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast-track its review of drugs like psilocybin and ibogaine. He was joined by the likes of podcaster Joe Rogan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Oval Office.

Keep ReadingShow less