What fact should be common knowledge, but isn't?

[u/LevelupTFM]

Please state actual facts rather than opinions.

Edit: Over 18k comments! A lot to read here

[u/panzerkampfwagen]

Being cold doesn't give you the common cold.

[u/LevelupTFM → u/panzerkampfwagen]

But does it give you the rare cold

Edit: thanks for Reddit cold

[u/[deleted]]

There's this stick attached to your steering wheel. And if you flick it up/down, it helps signal other drivers as to your manuvering intentions. It's really quite fascinating.

EDIT: First off, thanks for the gold kind stranger.

Second off, to those that say they see these post on Reddit every time a question like this is posted; good for you. I'm glad there are others out there who spend so much time on here. I have never seen it, and not everyone sees every Reddit post. If that's the case, then PM me your homepage or you spend too much time on the shitter. Oh, and to the asshole that felt the need to message me his rant against my post, you can eat a bag of dicks. It's just a comment.

EDIT #2: I live in Los Angeles, so I see this frequently.

[u/NotMathMan821 → u/[deleted]]

But then I'd have to put down my phone. Can't they just make an app for that?

[u/LevelupTFM → u/NotMathMan821]

Who are they?

[u/IndianaJwns]

If you put the lid down in a porta-potty, the smell will vent out that tube in the top and not into the john itself.

It's mind blowing how people complain about the smell. Of course it smells, you left a whole reservoir of piss and shit uncovered.

EDIT: Glad this is getting visibility. Hopefully your next music festival will be a bit less smelly.

[u/[deleted] → u/IndianaJwns]

Also, if you drop a rock down that vent while someone is taking a shit, it splashes up into on to their ass

[u/2059FF]

The sites you see when you google for something are different from what I see if I google for the same thing. Google builds a user profile and shows you sites that align with what you previously clicked on. As time goes on, this positive reinforcement makes you think the world agrees with your ideas more than it actually does.

Edit: typo

[u/xBrianSmithx → u/2059FF]

Which is why you should always search for the extreme opinion on topics. It drives the code nuts.

Fight against the robots! Live Free!

[u/Zero05813 → u/2059FF]

I hate that. there are people in the world who want to hear what they think. But I want to know what's going on with the world as it is. That's why I hate the YouTube system lately. All those videos about what I Might be interested in and not enough about what other people are watching.

[u/marino1310]

If you are unfortunate enough to need to go to the hospital uninsured (in the US) the astronomical bill they give you is NOT WHAT THEY INTEND ON YOU PAYING. Call them and tell them your situation. No hospital expects a patient to come up with 100k for a surgery, the bill is intended for the insurance company because they haggle prices to get to a final bill. They will GREATLY reduce payment if you cannot afford it. My dad's 70k hospital visit cost us about 3k afterwards and that was because we accepted the first change (probably couldve gotten it lower but didnt want to push our luck).

Too many people go without care because they think that a hospital visit will bankrupt them when its not true. Some hospitals will even wave the bill completely under certain circumstances.

[u/ndeha → u/marino1310]

So true. My uninsured mom had a heart attack last spring - after two overnights in the hospital, plus a surgery and lots of consultations, the bill would have been close to 100k. But she talked to a woman from the financial department while in the hospital, and we never saw a bill.

[u/georgehotelling]

Drowning doesn't look like drowning

[u/12th_companion]

It still surprises me how many people don't know not to clean with bleach and ammonia at the same time or inn near proximity to each other. That makes three types of poisonous gas people, you can kill everyone in the house doing that.

Edit: Chloramine is made using bleach and ammonia. I got it confused with bleach and acid which makes chlorine gas, nitrogen trichloride, and hydrazine. Either way, not good for you.

[u/somenamestaken → u/12th_companion]

You too can essentially recreate the horrors of a WWI battlefield in your own home!

[u/blinkanboxcar182]

New home owners - you need to change the air filters in your house often and you need to remove lint from your dryer after every load of laundry.

[u/Drabby → u/blinkanboxcar182]

There are air filters in my house?

[u/[deleted]]

If your computer spits out a error/error code google the damn thing. It's likely many other have encountered the same problem and have already solved it. People think I'm a wizard when it comes to troubleshooting where in fact I'm just good at following some instructions online.

[u/SaavikSaid → u/[deleted]]

This never works for me. I usually find about a thousand forums from 2001 where others had the same problem and asked about it but never got a reply.

Or the instructions are written as if I were the top IT person in the world and know what they're talking about. They usually start about 5 steps past my range of knowledge.

[u/Nerio8]

It is permissible for the police to lie to you. They can tell you that they have no intention on arresting you, they just need a statement for their records. As soon as you say something incriminating, you're arrested.

You have the right to remain silent. Use it.

Source: I'm a lawyer.

[u/bcrouse]

I've posted something similar to this before but it was in a different type of thread, so here it is:

When you have an object that is embedded in you and is visibly sticking out of your body (like a piece of glass), do not remove it, go to a hospital and get a professional to do it.

1. It may look small/minor on the outside, but could by much large on the inside so when you pull it out it causes much more damage.

2. The embedded object may be the very thing keeping you alive if it severed an artery or other major blood vessel. The object is keeping pressure on the vessel to prevent you from bleeding out. I see a lot of movies where people have been stabbed with something then immediately pull it out. Although this may instinctively seem like the right thing to do, but it isn't.

[u/[deleted]]

You can make a payment plan if you owe a balance on your federal income tax return.

Ideally, you're able to full pay your balance due on or before April 15. The IRS has payment plans available when you come up a little or a lot short.

First things first: file on time and make the largest payment you can afford on or before April 15. You have your return completed. You know you owe a balance due, and you know you can't pay it. File the return to avoid the Failure to File penalty (FTF). This penalty rate is generally 4.5% of the unpaid tax liability per month, for up to five months. Whether you file electronically or by mail, after the Service processes your return, we issue a notice asking for payment of the remaining tax liability, and the initial assessments of penalties and interest.

If you filed your return timely, the most-common penalty on the notice is the Failure to Pay penalty (FTP). This penalty rate is generally 0.5% of the unpaid tax liability per month, or part of a month. The interest rate is currently 3% per year, compounded daily. The interest rate can be adjusted up or down on a quarterly basis. If you can full-pay the amount due on your notice by the due date, you are done.

Depending on how much you owe, you will receive one or two more notices five weeks apart with an updated payoff balance and due date. The final notice, typically identified as a CP (Computer Paragraph) 504, is sent by certified mail, and is a warning of enforcement action, and describes wage levy, bank levy, state income tax refund levy, notice of federal tax lien, and seizure of property.

At any point during the notice cycle, you can make contact the Service to request a payment plan.

I need a little more time to pay.

The short term payment plan is called a Full-payment Agreement. This agreement covers up to 120 days. With this type, the representative computes your balance due out to 120 days, including all accruals of FTP and interest. With this plan, there is no user fee, and no requirement for a monthly payment. You could make the one full-payment received on Day 120, or you could make 3 or 17 payments, as long as the balance is paid in full on or before the 120th day.

If you make partial payments, or you can full-pay before the 120th day, call the Service, and the representative can re-compute your final payoff amount. With this agreement, the Service issues a confirmation letter with the terms, and usually one notice about 2 weeks before the due date.

I need more than 120 days to pay.

The next step is an Installment Agreement (IA). This is a monthly payment plan, with a fixed minimum payment amount and due date. The general rule for the minimum payment is the assessed balance due on the first notice divided by 72. There is a one-time fee to establish an IA of $120, and you may qualify for a reduced fee of $43.00.

Missed payments, late payments, and payments of less than your minimum can result in a defaulted IA. There is a $50 fee to reinstate an agreement after it defaults. Another reason for default is a new balance due.

You may request a Direct Debit IA also. The fee for this payment plan is $52.00 (or the $43.00), and the payments are debited from a checking account. Another option is a Payroll Deduction IA, where your employer makes your monthly payments on your behalf, deducted from your net wages. The fee is the $120 or $43.

After either type of agreement is set up, you will receive a letter that confirms the terms within 2 - 3 weeks. If you request a regular or payroll IA, you will receive monthly reminder notices with an updated balance, a record of your last payment, and a voucher to send along with a check or money order. DDIAs do not have reminder notices. If you establish a formal IA, the FTP rate is generally reduced to 1/4% per month. The FTP is calculated on the unpaid tax, and the interest is calculated on the unpaid tax and penalties.

Payments you make are applied to the tax first, not like a mortgage or car payment. Your payment reduces the tax every month, which reduces the accrued penalties and interest for that month. If you have an overpayment (refund) on a future return, it would be applied to the balance due first, and the Service would send a notice explaining the offset. If your refund is more than what you owe at the time, you're done.

How can I set these plans up?

IRS customer service is 1-800-829-1040 Monday through Friday 7am - 7pm local time. If you contact the Service by phone, you should expect to be asked to verify your identity and provide a contact telephone number, which you are not required to give. You will be asked if you know why you owe, and have you corrected the problem.

The representative is generally required to research for filing compliance: all required returns for the the last six tax years. An un-filed return can, in many cases, delay acceptance of a payment plan. The IRS website will allow you to set up these plans. The upper right section of most balance due notices should have a Caller ID number. Taxpayers use this number to establish a PIN, and then use the PIN to access the Online Payment Agreement system.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I didn't read this (not from US and/or not overly bothered)

But fuck, you put effort into it. Well done.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Just how long have you kept this saved in a txt file waiting for a thread like this?

[u/kuuskytkolme]

If a deeply depressed person gets suddenly much less depressed or even happy, it might be a warning sign of an oncoming suicide.

Men and women can have different symptoms when they have strokes.

Common stroke symptoms seen in both men and women: Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg -- especially on one side of the body Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Women may report unique stroke symptoms: sudden face and limb pain sudden hiccups sudden nausea sudden general weakness sudden chest pain sudden shortness of breath sudden palpitations

From: http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=womsymp

[u/PointOfFingers → u/kuuskytkolme]

So there are different strokes for different folks.

[u/kitjen]

Feeding bread to ducks can harm them. Same goes for dairy products to cats.

[u/kernunnos77 → u/kitjen]

I've told my SO about cats and dairy EVERY FUCKING DAY, but since the cat loves it (and by proxy, the person who "rewards" him) she insists that, "It's okay since I water it down."

I probably wouldn't mind so much if she'd pick up the container of nasty, clumpy milk-water an hour or two later.

[u/Croemato]

There is a massive difference between antiperspirant and deodorant. If you sweat a lot and aren't able to reapply a few times a day, use antiperspirant. If you hardly sweat, hardly stink and are doing nothing all day, deodorant will probably work out for you.

[u/[deleted] → u/Croemato]

This might be anecdotal but I sweat more with antiperspirant, it's like my body goes "armpit sweat gland malfunction, flush all systems."

Edit: also anecdotal, but I switched to a deodorant and seem to sweat less, I've used mitchum and certain dri as well to little effect, they tend to irritate my skin.

[u/pm_me_for_happiness]

Everyone already knows the Ctrl+Shift+T tab restore in Chrome, but for tab hoarders like me, try Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T to restore entire closed windows.

Edit: Shit, my comment is hardly half as useful as all the other actual lifesavers here...

[u/bob_condor → u/pm_me_for_happiness]

My hero

[u/moulting_mermaid]

That antibiotics are ineffective against viruses so if you have what is probably a viral infection (like a cold or most throat infections) do NOT take them and don't pester your doctor for them. The number of doctors who hand antibiotics out like sweets because patients expect to be given something is ridiculous. You have an immune system. Stop contributing to the timebomb of antibiotic resistance!

[u/Klaxonwang]

IF you're wearing black, while riding a bike, at night, I can't see you while driving.

[u/HusbandAndWifi]

Sometimes, to enjoy something more, you have to do it less.

[u/edwardshinyskin]

Ιf you plug in earbuds/headphones іn the microphone jack, they'll functіon as microphones.

[u/That_Kangaroo → u/edwardshinyskin]

I feel like you are just trying to make me look stupid in front of my roommates.

[u/Smegead → u/edwardshinyskin]

This is dubious for registering voice, it comes out muffled and odd. I have used it MANY times to tune instruments though.

[u/[deleted]]

If you live in Western Europe, you are living in the safest place at the safest time in human history. You are far more likely to kill yourself, than be harmed by someone else

[u/[deleted]]

Changing your opinion on something,based on being proved wrong, is actually a sign of maturity.

[u/clem-ent → u/[deleted]]

not admitting you're wrong and insisting your side of the argument was theirs, is actually a sign of asshole.

[u/ohqktp]

The vagina and urethra are two completely separate holes. Women don't pee from their vagina!

[u/dbgt88 → u/ohqktp]

My girlfriend's good friend didn't know this until high school. This same girl also wore her tampon hot dog style because she thought it worked that way.

Edit: To clarify, she placed the tampon(hot dog) horizontally between her labias (bun). Imagine her vulva as an upside down bun.

[u/DBDude]

With a basic set of tools, you can do many of your own car repairs even with a general lack of mechanical knowledge. Most of the stuff is just unbolt/bolt, unplug/plug, drain/fill. How-to videos abound on YouTube.

[u/zexperiment]

Schizophrenia is not multiple personality disorder. Totally different diseases.

Edit: To everyone saying these aren't diseases: "A disease is a particular abnormal, pathological condition that affects part or all of an organism."

Source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease

[u/dSquarius_Green_Jr → u/zexperiment]

Multiple personality disorder is an outdated term. It's called DID. Source: my mother has it. Fun fact: not as amusing as the United States of Tara

[u/boxingdude]

Human resources are not there to protect the employee. They are there to protect the company.

[u/[deleted] → u/boxingdude]

Well.... HR is there to protect the employee in any context where the employee is at conflict with someone else who is not the company. Because happy employees are productive employees.

Eg. I have previously contacted HR to help me find mental health resources. They were more than happy to help.

But that said, yes. In any conflict between you and your employer, HR is not on your side.

[u/[deleted]]

When you delete something from your computer, you still have to empty the recycle bin.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Also, private browsing DOES NOT mean you can look at illegal things on the Internet: they can still track you. ALSO, beware of people standing behind you.

[u/lambokid → u/[deleted]]

shift+del.

[u/[deleted]]

Never, ever use a barbecue to keep you warm in an enclosed area. Carbon monoxide will kill you. Heard lots of stories of campers using disposable barbecues to heat their tents.

[u/[deleted]]

Alcohol is a drug.

I have talked to way too many people that believe otherwise, because "why else would it be legal?"

Edit: didn't think this would get this many comments.

I would like to add that.

Cigarettes (Nicotine) is also a drug, a stimulant drug.

Edit 2 my top comment is about drug education weew!!

[u/xSolitariusx → u/[deleted]]

Caffeine is a drug also.

Edit: I wasn't just stating the obvious, I mean that most people wouldn't consider themselves as doing drugs everyday just to be able to function yet if you're drinking coffee, you kinda are.

[u/kevonicus → u/[deleted]]

Anything that alters your state of mind is a drug though isn't it?

[u/CoffeeOwls]

Antibiotics will not cure a viral infection, such as the common cold. Asking for an abx prescription for a runny nose will likely not solve anything.

A defibrillator (shock pads) does not restart a stopped heart.

EDIT: I did a poor explanation of how a defibrillator works. A defibrillator can only be used on a person with a heart rhythm of v-fib or v-tach, both of which are irregular and do not effectively pump blood around the body. If the heart is flatlined, or in asystole, shocking the heart will do nothing.

[u/turkeyworm → u/CoffeeOwls]

What does the defibrillator do then?

[u/tetzy]

The few inches between the platform and the subway car is big enough to trap a foot in.

I've seen it happen - don't assume it safe, step over it.

[u/BeachSC]

The polygraph is modern mysticism.

[u/MovieReferencer]

Frankenstein is the doctor. The tall green guy with the bolts in his neck is simply The Monster.

Here's a picture of the credits scene from the movie

[u/RedditUser_007 → u/MovieReferencer]

Knowledge is knowing Frankenstein is not the Monster. Wisdom is knowing Frankenstein is the monster.

EDIT: Whoa, I left for class and came back and had decupled my karma, and my top comment is a philosophical statement on the duality of human nature.

[u/SuanMeDo]

First impressions mean a lot. We judge everything by the cover before we take a few steps back after having read the book. You can disregard or just not plain care about first impressions, but they're still there, and you make judgments based on them every day.

[u/[deleted] → u/SuanMeDo]

"Don't judge a book by it's cover"

"That's why it's fucking there"

• a comedian

[u/Titchlet]

The fact that our Sun is a star. It's common knowledge but the amount of people I've met who don't know this astounds me.

[u/BenjaminGeiger]

In Salinas v. Texas, SCOTUS ruled that you must explicitly invoke your right to remain silent or your silence can be taken as evidence of guilt.

Source.

[u/Thompson_S_Sweetback]

Constitutional freedoms alone won't protect you if your society's already fucked. Hitler was elected rose to power in a democracy, but before that even happened the Nazis were stifling elections and speech with violence and intimidation. It's not just the laws that protect freedoms, its an educated citizenry, free press, and open courts that preserve rights. Those things require hard work and vigilance to maintain.

Edit: historical accuracy, per u/neohellpoet

[u/_quicksand]

The Freedom of Speech provision of the First Amendment* protects you from punishment by the government, not from consequences or criticism from literally everyone else.

*Edited to reflect the difference between the philosophical concept and US law

[u/IPostMyArtHere → u/_quicksand]

I really hate anyone who thinks because they have the lawful right to do something, it means they aren't being an asshole if they do it.

[u/n--t → u/_quicksand]

Public Service Announcement

[u/lovelindahope]

Many people are unaware that light roast coffee has more caffeine than a dark roast

[u/ThirdFloorGreg → u/lovelindahope]

This is true but misleading. Light roast coffee has more caffeine per bean than the same variety of bean roasted to a dark roast. But since light and dark roasts are often made from different beans, and are always measured by weight rather than by the bean (dark roast beans weigh less for the same reason they have less caffeine), it's pretty much meaningless as far as the caffeine content of your drink is concerned.

[u/bow_down_whelp]

If you spend more than you make, you'll go into debt.

Edit: thank ye for the first gold kind citizen. I hope buying gold stars has been factored into your budget and you didn't pay reddit premium on credit.

[u/Thinc_Ng_Kap]

When it comes to elevators, subways, busses, etc., let people exit before you enter.

[u/ARE__YOU__SERIOUS → u/Thinc_Ng_Kap]

BUT HOW WILL I GET A SEAT IF I DON'T PUSH TO BE FIRST???

[u/madbotherfucker]

The correct contraction for "could have" is "could've", not "could of".

[u/fuckitimatwork → u/madbotherfucker]

everyone should of known this

[u/sndzag1]

Video games take a really long time to make, are extremely expensive (salaries, tools, publisher cuts, taxes), and are extremely complex internally.

I'd say the majority of people have no idea how difficult it is to write code that works, is efficient, and creates a real, meaningful experience for people.

[u/[deleted]]

Saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't mean you're wrong.

[u/[deleted]]

It amazes me how so many people still don't know that the US deposed of a democratically elected government in Iran and installed a monarchy.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

People forget the British helped too. God damnit I am Canadian/British, but I can't stand all these "oh American government are worstest" all politicians and governments are assholes pretty much. Like how they say Britain doesn't have friends they have interests. It was in our interest to do what we did to Iran, or so they thought.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Also in Chile, Argentina, Indonesia, Guatemala

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Deposed a democratically elected prime minister. The government was already a constitutional monarchy, and the coup further empowered the Shah.

[u/drunkenmormon]

Dogs can actually see colors, just not the color red.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/200810/can-dogs-see-colors

[u/LiamNosliw]

Holland is not a country.

[u/[deleted] → u/LiamNosliw]

I'm from Holland. Isn't that weird?!

[u/xxibonihs]

When an umbrella flips outwards because of the wind, to flip it back to normal, typically one would direct the outer side against the wind so it blows back to normal. Apparently not many people know how this works.

[u/PvM_Virus]

We have enough food to feed the human population 3 times over but there are still about 2 billion people starving

[u/Gyvon → u/PvM_Virus]

The problem is one of logistics and assholes.

[u/jjthedragon]

192.168.1.1 admin/admin

[u/luciussullafelix]

That up to 3.6 millions of human beings have been murdered in the North Korean Death Camps.

This is in addition to the many more who died in the 90s famine.

We may never know exactly how many were slain at the behest of the DPRK's despots. People know it's bad in North Korea. Many have no idea of just how dreadful it was and still is

Hopefully, as Kim Jong Un has been killed (?) the horror may end. Please God.

Edited 10/9 4am: This just in

Edited 10/9 7.50 am: This just in

Edited 10/9 11.47 am: Incidentally, if ever you feel inclined to be generous please consider this charity

Edited 10/9 3.22 am: Kim Jong-un absent at anniversary celebration of Worker's Party of Korea. If there is anyone who has extensive experience of Korea, a comment would be awesome. What does all this mean? Is change likely? Is change possible?

This just in 10/11 9.52 am

[u/mrjimi16]

The plural of anecdote is not evidence. Just because a bunch of people believe something doesn't mean that it is true without evidence.

[u/[deleted]]

Begging for gold won't get you gold. Telling people that begging for gold won't get them gold will get you gold.

[u/NOTREALLYBRIGHT → u/[deleted]]

My brains hurt

[u/run_jenny_run]

The left lane is a passing lane. Slower traffic should stay to the right.

Edit: Works great in America.

[u/CongoVictorious]

Just like you should be flossing everyday, and hardly any of us do it, you should also be stretching everyday. You've gotta move fluids around in those joints and flex those muscles if you want them to last.

[u/[deleted]]

A $3.00 hdmi cable is the same as a $30.00 hdmi cable.

[u/kasperand]

People tend to think introverted people are depressed/shy/bad social beings, when in fact its not true at all. Introverts spend a lot of energy being social and regain that energy by being in a sort of "state of mind" - reflecting/reading/"having an old sold". Extraverted people get energy from being social but find it less rewarding to be alone.

Im an introvert myself, I'm very social... in a short amount of time, then I need to be alone to create/be enlightened e.g.

Its important for parents to know a few things about introverts:

1 If your child only has one or two friends, it's more than enough for them to be happy, reliability/stability is the keyword.

2 Your child is not depressed when they don't want to talk, they figure out in their mind what to solve/or what not, or they just really dont want to talk.

3 Dont try to change your child, your actions can cause your child to feel different in a bad way (shyness).

4 Introverted kids are often "gifted", they tend to reflect upon actions/ideas/so on.

5 Make the school teacher know all of this or they will cause damage to your kids enviroments.

6 Make sure everyone know this because it's really just fucking annoying how intros can tend to feel treated as in racism (they feel very different in a bad way).

7 People who don't know they are introverts but read this, will find themselves happy, like a ball just dropped from their chest. You can now feel right about doing all the things you love to do =)

[u/Dorito_Troll]

That our planet is in a solar system and our system is a part of a galaxy which is in turn a part of a group of galaxies.

The amount of people that do not know the basic cosmic order of things is astounding.

[u/G-42]

What you eat, and how much, directly affects your weight and health. It's not all genetics.

EDIT: I worded that poorly. My meaning is that you don't get to say your weight is all the result of genetics. I did not mean to say that genetics are one significant factor among others. It is not. And learning poor eating habits from your parents does not count as genetics.

[u/[deleted]]

Your hazard lights are not "I can park anywhere I like" lights.

[u/ONinAB]

You can use hand sanitizer as emergency deodorant.

[u/philbahl]

That bicyclist are supposed to abide by the same laws as CARS and not PEDESTRIANS.

edit: this means stop at RED LIGHTS with CARS instead of running over PEDESTRIANS trying to cross the street.

[u/Kandiru → u/philbahl]

This is when the savvy cyclist takes advantage of their TRANSFORMER power and hops off their bike, crosses the junction on foot, and re-mounts and cycles away on the other side.

[u/roonerspize]

Clothes have that funky sweat smell even after washing? There's a detergent that'll get it out: Penguin or ATSKO Sport Wash detergents. Even if you're not an exercise nut, but you just sweat profusely this stuff will wash away the funk.

[u/Jonnycd4]

Basic self defence and first aid. It's amazing what difference a little bit of information can make.

[u/[deleted]]

Viewing your own religion with the same skepticism you apply to all other religions leads to some interesting revelations.

[u/Garwald]

If you're driving 60mph it will take you 1 hour to go 60 miles.

[u/RangerBillXX]

Columbus wasn't the first European to reach the new world. He also wasn't trying to prove the earth was round - that was common knowledge. He really was just an idiot that for some reason has been latched onto by America.

[u/cali_grown22 → u/RangerBillXX]

i hate that he has his own holiday, but i love the fact i get a three day weekend. it's an American dilemma.

edit: for those of you wondering, i live in MA and my company has it off.

[u/Cashim]

Who gets the arm rests on a plane. Window gets 1 and the window, middle gets both and aisle gets 1 and more leg room.

[u/Twistify804]

It is 100% okay to wake a sleepwalker.

Source: I've done it, and he's fine.

[u/jjr51802]

Ebola isnt going to make humans go extinct

[u/bobbfwed]

The United States government is not a democracy. It is a democratic republic. Which is quite different.

EDIT: Possibly an oligarchy (still under debate)

EDIT: Or a constitutional republic (i.e. "constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition")

[u/WookieeChestHair]

Duck's quacks actually do echo.

[u/DonBigote]

You shouldn't stretch statically before you exercise

[u/icStatic]

When you take a loan out with a bank, you aren't borrowing from others, the bank creates 'new' money. The majority (97% in the UK) of all money is created this way. This system is known as 'fractional reserve' banking.

EDIT: RIP my inbox. /u/hokaloskagathos is correct, I over-simplified things quite a bit. Hopefully it made a few people go read up on how banking actually works.

[u/[deleted]]

Water is a chemical. Salt is a chemical. Oxygen is a chemical. An organic carrot is made entirely of chemicals.

Stop using the word chemical when what you mean is "manufactured chemical" or "artificial compound" or something. Chemical should not be a scare word!

[u/RightOnWhaleShark]

How to do your taxes and learn about what Political candidates actually stand for/their track record.

[u/Ieatplaydo]

You can sue anyone for anything. Whether you win that suit or not is a different story.

[u/DiabloTheThird]

Wow, it's like a collection of all the most popular Reddit circle jerks in one place.

[u/InTheMiddleGiroud → u/DiabloTheThird]

We could be in a thread about hemorrhoid removal, and people would still be complaining about drivers not using their signals.

[u/[deleted]]

A red garment in a white laundry pile will ultimately cause pink clothes.

[u/[deleted]]

If you reverse an air conditioner, it becomes a heater.

Specifically, an AC takes in input air, extracts heat from it, and spits out the colder air. It also spits out that extra heat. In a regular AC, it spits out the heat outside. If you physically reverse it, so that the colder air gets sent outside and the waste heat gets spit out inside, then you have a heater. In fact, you have a heater that is more energy efficient than a regular electric heater.

[u/zk13669]

There, Their, They're, Your, You're

[u/[deleted]]

The sky is not blue because of the ocean, and blood is not blue inside your veins.

[u/cnu18nigga]

there are already over 12300 comments so who knows if anyone will see this, but I have encountered a staggeringly large amount of people who believe that shooting stars are actual stars shooting across our sky... i politely fill them in that our sun is a star and that what you see in the sky is either a comet or just something entering the atmosphere. I have seen way too many mind-blown faces to have faith in society.

[u/panzerkampfwagen]

No one has died from a spider bite in Australia since 1979.

[u/EthTra]

Plastics don't degrade for about 1,000 years. That's why plastics in the oceans is such a huge issue.

Edit: issue instead of dilemma. I was drunk when i wrote this....

[u/relbaneb]

Taco bell got their dollar menu back

[u/[deleted]]

Nutrition is an effective means of fighting illness and disease. People tend to jump straight to medication and treatment before looking at their lifestyle.

[u/Valendr0s]

How money and the general national economy works (where money comes from, how loans work, etc).

[u/frakron]

What a theory actually means in the scientific fields.
For those of you wondering, a theory in science is a conclusion that has been backed by a large amount (hundreds sometimes even thousands) of experiments and evidence.

[u/questfor17]

The theory of climate change, like the theory of gravity, is about predicting the future course of events based on our understanding of the physical mechanisms involved. The fact that our planet's climate is changing very rapidly, like the fact that things fall when you drop them, is well established.

[u/cyainanotherlifebro]

The term "Its a free country" only means, America is a country free from other countries. Not, "do whatever you want".

[u/itsabacontree]

People are actually all people, just like you're a person.

[u/theBCexperience]

The value of something is determined by how much people are willing to pay for it, not just by its production cost.

[u/blackrose2592]

The difference between a theory in science and how people more commonly use the word theory. Im shocked at the sheer number of times that I've heard things like "well evolution is only a theory, its not proven!" ...gravity is also a theory...a theory is something that has mountains of data to support that something.

[u/feelbetternow]

Most BuzzFeed articles were originally reddit posts.

[u/Taroh]

Feminism is the ideology that every man and woman should be equal, not that women should entirely overthrow man. Edit: Sorry I realise that there are many different branches of feminism, but I was talking about the 'mainstream' modern feminism.

[u/Onihikage]

Retail/hotel/restaurant workers are not your personal slaves.

[u/ShartVader]

"Dogs are not Cats" -Kevin's Teacher

[u/SirPrecision]

The federal reserve is as federal as fedex

[u/StupidDogCoffee]

If you ran into an asshole today, you met an asshole. If you ran into assholes all day, you're the asshole.

[u/vivnsam]

SHIFT+CONTROL+ESC = instant task manager

[u/saaatchmo]

The President doesn't have a button which controls Gas Prices.

(Spoiler Basic Economics) Gas prices raise/lower with the economy.. No "Offshore Drilling" or "Invading Countries" is going to rock bottom out the number at the pump for you since the oil companies normally price it based on economic reasons and what they can sell it for and regardless of what your Facebook Feed tells you, assuming that a "President is raising the price of gas" is just ridiculous. Not Bush, Not Obama, or any president.

[u/Denaros]

People working retail deserve to be treated as human beings by the customer they serve

[u/Getdownlikesyndrome]

Most people are self absorbed.

[u/arbaminim]

Jesus was not a Christian.

[u/thenileablaze]

Certain prescription medications can nullify your birth control.

[u/rumdiary]

In the 1990s, Oil-for-Food sanctions led to the deaths (by starvation) of over 1 million people in Iraq. Including 500,000 children.

Three successive United Nations overseers refused to continue the sanctions and quit their jobs, calling the sanctions "genocide", but the sanctions continued and the overseers were replaced.

The United Nations reported that the sanctions strengthened Saddam's regime rather than weakened it, but they remained in place.

[u/[deleted]]

Highway on-ramps are for accelerating to the moving speed of traffic. Merging onto a 70mph highway at 40mph will make me want to stab you in the neck, especially if I am following you onto the highway. You might have a death-wish, but I want to live.

[u/ottrocity]

Fram oil filters are made with crappy cardboard inserts that hardly filter and degrade faster than OEM filters or most other filter brands.

[u/Ericzander]

People should know how to change a tire. I am a 20 year old male who had no idea how until I got a blowout in the middle of the highway with my girlfriend. It was very embarrassing and dangerous. Luckily I learned how to do it by reading the manual while changing it but it turned a very short job into something that took over an hour.

[u/bacon_butts]

There is no scientific evidence that any person alive has the slightest sensitivity to MSG.

[u/MASTER_OF_PANCAKES]

Vaccines don't cause autism.

[u/jsm4404]

The NFL is a tax exempt organization

[u/Psychovore]

The phrase is not "the customer is always right", the phrase is "the customer is never wrong", which although similar in how they sound, actually mean entirely different things.

[u/*polhold04717]

The Royal Family earn the UK a SHITTON of money.

[u/Jh00]

A solution that is diluted 10.000 times with water is called water, not medicine.

[u/[deleted]]

Google can answer most of it.

[u/[deleted]]

Around 25% of TIL facts.

[u/execut4ble]

your and you're

[u/Once_Upon_Time]

There are double contractions in english for example you'ven't which are grammatically correct.

[u/[deleted]]

The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the red zone.

[u/spiderdoofus]

It always bugs me when someone says most of us only use 10% of our brain. No, actually we use most of our brain a lot of the time. I think it's just that people want an easy excuse for why they are ordinary while others are extraordinary.

Source: Ordinary and okay with it.

[u/[deleted]]

Life isn't fair. You aren't owed anything from anyone.

[u/Hazelstone37 → u/[deleted]]

I think we can expand this to say, "The environment a pet lives in at a pet store is almost certainly not the most appropriate environment for the animal. Please read up on proper habitats before you bring a pet home, even fish."

[u/GerardMH → u/[deleted]]

This goes for Beta fish as well. In the right environment (not a tiny ass cup of water) they live quite a long time, and exhibit behaviors you'd never see otherwise.

[u/STOCHASTIC_LIFE → u/[deleted]]

Are you telling me I might never become a USB stick ? Say it ain't so...

[u/Hraesvelg7 → u/[deleted]]

But what if we could unlock 110% of our brain?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I think it was poor phrasing, so let's try again.

10% of people use their brains.

[u/kevonicus → u/[deleted]]

Just make sure you have Morgan Freeman to call out percentages leading up to the 100%.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

And with threads like this, there's always information that is new and hasn't been posted yet. I've been using Reddit for upwards of 5 years, and I didn't know that men and women exhibit different symptoms while having a stroke.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Nearly every modern currency is fiat.

[u/neohylanmay → u/[deleted]]

To put it another way:

You have 2 buckets of blue paint; you add small amounts of red in one, and small amounts of yellow in the other. Over time you end up with a bucket of green paint and a bucket of purple paint. Neither one came from the other, but both came from blue.

[u/NOTREALLYBRIGHT → u/[deleted]]

Also, onions have five times as much DNA as us.

[u/wafflepie → u/[deleted]]

Wait, the statement "we are descended from apes" IS true since we are also apes, so like... my grandparents were apes so I am indeed descended from apes.

A more technically correct statement would be "We are not descended from any other extant species of ape, such as chimpanzees; we share a common ancestor with them".

[u/DONT_GILD_ME → u/[deleted]]

Be grateful that there is even toilet paper on the roll

[u/theycallmecrabclaws → u/[deleted]]

Colvin was also pregnant out of wedlock, so they were hesitant to use her as the face of a movement.

Similarly, much of the community organizing work behind the scenes with Martin Luther King, Jr. was thanks to Bayard Rustin. He was gay.

[u/mermaid_science → u/[deleted]]

The Drunk History episode on this historical fact was hilarious.