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

Question

Thua · Accepted Answer

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

VIKI · Answer

Daddy Longlegs are not fucking deadly. Shit is a myth. Stop fucking posting it on facebook.

VILMA · Answer

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

Amara · Answer

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.

Christina Krause · Answer

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.

Lilli · Answer

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

Nydia · Answer

You can use hand sanitizer as emergency deodorant.

Micheil · Answer

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.

Uwe Beike · Answer

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.

Maire · Answer

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

Farica · Answer

"I agree, but maybe this should be "stick to the side you drive on" as not everyone is used to traffic on the right. just sayin' "

WILHEMINA · Answer

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.

Bintu · Answer

The left lane is a passing lane. Slower traffic should stay to the right.  Edit: Works great in America.

Carita · Answer

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

Lenard · Answer

Holland is not a country.

Denana · Answer

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.

wioletta · Answer

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

Kanya · Answer

Also, there are also starving people in the cities we live in. Not just in far off lands.  I mean, I'm not doing shit about it. Just sayin.

IOLA · Answer

192.168.1.1 admin/admin

Lorrie · Answer

He hasn't been seen in public in more than a month.

Arlena · Answer

He hasn't been seen in public for a while recently, apparently he just broke his ankles.

GEORGANN · Answer

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

YASUKO · Answer

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

Liliya · Answer

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

Kristin Schmidt · Answer

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

Anny · Answer

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

Otha · Answer

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.

BARABARA · Answer

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

Anne-Helena · Answer

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

Daisie · Answer

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.

misbah · Answer

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

Reina · Answer

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....

Patric · Answer

Taco bell got their dollar menu back

Sanson · Answer

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

Linette · Answer

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

Mickie · Answer

"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! "

Lenee · Answer

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.

ROSEMARIE · Answer

"Which is why he called Native Americans "Indians" because he thought he was in India. (and why we still call them Indians today, I don't know) "

Noralhuda · Answer

Obligatory

Caren · Answer

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.

Ebtehal · Answer

It is 100% okay to wake a sleepwalker. Source: I've done it, and he's fine.

Lynnet · Answer

Ebola isnt going to make humans go extinct

Carlos · Answer

"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") "

Anno · Answer

Duck's quacks actually do echo.

Misrak · Answer

You shouldn't stretch statically before you exercise

birgithe · Answer

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

Anzhelika · Answer

A goldfish bowl is a terrible environment in which to keep a goldfish.  The natural lifespan of a goldfish is years, not weeks.  These two facts are related.

Angelika Burger · Answer

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...

Solrun · Answer

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!

Fazeel · Answer

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

Ulrike Weisz · Answer

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

ALTAGRACIA · Answer

If you plug in earbuds/headphones in the microphone jack, they'll function as microphones.

Rebekah · Answer

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

Sannamari · Answer

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

Janniche · Answer

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

Mair · Answer

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.

Barron · Answer

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.

SHARYL · Answer

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

Julia Gottschalk · Answer

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

Afsoon · Answer

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.

Diana Meier · Answer

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

ILA · Answer

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.

Frederike · Answer

Drowning doesn't look like drowning

Godfrey · Answer

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.

Seemaa · Answer

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.

Nathanial · Answer

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.

Veera-Maria · Answer

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.

Bambie · Answer

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.

Wade · Answer

"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 "

Lea Farber · Answer

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

Idamaria · Answer

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

MALISA · Answer

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

Tuulianna · Answer

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

Isabeau · Answer

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.

Iren · Answer

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

Clemente · Answer

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

Alessa · Answer

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.

Julissa · Answer

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

Ulla Carin · Answer

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.

Marlina · Answer

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.

suna · Answer

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.

VANNESSA · Answer

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.

Greetta · Answer

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

GEORGENE · Answer

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.

Silpa · Answer

Humans do, in fact, use 100% of their brain. EDIT: If you use 100% all at the same time you'd have a seizure. What I'm saying is that every part of the brain has a function. If you were to damage any part of your brain, you would experience symptoms of brain damage.

Ilksen · Answer

"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!! "

Frances · Answer

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.

Franciszka · Answer

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.

Hadice · Answer

The polygraph is modern mysticism.

Seliina · Answer

Being cold doesn't give you the common cold.

Riika · Answer

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

Raian · Answer

Dogs can actually see colors, just not the color red. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/200810/can-dogs-see-colors

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

Gunvor

Kate

Loise

Mellie

Aaron

Rochester

Klaudia Hoch

Martina Hirsch

Jana Zimmer

JENISE