Weird NewsWeird Newsweird facts

41 Things You Need To Know Right Now, For No Reason In Particular

41 Things You Need To Know Right Now, For No Reason In Particular
Open Image Modal
By 

Senior Culture Reporter, HuffPost

|

How have you lived this long without seeing a walrus sleeping on a submarine?

All of these are picture based so there's really no excuse to refrain from spending the roughly two minutes it'll take to learn everything. We expect you to nod your head slightly and say, "hmm," or "oh, so that's what that looks like," in a mildly amused tone quite a few times throughout this post.

Discovery Channel video.

Bus tilt testing video.

Article from The Atlantic.

The bird is a java sparrow and it's being weighed at Chester Zoo in England.

Order some for yourself.

If you love pineapples, here are some more "mind-boggling" facts.

This is the Canadian Arctic. It's also sometimes done by foot.

More planets.

These things have been around for awhile.

Video of this in action.

The alligator's name is "Mr. Stubbs."

The gravesite is in the Netherlands.

According to The Onion, the confetti was "made entirely from shredded concussion studies."

This scale model shows the level of detail they wanted. Too bad they ran into some serious funding troubles.

Video of someone riding up the elevator.

Video of a starfish eating.

It was a big mistake. It happened in San Diego in 2012.

The warehouse is in Wales.

Here's how to make glow in the dark drinks.

The Vice President of Design at Mattel, Kimberly Culmone, recently said, “Barbie was never designed to be realistic.” That obviously didn't go over well.

Justin Bieber explaining himself.

Here's some advice about winter kayaking.

It's actually a liger named Hercules and weights 922 pounds.

Video of the machine in action.

The gifting happened in January 2014 and was obviously a symbol of protest.

Caused by a rare algae bloom in 2012.

At the Harbin Pole Aquarium.

The history of the Nevada Test Site (NTS).

The penny is being carried by the Mars Rover Curiosity.

The National Cemetery Administration actually offers many different symbols for religious denominations.

The brakes are applied but the engine didn't get the signal.

At least according to that box. Of course there are other correct ways.

The coral pieces can get fairly large.

Here's a side-by-side visual comparison of a few of the more famous attractions.

It's called microprinting and can be found on U.S. currency as well.

Video of the thing in action.

From July 21st, 1969.

This is how Japan dealt with clearing the road.

FedEx used to be Federal Express, which means this is comically close to Federal Express Express. Between this and the "arrow," FedEx really wants to stress how fast they are.

Apparently walruses are the "world's most unusual snoozers."

Also Nickelback lullabies exist if you weren't aware.

Support HuffPost

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your will go a long way.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

21 Food Superstitions
Garlic(01 of21)
Open Image Modal
Everyone knows that garlic wards off vampires. It can also ward off the curse of the evil eye.
Eggs & Egg Shells(02 of21)
Open Image Modal
Eggs symbolize fertility, so farmers would scatter broken eggs into their fields hoping they would bring forth an abundant crop. Also, if you break open an egg and find two yolks, that means someone you know will be getting married or having twins. And when you're cracking your egg, make sure to crush the eggshell afterward: otherwise, legend has it, a witch will gather up the pieces, set sail, and cause terrible storms at sea.
Salt(03 of21)
Open Image Modal
If you spill salt, you'll get bad luck. To remedy your misfortune, throw salt over your left shoulder with your right hand to blind the devil and keep him from taking your soul. Risky business, using salt.
Bread(04 of21)
Open Image Modal
If you cut open a loaf of bread and see a hole (a.k.a. a large air bubble), that means somebody will die soon. The hole in the bread represents a coffin (spooky!). You should also cut a cross into the top of your loaf before baking, otherwise the devil will sit on it and ruin your loaf. Now "hot cross buns" makes more sense.
Noodles(05 of21)
Open Image Modal
In China, long noodles symbolize a long life. So you should never cut your noodles—that means you're cutting life short. Instead, you should slurp up long noodles up without breaking them.
Tea(06 of21)
Open Image Modal
Tea, also used in divination (we won't get into that), has lots of superstitions connected to it. For instance, you should never put milk in your tea before the sugar, or you may never get married. Seemingly contradictory, undissolved sugar at the bottom of your cup means someone is in love with you. Spilling your tea means a stranger is about to visit you. And let only one person pour the tea—it's bad luck if the duty is shared.
Coffee(07 of21)
Open Image Modal
If there are bubbles in your coffee, you should catch them on your spoon and eat them—you'll unexpectedly come into money. Or, we guess, expectedly, since you caught the bubbles, right?
Oranges(08 of21)
Open Image Modal
Giving somebody an orange makes them fall in love with you. (We've tried. It hasn't worked. Yet.)
Rice(09 of21)
Open Image Modal
Tossing rice at a newlywed couple supposedly brings the pair good health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity. We say: waste of perfectly good rice. (But not dangerous to birds!)
Silverware(10 of21)
Open Image Modal
If you drop a fork, a woman will come to visit. A knife, a man will come to visit. A spoon, a child will come visit. So be careful when unloading the dishwasher!
Parsley(11 of21)
Open Image Modal
Parsley has a surprising number of superstitions around it. Planting its seeds will help a woman become pregnant. If the plant thrives, that means her husband is weak. And whatever you do, don't bring it to a dinner party—giving it as a gift brings bad luck. Giving parsley as a gift will also bring bad looks because, like, who gives parsley as a gift?
Hot Peppers(12 of21)
Open Image Modal
You should never hand a hot pepper directly to a friend—superstition has it that is will bring discord into the friendship. If you want to give your friend a jalapeño, put it on the table or counter and have them pick it up.
Knives(13 of21)
Open Image Modal
Passing a knife directly to someone will do the same thing as a hot pepper—"separate" (as knives are known to do) the two friends. That means you should never give a knife as a gift, either; if you do, make sure to ask your friend for a penny as "payment."
Peanuts(14 of21)
Open Image Modal
Don't eat peanuts at any kind of performance, whether it's a play or a racing event (really!). The legumes are believed to give the performers or players bad luck.
Birthday cake(15 of21)
Open Image Modal
The tradition of having a cake with candles on a birthday began with the ancient Greeks. They baked moon-shaped honey cakes to celebrate the birth of moon goddess Artemis—but believed evil spirits were attracted by the revelry. By saying "happy birthday" and burning candles, spirits are chased away. Today, lots of people believe that blowing out all the candles on your cake will make a wish come true. Fools!
Black-eyed peas(16 of21)
Open Image Modal
In the South, they eat Hoppin' John, made with black-eyed peas, for good luck and prosperity in the new year.
Apples(17 of21)
Open Image Modal
In the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, people dip apples into honey to symbolize the hopes of a sweet year to come. And back in the day, people believed that if you cut into an apple and counted the seeds, it predicted how many children you'd have.
Onions(18 of21)
Open Image Modal
If you stick pins into a small onion and keep it on a windowsill, it dispels bad spirits from your house. Yeah, we don't know.
Grapes(19 of21)
Open Image Modal
South American countries believe that you should eat 12 grapes one-by-one at the stroke of midnight to symbolize each month of the year. If the grape is sweet, that particular month will be a good one. If it's sour, it's going to be a bad month.
Bananas(20 of21)
Open Image Modal
You guys, NEVER cut a banana. It's bad luck. Just break it up into smaller pieces if you need to. Also, you should never bring bananas on a ship—the boat will never catch any fish or, worse, get lost at sea.
Chopsticks(21 of21)
Open Image Modal
In China and Japan, sticking your chopsticks into a bowl of rice upright is an omen of death. Arranging chopsticks that way makes them resemble incense, which the Chinese burn to honor the dead. Also, if your table setting has an uneven pair of chopsticks, that means you'll miss a plane, train, or boat.
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip