We grow up in different circumstances, and it’s impossible for everyone to develop the same worldview. Still, for society to function, we expect certain stuff to be universally understood — fundamental facts that people can agree on and rely on. But that isn’t always the case.
Reddit user JustBeingElara recently asked the platform what common knowledge they realized wasn’t so common.
Thousands replied, sharing etiquette rules, marketing tricks, basic biology, and much more, teaching each other all sorts of useful things. So we decided to collect the most interesting ones for those who love to learn!
Discover more in “I Didn’t Know This And Now I Feel Stupid”: 48 Pieces Of Knowledge That Were Supposed To Be Common
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#1
You don’t need religion to have morality.
© Photo: redomisia
#2
Don’t watch videos on speakerphone when you’re in public.
Don’t talk on speakerphone in public.
Don’t FaceTime on speakerphone in public.
© Photo: PeonyM
#3
That “natural” doesn’t mean “healthy”.
anamorphic_cat:
Dozens of poisonous plants and lethal gases illustrate your point.
allthecats:
And “chemicals” doesn’t mean “bad.”
© Photo: TaintM3
#4
That tariffs are paid by the end user. They are initially paid by the importer but are passed along to the consumer.
© Photo: DoTheRightThing1953
#5
DON’T DRIVE FAST IN BAD WEATHER. I CAN’T BELIEVE PEOPLE NEED THIS EXPLAINED TO THEM.
© Photo: Ohaibaipolar
#6
Wait for the people to get off the elevator before trying to enter.
Giving_Cat:
Or Subway or bus or…
Marlsfarp:
Generalize to: people exiting the more confined space have the right of way.
© Photo: No_Lies_Detected
#7
As a kid, I once argued with someone about penguins. They didn’t know penguins are birds so we placed a bet, googled to confirm that they are in fact birds, and then I took the money to buy lunch in the canteen the next day. I told the canteen lady that I won my lunch money by placing a bet on penguins being birds. To my surprise she also denied them being birds. So I made another bet – if google says they are birds, I get my lunch for free.
At that time I’ve only discussed penguins being birds with two people. So what I thought was common knowledge appeared not to be.
Sometimes I wonder how many people out there doesn’t know that penguins are birds. And if I can meet them to place bets or get free food.
© Photo: HeisenbergsIntern
#8
The President doesn’t have unlimited authority and cannot rule by decree.
I’ve met so many people on all sides of the political spectrum that don’t know civics.
They keep saying “why doesn’t the president just ban/enact X?”
They are all surprised when i point out the president doesn’t have such authority.
© Photo: Sea_Advertising8304
#9
Europe is a continent, not a country.
© Photo: GHAAITE
#10
When I became a wheelchair user, I thought “wheelchairs don’t do stairs” was common knowledge. So imagine my shock when I started coming across people who thought 3-5 steps would still be considered “wheelchair accessible.”
This is why we need to be super specific when asking if a place is wheelchair accessible. We need to ask if there is step-free access. “Oh yeah, we are wheelchair accessible, there are just one or two steps” isn’t an acceptable answer.
© Photo: buckyhermit
#11
The size of the Great Lakes. The number of people who just don’t believe that you can’t see across most of Lake Michigan. Or that the lakes can produce any kind of waves at all, let alone of ship-sinking size. A friend was going to a wedding in the Upper Peninsula and told me they were also going to spend a day kayaking around Lake Superior. I said “Cool! What part?” And they looked at me like I was an idiot and said “All the way around? I’ve got a whole day.” I wish I were kidding.
© Photo: Schoonicorn
#12
That the seasons are reversed in the northern and southern hemispheres.
As an Australian, this is a fact we all know from a very young age. When I first went overseas at age 16, I quickly learnt that many, many people (including full grown adults) in the northern hemisphere have no idea about this.
© Photo: Lost_in_the_Library
#13
When you’re in a touristy part of a city, overly friendly strangers that come up and talk to you unprovoked are not looking for new friends.
© Photo: mechy84
#14
This may sound like common sense, but you’d be SHOCKED. Chickens will lay eggs nearly every day regardless of the presence of a rooster. It’s the equivalent of a period not a baby.
© Photo: Immediate_Ad_7993
#15
That being out in the cold does not give you a cold.
Tomschewies:
Soooo many people believe this. I think it confuses people that cold weather can cause a leaky nose but that doesn’t mean it’s a cold.
© Photo: Brikish
#16
That not everything on the internet is real.
© Photo: pookapotomus2
#17
That in English, apostrophes are generally used for contractions (cannot=can’t) or to show possession (the bone belongs to the dog. The dog’s bone). It is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR PLURALS. 1 dog, 2 dogs. 1 ex, 2 exes.
© Photo: AMugOfPeppermintTea
#18
The fact that deer do in fact drop their antlers, usually after mating season is over & then grow a new set every year 🤷🏻♀️.
© Photo: Natural-Seaweed-5070
#19
Ponies are not baby horses, just like how chihuahua and pugs are not baby dogs. Ponies are a type of horse that stay small even as adults.
© Photo: Spoonula
#20
No, you cant use US $ to pay for things in an European country!
© Photo: Affectionate_Staff46
#21
That the UK has not left the European continent, just the European Union. The amount of people who genuinely think we’re not part of Europe anymore shocks me.
© Photo: 247mumbles
#22
That cows have to be kept repeatedly pregnant to continue producing milk- too many people think that cows are just always making milk and it somehow “needs to be relieved” when their udders are full.
© Photo: MetamorphicMermaid
#23
Low(er) in calories does not mean it’s healthy or better for you.
© Photo: drinking_varnish
#24
Getting an IV does not mean a needle is left inside you while that IV is in place.
While I don’t expect everyone to know this, I continue to be surprised that people who actively have IVs in place do not know this.
hotdiggity75:
I didn’t know this and now I feel stupid.
LegCompetitive6636:
The needle has a plastic tube, a catheter, on it which is left inside the vein when the needle itself is removed
Edit: just to clarify more, the needle pierces the vein then the catheter is advanced further into the vein and the needle is removed, that long needle isn’t going all the way in your vein.
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© Photo: Hoppypoppy21
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