Facts I like reading about

[Alolan_Apples]

I’ve always been awed by amazing facts that not everybody knows. I even once had a book called “The Book of Useless Information”, which had many weird facts like that four is the only number to have the same amount of letters as its value, Hitler’s favorite movie is King Kong, the temperature of a sea turtle nest determines the gender of the hatchlings, and that 97% of all of the statistics are made up. This is also why I like reading trivia information on TV guides and wikis. Nowadays, I’m more interested into learning about how stuff change over time and in other nations. I also like reading about inaccuracies in works, from common knowledge to obscure facts many don’t know.

For some of the facts below, everything changes as time rolls by. Our customs, beliefs, and other ways of living change, and works made in the past, which were made to reflect their time, remain the same. Some of them lose their relevance or become controversial because of these changes, and some of them become more popular than they were from the time they were made. This doesn’t just apply to works, but also businesses.

Here are the list of facts I enjoy reading about:

• Some content or subject matter in past works of media and literature would been acceptable at the time, but they are no longer acceptable due to today’s standards. For shows and movies, examples include racial stereotypes. For video games, examples include outdated mechanics.
• Some works in the past were relevant for the time, but they are no longer relevant because the subject matter and content were a big deal for the time, but have phased out.
• Some works in the past, as well as memes, were popular back in the day, but are no longer popular. Some of these were just fads that died too soon, others were popular for a long time, but lost their popularity after the said work has ended, or that newer generations don’t appreciate them as much.
• Some works in the past took place in the future or attempted predicting the future, but when the time comes, the opposite happens, or something else happens.
• Some content or subject matter in past works are just as relevant now as they were at the time. And some of that stuff are even more relevant today.
• Some works in the past were not well received at the time, but are now popular, basically forgetting how unpopular they were before.
• A work in the past that was either unpopular the whole time or fads that lost their popularity are on the edge of fading to obscurity, as finding ways to experience them again are basically impossible. They will eventually go extinct once the last person that remembers it dies.
• A business was widely popular during its heyday, but it’s now either defunct or generally scorned.
• A work in the past accidentally predicted the future through some of the content or subject matter. The best examples are the ones that foreshadowed the 9/11 attack.
• A product seemed revolutionary at the time, but it’s now antique or pretty normal, but whatever was normal at the time is impossible to imagine now.
• Some content and subject matter in works from the past were very controversial at the time, but they are no longer controversial as they were accepted by today’s standards.
• Some things may feel modern, but are actually older than you realize.
• Some things felt like they have been here forever, but are actually made quite recently.
• Some works of media and literature contain content that might be sensitive to some demographics, but are actually popular by the particular demographic that might be offended by it.
• Some works are mildly popular to very popular in the home state or home nation, but even more popular in another state or a foreign nation.
• Some works are popular in the home state or home nation, but are not popular in a particular state or foreign nation.
• Some content or subject matter in works from one nation would be considered offensive or controversial in other nations.
• Some works or content made for one nation were not intended for other nations, according to the producers, and thus not exported.
• Something that happens or appears in a work of fiction is not accurate in reality, according to common knowledge. Examples:
  • A work is historically inaccurate because it got some facts wrong.
  • A work is historically inaccurate because it featured content that didn’t exist at the time (not counting inventions) or omitted what was true about the time.
  • A work is geographically inaccurate because of similar reasons listed above.
  • When a work made references to crime and punishment or legal stuff, they get some facts wrong because the law doesn’t work that way. A work can also be legally inaccurate because it featured something that is illegal in reality.
  • A work is scientifically inaccurate because it got some facts wrong, featured something that isn’t scientifically possible, or omitted something that happens according to science.
  • A work is inaccurate for other reasons because something that happens in a work doesn’t the same way in reality.
• A work is inaccurate because there are obscure facts that are not as well known, and the work got them wrong.
• A work has bloopers (picture goofs or sound goofs) or continuity errors.
• A work features something that is true in reality, yet many people believe it’s completely fictional.
• A work features something that is true in reality and makes a good point, but also forgets something.

 

[rianne]

You must have some pretty interesting discussions IRL (not being sarcastic or anything, I swear). Such discussions can be much more enriching and memorable, which aid us to think more critically imo.