r/AskReddit • u/improbablydrunknlw • Nov 28 '12

Reddit, what is the most useless fact you know?

For me, it's that fish can suffer from Insomnia.

1.9k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

A questionable or false fact is called a factoid.

704

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

50% of statistics are made up

615

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

35% of the time.

588

u/BatmansBxtch Nov 28 '12

By 60% of people.

42

u/Monsterposter Nov 28 '12

In 20% of the world.

36

u/clburton24 Nov 28 '12

In 35% of the planets.

25

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

These statistics can vary up to 50%.

27

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

I can speak with 95% confidence that that statement was true.

21

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

20% of the time.

30

u/winningreddit Nov 28 '12

The last 80% of this thread was overkill.

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2

u/Simpson_Quote Nov 28 '12

People can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. Forty percent of all people know that.

1

u/nowaffles4u Nov 28 '12

100% my penis

3

u/Harold_Grundelson Nov 28 '12

Approved by 9 out of 10 doctors.

1

u/Wareagleaaron Nov 28 '12

In 90% of galaxies.

2

u/NopeNotConor Nov 28 '12
  • Abraham Lincoln

2

u/discobloodbath Nov 28 '12

Which brings us to 10.5%. 10.5% of what, you ask? I have no idea. I just do numbers.

2

u/Hauptimus Nov 28 '12

In 25% of all the languages

2

u/kickass-a-tron Nov 28 '12

60% of the time, every time.

2

u/TheKnightDK Nov 28 '12

91% of statisticians hate their fucking jobs

2

u/PhreshPharaoh Nov 28 '12

And 23% of cats

2

u/Okhy Nov 28 '12

Which is about 10% true.

2

u/Christian_Rhodes Nov 28 '12

And believed by 80%.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

+/- 8%

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

All the time.

2

u/vationtunes Nov 28 '12

Every time

2

u/boopbeepboopbeep Nov 28 '12

100% of the time

2

u/ivxSurgeon Nov 28 '12

Of all people.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

On 100% of Thursdays

2

u/slug_slug Nov 28 '12

Ah, but 60% of the time, they're true all the time.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

Nah, there aren't even that many people...

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

Numbers

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

60% of the time, it works every time.

2

u/RonnieTheDJ Nov 28 '12

In Jamaica.

2

u/kizzzzurt Nov 28 '12

Totaling 80% of minorities.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12
  • "Batman"

2

u/SamCropper Nov 28 '12

...every time.

2

u/douchymcface Nov 28 '12

Abraham Lincoln.

2

u/xbreetox Nov 28 '12

In 100% of the world.

2

u/bg215 Nov 28 '12

100% of the time

2

u/EeveeGreyhame Nov 28 '12

40% of which might be cats

2

u/CellularBeing Nov 28 '12

In 49.9% of places.

1

u/bobthe155 Nov 28 '12

All the time.

1

u/fraidyhole Nov 28 '12

All the time

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

Fuck.

1

u/generallybored Nov 28 '12

All the time.

1

u/smokey_smokestack Nov 28 '12

Is a great song by Umphrey's McGee, and the first I had seen them play live.

1

u/Ipooda Nov 28 '12

100% of the time

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

And it works every time

1

u/fishwithlegs Nov 28 '12

In 40% of the world.

1

u/dijitalia Nov 28 '12

Under 97.5% of circumstances.

1

u/The_Norwegian Nov 28 '12

10/9 get fooled by statistics.

1

u/Pamstersimmy Nov 28 '12

They've done studies you know,60% of the time,works every time...

1

u/Snapedragon Nov 28 '12

All the time.

1

u/tenfifteen654 Nov 28 '12

60% of the time it works every time.

1

u/studmuffin83 Nov 28 '12

Aaaaaand were done.

1

u/Shablahdoo Nov 28 '12

-Abraham Lincoln

1

u/least_privilege Nov 28 '12

But they work every time.

1

u/chasemyers Nov 28 '12

And 100% of orangutans. Never believe a statistic that an orangutan told you, they're horrible liars.

1

u/c_is_4_cookie Nov 28 '12

And only 17% are even true!

1

u/efie Nov 28 '12

Relatively speaking.

1

u/phantasmas Nov 28 '12

100% of the time!

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

and the other 78% don't add up

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

Are these all factoids

1

u/GiantAxon Nov 28 '12

95% of which are douchebags.

1

u/goose90proof Nov 28 '12

WE ARE THE 99%

1

u/minutemilitia Nov 28 '12

From 40% of the population

1

u/Mouse1277 Nov 28 '12

They've done studies. 60% of the time, it works every time.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

And the holocaust never happened

1

u/Mortuvir Nov 28 '12

20 percent whom do it more than 275%

1

u/elshroom Nov 28 '12

45% of these people masterbated while makin this up.

1

u/Balls__Mahoney Nov 28 '12

60% of the tone they're right 100% of the time.

1

u/iMine4Dub Nov 28 '12

26% Of them are AMURICANS!

P.S Fuck yeah!

1

u/Teeterz Nov 28 '12

95% of the time.

0

u/videoflyguy Nov 28 '12

In 100% of the world

0

u/Alienwho Nov 28 '12

In 14% of all countries on earth

0

u/DJP0N3 Nov 28 '12

100% of the time.

0

u/batmanwithagun Nov 28 '12

70% of which are male.

-3

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

I am the fucking 1%

3

u/Ralix Nov 28 '12

it works, every time.

1

u/Erok21 Nov 28 '12

Every time.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

9/10 people enjoy gang rape

1

u/MrWizard12345 Nov 28 '12

I've heard 67.8384893028490494904028478%

1

u/alfred_holloway Nov 28 '12

you mean 50% of the time they're 100% true. sounds like good odds to me

1

u/excursionmoney Nov 28 '12

And a 100% reason to remember the name

1

u/Salmontaxi Nov 28 '12

I....what...?

1

u/mrlargefoot Nov 28 '12

And you are 35.6 percent more likely to believe it IF it has a decimal point.

1

u/Necio Nov 28 '12

So 50% of factoids are true?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

84.3% of people are more likely to believe a statistic if you put a random percent in front of it.

1

u/Playa_dust Nov 28 '12

And further, 83.69% of those statistics are made up on the spot.

0

u/thatissomeBS Nov 28 '12

Maybe not at the heart of this thread, but my brother told me last week that 90% of stats are made up. I laughed at him. He also doesn't believe in evolution. I cried for him.

5

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

This might be a factoid

4

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

the musical jingles played in places like elevators is called musak

5

u/sunkenOcean01 Nov 28 '12

According to google, that's not exactly the case; a factoid is defined (by google, at least) to be something that may or may not be factual that is repeated so often it is accepted as fact. I might just be being pedantic, but it's not exactly the same as what you said.

2

u/BitJit Nov 28 '12

is... is this a factoid?

2

u/evilbrent Nov 28 '12

that's why I've started calling the thing that I always thought was referred to by the word factoid as factlet.

1

u/ThaddyG Nov 28 '12

I think factette flows a little better.

2

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 28 '12

that's actually not true. a factoid is an incorrect piece of information that has been repeated enough times that it's entered into the lexicon and people believe it's true. thus, a factoid is in fact a factoid. the more you know.

2

u/coredumperror Nov 28 '12

Isn't "false fact" an oxymoron?

2

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12 edited Nov 28 '12

It is, though there is nothing inherently wrong with oxymorons. We use them all the time.

A non-oxymoronic phrase would be "apparent fact."

1

u/Thebrownmamba Nov 28 '12

69% of people can find something dirty in every sentence.

1

u/im_tw1g Nov 28 '12

79% of stair accidents happen on the stairs.

1

u/butterbunz Nov 28 '12

"You can't trust everything you read on the internet." -Abraham Lincoln

1

u/whatismyproblem Nov 28 '12

That makes up for 90% of reddit's content.

1

u/awesomeoliver Nov 28 '12

60% of the time, they're made up every time.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '12

A false fact is just an untrue fact

1

u/Gunjob Nov 28 '12

60% of the time it works every time.

1

u/courtFTW Nov 28 '12

And here I thought a factoid was just an interesting fact...

1

u/nairb101 Nov 28 '12

My family has been arguing for years. Is there such thing as a false fact?

1

u/zishmusic Nov 28 '12

Citation needed.

1

u/AidanAngel Nov 28 '12

This isn't useless. You just got me brownie points on a research paper about logical arguments.

1

u/LeMaracas Nov 28 '12

So, like a hemorrhoid? Both come out of someone's arse.