Latest news with #facts
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Ken Jennings: Trivia and ‘Jeopardy!' Could Save Our Republic
When I first stepped behind the host lectern on the quiz show 'Jeopardy!,' I was intimidated for two reasons. Most obviously, I had the hopeless task of filling the very large shoes of Alex Trebek, the legendary broadcaster and pitch-perfect host who'd been synonymous with the show since 1984. But I was also keenly aware that the show was one of TV's great institutions, almost a public trust. Since I was 10 years old, I'd watched Alex Trebek carve out a safe space for people to know things, where viewers get a steady diet of 61 accurate (and hopefully even interesting) facts every game. And I wondered: Even if 'Jeopardy!' could survive the loss in 2020 of its peerless host, could it survive the conspiracy theories and fake news of our post-fact era? Facts may seem faintly old-timey in the 21st century, remnants of the rote learning style that went out of fashion in classrooms (and that the internet search made obsolete) decades ago. But societies are built on facts, as we can see more clearly when institutions built on knowledge teeter. Inaccurate facts make for less informed decisions. Less informed decisions make for bad policy. Garbage in, garbage out. I've always hated the fact that 'trivia,' really our only word in English for general-knowledge facts and games, is the same word we use to mean 'things of no importance.' So unfair! Etymologically, the word is linked to the trivium of medieval universities, the three fundamental courses of grammar, rhetoric and logic. And much of today's so-called trivia still deals with subjects that are fundamentally academic. Watch a game of 'Jeopardy!' tonight, or head down to your local pub quiz, and you're sure to be asked about scientific breakthroughs, milestones of history and masterpieces of art. Trivia, maybe — but far from trivial. There might also be questions about pop lyrics and sports statistics, but even those are markers of cultural literacy, the kind of shared knowledge that used to tie society together: the proposition that factual questions could be answered correctly or not, that those answers matter, and that we largely agreed on the authorities and experts who could confirm them. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
People Are Sharing Their Biggest "How Doesn't Everyone Know This?" Facts, And I'm Honestly Embarrassed I Never Realized Some Of These
There are plenty of common knowledge facts we don't realize we don't know until someone points them out. For instance, ask most people which planet is closest to Earth, and they'll probably say Mars. But in reality, it's actually Venus on average, followed by Mercury! Recently, Reddit user Shag_Dawg was curious about those type of facts when they asked: "What's your biggest 'how do people NOT know this?' fact?" The thread got thousands of responses, from misconceptions because of myths to misunderstandings of common science concepts. Below are some of the the top and most often repeated comments: 1."The Underground Railroad was not a literal subterranean locomotive." —George_W_Bushdiver 2."Green peppers are just immature red peppers that were harvested before they were ripe." —FigBug 3."Percentages are reversible. Like, 8% of 25 is the same as 25% of 8, and one of them is much easier to do in your head." —MirSydney 4."Copy and pasting: Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. The number of people who go through life working in a corporate office and have no idea about this is astounding. Truly worrying." —toby_gray 5."Jalapenos and chipotles are the same peppers, chipotles are just smoked." —UnsorryCanadian 6."Butterflies have four wings, not two." —heralies Related: People Who Cut Off Their Trump-Supporting Friends And Family Members Are Sharing Their Stories, And It's Heartbreaking 7."The Better Business Bureau is not a government agency. They don't hold any legal power." —LizardPossum 8."There are 4 quarts in a gallon because they are quarter gallons." —Vivid_Obscurity 9."All Visa credit cards start with a 4. All Mastercard credit cards start with a 5. All Amex credit cards start with a 3. And Discover starts with 6." —No-Chapter1389 10."Cows have to get pregnant to make milk — they don't just make milk." —flavouredicecubes Related: 21 "Fatal" Safety Mistakes People Make Every Day (And How To Avoid Them), According To First Responders 11."Don't center your plates or bowls in the microwave. It heats better off-center. There's like a dead spot in the middle. That's why the bowls get hot but the food stays cold." —shroomie19 12."Flammable and inflammable mean the same thing." —white_hart_2 13."Plants can emit 'screams' at certain frequencies when in danger." —Vivid-restaurant99 14."I'm sad to say that I know people who only use Excel for its razor-sharp rows and columns, with no idea that Excel can calculate the numbers that go into their razor-sharp rows and columns." —hymie0 15."That the ancestors of whales lived on land and had legs. It's shocking how many people don't know that." —GraphicDesignMonkey 16."That you can't actually see the Great Wall of China from space with the naked eye. Still blows my mind how many people believe this." —Kaerevek 17."When you're using a spray product to disinfect or clean a surface, you have to let it sit for a few minutes. It will tell you how long you have to wait for the bottle. If you just spray something and immediately wipe it up, it's not getting the job done right." —HamHockShortDock 18."Peanuts are not nuts, they are legumes. So approximately 20% of people with a peanut allergy are also allergic to lentils, etc." —Kamic1980 19."Blood is not blue in your veins. It is always red. A darker red, but still red. Your veins look blue because of the way your skin and tissue interact with light." —The_Queen_Zsofia 20."The moon is out during the day just as much as it is out at night." —ryan1987mn 21."An undercover cop doesn't have to tell you they're a cop. Cops can lie to you, but you can't lie to cops. Even if you're innocent, don't talk to the police without a lawyer present." —sc0n3z 22."Not everyone has an internal monologue. For some people, thoughts are purely conceptual. They do not have a narrative voice in their head." —NotoriusPCP lastly, "The yolk is not the part of the egg that turns into a chicken." —quartzgirl71 You can read the original thread on Reddit. Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Also in Goodful: Medical Professionals Are Sharing 20 Patients Who Turned Out To Be Correct About Wild Self-Diagnoses Also in Goodful: 19 "Body Changes" That Clearly Indicate A Person Is Not Young Anymore, And I'm Not Ready For This Reality Also in Goodful: Doctors Are Sharing The Scariest Thing They've Seen A Patient Say Or Do
CTV News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
South Africa police minister says Trump ‘twisted' facts to push baseless genocide claims
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Washington Post
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Asked & Answered: An interview with ‘The Rest is History' podcasters
For the past 5 years, 'The Rest is History' podcasters Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook have been walking their audience through pivotal moments in history laced with fascinating, occasionally shocking facts: Augustus the Strong, for instance, king of Poland in the late 17th century, fathered 354 illegitimate children. Cleopatra spoke nine languages. And President Lyndon Johnson used to hold in-person meetings with aides while he was on the toilet.
