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A single tweet unleashed the ‘nichest’ facts on the internet—here are 25 of the best

A request for niche fun facts has led to people sharing their 'niche' knowledge on X, formerly known as Twitter.

On March 31, X user @danielholkss posted, "Does anyone have any random fun facts about a very niche subject. I'm bored and love learning random things." This simple prompt quickly went viral, leading to a flood of responses from users eager to share their favorite fun facts. The post racked up over 17K retweets and 2.1K comments. Additionally, it has been bookmarked over 46K times.

https://twitter.com/danielholkss/status/1906765702234575177

The thread's appeal lies in its celebration of the obscure and unexpected. Participants from diverse backgrounds shared facts from different disciplines, from linguistics to history. It also demonstrates how a single question can foster a community of learners, eager to impart and acquire knowledge.

A 2015 study in Neuron titled 'The psychology and neuroscience of curiosity' explores curiosity as a fundamental element of learning. They focus on its role in decision-making and development and how we interact with the world around us.

This X thread reflects a broader trend of folks seeking meaningful engagement online. Moreover, @danielholkss's prompt not only amuses but also fosters a space where obscure knowledge thrives. It is a reminder of the joy found in learning and the unexpected connections that can arise from a simple question.

Here are 25 random, niche, and fun facts shared by folks on X:

Tweet that says, "A villain can't use an iPhone in a movie.
Apple exclusive has it in their policy with movie directors.

If a person in a movie uses an iPhone, they're either the protagonist or the neutral cast." — @thecreativexx/X

Tweet that says, "All cats with 3 colours are female, male cats can’t have 3 colours." — @Hameed_NG/X

Tweet that says, "The smell of old books comes from lignin, a compound in paper that’s chemically similar to vanilla.

As books age, lignin breaks down and releases vanillin, giving them that nostalgic, slightly sweet scent." — @jeremiahajayi_/X

Tweet that says, "There's a class of words called contronyms (or autoantonyms or Janus words) which can mean their own opposite, like how 'to dust' can mean to remove dust (dusting furniture) but also to cover with dust (dusting a cake with sugar)." — @Sabrina45X/X

Tweet that says, "The Korean writing system is the only writing system in the world that we know and can trace who exactly created it: King Sejong the Great. None other writing system can we point to a single creator" — @Towmiiee/X

Tweet that says, "Crickets are basically tiny thermometers. Count the number of chirps they make in 15 seconds, add 40, and you'll get the temperature in Fahrenheit." — @loverboytee_/X

Tweet that says, "Painkillers don’t actually kill pain,they just gaslight your brain and you into thinking it’s gone. The pain is still there but your brain stops telling you about it." — @amaru_kickflip/X

Tweet that says, "Barilla pasta has a Spotify playlist. Each playlist is the exact length of cook time for the varieties of pasta.

Press play, drop the noodles, music stops, al dente noodles." — @Wassup_Cara_Mel/X

Tweet that says, "When a person tries to match the accent of another person, it is called a LINGUISTIC CONVERGENCE in English." — @Tanwa454303/X

10.

Tweet that says, "Octopuses have three hearts, and their blood is blue because of copper instead of iron. Basically, they’re lowkey aliens. Also, the human brain releases dopamine when learning something new… so technically, I just made you a little happier." — @l0ve_ge/X

11.

Tweet that says, "Bananas are berries, but strawberries aren’t. Botanically, a berry is a fruit that develops from a single ovary and has seeds inside. That means that bananas, cucumbers, and even eggplants are berries, but strawberries and raspberries aren’t." — @DeeBabyBentley/X

12.

Tweet that says, "ive said this before but i love that whenever characters in [Bungo Street Dogs] use their ability, they're surrounded by text in their native language. except for ranpo, who is only surrounded by smoke" with three image examples. — @bluemoonietxt/X

13.

Tweet that says, "it's illegal to touch a manatee because it alters their natural behavior, making them want more human interaction which makes them approach boats without realizing how dangerous the boat is, which could harm them or in some cases , end their lives in a graphic way" with a photo of a manatee. — @askmethatagain/X

14.

Tweet that says, "There is not even a single blind person who has ever been diagnosed with Schizophrenia" — @thulanimjita/X

15.

Tweet that says, "You only breathe through one nostril at a time and the body automatically switches between them throughout the day" — @_Chiz_12/X

16.

Tweet that says, "The earth actually takes about 365 days and 6 hrs to complete a trip round the sun, but for convenience, we ignore the 6 hrs. And over 4 years, the ignored extra 6 hrs yearly accumulate to a full day (24 hrs) which we then add as Feb 29th, creating a leap year" — @Fuknsmile/X

17.

Tweet that says, "When crocodiles eat their prey, their sinuses gets blocked thus leading them to cry.

They cry after feeding, you can guess the reason behind 'crocodile tears' now." — @Ancient_Enimy/X

18.

Tweet that says, "The sun is extremely loud we just can't hear it because sound can't travel through the vacuum of space." — @aiiy_bee/X

19.

Tweet that says, "A dream can feel an hour long when in reality, it’s probably only taken 5 seconds.
And everyone you see in your dreams actually exists, you’ve probably seen them without taking note, because your mind cannot generate a new face." — @mollys_acc/X

20.

Tweet that says, "according to the laws of physics, if we build a spacecraft that travels to the speed of light, we can shrink the distance to the andromeda galaxy. meaning, we could traverse across that distance in ONE minute but if we came back to earth - 4 million years would’ve gone by." — @BALUCIAGA/X

21.

Tweet that says, "Our tears take different shapes depending on the emotions we feel. Here's a picture of different tears." — @wairimuwraps/X

Photos of different types of tears under a microscope. — @wairimuwraps/X

22.

Tweet that says, "Man has no idea how the European Eel reproduces. They have no sex organs and their eggs have never been observed in the wild, when their breeding season comes, they all swim between 5k-7k miles to the Sargasso Sea (an area in the western Atlantic Ocean near the Bermuda)" with a photo of said eel. — @Laur3nt_6/X

23.

Tweet that says, "FUN FACT:
Your brain forgets things on purpose as a survival mechanism. This process is called adaptive forgetting, it helps us focus on important information & discard irrelevant or outdated memories.

If we remember everything our brain will be overwhelmed with useless details" — @Iam_ChisomLucky/X

24.

Tweet that says, "When the British wanted to colonise New Zealand, they purposely translated the agreement between them and the Māori people wrong to manipulate the Māori into agreeing.. they then snatched the country from them and colonised the entire land." — @rikaf4ne_/X

25.

And lastly, one that most definitely was not fact-checked and posted on April Fool's Day...

Tweet that says, "when you’re an organ donor but also a heavy smoker they can wash your lungs back to the state they were before you started smoking so they can be donated to someone else" — @lhltheloml/X

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The post A single tweet unleashed the ‘nichest’ facts on the internet—here are 25 of the best appeared first on The Daily Dot.