10 facts that will make you rethink reality (11 photos)

The world is full of mysteries hidden in the simplest, most familiar and ordinary things.





But what if history, science and even human habits hold secrets that can change your perception? And this is true. Open the door to the unknown and prepare to be surprised.

1. Nike's Advertising Failure



In the late 1980s, Nike made an ad featuring runners from the Kenyan Samburu tribe, known for their endurance. In the video, a young warrior utters a phrase in his native language, which, when translated into English, appears on the screen as the brand's famous slogan - Just Do It.

However, anthropologist Lee Cronk, who specialized in the study of the Samburu tribe, was stunned when he saw the video. He immediately contacted the company and journalists to reveal the true meaning of the warrior's words. It turned out that the young man was complaining about uncomfortable shoes and said: "I don't want these. Give me big shoes." Nike representatives later admitted that they deliberately distorted the translation, naively believing that "no one in America would understand what he was saying."

2. The Collapse of Faith





In 2024, a group of flat-earthers went to Antarctica with a "decisive experiment" - to observe the polar sun, which does not set below the horizon for 24 hours. According to their model, such a phenomenon is impossible.

However, they actually witnessed the sun not setting for 24 hours, which completely disproves the flat Earth theory. This undeniable fact forced at least one well-known blogger, Geran Campanella, to publicly admit his mistake and leave the flat earth community.

3. Invisible Killers



Freshwater snails are among the most dangerous animals for humans, but not by themselves, but as carriers. They are carriers of parasitic worms that cause schistosomiasis, a disease that, according to WHO estimates, kills between 10,000 and 200,000 people every year.

4. Send Me to Heaven



The game Send Me to Heaven challenged users to throw their phones as high into the air as possible to set a record for the highest height. Its creator, Armin Hess, developed the app with one goal in mind: destroy as many iPhones as possible.

The rules were simple and destructive. Players tossed their phones, and a built-in accelerometer measured their height. The only way to win was to risk breaking the device. Unsurprisingly, Apple quickly removed the app from the App Store, deeming it an obvious threat to users' technology.

5. The Reply Epidemic



In England, an NHS worker sent a test email to 840,000 colleagues. One recipient clicked “Reply All,” setting off a chain reaction. This led to one of the largest email storms in history. A total of 168 million emails were sent, which crippled the NHS’s internal communications system and paralyzed its work for half a day.

6. The scale of the effort



Friends star Matthew Perry said in 2022 that he had attended about 6,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings — one for every day he has been sober.

7. Record Route



The longest scheduled non-stop flight (Singapore - New York, 17,250 kilometers) covers such a huge distance that pilots can choose how to fly back: west across the Pacific Ocean or east across the Atlantic and Europe. The choice depends on the high winds, which saves time and fuel.

8. Deadly Selfie



In 2016, in the Chinese city of Weifang, a visitor to an aquarium decided to take a selfie with a walrus. The animal grabbed him and dragged him into the pool, mistaking it for a game. At first, both spectators and zoo staff thought it was just playful behavior.

Later, the walrus' trainer jumped into the water to help, but the animal drowned him too, holding him underwater. Both men died.

9. Forgetful neighbors



In 2012, almost every resident of the Spanish village of Sodeto (250 people in 70 households) won the famous Christmas lottery "El Gordo" and received 130 thousand dollars. They chipped in for tickets through a local association that went door to door.

The only person they forgot to visit was Kostis Mitsotakis. His house was simply overlooked, and he was the only loser in a town where everyone around him suddenly became rich.

10. Lack of sleep is equivalent to alcohol intoxication



Spending 20 hours without sleep is like driving drunk. Research shows that such sleep deprivation reduces reaction time and concentration as much as a blood alcohol level of 0.08%, the threshold at which driving is illegal in many countries.