'Bats are not, in fact, blind': 20+ Obvious things it took some folks a while to learn

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Feb 18, 2024 11:00 AM EST

As smart as humans usually are, we have to admit sometimes our rat brains get the best of us. We can go around studying particle physics, saving lives, and creating complex pieces of art, but sometimes it takes us 30 years to figure out that it's "for all intents and purposes" and not "for all intensive purposes." Ever heard of the stupid genius? Everyone has a story like that. Something that somehow escaped them into adulthood. 

It's great dinner party fodder, as people rarely have the same ones, and it sparks some fun conversation. And if you're lucky, you might just get to teach your adult friend that no, not everybody puts their peanut butter in the fridge. It can be a beautiful thing, seeing your doctor friend fall to their knees with embarrassment. But if you don't have a friend group ready, we have a list right here of all the things that some of us happened to miss. 

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  • 01
    9? r/AskReddit u/Remarkable-Lead-39461d What really obvious thing have you only just realized?
    via u/Remarkable-Lead-3946
  • 02
    everett640 - 19h My sister learned recently that when you're at the grocery store and opening the egg carton that you're checking for cracked eggs and not just making sure that they are in fact eggs in the carton.
    via u/everett640
  • 03
    HBC3. 17h I was at least 50 when I learned that the little piggy who went to market wasn't shopping.
    via u/HBC3
  • 04
    eggmayonnaise • 22h That the best time to start saving for my future really was all those years ago.
    via u/eggmayonnaise
  • 05
    Electronic-Pool-7458 1d ● How the American bail system works. I thought it was a sum of money you paid to avoid jail. I was surprised when I realized you get the money BACK if you show up for your trial.
    via u/Electronic-Pool-7458
  • 06
    itisverboten • 1d Not me, but my 21yo cousin just realized he is mildly allergic to peanut butter, and has been his whole life. Up until now, he had assumed EVERYONE'S throat closed up a little while eating a pb&j sandwich, but they just fought through it.
    via u/itisverboten
  • 07
    BruceWang19 • 22h I was like 25 when I found out the jugs of washer fluid outside the gas station aren't free. I was walking out of the gas station with a buddy one day, grabbed a jug of washer fluid, and he asked me "did you just steal that?" And I was like "No dude it's free"”. It's not, I stole washer fluid for nearly ten years of driving and no one ever said anything to me about it.
    via u/BruceWang19
  • 08
    A911owner. 19h As someone who used to work at a gas station for minimum wage, if some is bold enough to steal the washer fluid like that, I'm not getting in the middle of it.
    via u/A911owner
  • 09
    agreeswithfishpal. 1d Water towers are for water pressure, not just a town putting its name on a tank and saying " Hey look how much dang water WE have."
    via u/agreeswithfishpal
  • 10
    OlGarbonzo • 22h When I was a 20 something regular cannabis user struggling to clean my pipe, only then realizing thats what pipe cleaners were for. Those fuzzy bendable tubes weren't just for childhood crafts.
    via u/OlGarbonzo
  • 11
    Alaska_Jack • 22h The "Mad" in "Mad Men" meant "Madison Avenue."
    via u/Alaska_Jack
  • 12
    whatyoucallmetoday. 1d There is a local plumbing company call "Abacus" with a tag line "you can count on us". After 20 years I realized their logo was an abacus.
    via u/whatyoucallmetoday
  • 13
    Auguw. 1d When I was 15 I realized rice isn't pasta chopped in small pieces
    via u/Auguw
  • 14
    Extra_Complaint_2208 21h I should take this to the grave but somehow thought Mickey Mouse was a dog until I was 17 (I'm 24 now) one day I just saw a Mickey Mouse somewhere and went "Why does he have such a skinny little tail??? It looks like a ra-.....wait...."
    via u/Extra_Complaint_2208
  • 15
    OneCoolStory • 23h I recently realized that "Howdy" is short for "How do you do?" I actually just googled it, and it's technically short for "How do ye?" However, my realization still makes sense.
    via u/OneCoolStory
  • 16
    MoneyCost7188 • 22h In high school science class we were watching a video and it was then that I realized Reindeer are, in fact, real creatures and not just mythical beings for the purpose of pulling Santa's sled
    via u/MoneyCost7188
  • 17
    MykeCecc 23h My car key remote isn't broken, the battery died after nearly 10 years.
    via u/MykeCecc
  • 18
    Tinmanproudfoot • 22h That an "Amber Alert" was named after a child and not the colour of amber. (I thought it was like a code red or code blue type of thing)
    via u/Tinmanproudfoot
  • 19
    AmaryllisBulb • 22h When I was a kid I thought it was ultra violent light instead of ultraviolet light. As in, that sun can really up your skin if you don't wear sunscreen. Bahahaha! So violent.
    via u/AmaryllisBulb
  • 20
    Eclectophile 23h ● I was 50. FIFTY YEARS OLD, when I learned that bats are not, in fact, blind. Evidently, I'm an idiot. So, if being oblivious to something so basic for literally half a century counts: yeah, that.
    via u/Eclectophile
  • 21
    Catsacademy. 1d That Loch- as in Loch Ness - is the Gaelic word for lake.
    via u/Catsacademy
  • 22
    ThePurityPixel • 22h I know "felix" is the Latin word for "happy," but only recently did I discover the name Felix is also known to mean "lucky." Now I'm getting the irony of naming a black cat "Felix the Cat." (For those who don't know, Felix is an old cartoon, and there's a superstition that a black cat crossing your path is very unlucky.)
    via u/ThePurityPixel
  • 23
    sydneyyasmine. 23h Learned I was allergic to latex from talking to my friend. She told me that since I'm allergic to some citrus I may be allergic to latex and asked me if condoms bothered me. I responded and said yes but they bother everyone who uses them. That's how I learned that burning and itching and a road rash are not normal after coitus with a condom. (I'm 26).
    via u/sydneyyasmine

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