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What are some commonly known facts that are too bizarre for you to believe to be true? (lemm.ee)

submitted 2 years ago by zirzedolta@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

449 comments fedilink hide all child comments

For me it is the fact that our blood contains iron. I earlier used to believe the word stood for some 'organic element' since I couldn't accept we had metal flowing through our supposed carbon-based bodies, till I realized that is where the taste and smell of blood comes from.

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[–] Davel23@kbin.social 49 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Alaska is simultaneously the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost US state.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago (1 children)

How is Alaska easternmost?

[–] el_doso@lemmy.world 49 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Its Western most point crosses the international date line and is therefore technically "really far east" instead of "really far west".

[–] superkret@feddit.de 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

It's arbitrary, though. And I've never heard of the dateline being the border where east and west start. It makes no sense.

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 27 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Wait until you find out that some places breach that line (in addition to it being wobbly to begin with) which is we have timezones greater than +12 or -12. I hate timezones. With a passion. Signed: a programmer.

[–] PlexSheep@feddit.de 3 points 2 years ago

The world would be better if we just used UTC everywhere.

[–] cheezpatrol@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Albeit arbitrary... if it's globally recognized that each new day begins as the sun crests the international date line, and the sun indisputably rises from the East, why would it not make sense?

[–] TheActualDevil@sffa.community 2 points 2 years ago

Because time and direction are different metrics? West is a metric that only means anything in relation to something else in a straight line. It's a direction. West doesn't stop being west if you go too far. It's always west.

[–] son_named_bort@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Likewise, the closest US state to Africa is Maine.

[–] zirzedolta@lemm.ee 6 points 2 years ago (3 children)

What would happen if you were to put both of yours legs in these westernmost and the easternmost parts?

[–] Guntrigger@feddit.ch 12 points 2 years ago

Your legs would glitch around the whole circumference of the Earth.

[–] Samihazah@programming.dev 8 points 2 years ago

You would have both legs in Alaska.

[–] son_named_bort@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

You'd probably drown.

[–] whileloop@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I need to go to bed, I misread that as "Ahsoka is simultaneously the northernmost, westernmost, *and" easternmost US state."