You have probably heard statistics all your life. You’ve seen them used in political debates, in school, probably even at home. They are quite honestly everywhere. The crazy thing about it is that they are often wrong. Well, let’s clarify that. Statistics in and of themselves can’t be wrong, but in many cases they are taken out of context, the sample is poor, or the data has been manipulated in some way to show whatever a certain politician is trying to prove. They are a tool, that is all, and because we are humans, we often use our tools for less than noble things, like lying or manipulating. So, with all of that said, let’s get to the real point.
Today we are using the term “statistic” somewhat loosely. In fact, many of the statistics we are referring to would actually be classified as facts. Okay, so far we’ve made 2 disclaimers and still haven’t reached our point. We will get there eventually! In fact, we are there right now. Many of the statistics/facts that you have taken for granted all your life are not true. Don’t believe us? These are 25 statistics that seem exaggerated but actually aren’t!
Featured Image: wikipedia
Reno, Nevada is farther west than Los Angeles.
Source: google maps There are more plastic flamingos in the US than real ones.
Source: nextnature.net, Image: wikipedia Star Wars was released closer to the end of World War II than to today.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia On average, the US Congress brings up Hitler 7.7 times per month.
Source: dailydot.com, Image: wikipedia Bristol, Tennessee is closer to Canada than it is to Memphis.
Source: google maps If a show called That 90's Show was going to start filming the same number of years following the 90's as That 70's Show waited to film following the 70's, it would start in 2017.
Source: wikipedia All the ants on Earth weigh about the same as all the people.
Image: wikipedia, Source: mentalfloss 2 in 3 Australians will get cancer in their lifetimes.
Source: cancer.org.au, Image: pixabay If you start in downtown Detroit and head south, you'll end up in...Canada.
Image: pixabay, Source: google maps 80% of males born in the Soviet Union in 1923 didn't survive World War II.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia More silent films have been lost than saved.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia If you are enjoying this list, check out 25 Facts And Statistics That Seem Terribly Wrong But Actually Aren’t.
When Nintendo was founded, the Ottoman Empire was still in power (Nintendo founded - 1889, Ottoman Empire ended - 1922).
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia Oxford University is at least 400 years older than the Aztec Empire. (No one knows when Oxford was founded, but there are records that go back to 1096.)
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia Pocahontas and William Shakespeare died less than one year apart and less than 150 miles from each other.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia If the sun exploded in a supernova, it would be roughly 1 billion times brighter than having a hydrogen bomb explode right in front of your face.
Source: what-if.xkcd.com, Image: wikipedia Charles Darwin and Steve Irwin both owned the same tortoise. (His name was Harriet, and he lived for 175 years.)
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia Starquakes are like earthquakes except on neutron stars. They would release enough gamma radiation to kill you from nearly 10 light years away.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia Samsung accounts for 25% of South Korea's GDP.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia An average cloud weighs 1.1 million pounds.
Source: mentalfloss.com, Image: wikipedia 20% of mammal species on Earth are different types of bats.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia 25% of the world's prison population is incarcerated in the United States.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia Mount Everest was originally calculated to be exactly 29,000 feet but was reported as 29,002 feet to avoid making it seem as though the measurement was just a rounded estimate.
Source: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia Next to the United States, North Korea has the most submarines in the world.
Source: globalfirepower.com, Source: wikipedia When they were building the Great Pyramids, there were still woolly mammoths roaming the Earth.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia Incoming college freshman don't remember 9/11.
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