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What are some commonly known facts that are too bizarre for you to believe to be true? (lemm.ee)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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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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[โ€“] 53 points 3 years ago (5 children)

Don't know if it's bizarre but I was shocked when I found out I'd been lied to my whole life... a leap year isn't every 4 years.

So leap years happen when the year is divisible by 4, but not when the year is divisible by 100 but then they do again when the year is divisible by 400.

So the year 2000 is a perfect example of the exception to the exception. Divisible by 100 so no leap year, but divisible by 400 so leap year back on..

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  • [+] 54 points 3 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)
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  • [โ€“] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    It's amazing that they calculated it down to that detail in the 1700s. Before that they were just a hares breath off for 1000 years (Julian calender -> Gregorian calender). It became a real issue for the church that the start of spring didn't align with the calendar anymore, and they needed to know exactly when Easter was to be held.

    It why George Washington is credited with 2 birthdays, depends on which calender you're going by. I think Russia was the last major country to adopt it.

    But the earth is flat and pyramids=aliens. Uh huh. Yup.

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  • [+] -7 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    But basic math means that those are the exact same thing. Divisible by 4 means multiples of 4 means every 4 years, right? It seems more likely that they "happen when the year is divisible by 4" came about after they said "let's do it every four years, but we have to phrase it more officially when we write it down."

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  • [โ€“] 8 points 3 years ago*

    Not really. 1896 was a leap year, but 1900 was not.

    The leap year after 2096 will be 2104.

    Edit: an interesting way to put this is, 2000 was the only year in 4 centuries where the year starting the century was a leap year. Next such occurrence will be in 2400

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