Useless information; we consume so much of it every day. With all of the various media forms at our fingertips, competing for our attention each day. How much of it is useful? Probably very little. Don’t get me wrong; I am a fan of useless facts. So if you could block out specific useless info and just spit me random facts? I am in.

Useless Facts To Live By

The weirder, the better, honestly. For instance, did you know that some research says that all blue-eyed people may share the same distant ancestor? They found that this trait may have come from a single individual up to 10,000 years ago. Before that, people just had various shades of brown eyes. Or did you know that the average person will spend six months of their life waiting for red lights to turn green? That is a long time. No wonder so many people get caught running red lights. Did you know that the inventor of the frisbee was turned into a frisbee when he died? Odd, yes, true? Also yes.

These are all interesting useless facts, but are they worth knowing? Undoubtedly no. But what if you had an arsenal of random facts that could save your life one day? Then you will be glad that you have it. Sort of like life insurance but cheaper.
Here are eight random facts that could save your life someday:

1. Always Look For Exits

This is handy whenever you enter a building, restaurant, event, or place where many people may be. Look around for other exits different from where you entered from. The reason for this is in the case of an emergency, and you will want a backup exit plan. This is because people tend to head to the exit they entered. If everyone does this, it could lead to a bottleneck, which could mean life or death, depending on the situation. So the more you know about other exits, the more prepared you are, just in case.

2. Elevator Malfunction

We have all been there, on an elevator, when it gets stuck or acts a little funny. Most of the time, it is nothing and brings you safely to the floor you were trying to go to after a brief delay. Sometimes, yes, you may get stuck for a bit, but typically you don’t have to worry about the elevator falling. In fact, most current elevators have a break that automatically engages when an elevator starts to fall. However, if you find yourself on an elevator that is falling, the best way to survive is to lay flat on your back before impact. This does not guarantee that you walk away unscathed, but it may help.

3. Follow A Service Dog

First off, this says follow, not pet. As you may or may not know, you are not supposed to pet or approach a service dog. The reason for this is they are working, and their job is to pay attention to their human needs, so you don’t want to distract them. However, if a service dog approaches you without their owner, follow them immediately because this typically means their owner is in trouble. The pet is seeking you out for help. So going with them may actually save their human’s life. I know; I definitely have flashbacks of Lassie when Timmy was stuck in a well.

4. Buried In An Avalanche

With winter approaching, this is a good one to store in your memory bank for the next time you are on a winter adventure. It may seem like something you don’t need to worry about, but if you spend any time in the mountains during the winter, you need to be knowledgeable of avalanches. They come heavy, as much as a million tons for a fully developed one. And they sometimes come on fast, up to 200 miles per hour. So what can you do if you find yourself buried in an avalanche? Spit. Yep, spit. The reason is that your saliva will follow gravity, and that means that you just dig in the opposite direction to find your way out.

5. Rule Of 3

This one can also be useful if you are stuck in an avalanche or stuck anywhere, for that matter. The rule of 3 is what can be helpful in remembering the survival abilities of an average person. What this means is you can go:

3 minutes without air
3 hours in extreme temperature
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

So use those as guidelines to get out of whatever situation you find yourself in before your particular 3’s are up.

6. Avoid A Bear

This one should go without saying that avoiding all bears is the best practice. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you have encountered a bear, here are some key things to know. The first random fact is bears suck at maneuverability. What that means is that yes, they are fast, and yes, they can climb with ease. But if you take off and run behind a tree, rock, or car, it will make things more difficult for them.

The hope is that if you can maneuver enough to keep objects between you and the bear, they will give up in search of a more accessible snack. The second thing to remember is not to panic if the bear is just looking at you. Stand still, as it may not even know who or what you are. If it starts walking toward you slowly, then you start backing up slowly. If it picks up speed, refer to the first random fact about maneuvering.

7. Take Aspirin If You Have A Heart Attack

If you find yourself having a heart attack, the first thing you will want to do is lie down. Second, take one pill of aspirin. You will want to make sure to chew it, don’t just swallow it whole. Chewing it will help it work sooner and increase your odds of survival. Also, make sure to call 911. That feels obvious, though.

8. Keep Your Door Shut While You Sleep

This is in the case of fire. I know, sounds odd, right? But it is not. Keeping your door shut while you sleep could very well save your life if your house catches on fire. Fire safety experts have tested this by setting a house on fire and leaving a bedroom door open, and another bedroom door closed. When the fire was put out, the room with the door opened was destroyed, and the room with the door closed was primarily intact.
Random useless facts could save your life someday, so get out there and start living!