The simple things you never knew
 

I really did think that everyone in the world used A4 sized paper :( :(

What mind-boggling revelations have you had about stuff you've always taken for granted?

What size exactly is this A4 paper you speak of? 8.5 X 11 inch size paper is basically standard for school and work, at least with most of the people/companies I've dealt with.

A4 is 210mm by 297mm, which Google converts to 8.27 x 11.69 inches.

There are people who have never heard of A4? :(

I have never touched that type of paper with stated dimensions ever in my 22 and a half years of existence on this planet.

A4, A5, Letter, Legal, what the heck, all is a matter of preference. Here in Manila the letter size seems to be the standard for school work and legal for corporate, but I submit resumes in A4 to stand out. :D teehee

Back on topic though, I always thought the Dragon Ball series was made in China. :P It was not until I was in high school til I noticed the japanese characters and lyrics during the intro scene. I dunno, maybe because Dragon Ball had a unique style (especially the facial features and hair on the characters) amidst all the same looking big eyed blu haired animes then. meh.

This is really retarded but until I went to work for a dental financial consulting firm, I never knew that dentists were "real" doctors with as much education as medical doctors, just on a different part of the body. I just always thought they were highly educated tooth fixers.

I played pool (billard) and I puckered the black ball in. Not knowing that the black ball needs to be the last one to end the game. There were still like 5 or 6 balls left. ;_;

When I was about, oh, 10 or 11, I thought that "sex" was merely the act of penetration, and then after that, people just kind of sat there and that was it. I didn't realize there was all this thrusting and moving about involved.

O god, GERMANY uses A4. Its slimmer and longer than our 8.5x11". I think it's A4 anyways. It's such a bitch to deal with that paper when I'm using US paper and I need to shove everything into a file. I am so OCD about files and paper alignment. I will go as far as cutting off the extra on the German paper just so the papers align.

As far as revelations, ha ha. This one is pathetic. Until about 3 years ago, I thought Thursday was spelled THRUSday. And the word epitome I spelled "opitomi." I have no idea.

Apart from that, there have been some interesting cultural differences I've noticed between Americans and others, but nothign MAJOR.

When I was in elementary school, I always thought Marion Barry was two people: Mary and Barry. :p

Man, he sure put the Columbia into District of Columbia.

As for the paper sizes stuff, I know about them. I don't really know where from. I think I just looked them up out of curiosity after seeing them in MS Word or something many years ago. :/

Despite I live in the US I actually like A4 better. It's slimness is more pleasent on the eye, and the ratio of the A4 (which is 1.4135, thanks for posting the numbers I never knew it was this) is a bit closer to the golden ratio (1.618).

On topic, in Junior High school that I realized there was a New York City, and a New York State. :edgartpg:

Similiarly Washington DC, and Washington State double :edgartpg:

Didn't know it even existed. They name paper?!

Well, they don't actually double since they're on complete opposited ends of the country and all.

I didn't know my grandmother's name until I was 10. Even my parents called her nan.

HOLY SHIT THE WORLD AS I KNEW IT IS NO MORE

When I was just a little Capo, I thought that oral sex was just talking about sex. =o

Did you know peanuts grew in the ground? I always thought there was a peanut bush or something and you picked them, but they're root plants.

Yeah. Well. I don't really think of where my peanuts come from.

LOL! This should be quote of the year! LMAO!

Yeah, up until a few weeks ago, I didn't know that girls shirts had the buttons on the other side. Well, I guess that's because I've never worn a girls shirt before but still, my friends were pretty surprised when I told them that.

A girl I was talking to at school thought that guys never got boners in public, ever. I had to explain the waistband or "quick tuck" to her in full detail, with the help of a few of my male comrades.

I didn't know that. I'VE HAD A REVELATION! Seriously though, why do the buttons need to be on different sides?

Anyways, I pronounced Arkansas "arr-CAN-zas" for a very long time. Seriously, it's spelled like Kansas but with an Ar in front of it, so why "ARR-can-saw"? I was so embarrassed when someone corrected me on that. I also didn't know until a couple years ago that most people have their Christmas family gatherings on Christmas Day rather than Christmas Eve. I'd always gone to my grandparents' on Christmas Eve, so I had never given it a second thought.

Since I'm talking about the holidays now, I'll mention that I had a really funny impression of what Boxing Day was for a while. I knew that people in Britain celebrated it, so when I was little I figured that it was a day where there was a big boxing match in Britain and everyone watched. That belief stuck with me well into my teenage years for some reason. I figured out later that it probably didn't involve boxing, but it wasn't until recently I read up on what the holiday is all about.

Oh man, I absolutely love A4 paper. Because of that WONDERFUL ratio that rocketdog mentioned, it's perfect for printing zines and pamphlets! I can't believe you wily Americans don't have it! I'd be glad to send you some, you poor, deprived souls.