r/coolsubreddits

I am a proud Reddit warrior. I end my nights with internet rabbit holes that start on Reddit. Reddit is undoubtedly the best place to learn random information that will probably never come in handy but it's just so fascinating. If you need a homework break or something to read on the train, here are some interesting subreddits that have led me to parts of the internet I would never have found on my own. Some of these subreddits are silly, others are much more serious. Regardless, I have learned so much from them. Here's to many more nights of doom scrolling on Reddit and internet rabbit holes!

r/AlwaysANightHeron

This subreddit is open for any bird ID photos, however, it is used mostly to confirm if the bird pictured is a night heron. Not super fascinating but I thought it was hilarious that this bird got enough ID requests that it has a subreddit dedicated to it. I also learned that they are the most widespread heron species globally. They are also hard to identify because juvenile night herons look so different from adults.

r/Jessicamshannon

This subreddit is filled with morbid historical artifacts, pictures, and documents. There is a zero-tolerance policy for hate on this subreddit, and sources are provided for everything. This is actually a really great place to find primary sources and learn about the dark side of history that is often avoided in schools. I was introduced to the Nanking Massacre through this subreddit, which led to a lot of learning as I had not previously been educated about the Chinese-Japanese front in WWII. This is a NSFW subreddit due to the content of its posts, but images are blurred by default and descriptions are provided.

r/schuylkillnotes

I found this subreddit in the comments of r/whatisthis after a user posted an image of a Schuylkill note they found in a cereal box. It's hard to explain exactly what a Schuylkill note is so I will include the subreddit description below. If you are into cryptic messages and conspiracies, this subreddit falls right into those categories.

"Hey folks, gather ‘round! We’re diving into the intriguing world of the mysterious notes that have been popping in food packaging and hiking trails. These enigmatic notes are believed to hail from Schuylkill County, PA, and they’re filled with conspiracy theories and strange abbreviations. They’ve even made their way into news segments, podcasts, and YouTube channels, sparking curiosity and debate among folks like us. Let’s explore these notes together and unravel their secrets!"

r/The10thDentist

This subreddit is where people post their unpopular opinions (the title being a play-on the "nine out of ten dentists recommend this product"). A lot of the posts on here are silly or mild opinions but there is the occasional take that questions the basic functioning of our society. From politics to science to sociology. There's a lot of fun discussion on this subreddit. The most recent post on it is titled "I can't stand listening to Cameron Winter". I don't like to engage in debate on the internet, so this is more of an entertaining subreddit with opportunities to learn hidden throughout for me.

r/bonecollecting

As someone who is very passionate about anatomy, I have learned so much from this subreddit. It is used as a place to ID bones as well as show off bones and bone collections. I often go to this subreddit for anatomy reference when drawing. I have also learned about different animal anatomy. Based on looks, bones come from very unexpected places, and I love learning about it. This subreddit often crosses over with r/fossilid as well as r/whatisthis, which are perfect places to start research rabbit holes.

r/morbidquestions

This subreddit is usually filled with a lot of crap, but one in every 50 posts there's something worth reading. This subreddit serves as a place for anyone to ask anything that may be taboo. Writers and artists often frequent it to gain insight on how people die in specific ways and what the process is like. There are also many questions about infamous and cruel historical figures and events. People often speculate how things would be different if something happened differently. I have learned a lot on this page from reading people's firsthand accounts with death, disease, mental illness, etc. Like I said, there are a lot of stupid questions on this subreddit, but there are interesting thoughts, and engaging conversations from people who are knowledgeable in the topics. Of course, I recommend fact checking answers, although Reddit users and bots are pretty good at correcting false information.

All images screenshotted from the respective subreddits.