25 Of The Deepest Rabbit Holes That People Have Found Themselves Sucked Into
Ever found yourself scrolling through something online, only to end up on an unexpected journey through a series of intriguing topics? You start with one thing, then stumble upon another, and before you know it, you’re diving deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole of information. It’s a familiar tale of internet exploration.
If you’ve ever experienced this, beware – you might just find yourself in the same situation again. Recently, a Reddit user initiated a thread, inviting others to share the questions or topics that led them into the deepest rabbit holes of discovery. It’s a reminder that the allure of endless exploration online can lead you down unexpected paths.
More info: Reddit
#1 Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. Arthur C. Clarke.
Image source: sgrag002, Aleksandar Pasaric
#2
Image source: East_of_Amoeba, John Henry
The life of Harry Houdini. I was working on a historical novel idea a couple years ago that wove fictional events into historical 1926 New York City. My main character encountered several notable locations and places, and Houdini, his home, magic, and family played a major role.
There is so much of Houdini’s life that is fascinatingly well-documented. There are also tantalizing unknowns that keep both historians and magic buffs intrigued until today.
Weird facts:
He was the first to pilot an airplane in Australia.
When WW1 broke out, he trained US troops how to escape prisoner shackles if they were captured by the enemy and how not to panic if trapped underwater, such as in a torpedoed ship.
He knew and collaborated with HP Lovecraft who ghost-wrote an adventure story set Egypt in Houdini’s voice. They were collaborating on a book debunking superstitions at the time of Houdini’s death.
His house in Harlem was wired with a secret microphone system permitting him to eavesdrop on visitors and then appear to have mind-reading powers.
He purchased an actual Egyptian mummy what rattled around in his basement, much to his wife’s chagrin.
I could do this all day. Check it out.
#3 In Virginia radar detectors are illegal, so they have radar detector detectors. So I’m wondering if anyone built a radar detector detector detector?
Image source: Pawpaw-22, Miguel Cuenca
#4 I read about the Japanese concentration camps being especially horrible on Reddit and that was extremely depressing and f****d up but I couldn’t bring myself to stop reading.
Image source: jfdhfsdfagdda
#5 Gastrointestinal Distress. The stomach, intestines, and digestive process is actually very intricate and interesting to learn about. Also taught proper ways to relieve bloating and stomach issues.
Image source: Ballsack2025, RF._.studio
#6
Image source: Madmanmelvin, Angie
For a little while, I couldn’t stop reading about Action Park, a water/amusement park that was open in New Jersey from the late 70s until the 1996. Basically, the whole place skirted a TON of rules and regulations, and six people died on rides.
There were also literally THOUSANDS of injuries.
The owner would pay employees $100 to test out crazy new rides. They had a slide that went completely upside down. It was um, not safe.
There was a giant human sized hamster wheel they tested by rolling down a hill. It rolled down the hill, broke the fence, and crossed the highway, with someone inside.
I recommend the documentary “Class Action Park” on HBO, or you can just see some crazy rides and old footage on youtube.
#7 Christian fundamentalists in the US. Randomly stumbled across the Duggars when I was a teenager, which set off an entire chain reaction that culminated in dozens of hours of watched LDS documentaries, YouTube essays, Reddit deep dives, etc. There is so. much. mess in those communities.
Image source: teebeutelchen, RDNE Stock project
#8 Cults, criminal psychology.
#9 The f*****g titanic….which leads to other shipwrecks. It’s mostly the images of something so alien as the bottom of the ocean.
Image source: HeadFit2660, NOAA
#10 The amount of people who have ‘gone overboard’ on a cruise ship…
Image source: soundguy_2603, Georgy Trofimov
#11 Nothing had me in a chokehold like the Bermuda Triangle at 10 years old.
Image source: Bringmecoffee444, Stephen Crowley
#12 Narcissistic personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. Mental health fascinates me because it provides answers to the abuse I experienced as a child and in relationships as an adult.
Image source: Vast_End521, Alex Green
#13 Michael Jackson and whatever he did or didn’t do. Extremely interesting topic due to the unprecedented amount of smoke and mirrors surrounding a celeb, and probably impossible to determine one way or another. Was never a big fan but went down that rabbit hole one time because of some random reddit comment and it turned into a guilty pleasure hobby for a solid year. I probably could get a PhD in Michael Jackson lore now.
Image source: WolvoMS, Michael Jackson
#14 Random people from ~100 years ago who pique my interest, and then I’m on Ancestry for the next little while, trying to piece together their life stories.
Image source: TheSanityInspector, Timon Studler
#15 The Bootes Void. Space is fascinating and terrifying.
Image source: MaximumZer0, Pixabay
#16 Missing persons. People have no idea how hard it is to find someone in the wilderness, especially if they aren’t trying to be found. The bodies are there, just never found. Sometimes people stumble upon the remains, but it’s usually coincidence.
Image source: First_Cranberry_2961, Pixabay
#17 The disappearance of MH370 in 2014, as I’ve flown on Malaysian Airlines several times and a big part of my job is doing root-cause analysis of complex incidents. I work in medicine, not aviation, but the reasons why planes go down has always fascinated me.
Image source: ThadisJones, M. DNC
#18 “What was Prussia?” was the question that indirectly made history go from a subject I had a bit of interest in to the subject that I plan to teach for a living, so I guess you could say I’m still going down that rabbit hole years after I asked that question.
Image source: Michael_Kaminski, Thirdman
#19 Central banking. It’s just financial aid for the 1%.
Image source: BinaryCheckers, Eduardo Soares
#20 Have I ever played any of the Five Nights at Freddy’s games? No. Do I have any desire to play any of the Five Nights at Freddy’s games? No. Did I watch hours and hours of Five Nights at Freddy’s lore and lore prediction videos on YouTube? Yes. Yes, I did.
Image source: Deep-Jello0420, IGN
#21 If cigarettes are such a significant public health concern, are a multi-billion dollar industry, and are over a century old, why can’t we make them less harmful?
Image source: No-Exit4324, Caleb Oquendo
Went DEEP into the research. The answer was surprising: we can.
The rabbit hole involves GMOs, a secret research project dubbed “Project X”, catalytic filtering, Central American politics, and the Amish. I now have a file on my computer dedicated to the research papers I dug up on the topic.
#22 The fact Marilyn Monroe’s body disappeared for several hours after her death. Her entire life story was tragic.
Image source: y2kristine, Valer Ka
#23 The Stanford Prison Experiment Also, the difference between crows and ravens and whether I can tell them apart after studying them (I still cannot) Edit: I’m getting some great material to fall into rabbit holes for from this thread, thank you.
Image source: Better_Ninja_1039, RDNE Stock project
#24 Double slit experiment.
Image source: trinier101, JESHOOTS.COM
#25 UFO’s and aliens. I’m still in the rabbit hole.
Image source: BroccoliD8, Bruce Warrington
Got wisdom to pour?