Whilst you were arguing with your roommates over who stole each other’s milk, in 2005 two roommates at the University of Virginia were busy founding Reddit. Since then, Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian’s creation has grown to be the fifth most visited web site in the US. Over 330 million users each month post, comment, and vote (up or down) content in more than 130 thousand active communities, known as subreddits.
These subreddits vary in subject matter, from legal advice to memes based on drinking water. Here are seven of the most unusual subreddits.
r/BirdsArentReal
Originally on Instagram but ported over to Reddit, this subreddit is based on the belief that there have been no real birds since 2001, and all birds you see today are actually drones deployed by the US Government. Posts are generally videos or pictures of ‘birds’ with captions supporting the conspiracy theory. Also see r/Giraffesdontexist for a similar concept.
I knew it! from BirdsArentReal
r/rustyrails
Here people from all over the world share photos of abandoned railway infrastructure. Posts include rails themselves, bridges, buildings, and even trains and carriages. From tracks overgrown with plants to completely submerged railways in lakes to broken-off bridges, this subreddit contains endless railway relics.
Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, Emscherstraße 71, 47137 Duisburg, Germany from rustyrails
Rails for the coal deliveries at The Old Taylor Distillery – Now Castle Key from rustyrails
r/TreesSuckingOnThings
This subreddit is full of photos of trees that have grown around manmade objects, making it look like the tree is ‘sucking’ on the object. Occasionally googly eyes are added to the scene. You’ll find trees sucking on everything from ‘PRIVATE KEEP OUT’ signs to metal railings to long-forgotten bicycles.
The added googly eyes just make this 10 times better! from TreesSuckingOnThings
r/LovelyLetters
In the age of typing the art of handwriting is often forgotten, but it lives on in r/LovelyLetters. Ever been taking notes and marvelled at how beautifully written a particular letter is? This subreddit is dedicated to sharing those moments. Perfectly crafted @s and &s, as well as letters, numbers, and the occasional word. For whole pages of lovely handwriting, see r/PenmanshipPorn.
I’ve just come across this sub— I finally have a place to share my stash of satisfying letters! from LovelyLetters
r/Perfectfit
Along with r/oddlysatisfying, this subreddit is for sharing pictures, GIFs, and videos of things that fit perfectly into each other. Imagine finding that your six-pack of drinks fits on a fridge shelf with no room to spare, or a water bottle actually fits in the cup holder in your car. Also home to photos people have taken with things perfectly aligned, such as the moon between buildings.
The sun fit perfectly with the road at a camping spot I go to every summer from Perfectfit
r/cableporn
Few things are more satisfying than properly installed network cables, and there are plenty of those in this subreddit. Posts range from simple installations with just a few cables to an entire building’s worth of cabling in a cabinet. Its sister subreddit, r/conduitporn, is home to similar photos but with pipes instead of wires.
r/RetroFuturism
This subreddit contains posts about how the future was perceived in the past. Often contemporary art rather than photos, due to its subject nature, but you don’t have to look hard to find futuristic concept cars build in the early to mid twentieth century, and some of the quirkier computer designs from the 80s.
On the moon from RetroFuturism
Feature image: George Tuli
