Tonnes Of People Got Tricked Into Trying To Balance Brooms Because They Heard NASA Told Them To
Yesterday, a story started circulating that claimed it was the one day a year you could balance a broom on its bristles. It was a lie -- but we got good memes out of it.
At least once a year, a viral story circulates on Twitter claiming that it’s the only day of the year that you can balance a broom on its bristles.
Each time, the reason for this “freak occurrence” is different. Sometimes, we hear it’s due to the world’s magnetic fields lining up just right. Sometimes, it’s due to the humidity in the air. And sometimes, it’s because — and I quote — “NASA told us to.”
That last, particularly ridiculous reason, is the one that circulated online yesterday. It was shared by a range of Twitter users — including, weirdly enough, Lauren Jauregui of the band Fifth Harmony.
So my mom just texted my brother, sister and I that according to NASA today is the only day your broom can stand on its own because of the gravitational pull and I- pic.twitter.com/bx0tJr0fXf
— Lauren Jauregui (@LaurenJauregui) February 11, 2020
Okay so NASA said today was the only day a broom can stand up on its own because of the gravitational pull…I didn’t believe it at first but OMG! ????? pic.twitter.com/M0HCeemyGt
— mk (@mikaiylaaaaa) February 10, 2020
NASA: Today is the only day a broom will stand on it's own because the earth is at a perfect angle.
me: Bet say no more ??? pic.twitter.com/atKulRZBph
— Jerry (@YuungJerry__) February 11, 2020
Very quickly, these posts started going extremely viral. Don’t know if you noticed, but that video in the middle there has quarter of a million likes. That’s a quarter of a million people convinced that the Earth’s gravitational pull had suddenly changed, or realigned, or some totally vague bullshit, allowing brooms — and only brooms — to stand up by themselves.
Not everyone was duped, however, and just as the story started to trend, people realised what might be going on.
Is the Nasa broom thing real or have we collectively never tried standing a broom up
— Thugnificent (@NolfWigger) February 10, 2020
Of course, that Tweet hit the nail on the head. You can always stand (most) brooms up on their bristles. It has nothing to do with the Earth’s gravitational pull, and even less to do with NASA. Instead, it’s got everything to do with structural balance. When you prop certain types of brooms up in just the right way, the bristles push out from the centre of the handle, forming a kind of impromptu tripod.
That requires a very specific type of broom — which is why some poor people felt cheated by NASA.
So NASA said brooms can stand on their own today due to the gravitational pull but this pointer broom ain’t here for it. pic.twitter.com/2WNUgk0Dyh
— Kadeem ?? not kareem or akeem (@gkadeem) February 11, 2020
But hey, at least we got some wonderful memes out of it.
When you see your broom standing in a place you didn’t leave it ?? #BroomChallenge #NASA pic.twitter.com/omj1oe2q0t
— Bri Fantana ?? (@BlatantlyBri) February 11, 2020
NASA really did the impossible huh, first time I see my roomates pick up a broom in this house lmao
— Josaaa (@josagomez) February 11, 2020
See you next time this fake story makes the rounds online again, hey.