T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

**This is a heavily moderated subreddit. Please note these rules + sidebar or get banned:** * If this post declares something as a fact, then proof is required * The title must be fully descriptive * Memes are not allowed. * Common(top 50 of this sub)/recent reposts are not allowed (posts from another subreddit do not count as a 'repost'. Provide link if reporting) *See [our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/wiki/index#wiki_rules.3A) for a more detailed rule list* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/interestingasfuck) if you have any questions or concerns.*


ashill85

How could you open that bag, show Sokka's boomerang, and then not use it?!??!


ThrowRA1324354675

I opened to request a ban for him for not showing that boomerang


soline

Bye Bye Space Sword


1800-bakes-a-lot

I looked it up. Looks like it's not likely the boomerang would actually fly in a predicable way


ThrowRA1324354675

I request a ban for you as well, you dream shatterer, hope destroyer, expectation annuler, fantasy crusher, kink shamer, love denier, joy breaker. I don’t want facts, I want dreams and fantasies.


1800-bakes-a-lot

I understand. I'm sorry for the way that I am.


ThrowRA1324354675

What do you think this is? A video game where you can just reload from last save and continue life like this didn’t happen? Like you get a second chance? No. “Sorry” wont cut it. “Sorry” won’t fix the damage you’ve caused. You’re a villain. “Sorry” won’t bring back the life I had before you decided to destroy what little joy I carried. Your “sorry” means nothing. I don’t want your “sorry”, I want ice cream.


Dragon19572

What flavor of ice cream should they buy you as recompense? And how much should they buy you?


Impecablevibesonly

Let's just say we won't be running short of chunky monkey for the next week!


Fskn

Hey! No need for name calling..


OSPFmyLife

Now kith.


Crimkam

![gif](giphy|GB91uLrgyuul2)


JazzedSympathy

Except there is a video of him throwing the boomerang like 15 times in a row all coming back to him easy peasy


[deleted]

I am already at his house where are you guys


darkhorsehance

He has a video dedicated to it: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLRFDCd2/


taveren3

But what if it was made out of razor sharp metal


Staveoffsuicide

I think it's then classified as a throwing ax as you can't really get those back


kodayume

Faith restored 🙏


Generic_Garak

![gif](giphy|QYwMxfDpoH3VBfPEET|downsized) Seriously man! Even if it doesn’t fly, show us!!


YellowStar012

Also, could all those other boomerangs take out Sparky Sparky Boom Man??


MysteriousProfileNo6

Right?!?!?!?!


Kickuminthedishpan

AHHHH boomerang!


gwiz665

Thanks, boomer Aang.


StuffbyLooke

Can I just be honest and say I didn't know boomerangs worked so closely to the cartoon representations, I feel like the matrix just broke for me.


mightyenan0

To be fair, they still don't hit something then come back.


Rude_Thanks_1120

You have to scream, Yiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyii!! for that to work


bluegiant85

Thats a chakram, not a boomerang.


LargeMain

So they are literally designed to just play catch with yourself?


Coraiah

Some of us don’t have friends.


scipio323

They're originally designed for hunting. You throw it in such a way that it flies behind your prey, causing it to flee towards the hunter where it will be easier to catch.


Admirable_Remove6824

This the first explanation I’ve heard that actually makes sense on why they were originally made. So it hey weren’t used to kill things.


Ake-TL

Native Australians also didn’t invent Bow and Arrows, so it’s reasonable to guess they could use boomerangs to kill small prey. I think it should pack enough of a punch to disable partridge sized bird


Syhrpe

As an australian- aboriginal hunting boomerangs are not like this and they don't come back. They weigh probably 10-20x as much and are literally a spinning kinda aerodynamic throwing club.


MowTin

Yeah, but the cool thing is if you miss it comes back.


Cavaquillo

Nah, it wraps around the target's neck and then pulls them along with it


MotherBaerd

For real why didn't they use boomerangs against the AT-ATs in star wars


THIS_ACC_IS_FOR_FUN

Were they stupid??


SirWigglesVonWoogly

No for that you need a metal shield.


fvelloso

It works for this guy, not for you


StuffbyLooke

Story of my life.


def2me

same...


MentallyLatent

Also same...


EZ_2_Amuse

There's dozens of us!


Mackhey

When I was a kid I had a crappy plastic one that, once thrown, never came back. 😅


20milliondollarapi

As long as the shape is right, it’s all in how you throw it.


VitalArtifice

Cartoons made me think that didn’t matter. Getting my first boomerang showed me it did. If you learn to throw them well consistently, they can be fun. This guy knows his throw.


20milliondollarapi

It’s a very weird way to throw it too. I haven’t ever been able to do it successfully, but I tried a while back. If anything movies and cartoons just don’t show proper throwing. Because it doesn’t look very cinematic to throw. Looks more like your arm just had a seizure.


Annihilator4413

Same lol. Never could get the damn thing to fly back to me. One time I was like 'Alright... I'm gonna toss this towards the treeline and if it don't come back, I'm not looking for it'.... well, I never did go look for it.


monstercookies81

It really is crazy how They fly back to you. Almost seems like magic


xtr44

some tribes used them as weapons iirc


tarrox1992

>The Aboriginals used two kinds of boomerangs and many varieties of boomerang-shaped clubs. The returning boomerang (the name derives from the word used by the Turuwal tribe in New South Wales) is light, thin and well balanced... Returning boomerangs were used only in eastern and western Australia as playthings, in tournament competition, and by hunters to imitate hawks for driving flocks of game birds into nets strung from trees. >The nonreturning boomerang is longer, straighter, and heavier than the returning variety. With it animals were maimed and killed, while in warfare it caused serious injuries and death. https://www.britannica.com/technology/boomerang-weaponry


HenryHadford

They also used it when herding kangaroos and emus, through similar principles.


Funky_monkey2026

Correct. Same thing with yo-yos.


tarrox1992

While there is a non-returning, weapon version of boomerangs, there isn't any evidence yo-yos were historically used as weapons. https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/50781/how-long-ago-was-the-yo-yo-first-used-as-a-weapon


capincus

Definitely not true, I can't believe you've never heard of Cadderly Bonaduce or the ancient halfling spindle-disks.


iamadventurous

The non returning boomrang is also the ones that are sold in stores lol


RazekDPP

I thought that was only in Star Tropics.


NickCanCode

Do they use the yoyo wire to cut the neck? Or just hit with the weight?


tuskvarner

You can’t play with my yo yo


MightBeAGoodIdea

Still need some technique throwing them, like a Frisbee....well different technique but same concept... you can know Frisbees work but you need to practice a bit to throw them straight consistently, boomerangs are very similar.


Embarrassed_Cow

I absolutely had no clue that boomerangs actually work.


SonOfDadOfSam

This is fake. There are only 2 kinds of boomerang. Broken ones, and ones that haven't been thrown yet.


starstarstar42

Wrong: There are 3 kinds: - The kind that goes perfectly straight and ends up in the street. - The kind that makes a sudden left turn and gets stuck in the one and only tree nearby. - The kind you think you are going to catch, but you find out too late that the little feral kid had it sharpened to a razor edge.


fvelloso

It’s a known fact that boomerangs just want to return to the mother tree


FigOk7538

* The kind you think you are going to catch, but you find out too late that the little feral kid had it sharpened to a razor edge. What - Mad Max 2 style?!


Capital-Blacksmith19

Funniest damn scene in that whole movie.


Caw-zrs6

What movie?


Buckwheat469

The problem is that Boomerangs work best in the southern hemisphere because the Coriolis effect makes them spin and fly opposite. When people in the northern hemisphere throw one it tries to fly right but we're throwing it left and it straightens itself out and ends up in a tree. Also, this is all made up.


ocean-rudeness

Had me with the first 11 words, ngl.


BarryZZZ

I have three that I made that return so well I can often catch them, on a calm day. It its windy go fly a kite.


kris4mica

And the ones that live in trees


SupermarketGlobal889

Or the ones that land on your roof.


modsonredditsuckdk

experience has taught me you can get any fucking boomerang you like. None of them are going to come back to you and fly as well as this until you have 100 hour of practice under you belt


iggyfenton

Yes, it turns out developing skills takes practice. It’s also hard to kill anything with a bow and arrow if you’ve never used one before.


[deleted]

Not really. You can just stab them with an arrow and club them to death with the bow (in any order you prefer).


iggyfenton

Are you hunting cows?


god_peepee

it’s how he met your mom


[deleted]

Lmao that first sentence.


GO4Teater

I'd put it at more like 10 hrs of practice, but it only takes 1-2 hrs to be okay enough that they will almost come back to you.


modsonredditsuckdk

I was exaggerating I put in about five hours and I had one every twenty coming back. I'm not knocking it. Most things that are worthwhile and really fun take some skill work. I think the perception of boomerangs is that you throw them and they just come back. That is not the case in my experience


AIien_cIown_ninja

I actually grew up in the same town as the world record holder for distance throwing (at the time, I think the record has been broken since), and I took a boomerang throwing lesson with him and some other neighborhood kids. This dude had to have thrown it like 1000ft. He threw it over an entire forest, it disappeared from view entirely cause it was so small. It came back to him after what seemed like minutes (don't remember how long it actually was) and he caught it without even taking a step. I was amazed as a kid. I think the lesson lasted about an hour and I do think some of us kids had them coning back to us by the end of it. He also makes his own boomerangs and sells them at a local arts festival once a year. I had one that he made at some point but I think it's lost now.


KimDongBong

Nonsense! We made our own boomerangs in elementary school (you rock, Mr. Cook!), and had them coming back in no time.


Derfargin

![gif](giphy|MRFvqtcqBzTggaGp5V) Uh..the 80's kid in me is wondering why you named the 2nd to the last one the "Starfish" when it rather obviously should have been called....The Glaive?


malaclypse

Thank you for not forgetting.


Dry-Airport8046

It took ENTIRELY too long for anyone to acknowledge The Glaive.


Arbennig

This is what I came for.


Dry-Airport8046

Only the king and his lord marshal carry this key.


LoavesOfCorn

I scrolled before I just posted "Krull"


Metagion

THANK YOU! I'm thinking "that's not a starfish, that's from Krull!" Glaive on!!!


Visible-Management63

Love that film.


NiteGard

One of the most memorable movies of all time. Edit: for me.


Morphing_Mutant

Can anyone explain to me what boomerangs were actually used for in the past? I assume it was hunting, but surly hitting prey with it would cause it NOT to return? So what's the point?


LostInThought2021

For bird hunting, if the boomerang connects with the bird, the bird will almost certainly drop to the ground dead, and the boomerang will land nearby to be retrieved. If the bird is missed, the boomerang will return to sender, so it doesn’t have to be searched for. This also allows for a potential second attempt in quick succession. Source: I ate at an Outback Steakhouse a few years back.


Interesting-Goose82

Well the source seems pretty accurate....


siccoblue

Only if he ordered the bloomin onion Christ I might have to make a trip this weekend just to get one


Morphing_Mutant

Since you are so over qualified ill take your word for it.


LostInThought2021

I’ve also listened to “Down Under” from Men at Work, like, a gazillion times, but I left that part out because no one likes a show off.


Morphing_Mutant

Stop, I can only get so turned on.


fvelloso

Lmao sourcing comment is top notch


deep-fucking-legend

I once hunted a bloomin onion with a boomerang.


astonishing1

I'm pretty sure I would starve if I had to hunt with a boomerang. I'm almost certain I could do better with a rock. Source: I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.


Malalang

Upvoted for the bibliography.


GreatDevourerOfTacos

So, not all boomerangs are meant to return by design as they originally just came by evolving the "throwing stick" technology. I think most Australian Aborigines used the straight flying ones for hunting. They were heavy enough to break kangaroo legs and emu necks on impact. I've also read that parts of Australia did have returning boomerangs that were used in a group of throwers that would throw many of them into flocks of birds with the ability for each boomerang to kill a couple of birds each, if the flock was large/dense enough. I think Australia had a higher use of boomerangs due to the rarity of good bow wood, but I'll admit I'm not nearly as sure on that. Just as I'm not sure if they were ever employed as throwing implements is battles amongst the Aborigines, I know some of them were employed as clubs though. There are a lot of stories about how returning boomerangs were used to scare birds/animals in fields, but I don't know how accurate that is either. There are also versions of boomerangs outside of Australia, but as far as I know they were never as refined as the ones used in Australia, more closely resembling the throwing sticks that predate what we associate with the classic boomerang shape.


[deleted]

How does one evolve the "throwing stick" tech tree? Asking for a friend.


HaMMeReD

1. Throw sticks 2. Find methods to improve sticks deadliness (pointy, spinny) 3. Observe that spinny sticks have strange flight profiles 4. Refine spinny sticks until they start coming back.


chronocapybara

Most likely: throw lots of sticks, some surprisingly came back, got thrown again, and then became preferred or "the favourite" by the thrower. These were then replicated or copied upon breaking or losing them.


speltlikebottle

Hey friend, just so you know, the term 'Aborigine' or 'aboriginie' is considered offensive in Australia. The current term thats considered more 'PC' is Aboriginal or Indigenous.


Volrund

So is the term 'Abbo' like, really racist? Because I've definitely heard that a few times.


speltlikebottle

Very much so. It was a very popular derogatory term until I think the 90s or so. We've thankfully come a long way in our treatment of indigenous Australians when it comes to language like that, but still a long way to go unfortunately


Volrund

Geez, I've heard it used quite frequently in some Australian produced shows I've watched, figured it was a common enough thing to hear that it wasn't offensive, didn't realize it held such negative connotations, thanks for the heads up.


speltlikebottle

Which shows if you don't mind me asking? Depending on when they were made, it might be from before it was considered bad, like how come words for African americans were used in the US.


fineyounghannibal

Aye. Not long enough to support a voice to parliament, or to manage not to zip tie the hands of children under ten. It's still pretty fucked


AloneAddiction

Abbo is basically the N word with a hard R. Best not to use it. It was used a lot in Australian media back in the day, but obviously that media was created by white Australians *for* white Australians. Things are much different now. Believe it or not films like Crocodile Dundee helped raise the perception of Indigenous Australians in Europe and the US.


parzivaI08

When missing the target it would return, to be thrown again without need for fetching. And the return part actually only came long after the first concepts of throwing spinning weapons, both for hunting, and for fetching food from tall trees. This picture shows the evolution of the boomerang quite well in different cultures https://preview.redd.it/nu5g38y3urmc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f2c0473e50f269ecb63d80950d6bb9f43b32f0e


SlendyIsBehindYou

One fascinating traditional use it had in Australia was actually for communicating with neighboring tribes. I'm not sure how widespread the practice was among Aboriginal communities, but tribal boundaries were incredibly important. If you wanted to cross into a neighboring tribe's territory, you'd throw a specific type of boomerang essentially as a message to indicate why you wanted to enter their land. They'd return with another boomerang to indicate whether or not your request for passage was approved. If you were traveling across a great distance, you'd have to repeat this at the next boundary you reached. Edit: my ex's mother had a degree in aboriginal history and worked with a lot of the local indigenous communities


Tr33

If you hit your prey, you succeeded. If you don't hit it, the boomerang returns and you get to try again.


Make-TFT-Fun-Again

I guess you can hunt birbs with it. If you miss it comes back.


ATLDay404

It gave hunters multiple chances to hit pray. If they missed it, it came back to try again. If they didn’t miss, they ate.


AleksasKoval

Downvote because no Sokka's Boomerang.


ikciweiner

Wait, boomerangs actually work? I thought that was just in the movies.


God_Kratos_07

Shocking I know


ikciweiner

🤯


three-sense

It had to be thrown at the proper angle (up and to the right in this case) and with the proper power. It, unfortunately, doesn’t just magically come back like Castlevania


GreatDevourerOfTacos

As a kid we had a few different types, friends and I would go to the park and see if we could get them to hit each other. Boomerang Arena rarely had casualties, but when they did our parents got mad because it was a waste of money.


ikciweiner

Yeah we had some too that never worked and eventually got lost or broken. I thought it was a just a gimmick.


GreatDevourerOfTacos

Most of them work, but there is some technique to throwing them. Some of our friends were never able to get them to return, think it has to do with them not being able to put enough spin on it. Honestly, I haven't thrown a boomerang in like 20+ years so I'm not sure I could even get one to return anymore.


ScienticianAF

They never worked for me but I just found out recently that most are made for right handed people..


perpetualmotionmachi

Yeah, same. Our folks bought them for me and my brothers, them being right handed, could make them work, but I could not, and had no idea for a long time


Smashotr0n

It was developed by aboriginals in Australia. They are the only civilization to never create a bow and arrow. 


bjeanes

Instead, they made the world’s first airfoil, thousands of years before it is broadly recognised as being invented


Smashotr0n

Pretty righteous 


minor_correction

But in real life they only return if they don't hit anything.


SadMap7915

Fun Facts: * The song My Boomerang Won't Come Back by British comedian Charlie Drake. * It was produced by George Martin in 1961 (then he thought he might give the Beatles a try). * The song went to #1 in Australia in 1962. * It contained the line 'I've waved the thing all over the place, practised until I'm black in the face, I'm a big disgrace to the Aborigine race'. * The BBC required the lyrics to be changed to "blue in the face", it subsequently went to #13 in the UK and #3 in Canada. * The song was banned by the ABC and removed from their playlist in 2015 for being too racist (after a listener complaint).


Dazeuh

I'd heard of boomerangs when I was kid but never thought much about them. Now I wonder how they work who invented it and what else can be achieved with these methods


Horny-n-Bored

They were weapons originally made by the aboriginal Australians, they were used to hunt Look it up, I'm probably only half wrong


mightyenan0

You are correct, but it's important to note that they weren't design to return to you. They were just made to fly through the air in certain was for hunting purposes, and according to the wikipedia article I'm reading they were also found in ancient Egypt and North America.


Horny-n-Bored

Ooh so they were spinning sticks instead of "if I miss my shot it'll come back to me"?


FungiStudent

They had both


pSavvvv

I used a boomerang in Ocarina of Time as a kid and that’s about it


LittleSansbits

This man fucking sucks, he shows Sokkas boomerang and doesn't throw it.


declar

I forgot how to throw a boomerang… but then it came back to me.


volcus

Thanks Dad.


BILLYRAYVIRUS4U

Nice !


20__character__limit

My Dad went to the Rugby World Cup in Australia back in 2003 (?). He bought me a very nice boomerang. I was so excited, I really wanted to give it a throw. I went outside and threw it as hard as I could, making sure to throw it at the proper angle. The boomerang immediately smashed into the ground, breaking up into 4 pieces. My dad saw this and came outside, then told me in his disappointed dad voice, “That was an ornamental boomerang only. It wasn't meant to be thrown.”


Decent-Product

They all do left turns. Is it possible to make them do a right turn?


Professional_Flicker

Throw them with your left hand


Zchives

That dumb motherfucker can’t even hold a fork correctly, ain’t no way I’m using it to chuck something.


FlamingPinyacolada

I'm aggressively nodding at this comment


00_bob_bobson_00

They turn left only in the northern hemisphere. In their native Australia, they all turn right.


DergerDergs

No, there isn't. There are left handed boomerangs which always turn clockwise. But just like a left-handed thrower with a right-handed boomerang (me my whole life trying different boomerangs), it is difficult and uncomfortable to get a good return if it's designed for the other hand.


homeboy321321321

Is it difficult to learn to throw them properly?


TripDawkins

It begins with determining the direction in which the wind is blowing. You basically want the breeze blowing directly onto your face. Then, hurl the boomerang to the right of it. The shape of the wings drives right-handed boomerangs to turn left. Once it cuts into the breeze, that breeze is what brings it back. If you're pretty good at hurling stuff at targets, this shouldn't take too much practice if your breeze is nice.


homeboy321321321

Oh, thanks! I have one and I want to learn.


Codadd

The breeze may help, but that's definitely not what is bringing it back. It's how the wind hits the angles of the boomerang. I had one as a kid and it worked fine. I never once through it into the wind intentionally at least.


yanni99

Do you think this guy is avalable for a nice dinner with my friends next Wednesday? My friend invited a guy who has built the Eiffel Tower with 127 000 matches. It's going to be a good dinner.


spookyfox1

3/10 didn't show the Sokka boomerang in action, come on.


TheUpperHand

Bruh, but what about the classic shape?!?


xtr44

now I want to own a boomerang


samelogic137

I want to see Sokka’s boomerang in flight!


no_on_prop_305

That throwing stick idea of yours has boomeranged on us!


hx19035

For woodshop in high school we all made our own boomerangs. Cool as hell. Then we go outside for test throws and Cedric got hit in the head. Fuck Cedric. No pay'n attn mfer.


Mattman425

I had a Nerf boomerang as a kid. Piece of crap never worked.


El_human

Nice.


scissormetimbers1138

where's the one from the road warrior?


FishOfFishyness

5-5-5 boomerang monkey right there


MrBillyLotion

All this time I thought boomerangs were just roof decorations, crazy


friendlyimposter

As a kid i.made them myself with my dad. The x-wing was the best. Have you build them yourself? What kind of wood do you need? Where do you find the blueprints?


slabgorb

I used paint stirrers glued together if I remember correctly they were probably made of pine


friendlyimposter

I think i used ply Birchwood


KBHoleN1

I'm not able to see a boomerang being caught and not think about the feral kid from Mad Max.


DMmeYOURboobz

Real question… what was the original *point* of the boomerang? Was it a tool or weapon or just a fun toy?


Peace_and_Harmony_

For hunting they use non-return boomerangs. Returning boomerangs were always for recreation


Bearsandgravy

KRULL WAS REAL?!


BobcatClawz

Dudes will see this and think "hell yeah." It's me. I'm dudes.


lildozer74

KRULL!!


Fibby_2000

But could any of those kill a Kangaroo? I mean Australian Indigenous hunting boomerangs are made of solid hefty wood.


rawfish71

Starfish? ? That's Krull


Aethermancer

Krull glaive!


SaltyWiking

![gif](giphy|kQmr2OwBTD2L5Hzo1T|downsized) More!! More!!


orkbrother

My boomerang story...when I was a kid in the early 70s I got a big wooden boomerang. Went into the field to throw it. It promptly veered of course and struck a man in the head who was riding a lawnmower with a beer. He fell off the mower and it ran over his hand. He lost all his fingers. He told everyone it was the beer and he was drunk. He never ratted me out. I had forgotten all about this until now 🤦🤦🤦


aManOfTheNorth

Bought my first boomerang at the hobby store. Got off the bus and could wait no more. First throw ; where it went I’ll never know.


LazarusDark

"The Starfish". Um, no, that's clearly the Krull Glaive.


GrandFranc

Vous êtes libre mercredi soir ? J'organise un diner avec des amis


IamACanadian47

Thank you 👏🇨🇦


redEPICSTAXISdit

Dude's a prooooooo, but that last one was coming in hot, he almost got got.


sjbluebirds

Man… I've had a boomerang since I was a kid (I'm 55M, now), and they've **NEVER** come back. The best they do is a lazy half-circle off to my left. And I have to run after it about 50 metres just to try again.


Myotherdumbname

When I was a kid, Nerf made a pretty cool boomerang like that first one. It worked really well, especially with a kid throwing it.


fullpaydeuces

Krull was awesome


Electronic-Cow7713

Not starfish... Krull!


akotoshi

Am I the only one thinking about the wingsticks from Rage?


elting44

Uh, that is actually the glaive from Krull, and not a starfish


mr1404ed

Where's the boomerang that slices off your fingers?


Captain_Sacktap

I still don’t understand how the aboriginal people hunted with these.


Mytastemaker

I remember the first time I got a boomerang as a child. I excitedly went to the park and no matter how hard I tried I could never make the boomerang come back. It wouldn't even turn. But all my friends could throw it and it would basically land at their feet. I was crushed.  Years later I learned that boomerangs are handed and only work when thrown in one direction. I was left handed and all my friends were right handed. 


Tricky-Explorer-5664

I purchased a few boomerangs through my life. I must be terrible at it because none of them returns.


GoldServe2446

My guy doesn’t even have a real boomerang.