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Stephen King is well-known for writing some of the best horror novels of all time. As expected, a lot goes into King's creative process. He's previously said that he listens to music while writing. But if you think his go-to soundtracks are creepy, there's a plot twist...

King has admitted that he actually loves disco or techno playing in the background while he works. He also revealed that one song almost cost him his marriage... The author reportedly played Lou Bega's Mambo No.5 so many times while penning 11/22/63 that his wife threatened to throw in the towel if she heard it one more time.

That's just one of the interesting things netizens confessed to only learning this past July. And there were many. Bored Panda has put together the ultimate list of "Today I Learned" facts for you to scroll through while you should be doing something else. Don't forget to upvote your favorites, and let us know in the comments below what interesting tidbits you learned last month!

#1

50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL a stray dog followed Dion Leonard, who was running in a week-long ultramarathon in the Gobi Desert, for 77 miles of the 155-mile race. At night the dog even started to join him in his tent. He named her Gobi, & after the race, he crowdfunded the £5K needed to bring her back to Scotland with him.

tyrion2024 , findinggobi Report

Not sure about you, but we love burrowing down an interesting and deep rabbit hole. And often, Today I Learned listicles are the perfect prompt to get us digging. Even a short one or two-liner fact can open a door to a larger story, sparking our curiosity and encouraging us to wonder a little, or a lot, more.

Many of the TIL facts on this list sent us searching for more context, background, or related facts. And next thing you know, it's 1am and you're still reading about the stray dog that followed a man during marathon, and found a happy ending.

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    #2

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL: Browser the librarian cat outlived the city councilor that tried to evict him from his position.

    VagrantWaters , Frozenwolf13 Report

    Tim Gearing
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Talking of cats being evicted…read about the 15 yo old cat named ‘defib’ who was rescued as a kitten by paramedics https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rd617xe86o

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    #3

    Close-up of a hand revealing winning poker cards near stacked chips on a green casino table during intense gameplay. TIL that Australia has forced gambling companies to display slogans in their ads like “You win some. You lose more” and “What's gambling really costing you?” instead of the standard “Gamble Responsibly”.

    RareXG , Michał Parzuchowski Report

    The extreme runner has actually written a book about the dog he met while running the 4 Desert Race in the Tian Shan mountain range in China. Gobi, the chihuahua appeared at Dion Leonard's side. The little dog stuck around for each step of the gruelling, seven-day, 250-kilometer route.

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    Leonard could have left Gobi at the finishing line but decided not to. Instead, he launched a crowdfunding campaign to take his new best friend back home to Edinburgh, Scotland.

    #4

    Two people holding black gaming controllers playing a soccer video game on a TV screen in Singapore. TIL that in 2020, a teenage boy was playing video games with an online friend when he began having a seizure. Despite being over 5,000 miles away, his friend managed to alert the emergency services in his area, saving his life.

    Sebastianlim , JESHOOTS.COM Report

    The Majestic Opossum
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Aww this is lovely! While it's true most seizures are non lethal, many are not, especially if this person were to fall/hit their head/swallow their tongue. Kid made the right call and potentially saved a life, from across the country/world ♥️

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    #5

    White duck swimming calmly in rippling water, illustrating a serene natural scene for Singapore experienced mass panic topic. TIL: Some farmers in Bangladesh have switched to raising ducks instead of chickens, because during catastrophic floods, ducks float.

    Serious-Hearing-9661 , Jean-Paul Wettstein Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So I guess they finally got all their ducks in a row?

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    #6

    Three small red and white striped frogs resting on a rock in a natural habitat, highlighting interesting Singapore facts. TIL Female frogs fake death to avoid mating with male frogs they don’t find attractive.

    GoinThruTheBigD , Vania Medina Report

    "Basically on day two she decided to run with me on one of the stages, which was around 25-30 kilometers over the Tian Shan mountain range," the runner told the BBC. "She'd actually been with us the day before running through one of the largest sand dunes in China, so she was well-versed in running with all the competitors there, but on day two she decided to stick with me.

    Leonard added that the dog would run ahead of him and wait for 20 or 30 meters down the road, waiting for him to catch up with her... Talk about a master motivator. "She's such a small dog but had a massive heart," he said at the time.

    #7

    Man in white shirt being interviewed during a crowd panic event related to shrinking genitals in Singapore. TIL in 2013 McDonald's gave Charles Ramsey free food for a year after he helped rescue 3 women, who had been held hostage for years, while carrying a "half-eaten Big Mac." In addition, 14 local Ohio restaurants also gave Ramsey free burgers for life.

    tyrion2024 , news5cleveland Report

    Upstaged75
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The guy's name was Ariel Castro and he was a real-life monster. I read Michelle Knight's (the 1st woman kidnapped) book. It made me sick. Sadly he took his life before he was punished. If there IS an afterlife I hope he's suffering enormously.

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    #8

    Man with glasses and beard in a brown checkered jacket, discussing Singapore experienced mass panic over shrinking genitals. TIL Simpsons creator Matt Groening was born to Homer and Marge Groening (neé Wiggum) and two of his siblings are called Maggie and Lisa. His grandfather is Abram A. Groening.

    TypicallyThomas Report

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    #9

    Vintage title page of Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe with an illustration of children near a rustic shelter, historic literature. TIL while suffering dementia near the end of her life, Harriet Beecher Stowe re-wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin nearly word-for-word believing it was a new book.

    alphabeticdisorder , Hammatt Billfggccxxxxings Report

    UKGrandad
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Abraham Lincoln is known to have read the book several times and met Beecher Stowe during the Civil War. It helped shape his thinking on slavery to such a degree that on being introduced, his first words to her were 'So you're the little lady who caused all this fuss' (paraphrased, but as close as I recall).

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    I Heart Dogs reports that at night, while other competitors rested in their tents, Gobi would follow Dion into his tent and sleep by his side.

    "Dion realized that this little dog had become more than just a stray running alongside him—she had become his companion," reads the site. "He made the decision to care for her, providing her with food and water from his own limited supply, despite the risk to his own performance in the race."

    #10

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL that Norway, after gaining independence from Sweden in 1905, offered the throne to Prince Carl of Denmark - but he refused to accept unless the people voted for a monarchy over a republic. 79% said yes, and he became King Haakon VII, the only known king ever to be elected by popular vote.

    Upstairs_Drive_5602 , Library of Congress's Report

    Nina
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sounds like a class act. Today I learned Norway has been independent since 1905

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    #11

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL that Heath Ledger, in 2007, had refused to host the Oscars due to a request that he make explicit fun of the relationship he portrayed with Jake Gyllenhall in the movie "Brokeback Mountain".

    Maharajahn Report

    Angela B
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A man of integrity. Incredible actor, gpne far too soon.

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    #12

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL Columbo's signature catchphrase "Just one more thing" originated because a scene was too short, and the writers didn't want to retype the script on a typewriter, so they just had him return and add the line at the end as if he'd forgotten something.

    LookAtThatBacon Report

    After quite a mission to get Gobi to his hometown, the doggo finally made it. The process took five months of waiting and preparation, including quarantine.

    "Gobi lives a happy life in her forever home, surrounded by love and care," reports IHeartDogs.com. "She went from being a stray dog in the harsh Gobi Desert to a cherished member of Dion’s family."

    #13

    Black and white image of a dimly lit prison corridor with cells and metal bars along both sides. TIL a man escaped from a federal prison in Illinois after jumping over two 15 foot fences only to turn himself in to the FBI 4 days later to show them his desalination invention.

    No-Environment6103:

    “He reportedly did this so he could draw attention to his invention, a water desalination process that would enable mankind to purify water at a reasonable cost”.

    puzdawg , Emiliano Bar Report

    #14

    Man in black suit with white shirt holding a white hat, expressing excitement related to Singapore experienced mass panic. TIL that Stephen King was so obsessed with Lou Bega’s Mambo No. 5 that his wife threatened to divorce him over it.

    DangerNoodle1993 , Lou Bega Official Report

    Gaius214
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    However, during this period it was found that Stephen King was guilty of polygamy when Monica, Erica, Rita, Sandra, Tina, Mary & Jessica all also threatened him with Divorce.

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    #15

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL that ravens in the wild play with wolf puppies. In the wholesome way, not the 'play with your food' way.

    Osato , Michael Quinton Report

    TotallyNOTAFox
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wolfpacks sometimes also work together with ravens when hunting - Ravens scout potential prey and get parts of it as reward

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    #16

    Close-up of a pile of raw potatoes with light brown skin, highlighting natural texture and slight imperfections. TIL Boeing once filled an airplane with potatoes to test its in-flight Wi-Fi because potatoes mimic the way humans absorb and reflect wireless signals.

    DJDeets , Marco Antonio Victorino Report

    Uncle Panda
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Boeing also noted that the potatoes were much better passengers and is actively seeking to expand its market into fleshy tuber transportation. There's money to be made from Flying the Friendly Fries.

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    #17

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL that in the 1980s East Germany tried to resolve a major coffee shortage by building coffee-production infrastructure in Vietnam, its close ally. By the time any coffee was harvested, East Germany had ceased to exist. Meanwhile, today Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer in the world.

    boulevardofdef , Caio Report

    TotallyNOTAFox
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People with vietnamese migration backround are also the biggest non-native demographic in the eastern states nowadays due to mutural training and employement contracts between Vietnam and the GDR

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    #18

    Sample of Calibri font showcasing uppercase, lowercase letters and numbers with clear and modern typography style. TIL the Calibri font caused the Pakistani Prime Minister to be disqualified from office in 2017. Forged documents about the PM's income that claimed to be from 2006 used the font, but the font was not publicly released until 2007.

    Ok_Application_5402 Report

    #19

    A woman in black outfit resting in a dark chair by a window, evoking a mood related to Singapore experienced mass panic. TIL People with depression use language differently. They use significantly more first person singular pronouns – such as “me”, “myself” and “I”. Researchers have reported that pronouns are actually more reliable in identifying depression than negative emotion words.

    explaingo , Dmitry Schemelev Report

    Mimi M
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Depression is a form of chronic pain/debilitation. It's natural to be more self-focused when one is in pain or chronically debilitated.

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    #20

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL studies have found that Nobel Prize-winning scientists are about 25x more likely to sing, dance or act than the average scientist. They are also 17x more likely to create visual art, 12x more likely to write poetry, and 4x more likely to be a musician.

    tyrion2024 , A. C. Report

    Toothless Feline
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There’s a strong connection between science and the arts.

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    #21

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL between 1999 and 2015, 736 UK Post Office workers were wrongly convicted for stealing money due to faulty accounting software. Workers were forced to pay back nonexistent losses with their own money and some were even sent to jail for a crime they did not commit.

    LookAtThatBacon , Ekaterina Belinskaya Report

    Otto Katz
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Some died by suic ide. It is a terrible stain on the UK Post.

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    #22

    Open cardboard box on wooden table with scissors and tape, symbolizing unpacking Singapore experienced mass panic facts. TIL in 2011 a woman was buried alive in a cardboard box by her fiancé after he attacked her with a stun gun then bound & gagged her with tape because he was "bored" with her & wanted custody of their son. She used her engagement ring to cut herself free & pull the box apart before flagging down help.

    tyrion2024 , aboompics.com Report

    Pollywog
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Michelina Lewendowska is the woman's name.

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    #23

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL A 2023 study found that Chinstrap penguins take over 10,000 micro-naps a day, each lasting 4 seconds. When combined, that totals more than 11 hours of sleep daily. They are also generally considered to be the most aggressive and ill-tempered species of penguin.

    gullydon , gullydon Report

    #24

    Ancient fresco depicting a group of people in discussion, related to Singapore experienced mass panic over shrinking genitals. TIL most living areas in ancient Roman Cities lacked any kitchen area, with most citizens either getting food from from a communal kitchen or buying prepared foods from street vendors.

    Jacknerik Report

    Sally Moen
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Eliminates the need to wash dishes or take out the trash

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    #25

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL dogs began to diverge from wolves when random genetic mutations gave some wolves the ability to much more effectively digest starches and fats, causing them to follow nomadic humans and eat the leftovers of the food they ate.

    XyleneCobalt , Grégoire Bertaud Report

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And dogs developed more mobile eyebrows and facial muscles literally to be able to make expressions/be more expressive to communicate with humans. They really are our perfect buddies :)

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    #26

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL about Terry Wallis, who spent 19 years in a minimally conscious state following a 1984 car accident, suddenly spoke “Mom” on June 11, 2003, making him the longest documented coma‑like recovery with regained consciousness.

    Scarfaceswap , engin akyurt Report

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He had damage to his frontal lobes and had issues processing and storing new memories (basically he had anterograde amnesia.) He also had other disabilities that were the result of the initial traumatic brain injury and he remained fully disabled. He developed pneumonia in 2022 and d!ed aged 57.

    #27

    Craigslist homepage showing categorized listings for Poland including community, housing, jobs, and services sections. TIL Craigslist generated $302 million of revenue in 2024 with no spending on marketing or advertising and no sales team.

    LookAtThatBacon Report

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Two of my cats are Craigslist kitties! XD (I adopted them from a Craigslist ad)

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    #28

    Vintage illustration of a man in historical clothing walking with a small dog, related to Singapore experienced mass panic facts. TIL that Timothy Dexter (a wealthy but eccentric businessman) faked his death to see how many people would attend his funeral. Over 3,000 mourners showed up, but he revealed the ruse after berating his wife for not mourning enough.

    superpowercheese , James Akin Report

    Upstaged75
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wasn't this an episode of Friends too? 😂

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    #29

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL in Ohio, convicted drunk drivers are mandated to drive with “Party Plates”, special red-on-yellow license plates in exchange for limited driving privileges such as work.

    mryazzy , Qqqqqq Report

    FlamingZombies
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Here in MN, we have what are known as Whiskey plates. Instead of the typical 3 letter/3 number combination, they have a white background with black lettering and start with the letter W. EX:WA0000 instead of ABC-123 or 123-ABC.

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    #30

    Man in glasses and black leather jacket speaking into a microphone during a discussion about Singapore experienced mass panic. TIL that Nvidia founder Jensen Huang's parents sold nearly everything they owned to send him to what they thought was a prestigious boarding school but which was in fact a reformatory for troubled kids. He taught his 17-year-old roommate how to read in exchange for help working out.

    Overall-Register9758 , Cleo Abram Report

    Roxy222uk
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    OMG, I was thinking NXIVM when I read ‘Nvidia’. Having parents careless enough to send their child to the equivalent of Borstal instead of the equivalent of Eton could lead to a disturbed enough mind, I suppose.

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    #31

    50 Delightfully Weird Facts About The World That People Learned This July TIL that a British married couple survived almost 4 months adrift in the Pacific Ocean on a rubber raft. They survived drinking rainwater and eating raw fish and birds.

    almondjoybestcndybar , Gaspar Zaldo Report

    #32

    Prince Charles and Princess Diana engaged in a formal conversation indoors with ornate decor in the background, Singapore mass panic topic. TIL Prince Charles & Princess Diana only met in person 13x before getting engaged and when they were asked if they were in love, Charles said "whatever in love means". Then on the night before their wedding, he reportedly told her that he didn't love her in order to get everything out in the open.

    tyrion2024 , royalchannel Report

    amy lee
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Such a messed up situation. He was already in love but Camilla wasn't deemed good enough. Resulting in 4 unhappy people.

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    #33

    Two round black vents on a textured brick wall symbolizing Singapore experienced mass panic and unusual facts. TIL of Janet Parker from the University of Birmingham Medical School. She likely contracted smallpox via air ducts in her office via a lab where researchers kept samples. Within 4 weeks she was dead, her father died of a heart attack visiting her in the hospital and her boss cut his own throat.

    _swedger , Lucas van Oort Report

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When I was a kid, I was terrified of smallpox. My dad had told me that it had been eradicated, so I didn't need to be vaccinated. However, he said that there were samples of it in a few laboratories. I tried to express to him how terrifying that was: there was a HORRIBLE DISEASE that no one got vaccinated for any more, just hanging out in some laboratories, one of those labs being in RUSSIA. I asked him what would stop anyone from using smallpox as a weapon during a war. He said "No one would do that any more." This was back in the 1980s. I'm STILL terrified of smallpox being used for evil someday :(

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    #34

    TIL Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila, is considered one of the greatest female professional boxers of all time.

    thesmartass1 Report

    #35

    Close-up of a sharpened pencil tip with a dark background illustrating the concept of shrinking in Singapore. TIL that pencils were invented after a massive deposit of solid graphite was discovered in England, being the only place in the world with pieces large enough to cut into solid rods. England's monopolies over these lead other countries to smuggle graphite and recycle graphite powder.

    TheDwarvenGuy , Umberto Report

    #36

    TIL about Sargeant Gander, a Newfoundland dog that fought alongside Canadian troops in the Battle of Hong Kong. He saved several wounded soldiers when he grabbed grenade thrown into their midst and ran towards the enemy with it. He was awarded the doggy equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

    ClownfishSoup Report

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Attached is a photo of him! He started out life as a pet dog named Pal. "Pal accidentally scratched a child's face with his paw. Worried that he would be forced to have Pal put down, the original owner gave the large dog to the Royal Rifles of Canada, a regiment of the Canadian Army stationed at Gander International Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador. The soldiers quickly renamed him Gander and 'promoted' him to sergeant. When the unit was shipped to Hong Kong in the fall of 1941, Gander went along." gander2-68...b657c3.jpg gander2-688d837b657c3.jpg

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    #37

    Person walking alone on a path surrounded by autumn trees, reflecting on Singapore experienced mass panic over shrinking genitals. TIL in 2020 a man in Como, Italy stepped outside to cool off after fighting with his wife and ended up walking 450km. His walk eventually ended a week later when he was stopped in Fano and fined €400 for breaking the curfew. His wife, who had reported him missing, travelled to Fano to collect him.

    The man told police "I came here on foot, I didn't use any transport". He said "along the way I met people who offered me food and drink". "I'm OK, just a bit tired," he said, having averaged 60km daily.

    Police found him wandering aimlessly and cold at night on a coastal highway.

    After checking his ID in their database they found that his wife had reported him missing, so they contacted her and she travelled to Fano to collect him.

    The Italian reports did not say how she reacted upon learning that he had picked up a €400 fine.

    tyrion2024 , Mr Fantastic Report

    Ronnie Beaton
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My mother was a talker, didn't like silence. My father was the opposite. Occasionally he'd suddenly announce that he was going for a walk around the block, or that he was going to put petrol in the car. It was only in his later years that I realised it was a polite excuse to go and get some peace and quiet from mum's chatter. At the time of my father's passing in 2013, he and mum had been married for 51 years.

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    #38

    TIL that the first journalist to report the outbreak of the Second World War was a rookie British reporter on her very first week on the job. While travelling along the German–Polish border, she spotted thousands of troops, tanks, and artillery massed for invasion.

    DangerNoodle1993 Report

    SCamp
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Aaaaaand you wouldn’t think to add her name? 🤔

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    #39

    Man sitting on floor holding his head, appearing distressed, illustrating mass panic related to shrinking genitals in Singapore. TIL in 1967, Singapore experienced a mass panic over shrinking genitals; hundreds of men ran to hospitals convinced their penises were retracting into their bodies due to “genital retraction syndrome”.

    DeScepter , MART PRODUCTION Report

    #40

    Man sitting beside sacks of dried red chilies in a market, illustrating Singapore experienced mass panic over shrinking genitals. TIL that Samoa is the country with the highest obesity rate in the world. More than 81% of the adults in the nation are obese.

    ModenaR , Eugene Nelmin Report

    Sally Moen
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Attributed to western food imports starting when colonization started in Samoa and other islands

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    #41

    TIL New York City used eminent domain to tear down a landlord's building but accidentally left his family with a small triangle of land. The city asked the family to donate the land, but the family instead made a small plaque to commemorate the tiny chunk of land they still owned, the Hess Triangle.

    Giff95 Report

    aubergine10003
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yup, it's in the West Village at the corner of Christopher and 7th Avenue

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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #42

    TIL that medical students dissected the donated body of a 78-year-old man only to discover that he had three p*nises. The two extra p*nises were small, nonfunctional, and completely concealed within his scrotum, so it’s possible he lived his entire life without knowing his anatomy was different.

    Vegetable-Orange-965 Report

    #43

    TIL that the bacterium devastating millions of olive trees in Italy, causing over €5.5 billion in annual damages, has been traced back to a single infected coffee plant imported from Costa Rica in 2008.

    Famous_Put3229 Report

    Hugo
    Community Member
    2 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Is that why olive oil has become so expensive? I use rapeseed oil, which has a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

    #44

    TIL that in 1964, performance artist Dorothy Podber asked to “shoot” Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe paintings. Believing she wanted to photograph them, Warhol agreed - until she drew a gun and fired. One damaged “Shot Marilyn” sold in 2022 for $195M, a 20th-century art auction record.

    Upstairs_Drive_5602 Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She was banished from Warhol's studio for life. He tried to repair the four paintings she shot, but ironically the damage actually made them far more valuable. They are known as the "Shot Marilyns".

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    #45

    TIL the Navy built a 300-foot ice cream barge in WW2 that made 10 gallons every 7 minutes to boost morale in the Pacific.

    SimpleWire Report

    Khavrinen
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The story, on "Tasting History": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qiyo8D0nH70

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    #46

    TIL the oldest bones found in Antarctica belonged to an indigenous woman from Chile who died in her early 20s. Found on a beach, it's estimated she came to Antarctica between 1819 and 1825. There are no surviving documents explaining how or why a young woman came to be in Antarctica during this era.

    CupidStunt13 Report

    Mel in Georgia
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Maybe she was adrift in a boat?

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    #47

    Plate of Salisbury steak covered in mushroom gravy served with mashed potatoes garnished with parsley TIL that James H. Salisbury, the inventor of Salisbury steak, was an early proponent of germ theory and invented his steak to prevent diarrhea.

    “He believed vegetables and starchy foods produced poisonous substances in the digestive system which were responsible for heart disease, tumors, mental illness and tuberculosis.”

    EPWilk , Girlinnjtraffic Report

    AP
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Seeing the word "diarrhea" matched with this picture... O.o

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    #48

    TIL that Josephine Baker adopted 12 children of all skin colors, creating what she referred to as her “rainbow tribe” and her “experiment in brotherhood.” The children were all brought up in accordance with their heritage and the religions that Baker assigned to them.

    yooolka Report

    LakotaWolf (she/her)
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Baker wanted to prove that "children of different ethnicities and religions could still be brothers." She often took the children with her cross-country, and when they were at Château des Milandes, she arranged tours so visitors could walk the grounds and see how natural and happy the children were in the Rainbow Tribe. Her estate featured hotels, a farm, rides, and the children singing and dancing for the audience. She charged an admission fee to visitors who entered and partook in the activities, which included watching the children play. She created dramatic backstories for them, picking them with clear intent in mind: at one point, she wanted and planned to adopt a Jewish baby, but she settled for a non-Jewish French one. She also raised them in different religions in order to further her model for the world, taking two children from Algeria and raising one child as a Muslim and raising the other child as a Catholic. One member of the Tribe, Jean-Claude Baker, said: "She wanted a doll".

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    #49

    Scientist in lab coat and mask analyzing data on computer screen related to Singapore experienced mass panic facts. TIL 12-14% of people are thought to have borderline intellectual function, somewhere between disabled and average.

    Icedcoffeenweed4life , CDC Report

    #50

    Vintage engraving showing figures with animal heads in formal attire around an open book, reflecting themes of mass panic in Singapore. TIL that before secret ballots were introduced in 1872, the UK kept publicly-available 'poll books' for each election which recorded how each man voted. This information was not only used by politicians to identify swing voters, but also by bosses and landlords to influence their employees/tenants.

    lappy482 , ecppec Report

    TotallyNOTAFox
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Connections to current developments regarding online identification laws are purely coincidental....

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    #51

    TIL after hearing her employer and lover who admired the Marquis de Sade claim that a woman couldn't write an erotic novel; writer Anne Desclos wrote one that was both massively successful and caused the government to pursue obscenity charges because of the sadomasochistic themes therein.

    MajesticBread9147 Report

    See Also on Bored Panda
    #52

    Close-up of scattered US one-dollar bills representing financial topics related to Singapore experienced mass panic. TIL Bloom was a secretary for 67 years who had amassed a secret fortune of $9 million by copying boss' investments.

    TitaniumArse , Alexander Grey Report

    Mimi M
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nothing shady about that, just good sense.

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    #53

    TIL When Kentucky Fried Chicken first entered the Chinese market in the 1980s, its slogan "It's finger lickin' good!" was mistranslated as "Eat your fingers off." The error was later corrected.

    AlabamaHotcakes Report

    Toothless Feline
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A lot of Western businesses moving into China in that era had poorly translated slogans, because they went cheap on translators. Context? What’s “context”?

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    #54

    TIL Surpassing his father's liking for alcohol and cigars, Randolph Churchill consumed 80–100 cigarettes and up to two bottles of whisky per day for 20 years. He died aged 57.

    nick9000 Report

    sofacushionfort
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    After Randolph had a benign tumor removed, Evelyn Waugh said “Leave it to modern medical science to cut out of Randolph the only thing that was not malignant.”

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    #55

    TIL in The Office the characters Toby, Ryan and Kelly were located in “the annex” because those actors were also head writers for the show. Not requiring them in the background for scenes that did not directly involve their characters allowed them to attend to other off-camera responsibilities.

    iamveryDerp Report

    I am John
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In the American version of the Office... Just saying.

    #56

    TIL that men stop buying underwear during tough economic times, making it a nifty leading indicator for recession.

    zahrul3 Report

    Michael Largey
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Recessions always catch people with their pants down.

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    #57

    TIL that in 2008 humans sent a message to the planet Gilese 581c. It will arrive in 2029. If life on the planet responds, we would first hear back from them in 2050.

    thetacticalpanda Report

    #58

    TIL in 1994 Jim Carrey became first actor to headline three number one movies at the box office in the same year with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber.

    BDWG4EVA Report

    #59

    TIL that the abandoned Central State Hospital, formerly known as the Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum, is surrounded by 25,000 unmarked graves.

    tinycole2971 Report

    Mimi M
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How much sadness must have been there.

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    #60

    TIL deaf British and deaf Americans can't understand each other's signs.

    AeronGrey Report

    StPaul9
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    American Sign Language was based on French Sign Language, so they are quite remarkably similar.

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    #61

    TIL that in the 1900 Summer Olympics, the Dutch team recruited a young boy from the crowd to be their coxswain. He ran off after the team won and his identity remains unknown.

    notathrowaway1707 Report

    Khavrinen
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Here's a video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2RiyuCFARI ) about how bonkers the 1900 Olympics was, including the story of this boy ( at around 9 1/2 minutes in ). In the comments, someone says that in 2016 he was identified as Giorgi Nikoladze, and there's an article about him on the Olympic World Library website.

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    See Also on Bored Panda
    #62

    TIL in 2023 a teenager attending a Danish prince's birthday party at the palace intentionally left her shoe behind, hoping for an ending à la Cinderella. Later, the palace posted a picture of the shoe on Instagram. Part of the caption translates to: "Is it Cinderella who forgot her shoe last night?"

    Forward-Answer-4407 Report

    Chaos Pandas Unite
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Bold (if also tricksy) to try the ‘leave behind’ strategy.

    #63

    McDonald's restaurant lit at dusk in Singapore, relating to experienced mass panic over shrinking genitals topic. TIL the founder of McDonald's Japan, Den Fujita, stated "if we eat McDonald's hamburgers and potatoes for a thousand years we will become taller, our skin become white, and our hair blonde" as part of his strategy to sell McDonald's in Japan.

    The statement he used:
    "The reason Japanese people are so short and have yellow skins is because they have eaten nothing but fish and rice for two thousand years... if we eat McDonald's hamburgers and potatoes for a thousand years we will become taller, our skin become white, and our hair blonde."

    nuttybudd , Boshoku Report

    TotallyNOTAFox
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't think that's how it works....

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    #64

    TIL that “Shanghaiing” was the practice in the 18th and 19th centuries of kidnapping men to become sailors on board ships, due to laws that imprisoned people for leaving a ship before the voyage was done.

    After_Break_5140 Report

    #65

    TIL about Dudeism. A modern form of Taoism, stripped of its metaphysical and medical doctrines, that emerged from the cult classic The Big Lebowski. It advocates for “going with the flow”, “being cool headed”, & “taking it easy” in the face of life’s difficulties.

    Scooba06 Report

    #66

    TIL that a man broke into the Buckingham Palace twice in a month and the alarm was set off but dismissed as false alarm both times.

    zyl1024 Report

    Chaos Pandas Unite
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Do we know what he did in there? Steal stuff or something more whimsical, like hold a pretend tea party for himself while enjoying his favorite paintings?

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    #67

    Man in a shiny purple suit with a yellow shirt, sitting indoors with blue lighting and abstract decorations behind. TIL "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy was one of Michael Jackson's favorite songs. When he met Shaggy, he told him it sounded like a song he would write, which prompted Shaggy to quip, "So you be bangin', huh?"

    holyfruits Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love how so many innocent children heard this song and thought it was "bangin' on the bathroom door" meaning that they were locked in and banging on the door to be let out.

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    #68

    TIL in August 2007, 17-year-old George Hotz became the first person to remove the SIM lock on an iPhone. He then proceeded to trade the second (8GB) iPhone that he unlocked to Terry Daidone, the founder of CertiCell, for a Nissan 350Z and three more 8GB iPhones.

    tyrion2024 Report

    #69

    TIL about “Christine”, a mysterious person who repeatedly calls hairdressers across New Zealand and Australia and sets up appointments, which are always no-shows. “Christine” asks the hairdresser to describe, in great detail, various scenarios involving women getting their hair shaved or styled.

    Vegetable-Orange-965 Report

    #70

    TIL in 2011 a man survived an accident where he fell on the nozzle of a high pressure air hose, which pierced his left buttock & rushed air into his body at 100 pounds per square inch. He was inflated to twice his normal size with the air separating his fat from his muscles & compressing his heart.

    tyrion2024 Report

    #71

    TIL in 2016 the first adult great white shark (an 11.5-foot male) to ever be exhibited by an aquarium died after spending just 3 days in captivity.

    tyrion2024 Report

    See Also on Bored Panda
    #72

    TIL There was a naked man living in the crawl space of a 93 year old woman’s house for up to 6 months. He was discovered after the family kept hearing weird noises. He refused to come out for hours so the police finally had to use tear gas to get the man out from under the house.

    KomplicatedKay Report

    Bell-icose
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nuh uh. I left because I was sick of that place.

    #73

    TIL the owner of the WTC argued that the 9-11 attacks were 2 separate occurrences, and so therefore based on the contract terms, he deserved twice the insurance payout - the courts partially agreed and 9 of the 20 insurers had to pay double.

    MichiganCarNut Report

    les
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    typical billionaire move, they are all self centred azsholes

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    #74

    TIL the idea for Staples was born on July 4th, 1985 when its founder ran out of printer ribbon on the 4th of July and couldn’t find a single store open to buy any.

    nightspy1309 Report

    #75

    TIL a study followed thousands of people, both with & without OCD, from 1973-2020 & found that those with OCD died at an earlier average age than those without it by 9 years (69 v 78). People with OCD were 230% more likely to die earlier from unnatual causes & nearly 5x more likely to die by s**cide.

    tyrion2024 Report

    Bell-icose
    Community Member
    Premium
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Great. Now they have one more thing to worry about.

    #76

    Young woman with long dark hair and serious expression in a softly lit indoor setting, related to Singapore experienced mass panic. TIL after being signed to a record label at the age of 12, Aaliyah's uncle introduced her to R. Kelly who ended up being lead songwriter and producer of her debut album; Age Ain't Nothing but a Number.

    MajesticBread9147 , Blackground Records 2.0 Report

    #77

    TIL a California serial k**ler dubbed the “Tipster K**ler” would anonymously call a crime‑tip hotline after each of his m**ders—providing directions to his victims’ bodies so he could collect the reward.

    mrinternetman24 Report

    Miriam Insidecor
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How can you claim a reward if the tip is made anonymously?

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    #78

    TIL before becoming the first Xiongnu emperor, to be sure of his men's loyalty, Modu Chanyu commanded them first to shoot his favourite horse and one of his favourite wives. Any who refused were summarily e**cuted. He became emperor by ordering his men to m**der his father with arrows while hunting.

    gullydon Report

    Yrral Spavit
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why do people put up with massive d***s being in power? What is the attraction?

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    #79

    TIL: Enrique Iglesias's grandfather conceived a child who was born 7 months after he died, at age 90.

    zahrul3 Report

    Helen Rohrlach
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Do you want to hold the baby? Say hello to your uncle.

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    #80

    TIL Walt Disney’s last words were “Kurt Russell”.

    rsae_majoris Report

    Otto Katz
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Wrong - https://mouseplanet.com/walts-last-words-not-kurt-russell/3411/

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