Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Facts)
It’s the holiday season, and we understand that your brain might already be on vacation mode, pandas. But it’s still a great time to learn some fun facts!
Below, you’ll find a new batch of interesting information that’s recently been shared in the Today I Learned subreddit. From how long it takes to make a jellybean to which university has banned rock music, you’re sure to find something on this list that you’ve never heard before. So enjoy scrolling through, and don't forget to upvote the facts you’ll be sure to remember the next time you need to strike up a conversation at a party!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TIL Van Gogh's sister in law was behind Van Gogh’s posthumous success and fame, She dedicated her life to spreading his art and legacy after his death, She preserved and published his letters, organized and exhibited his paintings, wrote and translated articles and books about him.
AgingBull 1 year ago
Even members of Project Mayhem received a name after death
Load More Replies...
Leo Pot 1 year ago
Theo van Gogh - Vincents brother and biggest fan - died six months after Vincent. Only to have an income his widow Johanna started selling Vincents paintings; she sold 247 of them. Is was her son Vincent Willem who in 1962 sold the rest - including his drawings, letters, etc. - to the government of the Netherlands for the amount of about 16 million dollars. They formed the start of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
ninjaTrashPandaBoom 1 year ago
Yeah, that would have required a tiny amount of work researching her name and then adding it to the original Reddit post...way too much to ask!
Load More Replies...
Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
I studied art, love van Gogh... but this little gem, nope. I had no idea. What a wonderful person, and what an amazing job she did.
Riley Quinn 1 year ago
We're all familiar with the old saying, "behind a great man is a great woman" who will wither and die in obscurity.
David Paterson 1 year ago
Gauguin was a big fan of Van Gogh during his lifetime. One of the few.
RELATED:
#2
TIL the "ALS Icebucket Challenge" actually raised enough money to create treatments for the disease (that work). It wasn't just a social media trend that went nowhere.
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
I took part. It was summer and I live in the high desert so it was more refreshing than a hardship
Auntriarch 1 year ago
My sister in law did it, in full evening dress, using a champagne ice bucket. Then she drank the champagne. I love her to bits
Lauren Bridger 1 year ago
What this fact highlights a very real issue (of countless others) with healthcare in america. Medical corporations often get help financially to manufacture solutions for very real health issues. However that doesn't stop nor help with the cost of said treatment to patients. Whether it come from our taxes or donations they charge an exorbitant amount for them. Kinda like trickle down economics but for healthcare.
Kel_how 1 year ago
That's a really good (and sad) analogy -- trickle down healthcare.
Load More Replies...
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Sadly, the US government could probably have supplied the money by buying just one less jet or tank.
Tamra 1 year ago
The US military budget just got approved. Just shy of *one trillion dollars*. For one year. I try not to think about that too much, because I descend into rage. And that helps nothing.
Load More Replies...
Veronica Monell 1 year ago
I totally took part in this in 2013 for my step aunt! So glad to hear so much was donated!!
Bobby 1 year ago
I lost my aunt to ALS. We did this and we wrote letters to get right to try laws passed. She really campaigned for those laws, and it eventually happened, just not in time for her. I like to think she's looking down happy in the progress she could make for others
Bored Trash Panda 1 year ago
I lost my grandma to is back in 1999. Horrible disease.
Load More Replies...
#3
TIL in 1943, a US bomber over Germany was hit by explosive ordnance directly in the fuel tanks 11 times, but none exploded. After the shells were cut open, all were found to have no explosives in them, and one contained a note in Czech saying "This is all we can do for you now".
Sonja 1 year ago
Schindler's workers did similar things too. Schindler had several munition factories and his jewish workers which he got from the camps for forced labour sabotaged the munition to help the enemy win. He knew about it and did nothing. He made excuses for them against the party and constantly asked for more workers, blaming lack of workers for the bad quality of the munition. That way, he saved thousands of people from the concentration camps.
One legged Steve 1 year ago
I had a war era Browning HP 9mm that was made in occupied Belgium by forced/slave labor. The gun was in great shape on the outside, but the parts inside were very rough as compared to other, more recent examples of the pistol. Sabotage was a real thing back then and many of the pistols would fail very early and parts werent really sought after for repairs since it was war time. Firing pins seemed to be one of the main targets for sabotage. Not heat treating the firing pin resulted in broken pins. Many were also sabotaged to fail spectacularly to possibly kill or injure the one shooting the gun. These HP's were typically issued to SS officers as they were considered higher quality guns than the Lugers. When I shot this pistol, I made very low power loads, just enough to cycle the slide and load a new round. I was always nervous shooting it. My mind often wondered about those that were forced to make it and thousands like it. I also wondered if my gun had been used much in the war.
Load More Replies...
Mamza Paulse 1 year ago
wow. that's so moving. they risked so much. what if they had been caught
ninjaTrashPandaBoom 1 year ago
They would have been sent to a concentration camp or executed immediately. They were very brave and did what they could to help.
Load More Replies...
Rostit. . 1 year ago
One of the reasons the V1 and V2 were not more devastating to England was because of slave labor sabotage.
Ross Shaw 1 year ago
Author Stephen Ambrose said that in interviewing German and Allied veterans, he noticed that many of the Allies mentioned unexploded German ordnance, while Germans were amazed at the consistency and quality of Allied shells. Amrbose admitted it was anecdotal evidence but that it seemed to support the advantage of a free and enthusiastic (i.e. "not into sabotage") workforce.
Jennifer Mckinlay-Jones 1 year ago
I remember watching schindlers list when I was in high school and that movie is so hard to watch but I firmly believe it needs to be seen at least once what he did for the people right under the governments nose was incredible
#4
TIL that monkeys in Ethiopia have managed to "domesticate" wild wolves by helping them hunt small rodents. The wolves now coexist with (even baby!) monkeys without ever attacking them, instead going for smaller, harder-to-catch prey!
Amber_Moon 1 year ago
This sounds sweet and heart warming but it's not gonna be good when the monkeys decide to revolt and people are getting attacked by monkeys riding on wolves.
keyboardtek 1 year ago
Monkeys are already part of a rebellion. They write all Donald Trump's speeches and MAGA's propaganda.
Load More Replies...
Mamza Paulse 1 year ago
awww, can u picture a baby monkey playing with a baby wolf. cuuuuuuute
D. Pitbull 1 year ago
... so... the monkeys are starting on their way to have dog companions too? Oh boy.
Chewie Baron 1 year ago (edited)
Well they did kinda. Great Britain invaded in the 19th Century. Then Italy wanted a go at this empire malarkey, and they waltzed in in the 1930s. But that didn’t last long because, reasons.
Load More Replies...
#5
TIL an orangutan named Fu Manchu figured out how to escape his enclosure at a zoo by picking the lock on a door. He did it repeatedly for weeks as zoo staff was stumped about how and tried every measure to prevent it only to finally catch Fu Manchu in the act using a piece of wire he kept hidden.
FaceTime Audio 1 year ago (edited)
Orangutans are very smart and very patient. Wild orangutans have been observed leaving fruit out to ferment and then get drunk on later.
Downunderdude 1 year ago
His actual name was just Manchu. But his frustrated keepers kept saying 'F**k you, Manchu'.
Oddly Me 1 year ago
Well I would hope that after they found out, he was either granted more freedom, or more things to stimulate his brain.
Load More Replies...
Xenia Harley 1 year ago
Read The Parrot's Lament about animal intelligence. Pretty fascinating! Orangutans are known for being escape artists!
#6
TIL: In about six weeks a transplanted liver section will grow into a normal-sized, fully functioning liver in a recipient, while the donor’s remaining liver will regenerate to replace the transplanted section.
Zaphod 1 year ago
Yes please take care of yours. I did not and I would have died in 2022 if I did not have a transplant. I am so lucky to have a second chance.
Load More Replies...
Deborah B 1 year ago
It's important to note that both parts of the liver can "grow back" enough to have normal preformance, but neither has the same blood vessels and bile duct organisation as an original intact liver. A lot of the redundancy is also lost - having survived the trauma of the surgery once, the liver is less likely to be able to recover from a second major injury. This is why a donor can only donate liver one time, and a liver transplant recipient couldn't become a liver donor themself. The only way one donor can donate liver to two recipients is when a liver from a deceased donor is split between two recipients, with the second recipient getting the portion that a living donor would keep.
Starry starry night 1 year ago
Thanks for elaborating Deborah! I love have people comment and give extra information 👌
Load More Replies...
Aileen Grist 1 year ago
I had a slice taken off mine due to adhesions, the surgeon wasn't bothered he just said it'll grow back in a few weeks
WFH Forever 1 year ago
As a living kidney donor, I can tell you the kidney you keep actually GROWS BIGGER after you donate the other one. I am almost 21 years post?-donation and counting.
#7
TIL in 2019, basketball player DJ Cooper was suspended for two years after using his girlfriend's urine to attempt to cheat a drug test. The test "discovered" that he was pregnant.
Artsy Bookworm 1 year ago
I'm imagining the shock of the person who got the test results back 🤣
I heart Boo-BI-es 1 year ago
Surprise! Congrats you're expecting and also suspended. We wish you the best!
Jen Hart 1 year ago
Testicular cancer will turn a pregnancy test positive.
Load More Replies...
Clown fish 1 year ago (edited)
They don't they look at alot of stuff and it shows up high hCG. That's the hormone that shows women are pregnant. So there for, they know 1 it's a womans wee 2 that woman is pregnant. My old job did drug testing and I had to say if I was pregnant or ate anything with poppy seeds on. They told me I was pregnant before I miss my monthly. Oh and the reason they look for it is men take hCG to balance out if they have been taking more testosterone or steroids which are performance enhancement drug works better than LH which men make on their own
Load More Replies... 
Tucker Cahooter 1 year ago
Reminds me of Elaine using Mrs Seinfeld's urine to pass a drug test and being told she is menopausal
#8
TIL that the Nike logo was designed for 35$ but the company gifted the designer stock that is now worth millions because she held it all without selling.
Candid Panda 1 year ago
Good for her! I had always heard stories about it and felt bad that she was taken advantage of. Glad she finally got her due.
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
Carol Davidson. She was a student at Portland State University. She had a few options and Phil Knight choose the checkmark (as it was originally known). He didn’t like it, but he said he’ll get used to it. Back then the company was known as ‘Blue Ribbon Sports’. He wasn’t even keen on the name ‘Nike’, until he was told that she was the Greek goddess of victory. In Greece, it’s pronounced ni-key. The giant statue of Zeus, one of the 7 Ancient Wonders, a six foot tall statue of Nike stood on his right hand. Made of gold.
The_Nicest_Misanthrope 1 year ago
....for drawing a tick? Well, I'm in the wrong job, cleraly.
#9
TIL - Rammstein once played a concert in Hamburg, Germany and the physics department of the local university picked it up on their seismograph. They did not register the sound, but literally the shaking ground.
Gabrielle Susan 1 year ago
I live maybe 10 minutes from an outdoor music venue and 10 minutes from a stadium and the only time I've ever heard anything from either was a Rammstein concert.
MontanaMariner 1 year ago
I do my best to add relevant metal lyrics on the comments. Lots of Slayer and Megadeth recently.
Load More Replies...
I'm.Just.A.Girl 1 year ago
That happened in Seattle at a Taylor Swift concert recently.. although I'd rather go see Rammstein. 😁
Sergio Bicerra 1 year ago
When Perú's soccer team scored against New Zeland fir the playoffs of the 2018 world cup, a chilean sysmograph catched a 4.5 quake because of the celebration.
#10
TIL after getting LASIK surgery, Horace Grant continued to wear his signature goggles without the prescription in order to remain a positive influence so kids who needed glasses would think it's cool.
Mangelo Il Fumatori 1 year ago
TIL Drew Carey played basketball professionally. ;D
Load More Replies... 
juice 1 year ago
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTqxuo6SJh5-_mPOJrvrZEiDW8NmKzhRMxfFbr38pVtGQxO-3Z
Load More Replies...
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
UK weather presenter Ian McCaskill was famous for his glasses and kept wearing them to present the weather, even though he wore contacts most of the time. I was told this by his optician.
LauraDragonWench 1 year ago
I was the weird kid who liked my glasses and even envied my older sister having "tooth jewelry" - braces. When the dentist told me my teeth were perfect and wouldn't need braces, I cried. And I'm happy to say I'm still just as weird. 🤪
Josefa Izar 1 year ago
I had to wear Rec Specs as a kid on the basketball court. I remember thinking they didn't look so bad if pro players wore them. It's heartwarming to know that was his intention. 🥰
#11
TIL There was a study in Africa that showed that cows with large eye painted on their butts would not be attacked by ambush predators.
RamiRudolph 1 year ago
Would've been nice if BP had actually posted a pic of an African cow. They do look different than the European ones seen up there. bigstock-S...853552.jpg 
Dogcat vet (retired) 1 year ago
And don't farmers write 'cow' on their sides to avoid hunters thinking they are deer?
Lotekguy 1 year ago (edited)
Do googly eyes work? That would also make the milking and herding more fun.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago
That's also the reason why Tigers have a white point at the backside of their ears
Robert T 1 year ago (edited)
Which leads to the inevitable question - what predates tigers? And should we be afraid?
Load More Replies... 
Riley Quinn 1 year ago
Butterflies figured this out a while back. Several species have "eyes" on their wings to deter predators.
Isabel Care 1 year ago
People in areas at risk from ambush predators sometimes wear masks with faces on them on the back of their heads for the same reason
#12
TIL a New Zealand woman was detained in Kazakhstan because they did not believe New Zealand was a real country. When they asked her to show the country on a map, their map did not include New Zealand.
Dragon mama 1 year ago
A common failure in the map world, to the point that there are online communities that collect and share them with each other. I have a few examples somewhere in this dusty old camera roll....
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
News to me. How can you forget an entire country when you draw a map? That's like drawing a map of the USA and forgetting that one state. You know the one I'm talking about, right? The one that's kind of square and nobody lives there or actually wants to visit there.
Load More Replies...
Juliet Ware 1 year ago
I live in New Zealand and it's paradise . Come visit. You won't be disappointed
Pickle (they/she) 1 year ago
I was born there, but I moved to Australia when I was 4, so I don't remember much. I hope I get to visit NZ sometime in the future again.
Load More Replies...
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago
See Australia does exist - it's NZ that isn't real, geesh, people are always mixing us up🤣😜
Trillian 1 year ago
"This is my country of Kazakhstan. It locate between Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, and a******s Uzbekistan."
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
Too bad that they didn't have a map with them dating from before the break-up of the Soviet Union. They could have proved that the country Kazakhstan didn't exist either.
JessieJ&LilyLovebug 1 year ago
I never noticed this until I started watching some NZ YouTubers. It's ridiculous the more you think about it.
#13
TIL - One of the 8 Hawaiian islands, Ni’ihau, is known as The Forbidden Island. It’s privately owned, you can’t visit without an invitation, there were 84 residents in the 2020 census, and they live primitively, like their ancestors.
David Paterson 1 year ago
I think I saw a documentary segment on this. Not so much "primitively", more like subsistence farming. If it was the same island.
Riley Quinn 1 year ago (edited)
Soooo, subsistence farming is living primitively. Huh. Sounds to me like they are far more advanced than all of us non-primitives.
Load More Replies...
Courtney Smith 1 year ago
The island was bought by a Scottish woman in the late 1800s and is a private residence for her descendants. This island was stolen by white people and is still kept from indigenous Hawaiians. I am deeply disappointed at this level of outright lying on BP.
Bored Trash Panda 1 year ago (edited)
It was actually bought by the Robinson family, from New Zealand, in 1864 and the people living on the island are mostly of Hawaiian Decent or some Robinson family. The Robinsons made the island private so the Hawaiians could live there with limited exposure to the outside world. And the population is over 250 now. I used to live on Oahu and heard about the island and looked it up cause it sounded interesting.
Load More Replies...
rullyman 1 year ago
Weirdly enough, when I lived on Big Island (Hawaii, Hawaii), I remember going on a roadtrip through the middle and thinking it looked just like Wales. There's echoes of different lands all over the world.
Load More Replies...
Major Harris 1 year ago
a japanese pilot crash landed there after attacking pearl harbor. at first he was hidden by a couple of locals hid him. local law enforcement figured out where he was hidden and a shoot out ensued ending with the japanese pilot being killed.
John George 1 year ago
They're all descended from the crew & passengers (4 men, 3 women) of a shipwrecked pleasure cruise.
#14
TIL: There are virtually zero commercial planes that fly over Tibet, one of the reasons being that in the event of depressurization/engine failure, planes cannot descend to 10,000 feet because the Tibetan Plateau has an average elevation of 14,370 feet.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Same issue flying north to south over the Rockies or the Andes. No flights there either.
rullyman 1 year ago
I wouldn't want to fly over the Andes in general. We know what happens to people who crash there 🦴😋
Load More Replies...
Verena 1 year ago
This is not a commercial flight as meant in the post but dedicated sightseeing.
Load More Replies... Paul Gerrard 1 year ago
Its also far too turbulent and also dangerous as any descent can lead to blocked paths where ridges join. During Ww2 the special path via china had to be used to ensure crew safety. Munitions and aircraft ferrying to china to fight japan all flown that way
Travelling Stranger 1 year ago
3,048 and 4,380 metres, respectively, for the more normal part of the world
#15
TIL The Hollywood sign was rebuilt after a successful campaign in 1978 by Alice Cooper. He was one of 9 donators to replace each letter. He bought the first "O" in memory of Groucho Marx.
beccabootie 1 year ago
Alice Cooper is the only star I would love to meet.
Load More Replies...
David Paterson 1 year ago
Is it true that it's illegal to take photographs of the Hollywood sign? I heard it somewhere but find it impossible to believe.
Muppet 1 year ago
You can take a photo of it for personal use. You just can't monetize the photo (e.g. - put your photo on a t-shirt and sell it commercially, etc.), without possibly running into legal troubles. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce holds the trademark for this sign (snd the walk of fame stars).
Load More Replies... 
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
"In 1978, the Hollywood Sign was in a sad state, so rock legend Alice Cooper spent $27,000 to buy an “O” to honor his friend Groucho Marx. Other celebs followed."
Load More Replies...
I_imagine_even_worse_w***s 1 year ago
I read somewhere it was actually Hugh heffer that was instrumental in saving the sign.
JL 1 year ago
He held the auction at the Playboy mansion to raise the money - https://www.hollywoodsign.org/history-timeline
Load More Replies... Magnifico Giganticus (it) 1 year ago
I texted my sister a photo of Alice Cooper in a Santa suit on Christmas. I wrote "Merry Alice and a Happy Coop Year!" We love him.
#16
TIL tennis balls used to be black and white, but changed to yellow for TV viewers thanks to David Attenborough's suggestion.
Ace 1 year ago
To clarify - David Attenborough was the "controller" of BBC2 at the time, when it was the first European TV station broadcasting in colour. The early cameras weren't great and yellow showed up a lot better than the dull white of previous balls. For more about the great man, read https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/nine-astonishing-ways-david-attenborough-shaped-your-world/z4k2kmn
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
David Attenborough was also instrumental in the popularisation of broadcasting snooker on the new colour TVs, which took snooker for the clubs and snooker halls to the mainstream. He also produced the Queen’s Christmas Message for 20 years, and he gave the green light for Monty Python to be produced.
Load More Replies...
Jen Mart 1 year ago
I remember they did it with a televised effect for awhile and people hated it
Load More Replies...
Nikki Sevven 1 year ago
All I can hear is The Voice: "In its natural state, the tennis ball is black and white. It's only during their mating season that the male takes on a neon chartreuse coloration so that the female can find him."
Doodles1983 1 year ago
Yellow is easier to see for all but for people with sight issues, black text on yellow background is being used in all sorts of ways. Eye clinics. Leaflets. To define stairs.
SxS 1 year ago
This can't be right. They were yellow in 1962. Color TV didn't become widespread in the US until the late 1960s
Daniel Atkins 1 year ago
According to this article Wembleton used white until 1986. https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-features/how-tennis-changed-from-white-to-yellow-tennis-balls-thanks-to-david-attenborough
Load More Replies...
#17
TIL the largest air force in the world is the US Air Force. The second largest air force in the world is the US Navy.
MontanaMariner 1 year ago
For it's first 30-40 years, the Air Force was a sector of the Army. It was literally called the Army Air Force.
Load More Replies...
Laughing Orc (he / him / orc) 1 year ago
Okay but why does that aircraft look like a beluga whale?
David Paterson 1 year ago (edited)
That's a good question. It's unmanned so doesn't need a cockpit. The nose is big to carry a big warhead. And the miniature jet engine that powers is doesn't have to be as long as the whole craft. The wings are long and straight because it's well subsonic in flight. Overall it's as adaption of the German Doodlebug - Buzz Bomb - V-1 of the second world war. You can see the similarities.
Load More Replies...
Pandapoo 1 year ago
I know you meant flying, but the frying is hilarious.
Load More Replies...
Kevin Hickey 1 year ago
This factoid will cheer me up while I'm paying $10,000 for an ambulance ride.
LauraDragonWench 1 year ago
I'm not sure why this is a surprising or even unknown fact: we spend, like, $.95 of every dollar on our (thoroughly over bloated) military power. (And I'm estimating the amount, but I know it's a s**t-ton that could be spent on literally any other facet of our infrastructure, from education to healthcare and beyond.)
JessieJ&LilyLovebug 1 year ago
Another factoid: China is claiming it has the largest Navy, however, they include their Coast Guard fleet within their Navy. The U.S.A. does not, its Coast Guard is its own separate fleet and force.
#18
TIL Abercrombie & Fitch’s "Appearance/Look Policy" required staff to buy the company’s clothes. After losing a lawsuit, they agreed "not to force workers to buy its clothes" and to reimburse former employees for purchases made during the period cited.
MrPractical 1 year ago
If the company wants staff to show off their clothes, they should provide them.
Kat-Renee Kittel 1 year ago
Exactly. Department clothing stores that I worked for such as Macy's and JCPenney give employees a discount so they would have an incentive to buy the clothes. Expensive places like Abercrombie & Fitch could easily provide them.
Load More Replies... Lauren Bridger 1 year ago
Abercrombie has a long way to go before they should be considered an ethical, reasonable company.
Pittsburgh rare 1 year ago
Is still in business? I thought it went out after the documentary. There are no A&F stores where I live,, so l don't keep track of ithem.
Load More Replies...
Ausrine Ciapaite 1 year ago
Where is it? Because when I worked in the UK they were forcing employees to do that in many clothing shops. Additionally the employer was entitled to make ladies to wear heels during the shift and only the doctor's note could excuse you. I hope that has changed by now
Black Cat 1 year ago
Being made to wear heels if you have to stand all day is just torture. I thought it was bad enough that in supermarkets the checkout operators can't sit down. Like who would care that they're sitting down?
Load More Replies... Chewie Baron 1 year ago
The Netflix documentary about the previous CEO of A&F is a good watch.
Lady Gypsy Rain 1 year ago
Years ago, I had a clerk at Cato Fashion tell me they had the same requirement for their staff. Don’t know if it’s still the same but they basically wanted the customers to only see their brand on the employees.
CatScratch Beaver 1 year ago
The amount of greed shown by these businesses & the fact that we allow them to keep operating, is astonishing.
Papa 1 year ago
If any company requires you to spend your money to work there, you should should take it as a red flag. (An exception would be for trades where it's common for employees to provide their own hand tools, such as carpenters and mechanics.). My daughter briefly worked at a restaurant located at a winery. The servers were required to buy company brand wine openers. It was not a good place to work.
#19
TIL that following the success of the 90s hit film, "the Bodyguard", Kevin Costner contacted his longtime friend, Princess Diana, to star in a sequel. She agreed. The first draft arrived the day before her death in 1997. Following her passing, the film was scrapped.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
Too bad she couldn't teach him a British accent. (I'm joking. I liked Prince of Thieves. And the notion that anyone with a modern British accent sounds more like a 12th century Brit than any American is nonsense.)
Load More Replies...
Joshua David 1 year ago
I loved that she wanted to have MJ sing Dirty Diana but he removed the song out of respect for her. That would've been EPIC.
Nikki Sevven 1 year ago
Being American, I'm not much of a royalist, but I admired Princess Diana and I think she would have smashed the role of a sexy pop star.
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
This is true. I wouldn’t call them longtime friends, that bit is a bit of a stretch. But, the idea of her being in a sequel is indeed fact. It was met with some bafflement in the British press, but whether she could act, I’ll leave that for you all to answer.
Load More Replies... #20
TIL: While many animals run faster than humans, the strength and positioning of our butts (gluteal muscles) gave humans the endurance to keep running and chasing prey when other animals had to stop.
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
Related: many herbivores will only run a relatively short distance before they stop and attempt to hide.
Fora Nakit 1 year ago
And then our brain kicks in to figure out where it hides.
Load More Replies...
Suutashi 1 year ago
One more thing: a human's unique anatomy also makes them excellent at throwing things accurately for long distances; better than any other animal in existence. This skill combined with a human's endurance, ability to make and use tool and overall intelligence make humans possibly one of the most dangerous and successful hunters on the planet.
Alex Martin 1 year ago
It's also why they believe we are relatively hairless and stand upright. Both adaptations would make humans better hunters. A hairless ape would stay cooler when running long distances and an upright ape can run more efficiently and see over the grasses of the African savanna. Both adaptations would lead to successful hunting and that species would survive to reproduce.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago
No, it makes you able to run for longer times than the usual prey
Load More Replies...
Ian Webling 1 year ago
Another significant advantage is the ability sweat which prevents overheating.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
It's more to do with the fact that our lungs aren't restricted by our forelimbs having to hit the ground. That's what made dinosaurs such horrifying predators: bipedalism.
David MacLuna 1 year ago
Yet one more thing that majorly affects our edge as endurance hunters: perspiration. Being able to sweat as efficiently as we do keeps us cooler- and thus less fatigued - far longer than our prey. Especially in the modern era, when much of our prey is found in shrink wrap and snack bags.
#21
TIL: Many choking deaths happen in bathrooms. It turns out that people who start choking often feel embarrassed and rush to the bathroom for privacy, only to end up dying alone, often next to a toilet.
EP 1 year ago
This is alarming… I did just that the last time I was coughing bc I was choking on food going down the wrong pipe. Everyone was staring af me coughing so hard so I ran into the bathroom out of embarrassment. I could still breathe so it’s not exactly the same. But I can definitely see how this is true considering I felt like I had to remove myself due to the stares!!
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
I nearly choked to death in prison. My friend and I were eating, and a bite of bread completely covered my trachea, and it was damp enough to seal. I couldn't get any air at all. I elbowed my friend. She started patting me on the back, which wasn't going to help. With no breath, I couldn't talk or scream, so I started banging my lunch tray on the table. Someone at the next table said, "Oh look, she's choking." The staff noticed at the same time, and one of them came running. He couldn't get his arms around me well enough, but the second staff member did. A thrust or two, and the seal broke. The bread went flying, and I started coughing. Scary as all get out. The worst part? It was my birthday.
James Peek 1 year ago
I enjoy a lot of your stories Shyla, but this has happened to me, so I can relate. Very scary!
Load More Replies...
David 1 year ago
I suspect it isn't just embarrassment. If you have something stuck in your throat you are often trying to cough it up. A convenient place to hork up some food and spit, sometimes by sticking your finger down your throat, is over a toilet. I used to have a problem with my throat. I have choked a number of times and never died. My point being - I think many of those folks don't expect to die. They often likely think they are just going to spit up in the toilet.
EvilNob 1 year ago
Thank you for clarifying that you, in fact, did not die. ❤️
Load More Replies... 
EvilNob 1 year ago
This entire "fact" is wrong. Choking people feel mostly terrified and not embarrassed. And the main reason for the bathroom is not the privacy, but because they think that they will be able to womit. And guess what the best place for it is. The second one is the sink or bin in the kitchen. And yes. I already saved choking People.
David Paterson 1 year ago (edited)
It's not just embarrassment. I was choking due to anaphylaxis and the washbasin water washed the allergens from my throat so I recovered instantly. At other times washing and swallowing dislodge or soften the plug.
whiterabbit 1 year ago
People do the same thing if they think they're going to pass out. I work in an outpatient surgery center, I've seen the driver of many patients pass out over the years. We have a rule not to let them use the restroom if they're starting to look pale and panicked. I also had a new coworker who kept passing out when she was scrubbed in, made it to the bathroom one of the times, sat on the toilet and passed out. Ended up busting her forehead on the granite floor and got a concussion.
IMHO 1 year ago
Quick Tip: If you're taking a pill(s) keep a cup of hot coffee or tea handy. If it gets lodged in your throat try to swallow something hot to melt the capsule quickly and send it on it's way.
David 1 year ago
A trick for folks who have trouble swallowing certain pills is to take them with food. A bite of banana works really well but so does mostly any bite of food chewed up until ready to swallow. Then put the food in your mouth and 'smoosh' it with your tongue so the pills are coated in food. Then swallow the whole thing. The food helps the pills slide down / avoid that dry spot catching in your throat thing. If taking with water - swallow a sip of water just prior to the pills so your throat is wet. Insert more water, then pills, then 'swish' the pills real quick in your mouth so pills are also wet, then swallow. Both methods work well for me - food one works better.
Load More Replies... Lady Gypsy Rain 1 year ago
Makes mental note. While choking try to be around someone who could save you. Or better yet,, ASAP take a Red Cross course on the Heimlich maneuver and CPR so you can learn how to give yourself the Heimlich maneuver. Life saving Personal experience talking now. I have a yet to be diagnosed with any name neurological issue that, causes me to not be able to fully swallow more frequently than healthy people would ever believe. 1. Don’t panic 2. If you can still breathe, you are not in need of outside assistance. Yet. 3. Do not hesitate to give yourself the Heimlich maneuver. Even if you can still breathe as it may help to dislodge the food. 4. If that fails or you are hesitant, again. Only if you’re still able to breathe, try a drink of any beverage of choice. That can often help get the stuck items to finally move on down. 5. If you CANNOT breathe, & you’ve been trained in administering the Heimlich maneuver on yourself, do NOT hesitate. Give yourself the maneuver immediately
Lady Gypsy Rain 1 year ago (edited)
6. If you are unsuccessful or not trained and cannot breathe, know the international sign of distress is to place both of your hands, arms crossed, around your throat as if you are trying to throttle yourself. USE IT. 7. If in restaurants, there is often someone on shift that knows the Heimlich maneuver. Your server could end up being the one to save your life. Never hesitate to signal for help if you are not able to breathe. This is so important. Make large sweeping motions with your arms and stand up if you are having difficulty getting the attentions of others. Seriously, I have saved my own life a few times by administering the Heimlich maneuver to myself. And now my mother has Parkinson’s and also has difficulty swallowing. If you want to be able to help others in distress, taking those Red Cross classes is massively important. &, if like me, you live alone, it’s so important to know how to administer to yourself. & when to recognize you or someone else is in serious trouble
Load More Replies...
Mary Kelly 1 year ago
my sister gave someone who was choking in her work cafeteria, and the woman was furious with my sister for embarrassing her b/c she vomited as the food was expelled...luckily her coworkers were like, "imagine how embarrassing it would have been to choke to death our of pride"
#22
TIL frankincense and myrrh are the dried sap of trees, also known as resin.
David Paterson 1 year ago
The original test is Zoroastrian in origin and is described in detail by Marco Polo. A baby is offered gold, frankincense and myrrh. If they choose Gold then they're going to be a king. If they choose Frankincense then they're going to be a priest. If they choose Myrrh then they're going to be a doctor. A good fortune telling gig. Obviously, the gifts are not left with the baby. In other news, Frankincense in that time came from a tree that grew in Oman and Yemen. I have used a middle eastern toothpaste flavoured with Myrrh rather than peppermint. I do not recommend it.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
The "system of checks and balances" in ancient Israel was between priest, prophet and king. The lamentations of the latter great prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.) were often that the institutional priests and prophets were corrupted by the king, through his usurpation of the ability to tax (Ever wonder the real meaning of 666, the number of the Beast? Solomon's tax amounted 666 talents.) Gold, frankincense and myrrh were used to assert that Jesus was priest, prophet AND king. The four gospels represent the four roles of Jesus: priest, prophet, king, and servant.
Load More Replies...
Chewie Baron 1 year ago (edited)
More effective by someone shouting “BE QUIET SUSAN!!!!” at random people.
Load More Replies...
Ryan Mercer 1 year ago (edited)
There's a travel guide show, can't think of the name, that went and visited a rare frankincense farm deep in the Mesopotamian desert. There was nothing but a small hut, a few scraggly sapling sized bushes dotted about, and one grizzled old man who looked like he was there when the story of Bethlehem happened. He was collecting the sap by hand and acted like these were the first people he had seen since the crucifixion.
Snakebite Mcghee 1 year ago
Myrrh is also antiseptic, which is probably why they put it in the toothpaste
Michelle C 1 year ago
I knew that myrrh was often used in embalming and otherwise preparing bodies during the burial process. I did not know that myrrh has antiseptic properties.
Load More Replies...
Greg Baughman 1 year ago
Myrrh can be a dried resin, it can also be a liquid fragrance, flavoring... Most likely, in the "Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh" story, the Myrrh was a liquid to cool/relieve... while the frankincense was an incense.
#23
TIL when Greece won its independence in 1822, Athens was reduced to a small village of 4,000 inhabitants that had faded into irrelevance over centuries. It was selected as the capital for historical and sentimental reasons. The city is now the largest in Greece with over 3 million inhabitants
Michael Largey 1 year ago
If Athens had disappeared entirely, how would the British Museum know where to go to steal stuff?
Minou the Cat 1 year ago
The first capital of Greece after it won its independence was the island of Aegina and a few years later, the city of Nafplio. Athens became the capital in 1834.
Jennifer Mckinlay-Jones 1 year ago
I was just there for vacation in the fall and no pictures out there fully capture the beauty of acropolis and the Parthenon. I learned so much about the history that was not taught in the schools in the USA
#24
TIL America had over 50,000 pay toilets in 1970 but by 1980, there were almost none. Four teenagers formed the Committee to End Pay Toilets in America. Chicago became the first major American city to ban pay toilets altogether in March of 1973.
Li’l E. 1 year ago
I would prefer to have pay toilets in my (American) city. Instead we have no public toilets at all, which is worse.
JessieJ&LilyLovebug 1 year ago (edited)
NC has a law that if your business serves the public, you must have a publicly accessible toilet. It's been on the books for maybe 10 years.
Load More Replies...
Katy McMouse 1 year ago
Maybe we need teenagers running the House and Senate, seeing as how the current bunch of toddlers are doing such a c**p job.
Load More Replies... Kat-Renee Kittel 1 year ago (edited)
I still remember pay toilets being in department stores in the 70s. I just crawled underneath if I didn't have a coin. Kmart had pay toilets in the 70s.
Nonnie Bear 1 year ago
I remember the airports having pay toilets in the 70's. My sister was so small (she was about 5yo) she would crawl under door & get into paid stall, then let me in there. I have distinct memories of her doing this when we'd go to airport as children.
Load More Replies...
Amy Dunaway 1 year ago (edited)
Actually actress Elizabeth Taylor is one of the reasons pay toilets don't exist anymore in the US. Her and her husband senator John Warner from Virginia were on the way to a reception at the governor's mansion. She had to pee. They stopped several places but nobody had change for a pay toilet. She ends up going to the governor's mansion and past them to the first bathroom. Her husband later brought legislation up in the in the Senate about it. I read about it in a recent biography of her that was in The last 5 years.
Paul Macdonell 1 year ago
Was it a big win though ? Now there are fewer public washrooms. You get what you pay for.
Zaphod 1 year ago (edited)
Soon the airlines will charge you to use the toilet. They charge for everything else.
ninjaTrashPandaBoom 1 year ago
And for the low low price of $5 you can get a few small squares of toilet paper as well.
Load More Replies... David 1 year ago
The last pay toilet I used was in I think the late 70s, possibly early 80s. Greyhound bus station in I think downtown Seattle. IIRC it was 10 cents. A different BP thread a while back said the reason they got outlawed in the USA was over a lawsuit claiming they discriminated against women since women always needed a stall but men could use free urinals if they only had to pee. I have no idea if that ties in to the four teenagers mentioned above.
gijeff58 1 year ago
I like the pay toilets that are in Germany, for the most part they are spotless.
Suby 1 year ago
Yes, and the ones on the Autobahn even give you a voucher for most of your money back when you buy something.
Load More Replies...
E. Hamilton 1 year ago
Pay toilets are super common all over Europe in various capacity. Some in subways, some in the streets. The cost is low and covers the maintenance. Cost goes up as maintenance cost goes up. More importantly, cost goes down when maintenance cost goes down. Something America has never learned.... Cost can go down...
#25
TIL that the "seductive nature" of the Green M&M is a reference to an urban legend during the 1970s that green M&Ms were aphrodisiacs.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
My mom liked the green ones best. We gave her bags of just green for presents.
Maebe Maeve 1 year ago
I'm guessing it was from the old television commercial where a boy is playing baseball with his teammates. He's saying how different colors of M&Ms get him to different bases. He says something like "With the green ones, I hit the ball dowwwwwntowwwwwn".
Load More Replies... Candid Panda 1 year ago
I thought it had something to do with rock bands requesting green MandM's backstage.
Ryn 1 year ago
A lot of entertainment contracts contain(ed) wording like that as a way to test if anyone actually read the contract language. (I don’t know why that would necessarily matter…)
Load More Replies... JessieJ&LilyLovebug 1 year ago
It was still an urban legend when I was in HS in the 90's and very early 00's .
Laura Williams 1 year ago
Yep green m&m's supposedly made you hòrnèy. Still going strong in late 80's.
#26
TIL about 'The Campaign for North Africa' - a board game published in 1978 that is estimated to take 62 days to play. The game includes 1,600 counters and the level of detail is such that Italian troops require additional water supplies in order to boil pasta.
ЛеснойКороль(they/he)🇺🇦🇷🇺 1 year ago
this sounds like something my family would pull out at gatherings and say “oh it won’t take that long at all”
John Nelson 1 year ago
Avalon Hill published a bunch of tabletop military games like that, some of them, like Squad Leader, are still being played today but hard to find. They started to decline in popularity when computer versions like West Front came out so an opponent was no longer needed, and you didn't have to spend hours sorting through all those cardboard tiles and setting up the scenarios. They also evolved into tabletop games using miniatures, eventually inspiring games like MechWarrior and in a way, the use of miniatures for D&D, etc. I had most of the Squad Leader set back in the day!
Stevo 1 year ago
I mean, the longest D&D game on record has been going on for almost 39 years now...give some nerds dice and rules and we're happy forever.
BJ Hage 1 year ago
Forget to give us the rules and we happily make up our own
Load More Replies... 
Amy Dunaway 1 year ago
I would never survive that. I don't have the patience for Twilight imperium. At a local gaming con they set it up and they play for 2 days.
#27
TIl that citizens of Monaco are banned from gambling or working at casinos. The famed Monte Carlo Casino is strictly for foreigners only.
Sum Guy 1 year ago
In a country with 39 000 people and only 8000 are actually Monegasque citizens, I guess there other 79% of the population
Load More Replies...
David 1 year ago
I visited this casino in the 80s. Worth a look if you are ever in Monaco. I'm not a big casino fan but it was still fun. SUCH a different vibe than the Vegas casinos. "Less glitter and bosoms / More class and tuxedos". It sort of felt like you were on the set of a James Bond movie.
Colin Matthews 1 year ago
My father was in Monaco with a military posting many years ago. He watched a man hit an individual number on the roulette wheel twice in succession & walk away. Staggering odds
gijeff58 1 year ago
Unrelated to the OP but I was there in 1987 on our honeymoon and played a slot machine there, it rang and buzzed and apparently I hit the jackpot. A maitre d' attended my machine, inserted a key and everything was reset, he wrote a number on a peice of paper and handed it to me which I handed it to the cashier. I got a large amount of money, enough to spend the rest of our time at the Hotel. To this day I could have won millions but whatever because I don't know what the payout was for that machine and being in the military and not french.
#28
TIL that the Milky Way Galaxy is being pulled toward a mysterious area in space called "The Great Attractor" at about 6000km/s. Whatever it is, we can't see it from Earth because it's obscured the hub of our galaxy.
David Paterson 1 year ago
We collide with the Andromeda galaxy in four billion years.
Load More Replies...
David Paterson 1 year ago
The weirdest thing that I know about the Great Attractor is that it's almost perfectly aligned with the Sun's revolution around the Milky Way and almost identical in magnitude to the Sun's speed in orbit around the Milky Way. (The probability of that must be astronomical).
#29
TIL the director of Captain Phillips didn't allow Tom Hanks and Actors playing somali pirates to meet before filming the movie, so that the pirates can terroize Tom and his crew and create a realistic tension and hostility between them.
DJR 1 year ago
Also, don't travel with Matt Damon. The US taxpayers have spent billions of dollars retrieving him over and over.
Load More Replies...
Danielle 1 year ago
I've never seen the film and am just now learning that it is where the 'i'm the captain now' meme comes from.
Load More Replies...
Jennifer Mckinlay-Jones 1 year ago
Traveling with tom would be risky I meant pirates, deserted islands or going down in the Hudson just saying lol j/k
Mary Kelly 1 year ago
i also learned that his crew said that the real capt. phillips was a blowhard who did little to advance their siutation
#30
TIL Emperor Justinian II (685-695 and 705-711) was overthrown in a rebellion and had his nose cut off to prevent him from ever ruling again. However, he managed to return to power in 705 with a prosthetic gold nose and took his revenge on those who had deposed him.
Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
In the superstitions of some older cultures, it was believed that a deformed person was unfit to rule.
Load More Replies...
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
Those ten years gave us the Justinian Codex which has become the bedrock of European and European derived legal systems
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
Yes, Bikumi is correct. Justinian II was known as a tyrant; he was overthrown again in 711, murdered by his own army. Justinian I was probably the greatest European emperor who ever lived. Had it not been for severe, decades-long, bizarrely cold weather which caused famine and plague, he probably would have left a unified Roman Empire stronger than ever.
Load More Replies...
me McG 1 year ago
"Research has shown that ancient Egyptians believed that statues had a life force. If an opposing power came across a statue it wanted to disable, the best way to do that was to break off the statue's nose and hamper the breathing. Broken noses are thought to be the earliest form of iconoclasm." >>>>>>>> Male ulciscitur dedecus sibi illatum, qui amputat nasum suum. >>>>>>> trump >>>>>>> History repeats itself in mutilated ways.
#31
TIL the longest prison sentence ever given was 141,078 years, given to a Thai woman in 1989. She was released 4 years later.
Passerby 1 year ago
Look up Chamoy Thipyaso if you are curious. She defrauded more than 10,000 people, and she got sentence for each case of fraud, that's why the sentence was so long. She actually received just 20 years of prison though, because that is the maximum sentence allowed by the law. She ended up serving even less than that though.
Nicole 1 year ago
Ah thank you. I was trying to find why she was released even earlier but can’t find any info. Wikipedia did say that they recouped the losses of royalty and military personnel so I wonder if that had something to do with it.
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
I hope a certain someone gets to break that record. He defrauded a lot more than 10,000 people.
Hannah Marshall 1 year ago
Nikolas Cruz, a 2018 school shooter was given 34 consecutive life sentences, without parole. Life sentences are 15-25 years. So, at minimum, he's doing 510 years (15 x 34) at most he is doing 850 years (25 x 34). Cruz's death penalty trial began July 18, 2022... On November 2, 2022, Cruz was officially sentenced to 34 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, one each for the total number of victims murdered and wounded by Cruz. 4 years to come to a trial agreement.
#32
TIL that the Soviet spacecraft Luna 1 was intended to be the first craft to land on the moon. It missed the moon by nearly 6000km and ended up becoming the first spacecraft to enter orbit around the sun between the orbits of Earth and Mars.
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
The actual body count of the Soviet Space Program is still not known
David Paterson 1 year ago
If I remember correctly, Luna 1 was meant to crash into the Moon, rather than land. The Soviets claimed that it was a great success. But we know that the final orbit was unintentional.
Keira Pendragon 1 year ago
Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you'll land among the stars. Not sure where the saying actually originates, but it seems like a pretty fitting use for it xD
Cybele Spanjaard 1 year ago (edited)
Oh well, at least it still served a viable purpose and possibly still rotates around us longer? Were men monkeys dogs or cats aboard?
#33
TIL It would take 18 months to walk the great wall of China.
Lotekguy 1 year ago
How far apart are the bathrooms? That’s a key factor in deciding whether to accept your invitation.
Load More Replies... David Paterson 1 year ago
The Great Wall of China is not a single wall, but a collection of mostly parallel walls. The famous part near Beijing is not typical, it's relatively recent. A westerner who walked the length of the Great Wall was arrested when he walked too close to a military installation. In the year 2003, the length of the Great Wall was walked by Ren Erlin and Ren Zigeng in just 89 days, ie. three months. Most people take much longer, Eg. 5 months, 8 months, 2 years.
Bruce Wollen 1 year ago
Many sections are off-limits and are mostly rubble. But you can often find guides that tourists can hire to backpack along some of these sections.
Cybele Spanjaard 1 year ago
Ok, let's get going..hope we find a takeaway shoppe or two on the way
Riley Quinn 1 year ago
I recently read in a New Scientist article that "...that the layer of lichens, mosses and cyanobacteria contributes to strengthening the wall, keeping it dry and protected from wind and water erosion. The biocrust also acts as an insulator, reducing temperature extremes and lowering the effects of salinity".
#34
TIL Liechtenstein has been accidentally attacked or invaded by Switzerland 5 times since 1968. In 1968, chairs were broken by artillery. In 1976 soldiers were offered drinks by the locals. In 1985 a forest fire was started. Switzerland apologised or compensated for the damage each time.
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
Lichtenstein is one of the quartet of tiny countries along with Andorra, Luxembourg and Vatican City
Sonja 1 year ago
Not always. The border between Lichtenstein and Switzerland runs through difficult terrain. Mountains. Woods, it also isn't marked and everything looks the same. Also, due to the terrain, GPS doesn't work and there are huge parts with no reception of any kind. Lots of people, even professionals, get lost in that terrain regularly and don't know in which country they are. The two countries both agreed that their military can do manoeuvre in that terrain, but Liechtenstein gave up their maneuvers in 1968, only Switzerland keeps doing them. Before that, Lichtenstein 's troops accidentally invaded Switzerland just as often as the other way round. But since both nations are civil and not at war with each other, it isn't a problem. The 'invading' and apologising part is just protocol. There's no harm or conflict behind that. Switzerland has no nefarious plans to invade Liechtenstein and the people of Lichtenstein know that.
Load More Replies...
Andrew Keir 1 year ago
I've always loved the story about a (?) German boasting to a Swiss that Germany had twice as many soldiers than Switzerland and what would Switzerland do if Germany invaded? "Shoot twice and go home".
TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago (edited)
The last "Invasion" wasn't noticed by Liechtenstein until Switzerland apologized for it's soldiers accidently stepping over the border. There was also a training incident for the british navy - instead of landing in Gibraltar they accidentally ended up on a spanish beach
Anna Meyers 1 year ago
My great grandparents were from Luxembourg. I have the right to become a Luxembourg citizen if I want to. I can't afford to live there, so I will stay here, thanks.
Jared Gasper 1 year ago
Fairly certain Switzerland's miltary has a contract to defend Lichtenstein, so would their entry technically be an invasion?
Hannah Marshall 1 year ago
That only lists three accounts. 1. Broken chairs 2. Soldiers drinking (how is that an "invasion") 3. A forest fire. What were the other ones?
#35
TIL that Thomas Cornell was convicted and sent to the gallows for the 1673 murder of his mother, due in part to "spectral evidence" presented by his uncle, who said her ghost paid him a visit and told him that Thomas did it.
Groaver Andout 1 year ago
Not really. The mother also said it definitely wasn't him.😉
Load More Replies...
Zaach 1 year ago
A job for street urchins was hang onto the legs of hanged men so that they died faster
Andrew Keir 1 year ago
They used to hang by choking, not the more recent "long drop and a short stop" that cleanly breaks the neck for a quick death. A friend would pull your legs to minimise the time and suffering of choking to death. (This 'probably' has nothing to do with the phrase "You're pulling my leg")
Load More Replies... Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
Spectral evidence played a large part in the Salem Massachusetts judicial murders
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
I like to watch those ghost-hunting shows on TV. I've seen two taped in the Lizzie Borden house. Both groups made contact with Lizzie, and asked her if she'd committed the murders. One program, they said she stated definitely that she did commit the murders, and the other program said she stated she definitely did not commit them. Even Lizzie doesn't know if she's guilty or not!
Cybele Spanjaard 1 year ago
They believed anything then..gossip ruled and most were sent to the gallows or burnt and the stake were innocent of the charges..
#36
TIL Prior to 1970 most Pistachios were dyed red!
Don Adams 1 year ago
IIRC, the pistachios were grown and harvested in the Middle East, and due to the transit time involved, a spotty mold would appear on the shells. the red dye was for covering up the spots. Once the nuts started to be grown domestically, the dye wss no longer needed.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Hot dogs were dyed in my grade school in the early '70's. There was so much in them that the dye turned the buns red.
Lady Gypsy Rain 1 year ago
You should see the water left behind from boiling them. Looks like murder water
Load More Replies...
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
My favourite childhood snack consisted of red pistachios (standard childhood Christmas treat). I remember being surprised when they first were sold white, not red.
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
So why was pistachio ice cream died vivid green? I mean, pistachios are a little green, but pistachio ice cream since way back in the early 70s has been as green as American cheese has been orange/yellow.
Sue User 1 year ago
They dyed the shells, not the nut. But the icecream colur is in no way close to the nut color.
Load More Replies...
Crystal Spencer 1 year ago
Oh, it was well after the 70's. I was born in 78 and they were all red up until after high school for sure. I was a full on adult and mother before they started not being red...like 2000
funkybluegirl 1 year ago
They tasted the same. But I understand since I preferred the red ones, as a kid.
Load More Replies... Lady Gypsy Rain 1 year ago
As I recall, in the 80s and 90s you could buy red, green or natural pistachios. I don’t recall the specific differences but I think it had to do with the amount of salt used in production of each color.
#37
TIL in the last years of his life, J.R.R Tolkien, a devout catholic, resisted the liturgical changes implemented after the Second Vatican Council, especially the use of English for the liturgy. He continued to make the responses in Latin, loudly, ignoring the rest of the congregation.
WonderWoman 1 year ago
Having liturgy in your own language lets you understand the passages and meanings of what is being preached rather than the word of the priest who brings his own agenda to the people.
mom24boys 1 year ago
Back in the day, most Catholics spoke/understood Latin quite well so nothing was slipped in by the priests.
Load More Replies...
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago
While the bishop who refused to use vernacular in the cerebrations, Marcel Lefebrve, was excommunicated...
Michael Largey 1 year ago
No, that had nothing to do with it.. He was excommunicated for attempting to create a schism in the Church by consecrating bishops on his own among his followers.
Load More Replies...
Two_rolling_black_eyes 1 year ago
He was a professor who specializes in linguistics, especially versions of ancient languages that people no longer spoke. Of course he preferred latin.
Andy Frobig 1 year ago
He had at least a dozen languages of his own, I don't see why he stuck with Latin
Load More Replies... keyboardtek 1 year ago
I was sent to Catholic parochial elementary school right at kindergarten. By second grade I knew deep in my heart all religion was nonsense.
Riley Quinn 1 year ago
It's an odd situation. The use of Latin maintains unity for Catholics dispersed all over the world. A single language used by all in church services and documents. Originally, the Bible was translated in Vulgate, the vulgar Latin of the commoners. But over the centuries, Latin fell out of use for modern "commoners" who only knew their vernacular language. Today, even many priests no longer study Latin.
v 1 year ago
If the story is to be believed, god created all languages. Therefore the choice of one language over another isn't more correct and doesn't get you any closer to god.
Andy Frobig 1 year ago
But if the Old Testament is to be believed, the multitude of languages is the result of man's arrogance and we don't know the original language
Load More Replies... #38
TIL that despite being commonly ranked as one of the worst Christmas films ever made, the 1985 film “Santa Claus: The Movie” is immensely popular in the UK. One of the film actors, John Lithgow, said in 2019 that he wishes he had a nickel for every Englishman who’s told him it's their favorite film.
Moonchi 1 year ago
Muppets for sure, I actually just spent $17.99 for it last night cause I couldn’t find it for free on cable
Load More Replies...
Hannah Hudson-Lee 1 year ago
It's probably because we "get" Dudley Moore in the UK. IIRC he did most of the best bits. Also, from a Brit viewpoint, the blatant product placement was hilarious.
Martin Burley 1 year ago
...he'd have almost a dollar. As an Englishman I can say I've never seen it, nor do I remember anyone talking about it. Over 100 posts on a recent "Best Christmas Film" thread on a forum I frequent, it wasn't mentioned once.
Eastendbird 1 year ago
Yeah, a quick google of most popular Christmas movies in the UK showed that "Santa Claus: The Movie" was mentioned precisely...no times.
Load More Replies...
VonBlade 1 year ago
I've never seen it once, nor know anyone who does. I think if John Lithgow had a nickel for everyone who recognised him from 3rd Rock, he'd be rich. Heck I know of him from World According to Garp and The Wrong Man first and foremost. Muppet Christmas Carol is everyone's favourite Xmas movie.
majandess 1 year ago
In an attempt to buy Santa Claus: The Movie, my mom accidentally bought a 1959 Mexican movie called "Santa Claus: The Motion Picture" ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053241/?ref_=fn_al_tt_9 ). Apparently, the original was edited and dubbed deliberately to cash in on peeps like my mom. It is one hell of a trip! And also, the worst Christmas movie I have ever seen. Just wow.
Load More Replies...
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
My favorite is A Christmas Story. A few times a year, I'll binge watch it for a couple of days.
JL 1 year ago
Better tell John Lithgow, he seems to think differently - https://youtu.be/1CYlGAd03Yc?si=XAz1-GEpBsz2joj_&t=60
Load More Replies... Let’s roll 1 year ago
Another fun fact about the film is that the guy playing Santa is actually the world famous Mr Lebowski.
#39
TIL that in a survey of 500 law firm workers, over 50% confirmed that legal TV shows had influenced their career choice & 57% of those felt that the TV series that impacted them was a "realistic depiction of a legal career." 30% identified Suits as their show, 22% said Law and Order.
Lotekguy 1 year ago
I don't want to ever meet a lawyer whose practice made Suits seem most realistic. That's some major assholery for one's livelihood.
Dill 1 year ago
I have family who are lawyers and they often laugh at the fact that some lawyers think they should behave the same way they see on telly, while in court. It doesn't get them very far with UK judges who tend not to tolerate that behaviour.
Load More Replies...
#40
TIL - The severed head of Mata Hari was embalmed and kept in the Museum of Anatomy in Paris. In 2000, archivists discovered that it had disappeared.
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
Keeping the heads of famous criminals is nothing odd. The skeleton of Burke of the famous Burke and Hare murders is still on display at Surgeon's Hall at the University of Edinburgh, the Alma Mater of Dr. Know who bought the murdered corpses
Genevieve Vandevander 1 year ago
I didn't think she was a criminal but a spy?
Load More Replies...
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
Look up about what happened to the embalmed body of Eva ‘Evita’ Peron after her death and the military coup that happened pretty much straight after. Moved around the country (Argentina), became personal property of various generals in the Junta, buried in Spain and eventually back home in the mid 70s. The state of her body was shocking. It hadn’t deteriorated, there were cuts, gouges, a broken nose and broken fingers. There were also traces of sperm around her groin.
Anxious Aardvark 1 year ago (edited)
Had the pleasure of attending a museum exhibition about her. The Fries Museum has an online article about Margaretha Geertruida Zelle aka "Mata Hari." Fries being "Fryslaan" or "Friesland", one of the Provinces of The Netherlands. FWIW, the online version is in English, Dutch, German and... Frysk. In case anyone is interested.
Load More Replies... Andy Frobig 1 year ago
When Che Guevara was killed in Bolivia, his hands were cut off and sent to Buenos Aires so he could be ID'd by his fingerprints
Load More Replies... #41
TIL that The Simpsons episode where they go to Japan is banned in Japan.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago (edited)
That's because the episode depicts Homer disrespecting the Emperor. Japan has Lèse-majesté laws. The Emperor cannot be mocked or disrespected in any capacity in public media. While no longer a criminal offense, the figure of the Emperor is venerated in Japan.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago
It isn't, but caused public outrage and a diplomatic incident, because the episode depicted the Brazilian slums, or favelas, in a comedic matter, and Homer is kidnapped by a taxi driver. Brazilian officials claimed the episode had damaged their tourist trade, which it sort of did... The creators had to issue an apology...
Load More Replies...
#42
TIL that although it's commonly believed that we can feel stares, studies on the Psychic Staring Effect have repeatedly produced results no better than random chance.
Rinoboyrich 1 year ago
I’ve been telling my roommate that ghosts aren’t real for over 200 years!
Load More Replies...
Sonja 1 year ago (edited)
We cannot feel them, we subconsciously see them in our peripheral view and then react to them. So studies like this have successfully disproved that we can feel them without them being somewhat visible to us, but if someone stares at us from a place within our view, even if half hidden or from the side, our attention will be drawn to the stare and shortly before focusing on the stare we will get an uneasy feeling. Read up about attention bias and attention triggers for more interesting facts.
JayWantsACat 1 year ago
Ah, that makes sense. There have been plenty of times where I look up and straight at someone who was looking at me and vice versa and wondered why/how that happens.
Load More Replies... I_imagine_even_worse_w***s 1 year ago
I remember reading a study on this and participants correctly said they were being stared at something like 55% of the time. Meaning that they had approx a 50% chance so we're likely guessing it.
Harry Gondalf 1 year ago
Yep. Small effect size; but after 21,000 trials, statistically significant.
Load More Replies... Multa Nocte 1 year ago (edited)
True, but I am guessing at least one person will write in to tell us that THEY can feel people staring at them. They don't take into effect what Sonja (above) has written.
Load More Replies...
Patricia Smith 1 year ago
But it does feel like someone is staring at me when I eventually look at them. Wonder why?
#43
TIL America was almost named “Amerige” meaning “Land of Amerigo”, but was changed to the feminine form America, following the naming convention of Asia and Europe.
David Paterson 1 year ago
Actually, no. According to Herodotus writing circa 430 BC, he had attempted without success to find out how the three continents, Asia, Europe and (then) Libya came to have feminine names. Even by that early date, the origins of the names of the continents had been lost to history.
Load More Replies...
Anxious Aardvark 1 year ago
Back in the day, we used to sing "Vespuchia the Beautiful" and wonder why it was the District of Columbia rather than the District of Amerigo. Then again, we were mad scientists in training at university.
JessieJ&LilyLovebug 1 year ago (edited)
It was named after Amerigo Vespucci, thus the picture.
#44
TIL: To stop cannibalism among poultry in the 1940s thought to be due to natural instinct, "Anti-Pix" sunglasses were developed to prevent birds from seeing "raw flesh or blood" due to their rose color. They worked!
David 1 year ago
That isn't the problem. Chickens peck at wounds. While crowded in a cage would be worse I expect, my own chickens had plenty of space in their coup and free ranged during the daytime. They would still peck at another chicken's wound. But I didn't use spectacles. A small bit of blue coat on the wound makes it dark purple instead of red and then it doesn't register as a wound to the other chickens. Some folks use a red light in the coup as that also makes any wounds difficult to see.
Load More Replies...
David Paterson 1 year ago
My next pair of glasses will be rose-coloured. I insist.
Load More Replies... Lady Gypsy Rain 1 year ago (edited)
You can still buy these tiny specs. Reason it works is when they see red, they instinctually want to peck at it. Even to the point of Death and cannibalism Another way to avoid this is to have ample space for the chickens to exercise and forage and check your chickens daily for any injuries. Once injured, the injured chicken needs to be separated from the flock until the injury heals. It’s really all about good animal husbandry. I really do miss raising chickens.
Janet Graham 1 year ago
When you have thousands of white leghorns and one has a dot of blood on it, the rest think is is a tasty insect and fight over it! That is not a behavior that is exhibited among flocks of mixed colors, or even single colors other than white.
Lady Gypsy Rain 1 year ago (edited)
Probably the same way they put saddles on hens. Elastic straps
Load More Replies...
#45
TIL Japan has several "Nose Tombs" which contain tens of thousands of severed noses from Korea.
Daniel Atkins 1 year ago
Look up The Rape of Nanking and it will tell you how horrible the Japanese were during WW II to the Koreans and the Chinese. The bad thing is they didn’t acknowledge what they did even to this day.
Noproblem 1 year ago
My great-grandma could tell you. Oh, wait, no she can’t, they murdered her.
Load More Replies...
The Original Bruno 1 year ago
OHHHHHH!!!! This was why the strange comments about Justinian II's nose tombs!
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
East Asia really doesn't recognize any rules for the conduct of war
Uncle Schmickle 1 year ago
I don't think even now that Japanese children are taught the true history of WWII and how brutally the Japanese soldiers treated POWs.
#46
TIL while filming the scene in 1983’s “A Christmas Story” where Ralphie is dressed as a sheriff, a prop man gave actor Peter Billingsley real Red Man chewing tobacco. Peter, who was 12, didn’t know the difference and ingested it. Production then had to be shut down until Billingsley recovered.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Poor Ralphie! Seriously, what the heck? That's like giving a twelve year old cigarettes!
Kate 1 year ago
Yes, it was. It was 1983. Some schools still had smoking areas.
Load More Replies...
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Real chewing tobacco? He could have shot out his intestines with that!
Bettye McKee 1 year ago
I ingested chewing tobacco when I was a child. Not only did it make me sick, my skin turned green. So much for my mother not finding out.
Michelle C 1 year ago
I sincerely hope the prop man didn’t realize what he was doing. If he did realize it wasn’t fake, I hope he was fired for child abuse, and that served as a huge wake up call for him!
Charlotte 1 year ago
Times were different then - heck, you could buy cigarettes in vending machines in the 80s. He probably just got yelled at for messing with the schedule
Load More Replies...
#47
TIL that Mao Zedong gave out a box of mangoes gifted to him by Pakistan. A cult formed in China for the unfamiliar fruit. Replicas were made and publicly displayed. One man said that the fruit didn't look like anything special, and was shamefully paraded around his town and then publicly executed.
David Paterson 1 year ago (edited)
Mao Zedong gave away a lot of gifts to the local people during the long march. He was losing so many soldiers that he didn't want to carry as much. This goodwill gave him much support from the locals when he returned from exile. I call it snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
third molar 1 year ago
In hindu mythology a Mango is the reason the family for God Shiva split into two. ;) Mango is pretty powerful
#48
TIL director Michel Gondry found Jim Carrey's emotional state after a breakup "so beautiful, so broken" that he asked him to stay that way for one year to fit his character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Li’l E. 1 year ago
Yeah, f**k that. What kind of monster asks someone to stay sad and “broken” for a YEAR?
Load More Replies... 
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Like a person has actual control of how long they stay that way. The director would have been better to ask Carrey to keep a diary during that period.
Sonja 1 year ago
While he is a remarkable dramatic actor, in comic roles, I find him unbearable.
just me 1 year ago
Do you include Bruce Almighty in comedic? If not, I agree.
Load More Replies...
#49
TIL it's not possible to watch every film ever nominated for Best Picture. Only 2/3 of 1928's The Patriot still exists, and the only complete prints of 1931's East Lynne and 1934's The White Parade are in the UCLA film archive
VonBlade 1 year ago
After the Universal fire, I bet there is tons of stuff lost to the mists of time.
Kira Okah 1 year ago (edited)
The film losses in the 2008 fire were all high quality copies and digital copies, the original masters are stored in the Philadelphia vaults. Now, what they did lose that were originals was a large portion of the UMG archive.
Load More Replies...
John Dilligaf 1 year ago
Literally thousands of old films are lost to history. The Library of Congress has a list of 7200 American films from 1912 to 1929 that are considered 'lost". Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation estimates that "half of all American films made before 1950 and over 90% of films made before 1929 are lost" . All 11 films of silent film era actress Valeska Suratt have been lost, as well as the 2nd film directed by Alfred Hitchcock (The Mountain Eagle, 1926), and several of Lon Chaney's early works.
#50
TIL that for several years Mick Jagger believed he was the father of Liv Tyler.
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Wikipedia: "From 1972 to 1979, Buell lived with rock musician Todd Rundgren. In 1976, Buell became pregnant from a brief relationship with Steven Tyler. She gave birth on July 1, 1977, naming the daughter Liv Rundgren and claiming that Todd Rundgren was the biological father because Tyler was in the middle of his well-documented drug excesses. Liv told People Magazine in 1992 that "Todd's my spiritual father. I love him". By then Rundgren and Buell had ended their romantic relationship but Rundgren nevertheless signed the birth certificate and acted as a father figure to Liv, including paying for her education."
OdetteB 1 year ago
Because that's what makes a real dad. Big up to Todd Rundgren.
Load More Replies...
Mr. Toast 1 year ago
Hopefully before he dies he will put his DNA on one of those Ancestry sites. I am sure there are a lot of questions not just about Jagger but from anyone in that free love period... "Hey I am 10% Navajo, 30% Norwegian, 30% Spanish European, 10% Scottish, 15% possibly John, Paul, George or Ringo and 5% Jagger".
Nina 1 year ago
So Mick Jagger had nothing to do with this? Can't see him linked to her mother anywhere
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
She was linked with just about every man on the rock scene at the time.
Load More Replies...
Nina 1 year ago
Steven Tyler is the biological dad, not sure what Jagger has to do with this
Load More Replies... 
QueenKittyCat 1 year ago
Sounds like "Mamma Mia" now that you mention it.
Load More Replies... 
Der Kommissar 1 year ago
Buell would take her daughter to Aerosmith concerts, so Liv got to know Steven. When she met her half sister, Mia, she noticed a resemblance. She also noticed that her legs and Steven's legs looked very similar, and at that point realized he was her dad.
#51
TIL scientists for the first time in "significant detail" captured footage of orcas hunting & killing great white sharks via first-time ever aerial footage of the behavior in South Africa. Researchers recorded 11 shark deaths by orcas. Evidence also suggested the hunting was becoming more common.
Marcellus II 1 year ago
Well, they were “whale killers” so the name is wrong to an extent.
Load More Replies... OdetteB 1 year ago
Orcas are also incredibly intelligent and have a whole extra section of their brain devoted to emotional intelligence, which is why they suffered so horribly in captivity. Not really surprising they hunt great whites successfully as they will hunt in their pods. Imagine being faced with several orcas hunting together. Awesome creatures.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
We can't even begin to comprehend the emotional intelligence of an orca, because we are literally missing that huge section of our brains.
Load More Replies... Marcellus II 1 year ago
The presence of transient orcas (which may or may not be a different species from resident orcas) scares great whites away for YEARS, the data shows.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
The different 'races' of orca are more separated than humans and chimpanzees. Many of them haven't exchanged genetic material for 5 million years, despite living in the same waters. They also have their own unique cultures and preferred diet. It's only because they al look so alike that they are dumped into a single 'species', which is less scientifically valid than the distinction between humans, chimps and bonobos.
Load More Replies... David Paterson 1 year ago
This was quite recent. The first aerial footage was in July or August in the year 2022. It became better known in October 2022. And hit the press again in June and Oct 2023.
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
The BBC just very recently showed footage showing a killer whale mother showing her baby how to hunt. A world first.
Shark Lady 1 year ago
The Orcas were named Port and Starboard. The Great Whites actually left the area for quite a while and that some just went deeper. Bigger great whites will eat smaller ones, so those who went deeper would have had a food source and wouldn't have needed to return to shallower depths to hunt the seal population.
Aileen Grist 1 year ago
Less fish in the sea means that animals not often hunted have to be hunted more often. Sharks kill seals, but they're reducing in number due to less fish - and what do humans look like when floundering is water? So more people being attacked by sharks
#52
TIL in 2005 baseball player John Mcdonald was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Detroit Tigers for a 'player to be named later'. In 2006 John Mcdonald was traded back to the Toronto Blue Jays as the 'Player to be named later'. Essentially meaning John McDonald was traded for himself.
#53
TIL about Derinkuyu (modern day Turkey), a 3000 year old underground city that once housed up to 20000 people and their livestock.
David Paterson 1 year ago
(looking it up), it's true! The underground city was already complete when it was used as protection in the Arab - Byzantine wars (after 720 AD) so nobody knows what the initial threat was that caused it to be tunnelled out of the soft rock.
Load More Replies...
Patricia Smith 1 year ago
At one time the great sphinx in Egypt was entirely covered with sand.
PattyK 1 year ago
I don’t think they built it underground. Over 3000 years a lot of debris covered it up.
Load More Replies... #54
Today I learned that while working a movie theater in Arizona, Bill Hader got fired for spoiling the ending of Titanic.
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
You mean "the boat sinks?" I remember some youngsters complaining about that particular story element on their way out of the theater
Chewie Baron 1 year ago
During the initial test screenings in the US, a majority agreed it was great film, but could they change it so the boat doesn’t sink?
Passerby 1 year ago
Well, spoiling the ending of anything unasked should be a crime punishable by death or torture.
Laura MG 1 year ago
Well, I'm about to spoil the end of your life story....you die
Load More Replies... #55
TIL that only 1 in 10 American adults are eating enough fruits and vegetables.
BravePanda 1 year ago
Interesting. I eat a lot of fruit and veggies but can't afford to eat this many. Seeing this statistic, which is factual, I realized that I couldn't be in the 10%. I'm not. "The federal fruit and vegetable recommendations vary by age and sex: Adult women need at least 1½ cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables each day Adult men need at least 2 cups of fruit and 3½ cups of vegetables each day."
keyboardtek 1 year ago
That is because the Junk Food Industrial Complex has a massive lobbying force. And every gas station in America is a sugar supply station mecca to diabetes.
Ace 1 year ago
Where "enough" is usually some arbitrary number set by government departments wanting to protect the agricultural sector. "Five a day"? No thank you.
Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 1 year ago
I'm surprised that amount of people r eating enough... I'm not American but I know I'm not
#56
TIL that over five years after 9/11, mail was still occasionally being sent to the WTC’s ZIP code of 10048, mostly from businesses that hadn’t yet updated their bulk mailing lists.
#57
TIL: King Felipe VI of Spain is Europe's poorest monarch after he decided to reveal the full extent of his finances being worth 2.57 million euros. He owns no property or land and his wealth comes from jewels and antiques. In comparison, his wealth was 5% of Queen Elizabeth at the time.
Pittsburgh rare 1 year ago
Yeah, well. They get around 7 million euros a year and a lot of their expenses are paid separately by the state (security comes from the ministry of interior affairs, palaces are being maintained by the ministry of culture, and so on...). Not to mention that Felipe's father has a fortune of unknown origin. So l'd say that after only ten years as king that's a good amount of savings in a country with structural unemployment and poverty problems. They won't find me pitying them.
CanadianDimes 1 year ago
I would not be calling myself poor by any metric if I had €2.5 million
Mamza Paulse 1 year ago
ohh poor him ONLY 257000000 euros. the humanity. he's basically a peasant.
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
Good to remember said king was in exile. Franco stole all his real property
Ana Este 1 year ago
Umm, no. Felipe VI is the actual King of Spain right now. Source: I'm Spaniard, I know who the current King of my country is.
Load More Replies... #58
TIL that in August 2019 the city council of Bielefeld, Germany offered €1 million to anyone who could prove that their city did not exist.
Lennart 1 year ago
German here. There is the urban myth, Bielefeld doesn't exist. It is said, to have been a secret government facility for military testing and the houses are only decoys. Of course total mumbo jumbo, but you still get a chuckle out of most people stating 'Bielefeld gibt's doch gar nicht'.
Load More Replies...
Jackson Coplin 1 year ago
it’s like americans saying australia doesn’t exist, but they’re being satirical
Michael Largey 1 year ago
New Zealanders also say it, but they're being wishful.
Load More Replies...
#59
TIL an American general was sent home in disgrace for revealing the secret D-day invasion date at a party.
Jefferson Selvy 1 year ago
Related: an American officer was dismissed from the ETO by Eisenhower for calling an allied officer a "stuck up British SOB" the object that so offended Eisenhower was not SOB but the use of British as a pejorative.. Ike would brook no national based dissention in the allied forces. Obvious if you remember that he kept Montgomery around to keep the peace
Rayne OfSalt 1 year ago
More fun: British soldiers would beat up American soldiers who demanded that english pubs be segregated.
Load More Replies...
David Wallin 1 year ago (edited)
He was reported to have said the invasion would be before June 15. The then 53 year old died less than 5 years later. Edit: date
#60
TIL A Banyan tree in northwestern Pakistan, which was put in chains by a drunk British army officer after he placed it “under arrest” during the region’s oppressive colonial period, continues to bear the weight of its metal bearings despite a lapse of around 120 years.
Zaach 1 year ago
A British general fell asleep in the shade of a banyan tree, unfortunately, his feet were pointed towards Mecca and he was killed for blasphemy. The perpetrator climbed to the top of a tower; the Pashtun Pakistani refused to turn him over for punishment. The incident was escalating until the perp jumped from the tower, killing himself and resolving the crisis
Norm Gilmore 1 year ago
I can find no corroborating evidence for this. Link please.
Load More Replies... #61
TIL Sonia Orwell, second wife of George Orwell, died penniless in December 1980, having spent a fortune trying to protect Orwell's name.
VonBlade 1 year ago
A ton of people who quote Big Brother and 1984 without necessarily being familiar with them, probably.
Load More Replies...
Michael McGreevy 1 year ago
David Bowie originally wanted his Diamond Dogs album and subsequent tour, to be a musical version of 1984. Orwell's widow refused to give permission.
#62
TIL Kentucky Fried Chicken ran out of chicken in the UK. KFC started to shut down locations in response to their missing ingredient, meaning that by February 18, 2018 only 266 of the 870 restaurants in the UK and Ireland were open.
OdetteB 1 year ago
Actually, KFC changed their supplier. Unfortunately, the supplier they chose to replace the original didn't have the infrastructure to cope with demand, so restaurants had to close. KFC eventually realised they had made a massive mistake and reinstated the original supplier and business as normal resumed. I know this because a very good friend works for the original supplier. Nothing to do with Brexit.
Matticulas 1 year ago
TIL the customers of 604 KFC restaurants were saved from an underwhelming food experience.
Bartlet for World Domination 1 year ago
I thought you were joking muhahaha
Load More Replies... Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 1 year ago
I always thought it was pigeon, judging by the size of the body parts.
Load More Replies... Awkward lady 1 year ago
Nowt to do with Brexit. Not everything bad that happens in the UK is down to Brexit!!!
Load More Replies...
Verena 1 year ago
If one starts to translate the number of wings to the number of chickens necessary to be raised and killed, multiplied with 870, the result is pretty wild. Add to it the necessary food, water, heating and the amount of poop produced until ready to be slaughtered, just for a quick fun snack for people, it is getting even wilder.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
You understand that the rest of the chicken is eaten too, right. They don't just select the wings and throw out the rest of the bird.
Load More Replies... #63
TIL we still don't know what disease killed more than half the Native Americans in 1500.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago
Allegedly. OP has a point. Smallpox, measles, scarlet fever and ever bubonic plague are the most likely culprits. Diseases were not so well defined and categorized in the XVI century.
Load More Replies...
Rebecca Derr 1 year ago
Historical diseases are difficult to diagnose from anecdotal evidence. We still don't know what caused the sweating sickness. Who knows if the waves of plague were caused by the same pathogen?
David Paterson 1 year ago (edited)
Another semi-related fact. The last Tasmanian Aborigine died in about 1876. But researchers into how they died (on both sides of the propaganda fence) agree that the deaths of a full 30% of them can't be accounted for. Even after adding up all possible causes of death including land alienation, the drop in kangaroo population, white activity, intertribal war and the flu, there's still a huge gap between the actual number of deaths and the sum of deaths from all possible causes.
Papa 1 year ago
Has anyone done the math? This post is saying that half of the native Americans died only 8 years after Columbus first voyage to the western hemisphere, and he never reached the mainland. I know many natives died because they didn't have immunity to diseases brought by Europeans, but I'm not buying this post.
B Jones 1 year ago
The article I read on it went into how Columbus recorded a large population living along the coast for as far as he could see. On the return most of that was gone. There was plenty of fertile land for the pilgrims to farm, and it was noted they found large forest areas where trees grew in straight lines (because squirrels had buried seeds in abandoned fallow plowed fields). Some estimates say 45 to 90 million natives had died of some plague which allowed the settlers to get a foothold. If that didn't happen then it would have been a very different history because the native population might have better resised settlers. Basically that all of America is built on a cursed ancient Indian burial ground
Load More Replies... Kris Tyler 1 year ago
in fact I might have to report this post as hate speech
Load More Replies... #64
TIL there used to be a period after the New York Times logo for over a hundred years. They calculated they could save $600 in ink if they dropped it.
down quark 1 year ago
$600 a year? A day? Can we normalize providing units of time when needed more often?
#65
TIL that since the construction of the oval office in 1909, a total of six different desks have been used by 20 Presidents. 8 Presidents used the Resolute desk, 6 used the Theodore Roosevelt Desk, 2 used the Hoover Desk, 2 used the Wilson Desk, 1 used the C&O desk and 1 used the Johnson desk.
Air Conditioner 1 year ago
If I was the president, I'd put all the desks together like they did in middle school and use them all
Chewie Baron 1 year ago (edited)
The Resolute Desk is made from English Oak, from the New Forest. Which was then made into a warship, the HMS Resolute. Also, Queen Victoria is involved with it as well.
#66
TIL Only 28 books sold more than 500,000 copies in the US in 2022. Eight of them were by romance novelist Colleen Hoover.
Papa 1 year ago
Am I the only one who's puzzled by the apparent compulsion non-religious people have to belittle people of faith?
Pittsburgh rare 1 year ago
You mean us atheists being preached by religious people when we're minding our own business? And being told and nauseam we should repent? Because THAT has been my lifelong experience. Don't know if religious people are facing backlash now, but if they are, they surely had it coming.
Load More Replies... Definitely a Human 1 year ago
8 books in a year? They're either complete trash, or not written by her. Probably both.
#67
TIL in 1965, Air India airlines commissioned Salvador Dali to design an ashtray for the airlines. Dali requested an elephant as fees so the airline flew a two year old elephant from Bangalore to Geneva. After Dali lost interest, the elephant was taken to the Barcelona Zoo in 1971.
Spocks's Mom 1 year ago (edited)
Right. Dali was a great artist. He definitely wasn't known for humanitarianism or rational thinking.
Load More Replies...
Pittsburgh rare 1 year ago
He's well known for sexpractices with...ducks. l've always despised him as much as l like the paintings
#68
TIL, when securing the movie rights for ''The Polar Express'' (1985), one stipulation was that the resulting movie could not be animated. To preserve his vision, Robert Zemeckis opted for motion capture technology during the film's production.
leendadll 1 year ago
That movie is stop motion? To me, it looks like really bad cgi. Oh... I'm close: "The Polar Express was the first feature-length film to be entirely created using motion capture technology. This revolutionary technique allowed the animators to create a highly realistic 3D world without having to draw each frame."
David Paterson 1 year ago
When Walt Disney secured movie rights for "Mary Poppins" from PL Travers, one stipulation was that Mary Poppins could not be animated. With results that you know.
Bob McDaniel 1 year ago
The look that people complain about what intentional. Love it and watch it every year not only for the animation but the music as well. There are a few "inside jokes" in the movie if you look closely. It kept the feeling of the book IMO.
#69
TIL cherries are dried with helicopters
Passerby 1 year ago
To elaborate, they don't use helicopters to make dried fruit like raisins. They use helicopters to dry fruit still on the tree, because rain can make the skin crack, which make cherries unsellable. Kinda like drying your clothes by turning on a huge fan at them.
leendadll 1 year ago
Ahh, yes... Calif & Florida have tons of firepits & fans to keep citrus warm during rare freezing events while it grows.
Load More Replies... Candid Panda 1 year ago
What? I've heard that they gather cranberries by floating them in bogs but hadn't heard this.
#70
TIL The Neo Geo is the most expensive home video game console ever made, selling for $650 in 1990. That's $1,566.59 today. It was originally supposed to be a rental console but was sold for retail due to high demand.
Laughing Orc (he / him / orc) 1 year ago (edited)
The games for it were also very expensive- the console used arcade boards for its games, each costing around $200!
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
pebs 1 year ago (edited)
Sorry for the OT, but for days BP keeps showing me the same notifications as if they were new, even if I click on them. Does this happen to anyone else too? Edit: thanks for your answers!
Wheeskers 1 year ago
Is it just me or is BP difficult to browse? Slow, unresponsive, doesn't scroll worth a dang.
Mike F 1 year ago
Maybe loading the animated ads is eating up processor power. I'm using a tablet and it's gobbling my battery.
Load More Replies... The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
Most of these are irrelevant factoids that clearly would not be taught in school
pebs 1 year ago (edited)
Sorry for the OT, but for days BP keeps showing me the same notifications as if they were new, even if I click on them. Does this happen to anyone else too? Edit: thanks for your answers!
Wheeskers 1 year ago
Is it just me or is BP difficult to browse? Slow, unresponsive, doesn't scroll worth a dang.
Mike F 1 year ago
Maybe loading the animated ads is eating up processor power. I'm using a tablet and it's gobbling my battery.
Load More Replies... The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
Most of these are irrelevant factoids that clearly would not be taught in school
You May Like If You’re Hungry For New Knowledge, These 50 Facts Might Satisfy Your Appetite 60 Interesting Facts That Are Better Than Watching The News People Share 44 Facts That Completely Changed How They Think About, Well, Everything
Rugilė Žemaitytė
Ilona Baliūnaitė
Gabija Palšytė
Related on Bored Panda
