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Article created by: Austėja Akavickaitė

Grab your thinking caps, dear Pandas, it’s time to expand our minds! It’s time for another loving rendition of ‘Today I Learned,’ a list of all the cool and interesting (and really surprising!) things that the people of the internet learned about the world recently.

From science to history to everything and anything in between and more, the TIL community over on Reddit has got it all. And with so many curious people in the world, the subreddit keeps on expanding, now closing on a whopping 26 million members. Need some more yummy facts about everything and anything? Check out Bored Panda’s latest lovingly-crafted TIL articles here and here, as well as here. Got some cool trivia tidbits to share with the rest of the class? You can tell us all about them in the comment section.

Learning new things isn’t as easy as we’d like as we grow up. But it’s far from impossible! All it takes a spark of curiosity and the willingness to be open-minded and humble.

#1

Motorcyclist riding a black cruiser bike along the coast, symbolizing interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL about BACA, a biker gang that will defend kids who were abused or bullied, give them their own vest, take them the school, and will even guard a house 24/7 to make sure the kid can sleep

Met76 , Vanessa Serpas Report

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    #2

    Articulated city bus parked by historic building, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL a bus driver in Paris kicked all the passengers out when they refused to make space for a wheelchair bound man

    __aks , moovitapp Report

    #3

    Elderly woman in a yellow hat and coat smiling outdoors, representing interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL Queen Elizabeth once hid in a bush with her corgis to avoid talking to Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife.

    Fun_Wonder_4114 , Bill Ingalls Report

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    #4

    Gorilla examining autumn leaves thoughtfully outdoors, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL Gorillas hum happy songs when they eat. “And if it’s their favourite food, they sing louder.”

    onlyupliftingcomment , Mad Ball Report

    #5

    Man holding a microphone standing by a podium in a lecture hall, sharing interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL Stephen King sells the rights to some of his short stories for just $1, allowing aspiring filmmakers and students to adapt them into movies. This arrangement is known as the Dollar Baby.

    killHACKS , Stephanie Lawton Report

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    #6

    Black and white photo of a woman and an early 20th-century building being sprayed by fire hoses, showing interesting historical facts not learned at school. TIL a woman named Frances Perkins was outside the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory during the fire and saw dozens of people jump to their deaths due to unsafe work conditions. She went on to become the first female Secretary of Labor and founded the Factory Investigating Commission to improve work safety

    PM_me_no_clothes_pic , Library of Congress Report

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    #7

    Woman holding an award at a ceremony, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL Gillian Lynne did so badly in school teachers thought she had a learning disorder & her mom took her to a doctor. Lynne began dancing to his radio; the doctor said: She’s not disordered, she’s a dancer; put her in dance school. Lynne became a world-renowned dancer & music theater choreographer.

    TheRealLuckyBlackCat , ItzKingFran123 Report

    #8

    Animated characters from the movie Soul with a man, a cat, and two glowing soul figures sharing interesting things not learned at school. TIL before any details of Pixar’s ‘Soul’ were public, a Black chauffeur told Kemp Powers (the film’s co-writer & co-director) that he knew Pixar was making a Black movie because he had never driven so many Black people to Pixar before.

    CocaTrooper42 , pixar Report

    #9

    Flamingo standing in shallow water, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL that Utah’s Great Salt Lake used to be the home of a single flamingo named Pink Floyd, who escaped from the zoo and would be seen wintering in Utah socializing with seagulls

    TheSpecksynder , Manuel Ramos Inostroza Report

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    #10

    Religious leader in ceremonial robes holding a staff, symbolizing traditions people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, but announced it in Latin. One reporter got the scoop and broke the story because she understood Latin. Most other reporters waited for official translations.

    amansaggu26 , Mangouste35 Report

    #11

    Portrait of a contemplative woman in dark clothing, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL that the Quran references Jesus's mother Mary 70 times and holds her in very high regard, identifying her as the greatest of all women

    a2soup , Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato Report

    #12

    Students in graduation gowns tossing caps in the air, celebrating knowledge and things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL that three german students got sued by their alma mater for 10,000€ because they graduated "too fast". They completed their bachelors and masters degree within 4 instead of 11 semesters by attending different lectures and sharing notes. Then they founded a ghostwriting agency!

    Markusdo , Pixabay Report

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    #13

    Close-up of a rat on grass and dirt, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL That rats can be trained to detect a chemical compound within explosives, meaning they ignore scrap metal and can search for mines more quickly. Also, an African giant pouched rat named Magawa has been awarded a prestigious gold medal for his work detecting land mines.

    Hebdomero , pete beard Report

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    #14

    Sliced fresh pineapple on a plate illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL that when you eat pineapple and your tongue begins to hurt it is due to the fact that the pineapple is eating you back thanks to bromelain.

    heyysooos , Gabriel Yuji Report

    #15

    A musician playing saxophone on stage, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL on several late 60's recordings, prominent jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman used his 10-year-old son to play drums, though he could have employed high-profile adult jazz drummers. He prized the child's joyful child musical curiosity over a more technically skilled adult

    GregJamesDahlen , Frank Schindelbeck Report

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    #16

    Black crow perched on metal railing, symbolizing interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL in 2018 a French historical theme park named Puy du Fou trained six Rooks, a member of the crow family, to pick up cigarette butts and trash. When one of them takes a piece of trash to a special box the device dispenses bird food

    f_GOD , Andreas Trepte Report

    #17

    Large brown bear standing on rocky ground showing details of fur and face in natural light, interesting things not learned at school. TIL That in the late 1780's, an Irishman met an impressive performing bear while travelling France. When the bears owner prodded him with a stick, the bear shouted something in Irish, which led to the discovery that the performing bear was actually another Irishman who had been sown into the suit.

    CooKeeeeeeee , Sharon Mollerus Report

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    #18

    Three curious pet rats on a patterned fabric surface, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL that rats left unaided in water will drown in a few minutes because they feel hopeless, but if they know there is hope of being rescued they will last for days.

    grpagrati , Tambako The Jaguar Report

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    #19

    Red barn in a rural setting surrounded by trees and green grass, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL that barns are red because farmers made their own sealant using linseed oil and rust. The rust protects the wood from algae and fungal growth but also colors the mixture red.

    EtOHMartini , Sonja Report

    #20

    Two white storks with black wings standing on gravel and grass near a tree, illustrating interesting things not learned at school. TIL For millennia, Europeans did not know where birds went in Winter time. The mystery was partly solved in 1822, when a German hunter shot down a stork. The stork had a 80cm long Central African spear impaled in its neck. This provided the first evidence that they migrated to Africa.

    amansaggu26 , Thomas Bresson Report

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    #21

    Portrait of an elderly man in a suit illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL that Thomas Edison proposed to his future wife in morse code, she accepted in the same way

    FnordDesiato , Louis Bachrach Report

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    #22

    IKEA building exterior under clear blue sky, representing interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. Today I learned IKEA is an acronym which stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd, which is the founder’s name, farm where he grew up, and hometown.

    URLcrazy , Kgbo Report

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    #23

    Person in red survival suit emerging from icy water, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL just before lethal hypothermia, a person will undress themselves because they perceive themselves to be burning up when indeed they're freezing (paradoxical undressing). Consequently people frozen to death are often found naked and misidentified as a victim of a violent crime.

    clingyfungus , Fort Drum & 10th Mountain Division (LI) Report

    #24

    Black and white portrait of a bearded man in a formal uniform, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL the term "crimes against humanity" was first used to describe the atrocities committed by Leopold the 2nd of Belgium in the Congo Free State, a regime so brutal that the mercenaries hired by Leopold had to show a human hand for every bullet they used to prove the bullet wasnt used for hunting.

    adr826 , Wikimedia Commons Report

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    #25

    Close-up of a Venus flytrap plant showcasing its unique carnivorous trap, highlighting interesting things not learned at school. TIL that the Venus flytrap naturally grows in very few areas in the Carolinas, so park rangers have to keep most of their grow sites a secret to keep them safe from poachers.

    Scruffy_Nerf_Hoarder , Blondinrikard Fröberg Report

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    #26

    Scuba divers exploring underwater, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared in an online group. TIL in 1998, a married couple was left behind during a diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Two days passed before anyone realized what had happened. Despite a 5-day search, the couple was never found. A dive slate was later recovered which read "... rescue us before we die..."

    fleece_pants , Jan Report

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    #27

    Close-up of a skin condition showing a red circular rash, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL that "ringworm" is a fungal infection and no actual worms are involved

    huxley75 , Gzzz Report

    #28

    Ocean view under a partly cloudy sky, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL that the Bermuda triangle isn't statistically more dangerous than almost any other place on the world's oceans per capita, the traffic there is just much higher.

    SnooPaintings4445 , Chris F Report

    #29

    Portraits of a smiling woman and a man wearing glasses and a hat, highlighting interesting things people didn’t learn at school. TIL after their characters unsuccessfully flirted in Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern actually dated and got engaged

    GirthWindNFire , Georges Biard Report

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    #30

    Smiling elderly man in white religious attire waving outdoors, illustrating interesting things people didn’t learn at school shared online. TIL In 2019, Pope Francis approved changing the lord's prayer. The phrase “lead us not into temptation” changed to “do not let us fall into temptation”. He said the original was a bad translation because it suggested God caused the temptation.

    amansaggu26 , Jeffrey Bruno Report

    #31

    Man holding a microphone sharing interesting things people didn’t learn at school in an online group discussion. TIL R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe nearly died of scarlet fever in 1962, of hypothermia in 1974, and of a lightning strike in 1986.

    electricmaster23 , kris krüg Report

    #32

    Two men speaking at events, sharing interesting things people didn’t learn at school in online group discussions. TIL that Sid Meier (of Sid Meier's Civilization and Sid Meier's Pirates!) began placing his name in the title of his games because of a suggestion made by Robin Williams in the 1980's

    Hammy_Sagar , Official GDC Report

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