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40 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
Knowledge is power, and we’re about to raise all of you Pandas’ power levels through the roof. It’s time for the freshest edition of ‘Today I Learned,’ featuring the tastiest, most intriguing facts about the world, science, and history from the super popular subreddit.
With over 27.8 million members and continually growing, the TIL community is a celebration of curiosity, intelligence, and the desire to learn something new every single day. Scroll down for the coolest, most interesting facts that stunned the internet, piping hot from the digital oven.
Pssst, if you’re still hungry for knowledge (or you’re secretly a Ravenclaw like some of us), you should definitely take a peek at Bored Panda’s most recent articles about the TIL community right here, here, and here. Got any cool trivia tidbits you’d love to share with the class? Pop by the comment section to share what you know.
Bored Panda got in touch with parenting blogger Samantha Scroggin, a mom of two and the founder of 'Walking Outside in Slippers,' and we had a chat about how parents can help maintain a sense of wonder and curiosity in their kids as they grow up. It's also no secret that kids aren't really interested in doing schoolwork on topics they find 'boring,' so we also talked about what parents can do in those cases. Scroll down for our full interview with Samantha.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TIL the Masai Tribe in Africa donated 14 cows to the United States after 9/11
iseefractals 3 years ago
That immediately brings to mind the fact that oprah (who is worth $4.5 billion) donated $12 million to covid related causes in april of 2020, and the endless amount of praise that she got for doing so. That's a rounding error for her, while this was something that was a huge sacrifice those people and was completely ignored at the time.
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Maggie Belter 3 years ago (edited)
Those cows were sold/auctioned off and the money was used to help pay the tuition of Kenyan Students here in the U.S! Pretty amazing gesture! I love when good deeds come full circle. Always pay it forward if you can! 💚
That other Panda 3 years ago (edited)
14 cows is a HUGE deal for African tribes, good on them! :)
🅼🅸🅺🅴 🅿🅴🅽🅲🅴🆂 🅵🅻🆈 3 years ago
I’ve met the Masai in real life, very nice people and extremely helpful.
Mokayokok 3 years ago
Whereas, if it was switched, we would just have white Christians with Bibles sent to them so organized religion can tell them how they’re going to hell if they don’t buy into Jesus immediately.
Nancy Collins 3 years ago
There's a really lovely book about this for children. It's called 14 Cows for America, by Carmen Agra Deedy. When I was a teacher, I would read it to my 3rd graders each year on September 11 as a way to commemorate the day.
Valerie G. 3 years ago
meanwhile today 70,000 are under attack right now. They are being evicted from their land to make way for a trophy hunting place for people from the UAE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl5ei0KHqmQ Tanzania Sends Military to Evict the Maasai from Home for Trophy Hunting White Tourists
Sebastián Morales 3 years ago
i have a signed copy of a spanish children's book about this "14 Vacas Para América" by Carmen Agra Deedy
"I believe by staying curious and enthusiastic about the world ourselves, we will help our kids be openly curious and enthusiastic," blogger Samantha, from 'Walking Outside in Slippers,' told Bored Panda.
"When we visit museums as a family, for example, I always ask lots of questions and my children do the same. When we travel, my husband and I demonstrate excitement for the new sights, experiences and even food. This is an amazing world, and I want my children to always appreciate that," she said.
Bored Panda wanted to get Samantha's take on how some parents could approach their kids' disinterest in certain school subjects. "I figure my kids won't love every assignment at school. That's just how it goes. I still loathe math. But I try to help them power through school homework assignments they don't want to do," she shared with us.
RELATED:
#2
TIL Scientists at the Parkes radio telescope in Australia spent 17 years trying to identify powerful but extremely short radio bursts that would appear at seemingly random intervals. In 2015 they finally identified the cause: a microwave oven at the facility being opened prematurely
Duncan Hey 3 years ago
Interesting little fact, they knew it was a microwave, as we know what frequency microwaves operate at. They also knew the distance and direction it was, so they were able to figure out which microwave it was. The problem was it didn't happen every time the microwave was used, as microwaves trap all the waves inside them. It turned out one of the workers there would open the door before it was done and a little amount of microwave energy escaped.
Anna M. G. Novák Vanclová 3 years ago
Lol, my friend is a particle physicist and he has a very similar story! 😅
Victor Botha 3 years ago
I want to know the brand of that microwave. 17 years!! I've had 4 in that space of time.
#3
TIL: Bats eat enough insects to save the US over $1 Billion a year in crop damage and pesticide
Sir Beer Korma 3 years ago (edited)
They are protected well from building development in the UK
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Ellen Ranks 3 years ago
Am looking at the nighttime sky which once upon a time would have lots of bats at this time of night. Now I cannot even remember when I last saw one. But a lot of the insects have disappeared as well :-(.
Matheus Oliveira 3 years ago
Not only the cost. I bat they’re much batter to have around than a toxic tomato.
"I will sit with them and we go through it together in case they have questions. If they hate the task, there's a good chance that's because it doesn't come easy to them (like me with math!). And there will definitely be a special sweet treat of their choice at the end," she revealed some of the strategies that she uses.
The mom also opened up about the homework situation in her family. "My daughter who is 6 has much more regular homework than my son who is 10. Most of her homework is on a tablet, though, which makes it easier to knock out. I make sure she completes her assignments, but fortunately she has gotten pretty independent about doing the homework herself," she said.
"My son's teacher usually only assigned homework if there was something he didn't finish in school. Which I am grateful for because I hate homework!"
#4
TIL in 1999, Danish physicist Lene Hau was able to slow down light to 38 mph (61 kmph), and was later able to stop it completely, manipulate it, even move it to a different location
FreshGanesh 3 years ago
Then transferred light into matter and back into light again. She’s the Royal highness of applied quantum/particle physics at the Harvard.
Wandering Hammer 3 years ago
People tend to forget the "in a vacuum" part when they think of the speed of light
Stannous Flouride 3 years ago
This was important as the primary step toward quantum computers, machines that use the properties of quantum physics to store data and perform computations. This can be extremely advantageous for certain tasks where they could vastly outperform even our best supercomputers. In September of 2020, IBM revealed they developed one of the largest existing quantum computers in the world (as of the time this blog post was published), consisting of 65 qubits. The company has already identified a number of areas in which the complexity of quantum computing capabilities may be applied. (A qubit is a quantum bit, the counterpart in quantum computing to the binary digit or bit of classical computing. Just as a bit is the basic unit of information in a classical computer, a qubit is the basic unit of information in a quantum computer. In a quantum computer, a number of elemental particles such as electrons or photons can be used, with their charge being either 1 or 0.)
Night Owl 3 years ago (edited)
So you're telling me real lightsabers are (almost) possible? :D
Nolgoth 3 years ago
I would think more like hard light holograms (think star trek holodeck)
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#5
TIL about Secessio Plebis which was a form of revolt first introduced in ancient Rome. When the ruling class of Rome would become too corrupt or unjust to the commoners, the commoners would band together, evacuate the entire city and leave the elites to fend for themselves
pink_panda 3 years ago
So what does a modern version of this look like? Asking for 330 million friends.
SoloDadof3 3 years ago
Simple really. Think of this, if the 300M+ cars driven daily just STOPPED moving for one week, would gas prices come down? If, worldwide, all the long haul truckers and railways shut down until fuel prices returned to pre-pandemic prices (it would take about 3 days doing this), it would return! --- Remember this, a government is ONLY as strong as their people let it be, if ALL the people band together. This is why so many governments create divisions!
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Analyn Lahr 3 years ago
We, uh, might wanna consider bringing this back. But maybe send the elites to a desert island instead.
Selene Vince 3 years ago
I think yes, but it would need more time. And a lot of people should "leave" from the one who work at the market to the one who delivers you the grocery ordered from an online market
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Lucius Malfoy 3 years ago
There were two of these that I know of! The first one was caused by Patricians not allowing the plebs to get rid of their war tax debt - the plebs were angry that the Patricians would take their land as compensation. The second one, however, was caused by the rape of Virginia by a horrible man called Crassus. Virginia's father and husband rallied together to get armies, which then left Rome almost deserted. The 1st Secession led to the Tribune of the Plebs, which was a massive failure anyway.
#6
TIL that in the operatic song in The Fifth Element, composer Eric Sierra "purposely wrote un-singable things" so she’d sound like an alien. When opera singer Inva Muls came for the part, "she sang 85% of what [Eric] thought was technically impossible", the rest being assembled in the studio
Sinkvenice 3 years ago
It's actually been sung in its entirety by Jane Zhang since then, it sounds so strange. Definitely worth a listen!
Dani Tuo 3 years ago
But not entirely correctly. In the film, the song was modified with an octave jump that is physically impossible for any human to achieve. As amazing as Jenny Zhang's singing of it is, she does not achieve that octave jump and you can hear the difference.
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Night Owl 3 years ago
Eric Sierra: "It's impossible." _____ Jane Zhang and Inva Mula: "Challenge accepted."
Dani Tuo 3 years ago (edited)
Still impossible however - Jenny Zhang did not achieve the octave jump in the film, and Inva Mula's singing was edited to achieve it. It is physically impossible for a human larynx to achieve that octave jump.
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Toni Ahlgren 3 years ago
The best "real life" version of the Diva song is by a young lady who competed in the Voice Armenia, just look it up. Absolutely incredible.
Rannveig Ess 3 years ago
She is just amazing. It puts tears in your eyes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmIeijo7s80
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The TIL community has been a powerhouse since its founding in late December of 2008. It has a very high bar on quality, and demands that people post verified information, backed up by sources. If it’s iffy, it’ll get weeded out by the moderators and the community. Reputable sources are king, as far as the ‘Today I Learned’ sub is involved.
However, underneath all the fact-checking lies something even more important—the desire to learn, no matter how young or old the person might be. TIL is all about sparking curiosity in people, helping educate them, and proving that the world is far more complex, bizarre, and interesting than we tend to give it credit for in our day-to-day lives.
Recently, Alan Castel, Ph.D., a UCLA psychology professor and the author of 'Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging,' spoke to Bored Panda about people’s curiosity, cognition, and how to maintain the sharpness of our minds as we age.
"Our awareness of our own cognitive ability and knowledge is called metacognition. Often as we get older, we are more aware of what we know, what we don’t know, and also what we are most interested in. I think being selective can be important so that we can focus on remembering and being curious about what interests us," he told us.
#7
TIL that 26 of the 36 missing children featured in the original music videos for Soul Asylum's Runaway Train have been found. Most recently, the remains of Aundria Bowman were identified in 2020, 31 years after she was reported missing
Caro Caro 3 years ago
Too long to post here but here's the link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaway_Train_(Soul_Asylum_song)
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
Oh wow, thank you for that. I had no idea.
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Beth S 3 years ago
I have loved that song from the first time I heard it - can't watch the video because it destroys my heart.
Moezzzz 3 years ago
Same. Also, The Dance by Garth Brooks. End up in a puddle everytime
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Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
🎶Can you help me remember how to smile? Make it somehow all seem worthwhile? How on earth did I get so jaded? Life's mystery seems so faded. I can go where no one else can go, I know what no one else knows. Here I am, just drowning in the rain, with a ticket for a runaway train🎶
#8
TIL A Canadian makeup developer helped Crayola create "Colors of the World" crayons that are meant to accurately reflect human skin tones. He pared down the 40 shades he had created for Cover FX to 24 distinct colors that kids can use to draw themselves
BigBoi 3 years ago
Are these available? Because I'm tired of drawing my tan skin orange like Donald Trump.
Leslie (they/them) 3 years ago
Yes, they should be available online, and also I believe in Walmart. You can find them in many places though. They also have “Colors of the World” colored pencils and markers. I would highly recommend them!
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BonnyDK 3 years ago
Retired Elementary Art teacher here. Those really helped when the kids drew their self portraits. Though they still left out a lot of variations they could at least find a color near theirs. Before it was pure white, peach, brown and black. The larger packs had raw sienna and burnt umber which helped some but weren't in the standard 24 color pack most kids got in their school supplies.
BadCat 3 years ago
Caucasians often would settle for beige, white or peach. "Bad makeup" my art teacher called it.
Monkey Dingdong 3 years ago
Crayola also made one called "flesh," which was a Caucasian colour. Even to this young white kid in the sixties, that was clearly a bad idea.
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#9
TIL to collect taxes, Christian IV of Denmark asked captains of ships crossing the Øresund to estimate the value of their cargo, which was applied as the tax base without further audit. But the king also claimed the right to buy the entire cargo at exactly that price
Caro Caro 3 years ago
This is pretty smart! If you give an estimate that's too low you know the king will buy it. Cool.
Telmo Belo 3 years ago
still not bad for seller. Underestimate by 20% and either get 20% off taxes or sell everything in one go.
Load More Replies... pink_panda 3 years ago
Funny how clever solutions seem to pop up when you're an all-powerful monarch.
Timmy Pillinger 3 years ago
If you have an absolute monarch the extremes are more possible than with a collective government. Having said which, if you good leaders surround themselves with good people, you and vice versa
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Grady'sRaider 3 years ago
Like the cake and the two brothers problem. The soloution: One gets to cut the cake in two. The other brother gets to choose which piece he wants.
Carl Watson 3 years ago (edited)
two brothers, mother cutting cake, one brother, "is that ALL for Brian,", "no dear, that's for you", "Ah, is that all I'm getting?"
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"Also, having some sense of awe is also associated with curiosity, happiness, and life satisfaction, while also making us care more about others and the world in general. I think metacognition and awe can make us more curious about the things that are important to us, especially as we get older," the professor shared with Bored Panda that a sense of awe can, in fact, make us happier.
"Research shows that physical exercise such as walking can improve brain function and memory, and being socially connected has widespread benefits for the brain," he noted that moving lots and having an active social life helps our minds.
"Thus, it is likely a combination of things that keep us sharp, such as being physically active, talking to people, reading, being connected, and remaining curious about things that are important."
#10
TIL the iconic Einstein-sticking-his-tongue-out photo was his annoyed reaction to paparazzi goading him to smile on his 72nd birthday. It achieved cult status mostly because Einstein himself asked for a cropped version, ordered many prints and proceeded to send them to friends
#11
TIL figure skating competitions in the 1800s involved the act of skating pictures into the ice. This required precision and wasn't as fast-paced as modern figure skating
Stannous Flouride 3 years ago
I remember them well. They gave the sport its name and were, until removed, called the "Compulsory Figures." They counted as 1/3 of an athlete's score. Here on YouTube Scott Hamilton explains them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU9Hy1upUr0 (starts at 1:58)
Load More Replies... Just a girl with a brain 3 years ago
It is called figure skating because you had to draw “figures” in the ice.
Eva Ribes 3 years ago
Compulsory figures were a very import part of figure skating until 1990's. Boring to watch, but such skill!
Donny Bereznak 3 years ago
That is subjective. I watch coding and art being made for fun, and inspiration. My wife thinks that is boring.
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Beth Gietl 3 years ago
I remember seeing this in some of the older Olympic try outs. The judges would get down on the ice to make sure it was perfectly etched in the ice.
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
This is why I prefer ice dancing to modern skating. Also, gymnastics has become less interesting for the same reason.
#12
TIL Joseph Armand Bombardier invented the snowmobile after his son died of appendicitis when a blizzard prevented him from getting him to a hospital in time
BigBoi 3 years ago
The first snowmobile was like a motorized snow cabin, not like the open air ones we have today.
Sinead Kenny 3 years ago
Would make sense seeing as his vision was to transport a gravely ill person across such treacherous terrain! Amazing how some inventions stem from a parents love, grief and regret. Bit like Lorenzo's oil.
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Suzy the observer 3 years ago
Un Québécois!!! 🥰 🥰 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph-Armand_Bombardier
#13
TIL about Jean Boulet who in 1972 set the world record for the highest altitude reached in a helicopter, 40,280ft. During descent his engines failed, and he landed the helicopter without power, setting another record in the process for the highest unpowered helicopter landing
JMC5003 3 years ago
Wow. Thank you! That really puts it into perspective!
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Vladimir I 3 years ago
For helicopers, not necessary. Main rotor rotates because of air moving through it and slows down the fall. It's called "autorotation".
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#14
TIL that on the entire 4300 mile length of the Amazon river there are no bridges
Nathaniel 3 years ago
Is this because the Amazon keeps changing? Every year there are floods, when the waters recede, new channels are formed?
Berdarien Brown 3 years ago
No it's because the Amazon is full of trolls. If you build bridges then they take over and you pay the toll.
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Jessica Cifelli 3 years ago
Didn't somebody try to build a bridge but the whole river decided to move making the bridge useless? I feel like there is a picture somewhere
Mad Dragon 3 years ago
Could you please cite your source? Everything I'm finding says there is not a single bridge across the Amazon River. There is one that crosses the Rio Negro, but that is a tributary rather than the actual Amazon River.
Load More Replies... Vicko Fidelis 3 years ago
Simple. There is snakes, piranha, and a lot scary things underneath it
#15
TIL about unisexual mole salamanders which are an all-female complex of salamanders that 'steal' sperm from up to five different species of salamanders in the genus Ambystoma and recombine it to produce female hybrid offspring. This method of reproduction is called kleptogenesis
Analyn Lahr 3 years ago
So maybe we should call them Amazon salamanders after the mythic all female warrior tribe?
#16
TIL that American ice cream company Häagen-Dazs sued American ice cream company Frusen Glädjé to stop them from using a "Scandinavian marketing theme". The court ruled against Häagen-Dazs as they had also marketed themselves as Scandinavian without having any real connection to the region
Chich 3 years ago
Häagen-Dazs does not even mean anything. It is a made up word to sound Scandinavian
jovis 3 years ago
I think it sounds more like dutch or german! And I'm from Sweden. Frusen Glädje is swedish for Frozen Joy though :)
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Malene 3 years ago
Jokes on them then. As a person from Scandinavien, Haagen-Dazs does not sound Scandinavien at all... I always thought it was like German or Dutch...
Ellen Ranks 3 years ago
Dutchie here.....Nope, not Dutch at all.... I would say German...
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jovis 3 years ago
Why do I get the feeling that most people don't acually read the comments that was written like ten hours before? Either we have a hive mind or peeps just copy what someone else wrote (me and those who commented that post)? Don't know why though: to get more upvotes? Or do I just don't understand this site?
Concept-Peter Roosdorp 3 years ago
And Frusen Glädje isn't a made upp word. It's actually swedish for Frozen Joy. Häagen-Daz is just a made up word.
#17
TIL the 7 year rule for dog aging is incorrect - compared to humans, dogs age faster when young and slower as they age
IlovemydogShilo 3 years ago
That's their only fault. And saying goodbye is the hardest and most heartbreaking thing in the whole world.
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Joey Marlin 3 years ago
Very much depends on the breed as well. Small dogs tend to live longer than larger breeds, typically.
Tamra 3 years ago
I'm very sorry you lost your friend. They really are wonderful. I'm sure he knew you loved him very much.
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marianne eliza 3 years ago
When trying to compare dogs to humans, this age stuff is a lot of hooey. Most dogs can breed by 6 months. A 1 year old dog is more like a 16 year old. 2 years old is about early to mid 20's. 3 is late 20's, 4 mid 30's. From there it's up to the breed to determine aging.
#18
TIL after the TV show Teletubbies ended, the owner of the land used had to dig out the hill and flood the field it was filmed in, due to the amount of people trespassing to see Teletubbieland
Toby Flenderson 3 years ago
Yes! Like the New Zealand farmer who owns the land where Hobbitton is. IIRC he earns more from that lease to the operating company than from farming.
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Hannah Edwards 3 years ago
So they turned Tellly Tubby land into a Watership Down type scenario?
J. F. 3 years ago (edited)
i bet thousands of parents around the world didn't mind....
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Ronnie Beaton 3 years ago
The first time I saw Teletubbies, I was off work sick. For a few horrible moments, I *genuinely* thought I was hallucinating.
Wandaluzt 3 years ago
Actually the producers had to put the land back to how it was prior to filming, per the agreement. So this is utter bull.
Stymied Egan 3 years ago
A search says it was filled with water as the op says. It doesn't say the structure is there. It maybe that the "dome" was removed. That doesn't mean the owner wasn't having problems with people trying to look.
Load More Replies... Rannveig Ess 3 years ago
As long as I live, I will never recover from being forced to watch that show with my little nephew when I'd babysit him. That Baby In The Sun was creepy. The teletubbies were horrific. I hate clowns, I hate puppets, I'm not too fond of dolls. But knowing there were grown adults in those costumes....ugh. I'd also read that one of them got "fired" after a time, (amid much protest from parents) because he "wasn't interpreting the character to the standards" they wanted. I can't even.
#19
TIL Florence Nightingale was not only a nurse but a statistician who created one of the first pie charts and authored 150 books, pamphlets and reports
Chewie Baron 3 years ago
Also, she barely did any of the nursing in Crimea, that was done by Mary Seacole. Nightingale was also a hypochondriac, when she returned home after the Crimean war, she went to bed and stayed there until her death in 1910.
Michael Abess 3 years ago
She was also a major racist, and avid proponent of genocide. But yay, pie charts!
Two_rolling_black_eyes 3 years ago
There is no argument that her racist colonial views were horrible and harmful. However, your belittling of pie charts shows your lack of understanding of how big of an impact she had as one of the early pioneers of data visualization. Literally thousands of lives were saved by one of her first groups regarding survival rates and sanitation. We are a visual species where most of us glaze over at a column of numbers. Her charts showed doctors were killing patients so so-called intelligent men couldn't reject a hysterical woman. She also invented modern nursing and destigmatized the profession and the entire idea that a woman could make her own living and needed no man to survive. History is chain of small gains across history and to ignore all progress because it wasn't enough for your current standards is foolish. Her damaging ideas should not be forgotten about don't use them as an excuse to reject the good ones.
Load More Replies... Anne McKinney 3 years ago
That's why it's called HIStory and HERstory. They rarely documented the overwhelming accomplishments of women.
#20
TIL that a suicidal teen from the UK used several fake online personas to convince his best mate to kill him, he survived the attack but became the first person in UK history to be charged with inciting their own murder
Ansi 3 years ago
Tricking your friend to kill you is a really $i!!¥ thing to do. Being trolled into killing your friend makes you stupid.
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Nadja Lambacher 3 years ago
"Footage captured of the alley entrance showed that no one else had entered it except John and Mark. Mark was now a suspect and after he was shown the CCTV footage, revealed the truth that he was the one who stabbed John. His motive? He’d been asked to do so by a British spy mistress called Janet Dobinson, who he’d been communicating with via an Internet chat room. If he completed his mission he’d become a member of the British Secret Service, receive £80 million, meet Tony Blair (the then PM), the Queen and receive sexual favours from Janet, a 44-year-old married woman who lived a double life for Queen and country. Mark had even been given a codename, 47695, and been provided with an abort code, 6969, should the mission be cancelled."
Nadja Lambacher 3 years ago
Oh and apparently he also convinced him of giving him blowjobs for "the government".
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Emma Stowe 3 years ago (edited)
There's a film based on the events on UK netflix called U want me 2 kill him?
Mistiekim 3 years ago
That’s almost like something gamers will do to each other. If a player gets mad enough at someone they will call the police/swat team and tell them the person has a bomb, is holding someone hostage, etc. in order for them to be arrested or sometimes even worse.
I love the 80’s 3 years ago
That's a lot of time and energy expended that he could have put toward therapy.
#21
TIL that the Feeling of "impending doom" is an official symptom of a Wrong blood type Transfusion. (ABO incompatibility)
SamanthaStillNotBoredPanda. 3 years ago
I had 4 blood transfusions in one go . On returning home . I cried all the time was freezing cold and just felt I didn’t know myself anymore ….Turns out I’d been given the wrong blood type .
JMC5003 3 years ago (edited)
I looked this up and you are so very fortunate to have survived that! I hope you're doing well now, with no permanent negative effects.
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Spittnimage 3 years ago
My mom had a feeling of impending doom when she had a perforated colon. She told the nurse she felt like she had a black cloud over her head and they rushed her to surgery. Apparently, that's what the doctor was waiting to hear (the nurse said).
Mistiekim 3 years ago
A lot of Transfusion Reactions are seen during or at the end of the transfusion. For the most part, if you are sick enough to get a transfusion you will be in a hospital setting so you will be monitored closely. If you are being released you are usually held for a certain amount of time after the transfusion to make sure nothing is starting like hives, hemolytic transfusion reaction, etc. as well.
pink_panda 3 years ago
I don't believe I've had a blood transfusion. Is it a symptom of anything else?
#22
TIL that a fire destroyed most of Harvard Library’s collection in 1764. Only a small number of books were spared, including 144 that were checked out at the time. One of these books was found and returned in 1997
iseefractals 3 years ago
If you're going to talk about Harvard's library, how do you not mention the book there which is bound in human skin?
#23
TIL that the first commercial airliner shot down by hostile forces was refurbished, returned to service, and later became the third commercial airliner to be shot down by hostile forces
Sir Beer Korma 3 years ago (edited)
And was then reincarnated as an Indian elephant (the one that killed a woman then turned up at her funeral to attack her body)
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Matthew Jameson 3 years ago
I simply refuse to travel on anything that resembles the eventual loser in a boxing match.
#24
TIL The London Underground has its own subspecies of mosquito that lives exclusively in the stations and tunnels
Joey Marlin 3 years ago
I wouldn't worry about it, I commmuted for years and didn't get bothered once by mossies.
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olx 3 years ago
yeah, only thats a hazard as the bats could get hit by fast moving trains
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Nino Reisen 3 years ago
And I literally have them in my bedroom in Sweden right now. I learnt about it last week. The damn little bastards are rapidly spreading along costal Scandinavia.
#25
TIL Mr. T's trademark gold neck chains and jewelry was the result of customers losing the items or leaving them after a fight at the nightclub where Mr T. worked as a bouncer. A banned customer could return to claim his property from Mr. T wearing it conspicuously right out front
DaVo 3 years ago
He took the name Mr.T so people would always have to address him as Mr. Not boy like his father and grandfather.
FABULOUS1 3 years ago
I never knew that part about his name, very smart. I hate watching older movies and hear men beiong referred to as boy.
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Joeshar 3 years ago
Mr. T attended the premiere of Rocky 3 with his mother. During the scene where he yells lurid remarks at Adrian, his mother turned to him and said "I did not raise you to talk to a lady like that." She then stormed out of the theatre.
Randy Volz 3 years ago
The Chicago club was Dingbats. I used to go every couple of weeks while he was working there.
Luna Crow 3 years ago
I respect this. As a festival/event worker, you'd not believe the things we find left behind. There's always some discussion over whether items can be claimed or go to the lost & found. Generally, if the participants haven't left yet, things go to the L&F, but if there's an item a worker wants if unclaimed, we'll wear it so it's easily visible to the original owner to reclaim. And if they don't, we give it a new home
#26
TIL there's a gene that controls how long you sleep. "Short sleepers" function the same off of 4-6 hours of sleep as a typical individual getting 8
James016 3 years ago
I get about 4-6 hours and I generally feel like c**p. Even the smallest noise wakes me up.
Bedlamite 3 years ago
Get a white noise machine. Generally cost about 20 bucks. This device has helped me sleep better, and maybe even saved my neighbor's dog from being kidnapped and driven to the other side of the planet.
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MagicalUnicorn 3 years ago
i need at least 8, 9 is a even better, less makes me murderous (especially if someone wakes me up)
JMC5003 3 years ago (edited)
I was taking Benadryl every night to help me sleep, because I also need at least 8 hours sleep in order to function. Neurologist told me to stop taking it, that long-term use causes depression. I'm still falling asleep just fine, but I'm only staying asleep 6 or 7 hours. I'm pretty sure not getting enough sleep also causes depression. It at least tilts me towards insanity. 😵💫
Load More Replies... Chich 3 years ago
I usually get by on 5-6 hours. Occasionally 8 which leaves me as tired as when I went to bed.
Monday 3 years ago
Wana trade genes? I have trouble functioning with less than 7 hours of sleep...My ideal amount seems to be 9 hours which is really inconvenient. Such a waste of time.
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not your average weirdo 3 years ago
I function the same no matter how much I sleep, it’s kinda weird and I don’t ever feel tired.
RedMarbles 3 years ago
What a gift of life for the short sleepers. I wonder if there are any downsides to those genes.
IlovemydogShilo 3 years ago
If i have 2-3 hours sleep a night I feel great the next day, but any more than that and I feel like a zombie the next day.
JMC5003 3 years ago (edited)
Wow. Do you feel like you accomplish more than the average person? I can't imagine having 20+ good hours awake per day! What do you do with the extra 4+ hours when everyone else is asleep?
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#27
TIL the last king of Egypt, Faud II, is still alive and ascended to the throne when he was just 192 days old. He was deposed a year later after his father was exiled and Egypt declared a republic
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
His wife converted to Islam from Judaism. Since rabbis determine Jewish legitimacy through the mother’s line, the heir to the throne of Egypt could be considered Jewish. Although in actual ethnicity, his mother is French and Swiss, and the Muhammad Ali dynasty is Albanian and Circassian.
#28
TIL about Alexis St. Martin who, after not properly healing after being shot in the stomach, was used in experiments for 12 years as doctors could view his digestion in real time through his wound. He lived another 58 years
Sir Beer Korma 3 years ago
Or the Pernkopf Topographical Anatomy Of Man as used by surgeons and where the information came from.
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#29
TIL Frank Dixon, author of the Hardy Boys books and Carolyn Keene author of the Nancy Drew Series don't exist. They are actually pseudonyms for a variety of writers who wrote those stories
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
And K.A.Applegate, author of the "Animorphs" series, was actually two people - Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant. Grant went on to write the "Gone" series, which I cannot recommend enough.
Dani Tuo 3 years ago
Also around 12 ghostwriters, who wrote 26 of the books between 25 and 52 + the 2 alternamorphs based upon Katherine and Grant's outlines. May be in the middle of reading Animorphs after the announcement of early development of a film.
Load More Replies... Sabs 3 years ago
I grew up reading Nancy drew, and you can tell by the style of writing from each book or set of books that they are not written by the same person.
JMC5003 3 years ago
I was thinking that this answers a lot of questions. I was obsessed with Nancy Drew when I was a preteen. I always wondered why the writing style changed so much.
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Tom Grosman 3 years ago
“And don’t forget about Tom Swift, Tom Swift Jr, the Bobbsey Twins, The Rover Boys, The Happy Hollisters and over 100 other series”, said Tom mindfully.
CultOfBambi 3 years ago
"I loved the Bobbsey twins!" replied Bambi. "I had completely forgotten about them. Does anyone else remember the Trixie Belden series? I used to scour flea markets and book exchanges for those. Although, my absolute favourites were the Willard Price Adventure series about Hal and Roger, going all over the world to collect animals for zoos and reserves."
Load More Replies... Ronnie Beaton 3 years ago
My late father would refer to the characters as "The Nancy Boys" and "Hardy Drew".
sapphoscousin 3 years ago
love nancy drew, knew carolyn keen wasn’t real, but i didn’t know that she was multiple people. my world is shook.
#30
TIL that the Animals broke up because, while touring in Japan in 1968, their manager was kidnapped by the tour promoters, who were Yakuza, and put him up for ransom. After the manager escaped, the band was forced to flee the country or be killed by the Yakuza, leaving all of their tour gear behind
Powerful Katrinka 3 years ago
It's a good story, but that's all it is. Eric Burdon said that the band broke up due to the combination of bad management and drugs.
Valerie G. 3 years ago
When I was a teen, I had a pen pal named Eric Burdon. He had put his name in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. My older brother was all excited and opened the envelope since he was a huge Animals fan.
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Rob Williams 3 years ago
Actually The Animals are just finishing their farewell tour. I saw them last week!
#31
TIL amidst early concerns about leaded gas, the engineer who discovered tetraethyllead as an additive demonstrated its 'safety' by pouring it over his hands and inhaling its vapor, stating he could do this every day without issue. He later took a leave of absence due to lead poisoning
Tom Grosman 3 years ago
This same guy who put lead in gas also put CFCs (freon) in cooling systems, leading to destruction of the ozone layer. He is probably responsible for more deaths and suffering than anyone in history. And at the time, people knew about the effects of lead so they called leaded gas “ethyl” and removed any references to the fact that it contained lead.
Peter Trudell Jr 3 years ago
even worse, if I remember correctly, he also brought us asbestos.
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Rob Williams 3 years ago
Thomas Midgley knew full well that the lead was dangerous and only ever went near the stuff when he was doing his "safety" demonstrations! Not content with introducing raised lead levels to the world he went on to develop CFCs!
Zack Podany 3 years ago
There was a Dollop episode about this. The story is far darker than just this guy's "unrelated retirement." He swore by that stuff until the day it killed him.
RedMarbles 3 years ago
Looks like he died this way: "In 1940, at the age of 51, Midgley contracted polio, which left him severely disabled. He devised an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to lift himself out of bed. In 1944, he became entangled in the device and died of strangulation." Thomas Midgley Jr. - Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.
Load More Replies... #32
TIL About "Judas goats", which are trained to associate with herds and gain their trust so that other animals follow them - to a slaughter. The Judas goat is rewarded by not being killed, and used to lead other herds to the same fate
Xottel 3 years ago
The Dutch used tamed ducks to lead wild ducks into traps. They even bred a dedicated dog breed to attract the ducks.
Okatango 3 years ago
So depressing. I hope I live to see the day when the reaction to eating meat from animals (as opposed to lab-grown) will get the same reactions as those towards cannibalism (ok if you're stranded on a freezing mountain top without hope of rescue for days or weeks, but otherwise just horrible.)
Lady Goldberry 3 years ago
I learned about this from the wonderful Sir Terry Pratchett in...Feet of Clay, I believe.
Luna Crow 3 years ago
So many conflicting emotions here; so clearly they're smart enough to realize what's going on, and their role in it. Yet they're ok with pretending to be friends until they lead their own kind into slaughter, to save their own hide. I thought only humans did this
JMC5003 3 years ago
Humans minimize the intelligence and sentience of other animals so they can justify treating them badly. IMO
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Sir Beer Korma 3 years ago
Also used to bring escaped stock to a safer area
Load More Replies... Bored Bunny 3 years ago
There are Judas horses too, used when capturing herds of wild horses in the US West.
#33
TIL that when deaf people experience stroke-related brain damage, they often lose the ability to sign in remarkably similar ways to the different forms of linguistic aphasia (difficulty speaking, forming words, sentences being nonsensical)
#34
TIL Alexander Fleming's mold that produced the first antibiotic, penicillin, was kept frozen since 1945 and its genomes are used for regrowing nowadays
Seán Hannan 3 years ago
All modern commercial penicillin comes from a mould found on the skin of a cantaloupe in a market near a research facility in Peoria, Illinois in 1946, not from Fleming's mould.
Notyomama 3 years ago
Huh. That explains a lot! I'm allergic to penicillin and cantaloupe.
Load More Replies... #35
TIL that a Wall Street restaurant, The Exchange Buffet, operated on the honour system, where customers would tally their own bills. It ran successfully from 1885 to 1963
Orillion 3 years ago (edited)
*Looks back at the table where 17 plates are stacked precariously*
Load More Replies... Matthew Jameson 3 years ago
Pubs used the honor system for years. The term "mind your p's and q's" meant to keep track of the pints and quarts you've consumed. Back in the day I'd have needed an accountant to follow my tipsy a*s around all weekend.
Niall Mac Iomera 3 years ago
There are currently restaurants that let you decide your own bill.
#36
TIL the energy released by turning just one kilogram of hydrogen into helium is the same as burning 20,000 metric tons of coal. The sun is doing this constantly through nuclear fusion
Timmy Pillinger 3 years ago
One of the most my university lecturers copied the nutrition information off his bag of crisps and calculated how long the sun would last if it were shining like it does by burning cheese and onion crisps. About 4000years. Also, the the solar wind would be greasy.
Load More Replies... #37
TIL The national anthem of Italy mentiones Poland and the national anthem of Poland mentions Italy, both in a positive way
Tamara 3 years ago
The national anthem of The Netherlands mentions Germany and Spain. In the 16th century, when it was written, Germany and Holland where one country, at war with Spain.
Sanne H. 3 years ago (edited)
It does not refer to Germany, “Diets” does not equal “Duits”. The anthem does refer to the - at that time - Spanish oppressor though.
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#38
TIL about Kriegspiel, a chess variant where each player can see their own pieces, but not those of their opponent. Players attempt to move on their turns, and the umpire declares their attempts 'legal' or 'illegal'. If the move is illegal, the player tries again; if it is legal, that move stands
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
My grandad and I used to play noughts and crosses in a similar variation.
#39
TIL Weird Al's biggest problem with services that illegally distributed his music was that they would misattribute songs to him. Al was especially annoyed by profane songs like, "Baby Got Jack” or “Ugly Girl”
#40
TIL Bach wrote the Brandenburg Concertos in 1721 as part of a job application to the Margrave, which he never received a reply. The concertos were unpublished until 1850 and almost lost again during WWII
Tobias Reaper 3 years ago
there is a new action movie being made about famous composers it will have Arnold Schwarzenegger Jean Claude Van Dam and Jason Statham when they met to discuss it Jason Statham said ill be Beethoven Van Dam said ill be Mozart and Arnie said ill be Bach
Caro Caro 3 years ago
He is my favorite. I love his music. I once went to listen to the Matthäus-Passion in the Netherlands in an old church and I'll never forget it (next time I'll bring a cushion bc those seats are hard!).
Auntriarch 3 years ago
There's something about hearing the music in the space it was written for. The Sala Terrena in Vienna, I cried.
Load More Replies... #41
TIL Martha Gellhorn was the only woman to land on the Normandy beaches (alongside 150,000 men). She was a journalist but her request to come along had been denied, so she stowed away in a toilet and then disguised herself as a stretcher bearer
#42
TIL When AIDS patient Steve Pieterson was interviewed by Tammy Faye Baker on her program House Party With Tammy Faye he had a prognosis of approximately 6 months to live having been diagnosed in 1982. He's still alive today
#43
TIL that in 1970, a US Navy attack cargo ship accidentally hit the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, putting the bridge out of commission. For the next three weeks while it was repaired, the Navy offered commuters a free shuttle service using helicopters and Landing Craft Units
#44
TIL that when Abraham Lincoln took off his Stovepipe Hat to give his first Inaugural Address, he awkwardly looked around for a place to put it. The losing Presidential Candidate, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, stepped forward, said “Permit me,” and took the hat to hold on his knee during the address
Monday 3 years ago
Back when politicians respected (or at the very least pretended to respect) each other.
JoyfulZebra 3 years ago
Fast forward a few years, when a congressman beat another congressman on the head with his cane
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ChekovsCurlyHair 3 years ago
A political opponent ( I don’t remember who) called Lincoln two-faced, and he responded with, “Sir, if I had another face, do you think I’d be wearing this one?”
#45
TIL the first McDonalds Drive Thru was made for soldiers, who were unable to leave their vehicle while in uniform
Hiram's Friend 3 years ago
It depended on the uniform. In most situations Class A's were OK, fatigues were not allowed out of cars between post and home (if you were lucky enough to get off-post housing. It's only comparatively recently that all and sundry are seen in BDUs (demonstrating my age).
#46
TIL about Sigurd Eysteinsson's unusual death. Sigurd had his enemies' heads strapped to his victorious men's saddles as trophies, but as Sigurd rode home, Máel Brigte's buck-tooth scratched his leg. The leg became inflamed and infected, and as a result Sigurd died
#47
TIL that some male octopuses set up dens next to female octopus dens and have sex without leaving the den by extending the mating arm from one den to another. They copulate repeatedly
#48
TIL a study with 30,899 participants found no link between vitamin supplements and longer lifespans
Chich 3 years ago
unless specifically prescribed, most vitamin suppliments are only used for expensive urine.
Monday 3 years ago
Mild vitamin deficiencies don't really affect lifespan either, just quality of life.
Load More Replies... BadCat 3 years ago
There is something to overdosing on vitamins, and it can happen if you're taking them when you're already eating diet of your daily vitamin intake. There are those who do need a boost in a specific vitamin. Those multi ones contain sugar and other non-healthy ingredients, and it's harder to determine what vitamin you need and don't need.
Load More Replies... #49
TIL that when Vincent Price agreed to do the voice work for Thriller he was given a choice between taking a percentage of the album proceeds or being paid a flat $20K. He chose the $20K
Saint Thomas 3 years ago
He explained why in an interview with Johnny Carson : he was a well established actor, and didn't really need the extra money.
Wintermute 3 years ago
Yeah, this guy was rich before Michael Jackson was even born. He was also known for passion projects. When it came to Hollywood, he was really one of the good ones.
Load More Replies... #50
TIL that on the atoll of Pinglelap, 10% of the population is affected by total colorblindness, with another 30% being unaffected carriers of the gene. This is due to a population bottleneck caused by a typhoon in 1775 that left 20 survivors on the atoll. One carried the colorblindness gene
#51
TIL after he was fired from his job as embassador, tortured and banished to his farm estate, N.Machiavelli would return home at night, change the dirty clothes he wore for field work and put on his ambassador outfit, just to study in his office, alone, due to how much he missed his job
#52
TIL that Harambe’s mother, only full brother, and two of his half siblings were killed when a tub of wet chlorine tablets was left by a space heater. The toxic fumes were blown into the gorilla enclosure and killed the four gorillas
RedMarbles 3 years ago
Agreed on the ones that are poorly managed, but there are zoos that are not poorly managed and they are very important for helping species with such low numbers.
Load More Replies... David Bramlage 3 years ago
I go to the zoo Harambe lived at (I live near it) and never this story, so sad. We’re still considered a really good zoo and our zoo does have a good educational and conservation program
#53
TIL There are over 350 recognized pasta types in Italy today, but in the 13th century, there were 4 main types: spaghetti, ravioli, macaroni and gnocchi
Lady Goldberry 3 years ago
And a macaroni in the British sense of the word, was someone who was a fashionista in the 18th century...
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Firefly 3 years ago
On the Roku channel, there is a series where a chef travels to different parts of Italy featuring their unique pasta. It is called Pasta Shapes. I find it interesting that there will be a small, remote village with is own pasta that only 1 or 2 grandmas know how to make anymore.
iseefractals 3 years ago
When i think "type" i'm thinking semolina flour, various vegetable flours, wheat or durum, not the shape of the slimy wet boiled dough.
Valter 3 years ago
"Gnocchi" is not "pasta": pasta is made of durum wheat, gnocchi is potato's.
Giulia Fortunati 3 years ago
There is also a tipe of pasta called gnocchi made of wheat, like sardinian gnocchi!
Load More Replies... #54
TIL in 2013 John Malkovich assisted a man who had tripped and slit his throat on a piece of scaffolding. The man credits the pressure Malkovich applied on his neck with saving his life
#55
TIL in France it is illegal to disinherit one’s children, meaning that a particular share of the deceased’s estate is legally required to be kept for their children
Laugh or not 3 years ago
Yes and no. If you have something to leave to your children, you can't disinherit one in favor of the other or give everything to a separate entity. You can, however, decide to spend it all during your life. There are very famous cases of families trying to stop their patriarch/matriarch from spending it all and taking them to court over expenses.
LittleWombat 3 years ago
That is quite unfortunate. No one should feel entitled to it and quite a few family members do not deserve a thing based on their own actions or failure to act.
Danish Dynomummy 3 years ago
We have 'forced inheritance' so that children have to get a certain percentage.
#56
TIL Spitfire planes were "crowdfunded" in some cases in World War II. Large scale contributors were allowed to give the plane a nickname which was printed on the side. For example, ‘Dorothy of Great Britain and Empire’ was named by a group of women, all with the name 'Dorothy'
Šimon Špaček 3 years ago
That is type of kickstarter I would back for sure. And for sure I hope I will never have to.
#57
TIL CCR's 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain?' is about the fact the band wildly exceeded all of their expectations, were rich, famous and hugely successful. Despite all this they were all miserable, angry, depressed and constantly fighting each other for control of the band. They broke up soon after
#58
TIL the classic cartoon image of a beehive looks so different from the real thing because it's based on an ancient manmade hive called a skep
Laura Ketteridge 3 years ago
In some parts of the world skeps are still very much in use. In other places, skeps are used to contain and transport swarms.
#59
TIL that in 1889 the US Congress created a committee with two members known as the "Committee on Disposition of Useless Executive Papers." Its job was to discard papers both members agreed weren't important and report why they weren't important. This later was replaced by the National Archives
#60
TIL that when "Jaws" was filmed, Steven Spielberg initially wanted to build a giant mechanical shark for realism, but its constant malfunctioning proved to be a budgeting nightmare, so he came up with the cheaper solution of shooting from the shark's POV in the waters instead
Sander 3 years ago
The mechanical shark was nicknamed Bruce. In Finding Nemo, the main shark is named after that.
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
Legend has it that it was in honour of Spielberg's lawyer.
Load More Replies... Panda Kicki 3 years ago
Only partially true. Valerie Taylor filmed most of the scenes with visible sharks, where they used smaller boat and a very small (and very scared) stuntman to make it appear bigger. After the mass slaughter Jaws initated she worked her whole life to med the damage. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/movies/valerie-taylor-jaws-shark.html
#61
TIL that Pop Rocks, Tang, and Cool Whip were all invented by one person, Dr. William A. Mitchell
#62
TIL about the Epley maneuver, a simple and effective treatment for vertigo which involves a sequence of head movements. Doctor John Epley had a hard time convincing other doctors that it was effective despite the ease of application and proven efficacy
Mtownmick 3 years ago
This can't be real. We all know that all medicine requires drugs, the more expensive the better.
LittleWombat 3 years ago
Why downvote?! This is clearly sarcasm, fellow Pandas!!
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Linus Bourque 3 years ago
I've actually had this done to me back in the mid-90s when I woke up with horrible vertigo. The Doc in the ER said "I want to try something I read on the internet". I was skeptical but it worked! I was impressed.
Lady Goldberry 3 years ago
I've had this treatment and have also recently helped a physio give the treatment to someone else. It's really trippy.
#63
TIL that the official Hitler sent to coerce fascist Spain into joining the Axis in WWII was secretly opposed to Nazism. Unsurprisingly, he did not convince Spain to join the war. After the war, the Spanish government gave his widow a pension in gratitude
Laugh or not 3 years ago
The non-participation and anti-communism of the fransquist government allowed it to continue with the support of the US government and indifference of other european countries until 1973.
Ines Olabarria-Smith 3 years ago
I find hilarious that in the only meeting hitler and franco had lasted 9 hours and the German found the Spaniard insufferable.
#64
TIL that in 2019, a man from Gujarat, India, bit a snake after the snake had bitten him. Both he and the snake died
#65
TIL The American Civil War not only killed nearly 1 million soliders, it also had many addicted to morphine. Coca-Cola was introduced to try to help them overcome their addiction
Monday 3 years ago
I mean...it might cure you of the morphine addiction. It'll just give you a shiny new addiction!
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#66
TIL When Mozart stopped by Linz on his way back to Vienna, he found out the local count wanted him to contribute a symphony for an upcoming concert. Mozart was not expecting it and had no music with him, so he ended up having to write a symphony in merely 4 days
#67
TIL about Cotard’s Syndrome, also known as “walking corpse syndrome,” a rare mental disorder in which one has delusional beliefs ranging from believing that they are dead, do not exist, or have lost their internal organs/blood/souls. Many even believe they’re immortal and can’t die a natural death
#68
TIL that Potassium's main role in the body is to help maintain normal levels of fluid inside our cells. Sodium, its counterpart, maintains normal fluid levels outside of cells. Potassium also helps muscles to contract and supports normal blood pressure
#69
TIL that ancient civilizations developed iron tools well before the Iron Age by finding meteorites made of iron and nickel that didn’t require smelting
Ian Webling 3 years ago
All prehistoric iron objects on Greenland were made from meteoric iron.
#70
TIL of the high % of NASA astronauts that were Boy Scouts. Of the 312 selected as astronauts, at least 207 have been active in scouting. Of the 24 to travel to the moon, 20 were scouts, including 11 of the 12 moonwalkers, and all three members of the crew of Apollo 13
Saint Thomas 3 years ago
I guess the answer lies in sociology. Most of them come from the same kind of social/economic/educationnal background where scouting is a common activity for boys.
Jim Berard 3 years ago
A scout is trustworthy loyal helpful friendly courteous kind obedient cheerful thrifty brave clean and reverent
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I don't know about other countries, but there has been a running joke in Australian Scouts because they removed thrifty from scout law.
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#71
TIL "the 8,000 nerve endings in the clitoris" came from a single study of cows, back in the 1970s
#72
TIL in 1955, actor Ray Liotta was adopted from an orphanage at the age of six months. He hired a private detective to locate his biological mother in the 2000s, and learned that he had one biological sister, one biological half-brother, and five biological half-sisters
#73
TIL of Folkracing, a form of rallycross racing originating in Finland. There is cost cap on the cars of €1,500, to make sure nobody gets an unfair advantage by spending more on their car, anyone can buy the car for €1,500. If the owner refuses to sell their competition license can be revoked
SoloDadof3 3 years ago
They should do that in auto racing today! (Adjusted slight upward though.)
#74
TIL Candido Jacuzzi invented the Jacuzzi to help his son's Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. His son contracted arthritis after strep throat, which caused continuous joint pain. He created the J-300 portable water pump for a bath at their house since the boy benefited from hydrotherapy
HarriMissesScotland 3 years ago
I too, had JRA, also from strep throat! After my tonsils were removed, things improved a bit. Now, I am just old.
#75
TIL that Flo Rida tests his upcoming songs at strip clubs first to check if girls are dancing to it before releasing them
#76
TIL that possums don’t “play dead”, they actually pass out due to fear of predators. They go into shock and faint when confronted, involuntarily. They are in a catatonic state until they become conscious again
Melissa TO 3 years ago (edited)
I let my 3 dogs out late one night and they all went right to one area of the yard. It was, what I thought, a dead possum. I dragged them in, woke up my husband, dragged him outside to clean up the "dead thing" in the yard. He was pretty mad when there was no "dead thing" to clean up in the few minutes it took me to get the dogs in and wake him up. It was just playing possum. Derp. It was stiff as a board, mouth open, tongue out. Three dogs on top of it, plus me poking at it, didn't phase it a bit. 🙄
#77
TIL Madagascar was settled by a small population of no more than 30 women. These 30 women are the ancestors of all native Malagasy today
John Whick 3 years ago
I think some may have been pregnant, but thats just a theory, a history theory
Load More Replies... #78
TIL in 1967, hundreds of Singaporean men panicked that their penises were disappearing into their abdomen. They were actually fine but had succumbed to a culture-bound delusion disorder known as koro, which means turtle (as in a turtle’s head retracting into its shell)
#79
TIL that Napster issued a cease and desist order to the band The Offspring to stop them selling bootleg merchandise imprinted with the Napster logo
#80
TIL the North American Gray Squirrel is considered an invasive species in Britain as the squirrels carry a squirrel pox that is deadly for the Red Squirrels native to Britain. The Gray Squirrel also eats seven times as much food as the Red Squirrels, crowding out any who survive the squirrel pox
Robyn Shonfeld 3 years ago
Recently found out way way back reds were considered vermin, and local authorities would pay people for the tails from dead reds. This caused a huge ecological issues and so grays were brought in in an attempt to reestablish a healthy wild population and reverse the effects of the mass culling of the reds.
Mistiekim 3 years ago
Are black squirrels a problem? So far the only place I’ve seen them is on one of the Lake Erie islands. Do other places have them?
Anne Reid 3 years ago
Yes, and they are in fact Eastern Gray Squirrels! They can be gray, black, red or a mixture.
Load More Replies... #81
TIL in 2007 a Tombstone with the inscription "you will always be remembered, never forgotten", was left behind by a passenger at Dublin airport, subsequently ending up in lost property
#82
TIL in 2010, members of the Los Zetas cartel demanded 77-year old Alejo Garza Tamez ("Don Alejo") to hand over his ranch. When they arrived the next day, Alejo opened fire and had a gun battle for hours and was able to kill four and wound two others before dying
#83
TIL that Julie Andrews was snubbed for the starring role in the film My Fair Lady, yet took home the Oscar for the same year for Mary Poppins, while Audrey Hepburn wasn’t nominated
Ines Olabarria-Smith 3 years ago
Audrey Hepburn was dubbed by Marnie Nixon who was one of the nuns in the sound of music.
#84
TIL For production of 'The Bellboy ' (1960) Jerry Lewis was actor and director, so he invented a system of multiple cameras and monitors enabling him to act, review the performance, and reshoot immediately. Lewis received the Golden Light Technical Achievement award for the invention
#85
TIL After Apollo astronaut Al Worden left NASA, he moved to San Francisco, grew out his hair, and became a quasi-hippie. Worden was also a frequent guest on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, telling children what it was like to be an astronaut
Hiram's Friend 3 years ago
Tried really hard to find a photo of him with longer than standard male cut of the era. Couldn't
#86
TIL actor Peter Sellers accidentally saw The Producers. He then demanded it get a wide release and took out full-page ads telling everybody to see it
Victor Botha 3 years ago
Great actor. Pity he was such a terrible person in real life.
Load More Replies... #87
TIL that in Haitian rural folklore, there are actually two kinds of zombies: the more widely known corporeal zombie, which is missing its spirit, and the "zombie astral," which is missing its body
#88
TIL one of the original dwarves in Disney’s Snow White was named “Deafy” whose primary trait was misunderstanding others. This idea was later jettisoned in favor of “Sneezy”
#89
TIL that the US army awarded 20 Medals of Honor, the highest and most prestigious military decoration, to soldiers for their actions at the Wounded Knee Massacre. Many of those killed by US troops during the massacre were unarmed women and children
Radiant Siren 3 years ago
"nits make lice" was the view of native children. Soldiers were told to stomp kids to death to save on bullets.
#90
TIL D-Day was originally supposed to happen on 5th June but meteorologist James Stagg persuaded Dwight Eisenhower to postpone by a day right at the last minute. The weather conditions had to be just right for the landings and planners took the tide, wind speed and even the moon cycle into account
Penny Harrison 3 years ago
Or, how much light was shining as they crossed the channel.
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#91
TIL in Asia, honeybees smear their hive entrances with animal poop to ward off Murder Hornets. One of the few observable times insects have used tools
Dani Tuo 3 years ago
They grab some dung with their mouths and paste it on the edge of the entryway
Load More Replies... #92
TIL an earthquake occurred during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge with a dozen workers trapped on top of one of the towers swaying 16 feet back and forth, while coworkers were throwing up on the deck
#93
TIL the convention of naming a dog "Fido" was popularized by Abraham Lincoln. "Fido" means "faithful" and it's use as a dog's name dates back to the ancient Romans
#94
TIL that a 1982 Harvard study confirmed that Tibetan monks can raise their body temperature with their minds. Practitioners of "g-tummo" yoga demonstrated the ability to raise the temperature of different parts of their bodies through meditation alone
Wandering Hammer 3 years ago
"The authors reported that three g-tummo meditators showed a dramatic increase of up to 8.3°C in peripheral body temperature (fingers and toes), more modest skin temperature increases of 1.9°C in the navel and lumbar regions, and no increase in rectal temperature.Mar 29, 2013"
#95
TIL that in 1830, an attempt was made to steal the skull from the remains of American president George Washington, which resided in a tomb at Mount Vernon. However, the thief mistakenly stole the skull of Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington, who also happened to be the former Washingtons Nephew
#96
TIL the fictional tequila Zafiro Añejo in Breaking Bad/BCS was created by the writers because they couldn’t get a real brand to do product placement due to a scene where several people die after drinking it
#97
TIL Peter Laird, creator of TMNT, hated the 5th turtle Venus de Milo, from the short lived The Next Mutation, so much that she's not allowed to even be mentioned or joked about around him
Dani Tuo 3 years ago (edited)
He made a blog post about why. In short, he calls the "fifth turtle" method they used a "creatively bankrupt idea" and suggests that the "turtles are aliens" theory to be a better creative option as you can then make as many turtles as you want. He just hated the way they wrote her into the story, not her as a concept. http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/few-musings-on-turtles-as-aliens.html
Load More Replies... #98
TIL McDonald's character Grimace was originally introduced as "Evil Grimace", who had four arms and would steal milkshakes
#99
TIL that Ray Liotta was not in fact Italian--he had been adopted as an infant by an Italian man and his wife, but when he met his birth mother, in his 40s, he discovered he was actually of Scottish origin
#100
TIL: Hollywood legend Shirley MacLaine played baseball on an all-boys team (1940s), holding the record for most home runs, which earned her the nickname "Powerhouse"
#101
TIL in 2000, an art exhibition in Denmark featured ten functional blenders containing live goldfish. Visitors were given the option of pressing the “on” button. At least one visitor did, killing two goldfish. This led to the museum director being charged with and, later, acquitted of animal cruelty
Dr M 3 years ago
I would have rigged the blender to give the person a nasty electric shock and spray red paint on their face, not actually turn on the blades!
oddkiddo 3 years ago
They probably wouldn't have been acquitted of assault, vandalism, bodily harm, etc... Also - why is this worse than killing by proxy with pollution, gluttony, running over birds or similar?
Load More Replies... Timmy Pillinger 3 years ago
It's a fairly profound comment on human nature: Lots of people enabling one idiot, who might be cruel, but or might just have been incredulous that an art gallery would allow them to blend a goldfish. This is how we do horrible things to each other. Be the person who sneaks in and unplug the exhibit.
Lady Goldberry 3 years ago (edited)
Hah, brilliant. 'DO NOT PRESS THIS HUGE RED BUTTON FOR ANY REASON. WE MEAN IT. SERIOUSLY.'
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Jayne Kyra 3 years ago
Reminds me of Marina Abramović (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Abramovi%C4%87). An artist who let visitors do anything, down to nearly killing her.
Romenriel 3 years ago
That's interesting. But it also speaks a lot about how terrible people are.
Load More Replies... Unni Panda 3 years ago
This submission should contain the link that the US FBI made between animal abusers and future violent criminals. Also I mean could they simply not have had the blenders unplugged and used this exhibit as an indication of human hubris? Oh well, the fact that they didn't becomes an indication by itself...
oddkiddo 3 years ago
LOL - good luck. It was in Denmark. We are not lawsuit whores. Another time the artist cooked meatballs using his own body fat. ;)
Load More Replies... #102
TIL about Bradford Bishop, who allegedly killed his wife, mother and three sons in 1976. Bishop was only removed from the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List in 2018, due to his advanced age, and is still being pursued by the FBI, as there have been sightings of Bishop across Europe for 40 years
Jennifer Crompton 3 years ago
He was a highly educated diplomat who spoke 5 languages. It would unfortunately, be very easy for him to assimilate into Europe
#103
TIL After Neil Armstrong's death, his sons put hundreds of items they inherited from their parents on auction, pulling in $14.69 million. Neil Armstrong owned pieces of fabric from Wright Flyer, and Apollo 11 gold medal that sold for $2.04 million
#104
TIL that baby formula dates back to 1865 and became more popular due to a decline in wet nursing and upon rising concerns with infant deaths due to dry nursing
#105
TIL That Smedley Butler was one of the most decorated Marines with 2 Medals of Honor. He served 33 years & became an anti war advocate. He wrote "War is a Racket" about war profiteering. He said "the best he[Al Capone] could do was to operate his racket in 3 districts. I operated on 3 continents."
Andrea Romero 3 years ago
The GI was the operative. US Government doing a GI's work? 33 years of it? Hahahaha
Load More Replies... #106
TIL Ted Kaczynski(the Unabomber) put his 8 life sentences as "awards of recognition" at his Harvard University 50 year reunion
#107
TIL Stephen Spielberg acquired the rights to the Shrek! book in 1991, planning to make it into a 2D animated movie starring Dan Akroyd as Shrek and Chris Rock as Donkey. However, Dreamworks acquired the rights and created the Shrek movie we know
Jessica Amie 3 years ago
Stephen Spielberg co-founded dreamworks. https://dreamworks.fandom.com/wiki/Steven_Spielberg
#108
TIL During Julius Caesar's siege of a Gallic fort, the Romans dug tunnels under the spring that served as the fort's water supply. The defenders, believing that the spring drying up was a sign from the gods, surrendered. Caesar spared their lives, but had their hands cut off
#109
TIL in the 1800s, the country now known as Vietnam asked the Qing dynasty to change their name to "Nam Việt". The dynasty said no, and changed their name to "Việt Nam" instead
Dani Tuo 3 years ago (edited)
It was already known as Việt Nam during the Qing Dynasty, that is what it was called prior to the petition to the Jiaqing Emperor to change the name to Nam Việt. The Emperor refused because the kingdom known as Nam Việt held land that was at the time Qing territory, and so the Emperor thought it an attempt to lay claims to Qing territory. The Qing didn't name the country as Việt Nam, he kept the name as Việt Nam - the name it already had.
#110
TIL Dr Seuss studied English at the University of Oxford, with a plan to eventually become a professor there but dropped out when he realized drawing was his only passion. He moved back to the US to become a cartoonist
#111
TIL about Operation ABSCAM, which was a FBI sting operation carried out in 1980 to trap corrupt politicians. Which included a senator and six congressmen
#112
TIL earthworms are unable to drown like a human would, and they can even survive several days fully submerged in water. They breathe through their skin and can handle water as easily as air
#113
TIL that Captain Smith of the Titanic disaster (15 April 1912) was the Captain of the Olympic when she collided with a warship (20 Sep 1911). Olympic was the sister ship of Titanic and the repairs from the collision, back in Belfast, actually delayed Titanic’s maiden voyage from 20 March to 10 April
Dani Tuo 3 years ago (edited)
He was on the bridge during the Hawke Incident, but the Olympic was being steered by a Harbour Pilot, who are meant to specialise in navigation of crowded waters. The Hawke Incident was blamed on a suction created by Olympic's water displacement during turning. Neither this incident nor the Titanic sinking can be blamed on Captain Smith's actions, and nor was he blamed for either.
Load More Replies... #114
TIL a modern Formula 1 car costs over $20 Million to build, with almost 90% of the cost being the engine
#115
TIL that during the Vietnam war, soldiers built "gun trucks" on their own to defend supply convoys. These 5-ton behemoths were heavily armored, DEADLY (.50 cal machine guns and mini guns!) and even had names like Brutus, Eve of Destruction, King Kong, Ace of Spades, and The Untouchable
#116
TIL The largest structure in the universe is the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall (10 billion light years) it would take light 72.4% of the time which has elapsed since the big bang to traverse this structure
Dani Tuo 3 years ago
It falls under the definition of a a "cosmic structure" (space matter with clearly defined limits)...well, if it exists it does. We don't actually know if the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall actually exists.
Load More Replies... #117
TIL that Rod Stewart had such terrible stage fright during his first concert in America that he hid behind the amplifiers while singing. It took a shot of brandy to get him out. Decades later, he set the record for playing at the largest free rock concert in history, in front of 3.5 million people
HarriMissesScotland 3 years ago
I saw Rod on his first American tour. Showed no signs of stage fright, but the air in the small arena where he played was so thick, even the cops got stoned. I paid $3.50 to see him.
DC 3 years ago
Keith Richards said, in an interview during the Bigger Bang Tour, that he still goes behind the amps to vomit in front of large crowds, and, while he enjoys playing, he still got stage fright every now and then, and that, luckily, once the sun has set, you're playing on a brightly lit stage in front of, more or less, a black void. Can't really see people there, that I can confirm, but a grey mass that wobbles with the beat.
#118
TIL a broken Tamil bell was used as a pot to boil potatoes by Māori for generations in pre-contact New Zealand. It is unknown how the bell got to New Zealand
Laugh or not 3 years ago
They probably meant sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batata) rather than potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). It was already cultivated in New Zealand and other Pacific Islands around 1100.
Load More Replies... Jennifer Crompton 3 years ago
It was a ship's bell. Isn't it likely that it just washed up on the shore and was found by the Maori?
#119
TIL that Orcas can take down Blue Whales. The first time humans documented orcas, or killer whales, successfully hunting and eating an endangered blue whale, the largest animal that's ever lived, was in March 2019, when a large pod attacked, suffocated, killed an adult Blue Whale, caught on photo
Nathaniel 3 years ago
Orcas are vicious killers, they are smart and different Orca pods around the world have developed different strategies to hunt their prey of choice.
K- THULU 3 years ago
Some pods also specialize in hunting great white sharks by flipping them over ( which disorientates the shark making them easier to kill).....
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Dee 3 years ago
Interesting! I knew moose could swim but wasn’t aware they could dive - or that orca hunt them. (I also know that moose is one of those weird nouns that is the same in pluralized or singular form😝)
Load More Replies... #120
TIL Ted Turner created his own alternative to the Olympics, the Goodwill Games, and Turner believed international sporting competitions would prevent future wars. The Games lasted from 1986 to 2001 and featured the first major international beach volleyball event
#121
TIl Las Vegas grew 780,000 people since 2002 but water usage dropped by 24 billion gallons anually in 2020 and Nevada's allotment of water from Lake Mead is only 4% of the total inflow
#122
TIL that when a bridge over the river Danube in Vienna collapsed in 1976 a bus fell into the river and the driver could rescue himself. The bus was salvaged, repaired, and continued to be in service until 1989. It's now on display at a local transport museum.
Final score:
11points
#123
TIL Christopher Lee Rios, better known as rapper Big Pun, weighed nearly 700 lbs when he died at the age of 28
#124
TIL The Harlem Globetrotters had one officially recognized loss in 1971 and other rumored losses in the 1950's that aren't recognized
#125
TIL that in order to quickly identify the training of their mules in a herd, the US Army shaved bells into the tail. One bell meant the animal could pack, two meant it could pack & drive, and three meant it was also broke to ride
Bryn 3 years ago
Just so people are clear, they shaved bell shapes! See here: fetch.phpm...iu-18.jpeg 
#126
TIL because Pillsbury forced "The Great British Bake Off" to be called "The Great British Baking Show" in the US, a lot of creative editing had to be done to obscure the logo in the show, including using computer-assisted VFX to change the text on the trophy
#127
TIL despite sharing more than 200 miles of border with Wisconsin and only sharing a bridge with Michigan, the Upper Peninsula is part of Michigan (not Wisconsin) because of a fight with Ohio
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