ADVERTISEMENT

Learning is a lifelong process. And it can bring so much joy. But schools, workplaces, and all the compliance drills that come with them can make us associate it with arbitrary pass/fail cut-offs and other sinister consequences.

Luckily, you can still acquire new information just for the sake of it.

There's a subreddit called r/TodayILearned. This online community has 24.9 million members, constantly sharing the most interesting random facts they have stumbled upon, and it has become such a vast catalog of trivia, it's easily one of the best "encyclopedias" online.

So dust off your brain cells and keep scrolling—below are some of the posts that recently went viral on the subreddit. And if you're like Tai Lopez and can't get enough of knowledge, check out Bored Panda's earliest articles on r/TodayILearned here, here, and here.

#1

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

After the 2011 Japanese nuclear plant in Fukushima was disabled by an earthquake tsunami double whammy, elderly Japanese people volunteered to do repairs to save young people from radiation exposure.

reddit.com Report

#2

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

After Universidad del Mar was closed by Chilean government due to major financial irregularities, artist Papas Fritas managed to enter its vault and burn tuition contracts amounting to $500 million, making difficult to prove students owed the university this money

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
liddlecatpaws avatar
Jo Johannsen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He called himself fried potatoes? Kudos for originality and for humanitarian act.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#3

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Some elephants eat off a specific tree to induce labor - the same tree which kenyan women brew a tea of for the same purpose

reddit.com Report

#4

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The Curie family is the family with the most Nobel Prizes. Marie Curie won two Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry. Her husband Pierre Curie won a Nobel in physics. Their daughter Irène Joliot-Curie won a Nobel prize in chemistry.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
linusnilsson avatar
Linus Nilsson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine being Ève Curie, the second daughter... "Where's your Nobel-price? Why couldn't you be like your sister?"

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#5

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

An 11 year old girl could not afford running shoes, so she wrapped her feet in tape and drew a Nike logo on it. She won several gold medals in local competitions.

reddit.com Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#6

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Penguins can drink saltwater because of glands near their eyes that remove salt from their bloodstream and then they can sneeze out the extra salt.

reddit.com Report

#7

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Elinor Powell was a black nurse who served during WWII. She was assigned to work at a POW camp, like most African-American nurses at the time, and fell in love with a German POW there. They married and had children despite it being illegal in both the U.S and Germany during this time period.

reddit.com Report

#8

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

In 1936 Orson Welles produced and directed a version of Shakespeare's Macbeth with an all-Black cast.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
aysekeles avatar
Aayse
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in 1939 ? that is great. yet it took some people so long to learn how to live in a world without discriminating anyone anything

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#9

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Genghis Khan would marry off a daughter to the king of an allied nation. Then he would assign his new son in law to military duty in the Mongol wars, while his daughter took over the rule. Most sons in law died in combat, giving his daughters complete control of these nations

reddit.com Report

#10

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Whoopi Goldberg is the only person in the world to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, and Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award

reddit.com Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#11

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Aboriginal Australians often traveled to Indonesia for trade, and when British explorers first visited inland Australia they met an Aboriginal man who had already learned English from his visit to Singapore.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
talovich avatar
Yugan Talovich
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People learned languages much more quickly without textbooks and test papers.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#12

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

A species of Australian Nocturnal Ground Parrots thought to be extinct for 100 years were found by one man after 15 years of searching. His search began when he found one feather of this bird on a truck and traced it back to the farm of an Old Indigenous Gentleman.

reddit.com Report

#13

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Researchers found that a blood test called PanSeer detected cancer in 95% of patients up to 4 years before they got a conventional cancer diagnosis. The test determines if the DNA in blood plasma was shed by tumours based on precence of particular methyl groups.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
liddlecatpaws avatar
Jo Johannsen
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Has this become a diagnostic tool or has it been left foundering as an interesting sidenote?

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#14

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The search to recover debris from the Challenger disaster in 1986 also resulted in the discovery of 13 shipwrecks, two lost airplanes and 25 kilos of cocaine

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
james_fox1984 avatar
Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here is another NASA fact. NASA was fined $400 by the Esperence council for littering after parts of Skylab were discovered after breaking up. It was all in jest but a radio host raised the money and paid it.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#15

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

In 2015, a plane made an emergency landing after the crew received an indication of smoke in the cargo hold. It turns out to be caused by the 2,186 sheep farting onboard.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
varwenea avatar
varwenea
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Folks generally forget planes are used to transport everything. I worked in Boeing before, and the engineering team in support services group are contacted by airlines asking for repair instructions for the belly or storage area where animal urine has corroded the metal. Gross.

View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#16

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Apple's policy of refusing to repair phones that have undergone "unauthorized" repairs is illegal in Australia due to their right to repair law

reddit.com Report

#17

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

New Zealand is not part of of any of the world's seven recognized continents, and is in fact situated upon the submerged continent of Zealandia.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
wandiledludlu avatar
Sum Guy
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I keep telling people that New Zealand is a fantasy land that doesn't exist

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#18

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Agatha Christie is the third most widely published author of all time, outsold only by Shakespeare and the bible. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and a billion more in 100 different languages.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
blue1steven avatar
Donkey boi
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She also went missing for 11 days and (allegedly) had no memory of what happened.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#19

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The West Indie's top cricketer Kraigg Brathwaite was scrawny as a kid, and got bullied by his Combermere School (Barbados) bus mates. A girl, 4 years his senior, protected him. She beat up the bullies & took Kraigg on her lap. Her name: Robyn Fenty, a.k.a. Rihanna.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
williamfaulk avatar
William Faulk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

whoa, just imagining that is crazy! but I always think, all these people that met others before they were Pre-Famous would be kind of cool.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#20

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Paul McCartney let a stranger claiming to be Jesus Christ sit in on a Beatles recording session in 1967. McCartney figured, "Well, it probably isn’t. But if he is, I’m not going to be the one to turn him away"

reddit.com Report

ADVERTISEMENT
#21

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Whenever we sleep in unfamiliar surroundings, only half your brain is getting a good night's rest while the other half stands guard.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
nicolaroberts avatar
Nicola Roberts
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've lived in my current home for almost 20 years, and I swear it still does that!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#22

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Babies can acquire sign language just like they would acquire any language and follows the same patterns as vocal language acquisition, where deaf infants (if exposed to sign language early) start to "babble" 1-2 sign sentences around the time their hearing counterparts start to "babble" words.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
hedwards avatar
H Edwards
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some parents of hearing kids now do baby signing, as they can make meaningful gestures before they can form words. I don't know much about it, but it sounds interesting.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#23

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Mexico was the only country to protest against the German annexation of Austria

reddit.com Report

#24

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

There is a clear ceramic made out of Aluminum that is stronger than bulletproof glass, and has a higher melting point than stainless steel. It is called ALON, and is used for armored windows

reddit.com Report

#25

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The USS New York is a ship in the US Navy forged partially from steel that was salvaged from the World Trade Center after it was destroyed in 9/11. The ship's motto is "Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget."

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
blue1steven avatar
Donkey boi
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The recycling aspect is good and the sentiment is there, but is 'sacrifice' really the right word? To me that seems to imply that they chose to let those people die.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT
#26

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Oxford University is so old that they don’t even know when exactly it was founded and that the earliest evidence of teaching there goes back to 1096.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
wh4ok avatar
Jon S.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pfft! Oxford was just a muddy river crossing when they started teaching at Durham. (For backstory I'm slightly bitter that when I say I went to Durham, people frequently comment 'oh, so you couldn't get into Oxford then?')

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#27

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice had a pet snake named Emily Spinach. She liked to carry it around the White House in her purse and take it out at unexpected moments.

reddit.com Report

#28

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Eight years after JFK’s assassination, Jackie Kennedy avoided the public unveiling of their White House portraits, but the Nixons graciously agreed to a secret, private tour for her and her kids. It was her only return visit

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
talovich avatar
Yugan Talovich
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in the days when Presidents respected their predecessors. Actually, though, as young congressmen, Kennedy and Nixon we're good friends.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#29

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Aquariums aren't allowed to pay to get animals from other aquariums as it encourages poaching. So there is a barter system in place where they swap animals. A New England aquarium traded a dozen penguins for 800 mackerel and their basic unit of trade is the jellyfish

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
harperthurman avatar
Luna
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“I’ll give you a seal for an eel!” “But that’s an unfair trade.” “I don’t care it rhymes”

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#30

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Payless once opened a fake luxury store called "Palessi" and invited influencers to see how much people would pay for $20 shoes. Top offer: $640. A markup of 1800%.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
johnhrussell91 avatar
Uisgea Beatha
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As my father used to say, "A thing is worth whatever you can persuade some sucker to pay for it."

View more commentsArrow down menu
#31

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Ed Sheeran granted a dying fans wish, which was to hear him sing, by singing to her minutes before she died

reddit.com Report

#32

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Poncke Princen, a Dutch anti-Nazi fighter who was later sent to Indonesia to suppress an anticolonial rebellion. Princen, after witnessing Dutch war crimes, defected to fight with the guerrillas in 1948. He later helped expose the anticommunist massacres of Indonesian dictator Suharto.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
binanda_smada avatar
Usernames
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never heard anything about him. It is interesting... Let me do my research...

binanda_smada avatar
Usernames
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just realized... The reason why "they" never mentions him in history book, is because he always stand with democracy.

Load More Replies...
bmarrs avatar
Barbara Vandewalle
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do we not know about this person? Oh, because he does not follow the politically correct doctrine.

ahmadpujianto avatar
The Cute Cat
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Haji Johannes Cornelis (H.J.C.) Princen is a famous Indonesian activist. Famous for his anti Soeharto stand. He survive the fall of Soeharto, so he must be proud of it.

oceanblue513 avatar
Znaya
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He developed a conscience because he wasn't told the truth, good for him 😀

View more commentsArrow down menu
#33

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Surya Bonaly, a French figure skater, landed a backflip on one blade in the 1998 Nagano Olympics. This was banned in 1976 and Bonaly did it despite knowing that it would negatively affect her score. It has not been repeated in the Olympics since.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
thomas_maertens avatar
Saint Thomas
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who could've guessed that figure skating had forbidden techniques, like some martial arts in movies !

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#34

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Duct tape was invented by Vesta Stoudt, a factor worker during WWII and the mother of 2 sons in the Navy. When her supervisors at the factory dismissed her idea for a stronger cloth-based tape, she wrote a letter to President FDR, who then ordered Johnson&Johnson to manufacture her idea.

reddit.com Report

#35

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The original drummer of The Offspring became a gynecologist, and during the initial stages of a malpractice trial, he performed CPR and used a defibrillator to save the life of a potential juror. The judge had to declare a mistrial because the rest of the jury would likely be biased in his favor

reddit.com Report

See Also on Bored Panda
#36

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

After denied rights to use "Another One Bites the Dust" for Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone hired Survivor to write an original song instead, which turned out to be "Eye Of The Tiger"

reddit.com Report

#37

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The skeletons of medieval English archers were deformed from years of archery. The high poundage of war bows, coupled with years of training in their use from a young age, led to skeletons having over-developed shoulder and arm bones to compensate for the growth of muscle around those areas.

reddit.com Report

#38

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

An ancient Roman oracle once prophesied that "Caligula had no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse across the Bay of Baiae". After becoming emperor, Caligula ordered ships to construct the largest pontoon bridge in history, and rode his horse across the Bay of Baiae

reddit.com Report

#39

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Neil Armstrong's heart rate spiked to 150+ when NASA turned the control over to him for the moon landing.

reddit.com Report

#40

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Before proposing to Emma Wedgwood, Charles Darwin made a list of marriage pros and cons. Pros- better than a dog, charms of music & female chit-chat. Cons - Anxiety & responsibility, less money for books.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
1998-mende-laura avatar
Laura Mende
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Less money for books??? Better than a dog??? Charlie, you are a true nerd! 1800's Sheldon Cooper...

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#41

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Koi carps bred outside of Japan live on average 15 years, while the average age of Japanese koi is 40 years and the oldest recorded lifespan is 226 years (the Koi named Hanako lived from 1751 to 1977).

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
michel_2 avatar
Marcellus the Third
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Given that Japan was closed to foreigners until the Meiji Restauration (1868 or thereabouts), even if we'd have bought a baby koi then it'd only be 150y old or so! Bit unbalanced comparison of a mature situation vs fashion. Also we call any carp in a pond "koi" while in Japan those tracked by age are in a very different price bracket.

View more commentsArrow down menu
#42

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

Charlie no-face is an urban legend of a monster who takes walks during the nights of Pennsylvania, in reality the man (named Raymond Robinson) had a severely disfigured face because of a childhood accident that he couldn't go in public without causing a panic, so he took night walks.

reddit.com Report

#43

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

South Park co-creator Trey Parker begged his show's executive producer not to air one South Park episode because he was afraid it would ruin South Park. That episode was "Make Love, Not Warcraft" which received critical acclaim and earned a Primetime Emmy Award

reddit.com Report

#44

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The Python programming language is named after the BBC show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and has nothing to do with reptiles.

reddit.com Report

#45

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

When Ratatouille was being animated, one of the Pixar employees jumped into a pool in a cook's uniform and apron so that the team could see how the clothing looked when wet.

reddit.com Report

See Also on Bored Panda
#46

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

There's a spy themed restaurant called the SafeHouse. It was founded in 1966 and it has a hidden location with a secret entrance. A password is needed to enter and if it's not given, patrons will have to do silly tasks that are broadcasted to people inside the restaurant in order to enter.

reddit.com Report

#47

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The former CEO of Coca-Cola, Roberto Goizueta, was the first person to become a billionaire by being an employee and not a company founder (or heir).

reddit.com Report

#48

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

The movie Independence Day still holds the record for most miniature models to appear in one film. Approximately 95% of the movie's special effects were shot using miniatures and due to the advances in digital technology this record may stand forever.

reddit.com Report

#49

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

When Don Cheadle was first offered the role of War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was told he only had an hour to decide on the 12-year commitment. When Cheadle responded that he was at his kid's birthday party, the Marvel rep said, "Oh! Oh, take two hours"

reddit.com Report

#50

People-Share-Today-I-Learned-Amazing-Facts

To clean out the sewer pipes that tended to block, the mayor of the city of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe instituted a synchronized flush. Residents who did not comply were fined.

reddit.com Report

Add photo comments
POST
sammyanne1_sh avatar
Helen Haley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We can't get people to wear masks, let alone synchronized flushing.

View more commentsArrow down menu

Note: this post originally had 118 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.