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I hope you’ve got your thinking caps on and you’ve got plenty of dark chocolate that our brains love so much stacked somewhere nearby, dear Pandas, because we’re seriously going to push the limits of your mind today. They say that knowledge is power, and we’re about to make you very powerful, indeed.
We’re continuing our tradition of sharing the best posts shared on the ‘Today I Learned’ online community with all of you, so go on take a peek at what curious internet users were proud to have figured out about the world recently. As you’re scrolling down, don’t forget to upvote the facts that were new to you as well. And if you’ve got any other interesting TIL-worthy things to share with everyone, then the comment section is the place for you to share your knowledge.
When you’re done absorbing all the history, science, and other knowledge from this post, we cordially invite you to have a look at Bored Panda’s previous in-depth TIL articles here, here, and here. Enjoy!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TIL In Kaziranga, a national park in north-eastern India rangers can shoot and kill poachers to protect the Indian one-horned rhinoceros with legal immunity, reducing rhino poaching.
Michelle M 4 years ago (edited)
Everyday, three rhinos are killed by poachers in South Africa, for their horns. At this rate, Rhinos might go into extinction by 2030. A 'shoot-at-sight' is the best way to stop this.
Deja Katz 4 years ago
Most poachers are poor and ignorant, driven to nefarious means to provide for their families. They don’t make a fraction of what these creature’s horns ultimately sell for and their deaths don’t make waves as they are considered the ‘little people’. Who are the real funders of the illegal trade, at the levels where serious money exchanges hands - can we ensure they are shot too?
Load More Replies... WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
I'm all in favor of shooting poachers and all other animal abusers on sight.
Coleby G 4 years ago
This is awesome and should be put in place for all extremely endangered species.
Aileen Grist 4 years ago
They're chubby unicorns - we lost the thin ones - let's make sure we keep the chubby ones.
Jyndaru 4 years ago
Also need to make sure we keep the unicorns of the sea, narwhals.
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Lady Cadaver 4 years ago
We desperately need this in South Africa, but not just for Rhinos, for the rest of our beloved animals too.
RELATED:
#2
TIL after the holidays, the Rockefeller Christmas tree is cut into lumber for Habitat for Humanity homes
Pamela24 4 years ago
Prague's main Christmas tree (that is always placed in the middle of the Old town Square) is cut into branches that go to the animals in the Prague Zoo and the middle goes to woodworking schools in the city where the students make them into furniture for homeless shelters in Prague. :) It's symbolic but definitely a great way to go about it.
Donae Sommerfeld Lugo 4 years ago
I'm actually glad to learn this. I always wondered what happened to them and fretted that they just died after the holiday.
#3
TIL that Gary Sinise, A.K.A. "Lieutenant Dan" from Forrest Gump, started the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011, and it has raised $194 million for wounded veterans
CP 4 years ago
Our veterans shouldn't have to rely on charity with how much we spend on the military.
Raven DeathShade 4 years ago
Yup, we raised 194 bucks for them vets. Ain't much, but it's honest work.
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Gabrielle Riley 4 years ago
I do believe 5FDP's cover of "Blue on Black" donated the proceeds for their music video to his foundation. Always been a fan of his.
The TIL online group is absolutely massive. Founded way back in late 2008, r/todayilearned has since then grown into a thriving community of 26.4 million people. They focus on sharing verified, trustworthy facts and avoid opinions and subjective interpretations.
In short, they do their darn best to check every single fact that gets posted on the subreddit. All with the help of the sprawling community, of course. If you want to be a valued member of the community, then you’ve got to be willing to put in the time and do at least some rudimentary research. What this means is being humble enough to admit when you’re wrong and when you don’t like the facts.
#4
TIL In 1975 Elvis went to see a movie with his gf. He was spotted by fans and they went crazy. His gf walks up and pranks the fans saying to Elvis, "Charlie, you're not using that Elvis bit again are you? Come on, you're not telling these people that you're Elvis again are you? The fans left.
Moo Moo Futch 4 years ago
Side note, I've met Lisa Marie Presley and her second husband many times and they were always very sweet. Together and both separately. Lisa Marie as recently as a few years ago.
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#5
TIL After Ayrton Senna's death, it was discovered he secretly donated an estimated $400 million of his personal fortune to help poor children
Gavin Johnson 4 years ago
His sister still runs the Senna Foundation that is still supporting the underprivileged. Sales of Senna merchandise and licensing of his name to motor manufacturers (McClaren, Ducati etc) brings in millions that are used to help children around the world.
Marco Conti 4 years ago
What I always found heartwarming about the Senna foundation is that his archenemy and sometimes teammate, Alain Prost, is, or was at some point, heavily involved in it. The two of them hated each other on track and more than once took each other out of the race.
Joe Reaves 4 years ago
He also had an Austrian flag in his cockpit at the time of his death. He had planned to pay tribute to Roland Ratzenberger (who was killed two days earlier) at the end of the race. Tragically he did not make it to that point. It would have been a very poignant moment.
Dani Alexander 4 years ago
I love this. These days everybody on YouTube or insta or whatever just love to do nice things for people and share it with the world. Like, yes good on you for being kind. But why don’t you be humble too?
DennyS (denzoren) 4 years ago
RIP Ayrton Seena...I can support sport stars/athletes when they do this sort of thing with their massive earnings. Beautiful.
#6
TIL women in Viking Age Scandinavia did enjoy an unusual degree of freedom for their day. They could own property, request a divorce and reclaim their dowries if their marriages ended.
Hans 4 years ago
Scandinavia apparently was always ahead of its time concerning equality and equity.
BorPand8 4 years ago
Women in the "Dark Ages" also had more freedom than Renaissance women. They could do a lot of jobs that they were later forced out of (brewing beer, for instance). Once Western society got all hot for ancient Greece and Roman they picked up a lot of the misogyny of those societies too.
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Jon S. 4 years ago (edited)
Viking culture is always brought out as this model of equality, but it was still hugely misogynist. For instance, women could only ask for a divorce if they were abandoned for 3 years, in dire poverty or were repeatedly beaten (notice infidelity is not listed). And if they did secure a divorce, they only got to take infants with them, possibly losing their children. And that's only freewomen. Many women were not borne free (or became slaves through war) and sexual slavery was common. It is hardly the blueprint for a noble egalitarian society it is often touted as.
Blueplanet 4 years ago
literally the same with the babylonian empire, one of the first civilizations to exist
Grumble O'Pug 4 years ago
That’s nothing, Eleanor of Aquitaine kept half of France after divorcing Louis Capet.
Not too long ago, I had an in-depth chat about learning things on the internet and choosing our future paths in education with Steven Wooding, a member of the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom.
He told Bored Panda that the internet “can be both” a tool for good and evil, for education and distraction. It all depends on how we use this tool.
"The internet reflects the world around it, so everything you find in the world will also appear on the internet. I see it as a great shortcut to information (gone are the days of having to visit a library) that can speed up your learning and ability to do things," Steven told Bored Panda earlier.
#7
TIL Indonesia put a nation wide stop on manta ray fishing after it was calculated that a single animal is worth an estimated US$1 million over its lifetime in tourism versus its value of $40-$500 when killed
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
The end game is fantastic, but it's sad that it took monetizing the lives of these creatures to get there.
Becky Samuel 4 years ago
Can someone tell Americans about this please. Eco- and wildlife tourism are worth many, many times more to the US economy than hunting, and yet billions are spent on killing predators every year to appease the deer hunters.
Mazer 4 years ago
Also Leopoldo has written a book about it, the movie Green fire was made about it. People don’t believe in vaccinations, this is just another issue common sense can work out
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FailBunny17 4 years ago
Moral of this story kiddos, find a reason it's profitable to do good things and things will change.
#8
TIL Sir Paul McCartney's mother (Mary McCarthy) died when he was just 14 years old. He struggled with the grief for around 8 years, until one night she appeared to him in a dream saying things like "Don't worry, live your life, let it be". From this he wrote the world famous Beatles song "Let it be"
Michelle M 4 years ago (edited)
Oh my goodness. I just understood the part "When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me". I thought it was a reference to Mary, the mother of god
Katie Lutesinger 4 years ago
"And the broken-hearted people, living in a world of grief - there will be an answer, let it be..."
Randy Klefbeck 3 years ago
Yep. He and John Lennon had a tight bond early on because they both lost their Mums in their teen years. John did not know his mom very well (he was essentially raised by his aunt.....whom he called every week until his death) until she came back into his life at age 16 or 17. She is the one who taught him how to play much of his musical instruments. He lost her to a pedestrian vehicle accident within a year or two of his renewed connection with her.
#9
TIL that in 1993 the Barbie Liberation Organization switched the voice boxes on talking G.I. Joes and Barbie dolls causing the barbies to say phrases like "vengeance is mine" and G.I. Joes to say "The beach is the place for summer." 300 to 500 dolls were modified.
Amsterdude 4 years ago
If Barbie says it it's psycho, but if Joe does it it's super cool. Double standards.
abel bustillos 4 years ago
Barbie never saved the world on numerous occasions from the hands of Cobra
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JuJu 4 years ago
I want Vengeance Barbie. Does it come with a knife and a bottle marked "poison"?
Moo Moo Futch 4 years ago
So that is where the simpsons got the bit where Sherri or Terri pulls the string in the back of their Malibu Stacy and it says "My spidey senses are tingling".
Chewie Baron 4 years ago
The episode where Lisa finds the creator of Malibu Stacey is one of the most quotable episodes ever!
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According to Steven if we find ourselves constantly distracted and unable to focus while online, we should set clear boundaries for learning, work, and entertainment. “Set aside specific times for studying and other times for fun,” he suggested.
Few of us are strangers to burnout. In Steven’s view, burnout and apathy ambush us if things get too stressful or too boring.
“I believe that burnout awaits us at the two ends of a graph in the shape of an inverted letter 'U.' The graph represents the level of difficulty of what we're doing. If it is too high (e.g., we get too stressed, feel too insecure), we will eventually give up. But the same happens when the difficulty level is too low: when we're doing exactly the same thing over and over again," he told me.
#10
TIL Molly Brown survived the Titanic and was rescued by the Carpathia. Aboard the Carpathia, a battered Brown did what she could to help the other survivors, including raising money from the wealthy to help poor passengers. Her acts of heroism earned her the nickname "the Unsinkable Mrs. Brown."
Jaekry 4 years ago
I like how she was portrayed in Titanic. It seems to do her justice. She sounded like someone who you could count on.
MysteriousLegBruise 4 years ago
Kathy Bates nailed that role (as well as everything else she does)
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Kay blue 4 years ago
I always thought that her nickname was because she survived two ships sinking.
Noel Benavente 4 years ago
This is what a REAL influencer does, not taking stupid selfies and posing.
Hotdogking 4 years ago
I think I would have liked Titanic more if it was about her instead. But then again I'm pretty biased against the romance genre so...
Kika González 4 years ago
That was not the reason for the monicur, it was because she survived the sinking of two ships
Kerri Peek 4 years ago
She did a lot of charitable work, built churches all over Colorado including the Basilica. Teamed up with Oscar Wilde to help poor miners and their families in Leadville CO. But she preferred to be called Maggie not Molly.
kaycee14 4 years ago
Her name was Margaret Brown. She was never called Molly, except by whoever coined the phrase "the Unsinkable Molly Brown." Her home in Denver is tourable and worth a visit.
Memere 4 years ago (edited)
Molly is a nickname for Margaret along with several other girls/women's names beginning with "M".
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Ellie Rosser 4 years ago
Surely it was the fact that she didn’t actually sink that earned her that nickname?
#11
TIL of Cain's Jawbone by Edward Powys Mathers, a 1934 mystery novel printed with its 100 pages out of order. To solve the puzzle, readers must determine the correct page order as well the names of both the six murderers and six victims. The mystery has only ever been solved by three people.
Steve R 4 years ago
Doubt away. It's still true. John Finnemore, comedy writer and broadcaster, was the third. He attempted it while on lockdown due to Covid. There was a documentary made on the subject.
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Donkey boi 4 years ago
If someone gets it for me I'll solve it by Christmas (Can't promise what year though).
Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
If you keep rereading it and getting it wrong you get a different story each time.
Otter 4 years ago
Screw that! I read murder mysteries for FUN, not because I like being tormented!
Melissa Spencer 4 years ago
The book is being reprinted by a new publisher. It will be widely available soon.
Holly Stevens 4 years ago
I came all the way back to find this post to say I went to the Reddit post (second link) and then printed it (2 pages per 8.5x11 page to make it more like a book page) on 65 lb card stock at Staples and it only cost me $20.
Holly Stevens 4 years ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/CainsJawbone/comments/qkiog1/free_digital_copy_of_cains_jawbone/
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Wesley Lucas 4 years ago
People look at this and think "oh, 100 pages out of order? That shouldn't be too hard!" But what they don't realize is that the prose is written in such a way that trying to match up what you THINK would be the correct answers just won't work. The prose is meandering and irregular and it's not at all easy to match up the pages, let alone mine the text for information in a way that makes sense! Still...seems like a fun logic puzzle. And chances are, I'd probably have a better chance at beating this than finding that damned secret zoo level in the VR game Accounting+ 🤣
#12
TIL of Herman Francis Mark, an Austrian scientist and son of a Jew, who chose to flee Austria in 1938. He clandestinely bought platinum wire, worth roughly $50,000, which he bent into coat hangers while his wife knitted covers so that the hangers were able to be taken out of the country.
For a period of time after the rise to power of Hitler/ the Nazis, Jews were allowed to leave Germany, but have to leave their fortune behind. So he was smuggling his money out of country.
Gehtdich Nixan 4 years ago
according to the traditional definition, you have to have a jewish mother to count as jewish
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MrOwlAteMyMetalWorm. 4 years ago
Tiny Platimum wire are used in chem labs ,I didn't think they're that expensive.
Grumble O'Pug 4 years ago
You are not thinking: jewelry wire comes in larger sizes.
Load More Replies..."My little secret for avoiding apathy is giving myself little challenges, difficulties, or assumptions that I need to stick to during my tasks. This way, I can polish my skills, avoid burnout, and (as a bonus side effect) get better results over time. Try to be conscious of 'the burnout curve'—and adjust your life's challenges so that they always hit somewhere near the top of the curve,” Steven said.
The expert opened up about how we should pick our path for college and university if we’re feeling unable to choose. In his opinion, we should listen to our hearts. “Don’t choose based on things like the job you could get, as you’ll always be wishing you were doing the thing that really interests you," he said.
"If you have no idea, ask yourself what subject at school did you enjoy most? Or what other activity do you find yourself doing? Can that be a starting point as to what to study at university?"
#13
TIL Dr. Charles R. Drew, an African American, developed improved techniques for blood storage, which saved thousands of Allied forces' lives during WWII. In 1942, however, he resigned as director of the first American Red Cross Blood Bank because of their exclusion of African-Americans' blood.
Michelle M 4 years ago
People were pretty dumb back then. The color of one's skin has no relationship with the blood in one's veins. Wait, people are still dumb now.
Otter 4 years ago
"People" aren't any smarter now, the world is still full of racists, and they still have a frightening amount of political power.
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Ikonye St. Jude 4 years ago
They broke the first principle of the IFRC: Humanity. It always breaks my heart whenever I see such instances where racial discrimination trumps any and all logic, where even merit counts for nothing. Future generations will be cringing whenever they come across such anecdotes wondering how barbaric we were in an age of enlightenment.
Brandy Grote 4 years ago
Gays are only now allowed to donate blood. Even if they were virgins and celibate, but identified as gay, they could not give blood.
Demongrrrrl 4 years ago
But I'm not allowed to give blood because I lived in England 30 years ago... (You'd think that I would know by now if I had Mad Cow disease.)
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Big Iron Mike 4 years ago
My Mom, who has always been very candid, told me that my Grandmother (her Mom) asked if black folk's semen was black. She said, I can't say for sure as I have never been with a black man, but I don't think that is possible. My Grandmother was one of the kindest least judgemental people on the planet. She simply did not know.
Amanda Hunter 4 years ago
The blood bank won't take my blood either because my cumulative vacation time in England and Greece is more than 3 months. The fact that I'm vegetarian doesn't count,
#14
TIL a Brazilian priest strapped himself to 1000 balloons as a fundraising event for truckers. He set off into the sky and then disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. His body was recovered months later.
Otter 4 years ago
There was a guy in LA who tried tying a ton of helium balloons to a lawn chair. He rose to some horrific air traffic altitude, but came down alive.
Frankenfrog 4 years ago
Pax is such an edgy wee boy. So nice of your mummy to let you borrow her phone
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Gerard Neaux 4 years ago
It's a really sad story. He was well prepared and still failed.
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Johnnie 4 years ago
You are alot more free to do what you want without permission in Brasil than in the free countries of the northern hemisphere.
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#15
TIL that a hurricane hit Hawaii when Jurrasic Park was filming. The sets were destroyed and the cast and crew were stranded in a leaking hotel ballroom. Steven Spielberg played cards with the kids for hours and told them stories to distract them. Real footages of the hurricane were added to the film
anarkzie 4 years ago
The first film was so good but I don't think they ever managed to capture the magic again with its sequels.
EEF🤓 4 years ago
Rarely are any sequels as captivating I find. The exceptions of course, t2, godfather 2 etc
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Oopsydaisy 4 years ago
I'm not sure any story Steven Spielberg cane up with would be very comforting. 'Hey kids, let me tell you about a film I once made about a shark '
KC Lancaster 4 years ago
If you have Netflix, stream The Jurrasic Park episode of The Movies That Made Us - excellent backstories about a LOT of cool stuff making that movie did to change films forever. Part of it is how the producer, who managed to call a friend transporting relief supplies of food and first aid all over Hawaii (the man who played the pilot from the beginning of the first Indiana Jones movie) getting much-needed emergency supplies to cast and crew. This series has a bunch of great stuff!
Stannous Flouride 4 years ago
Famously, that T-rex became so water-logged that its animatronic structure became extremely difficult to control.
michael rodriguez 4 years ago
And they never will capture it again. The whole reason that first film is unique is because before that film there were no other dinosaur movies made where you left the theater feeling like you just saw a real dinosaur. The cgi dinosaurs were the stars of that first film. They were truly revolutionary. Here we are almost 30 years later and cgi technology has not really improved that much since the first film. Sure...new dinosaurs, and actors but nothing really new or remarkable. Just more of the same been there done that. There really is truth to the old adage there is no time like the first time.
#16
TIL of the end of Brazil's monarchy. The last emperor; Pedro II's liberal regime pushed for women's rights, ended slavery, gave power to the parliament and respected freedom of speech. But he was overthrown, exiled and replaced by a republican regime that was practically a military dictatorship.
Laugh or not 4 years ago
Outside of the US republicans means tenant of the republic by opposition to monarchists or other forms of government. It does NOT mean the US republican party. Please stop thinking that the whole word work like the US.
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More Thinking Needed 4 years ago
He was overthrown by military leaders who wanted to create a REPUBLIC run by dictators.
Potato Man 4 years ago
The end of slavery was actually his daughter that ended it without his permission. And yes I am brasilian.
#17
TIL the classic Kong dog toy was created after an auto-repair shop owner's dog kept chewing a VW Bus suspension part
Coleby G 4 years ago
I put a little bit of peanut butter in them and my dogs are entertained for hours
UpQuarkDownQuark 4 years ago
We fill ours with kibble, and then cap it with peanut butter and freeze it. It can work well for food motivated dogs with separation anxiety, keeping them occupied for quite some time when you leave.
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Joey Marlin 4 years ago
I love the unpredictability of where they'll ping off when they land - had a Patterdale Terrier absolutely obsessed with her Kongs! She got through the ultra-tough ones crazily fast!
Auntriarch 4 years ago
My dog ignored his. If you stuffed it with treats he would just look from it to you, until you got the idea and dug out the treats for him.
Yort 4 years ago
My dogs would just try to get the treat out for five minutes and then give up. We also has two Kongs for small dogs and they ripped the Kongs apart. We have to get ones for medium sized dogs because they’re tougher but then they’re too big for the dogs.
Load More Replies... #18
TIL that On July 21, 1972, George Carlin was arrested and charged with violating obscenity laws after performing his famous "Seven Dirty Words" routine at Milwaukee's Summerfest. He would go on to be arrested a total of seven times for reciting that same routine.
anarkzie 4 years ago (edited)
For all the you rightwing culture warriors out there this is what a real violation of freedom of speech looks likes, it's not a bunch of people complaining or boycotting an artist because of something they said it's the government actually taking punitive actions against a civilian for stuff they said, which even then there are agreed upon limits such as passing information on how to make a bomb etc.
Lance d'Boyle 4 years ago
You think todays Milwaukee/Wisconsin is filled with reactionaries, back then being a musician and playing either rock or roll or being associated with either could land you with a cracked skull. Just ask Wendy O. Williams chanteuse for the Plasmatics who got arrested for pleasuring a sledge hammer on stage and wearing shaving cream as a bra. Or Hunter S Thompson who got busted for crossing an empty street on a Sunday morning with no cars in sight because the crossing sign was still red.
PandaBearKat 4 years ago
Can we at least be civil enough to appreciate that George Carlin was insightful and provocative in his performances? I miss his perception of the world and wish he was still alive to share it. RIP GC.
Erick Blood 4 years ago
I remember the first time I heard the bit as a teenager. I was listening to his RECORD and I transcribed the seven words so I could practice saying it with the cadence he recited the words.
Randy Klefbeck 3 years ago
And a master of the linguistic machinations of the American English language. In that respect he was a genius.
Truth Speakin' 4 years ago
Good dude...I seen a few of his acts...very funny...and always had a point behind it...
#19
TIL in 1944, a 21 year old tail gunner of a Lancaster Bomber jumped from his aircraft after being shot down over Germany. He fell 18,000 ft without a parachute and survived with a sprained leg as his only injury.
anarkzie 4 years ago
Back in my day we did not have fancy parachutes to save us if we got into trouble in the air we just jumped and walked it off, all you kids and your gravity kills this and your slow your descent that!
Gabby M 4 years ago
AND we walked Uphill both ways 5 miles to school with just cardboard and string for shoes!!!
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aleksandra 4 years ago (edited)
Actually, Vesna Vulović, a Serbian flight attendant survived the parachute fall from 10 160 meters, which is about 33,333 ft, and survived. She holds the Guinness world record still. Look her up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87
Bryan Johnston 4 years ago
My grandfather was a tail gunner on a Lancaster too, but he was fortunate enough to come home after 32 missions. Tail gunners had one of the highest fatality rates among crew members because a) they were first to be targeted by enemy aircraft and b) there wasn't enough room for a parachute in the tail turret. Their bravery and courage was off the charts!
Joey Marlin 4 years ago
A standard tour of operations was 30 completed operations. Completed meaning bombs dropped over the target - if you returned early without dropping your bombs, the mission didn’t count towards your total. However, once the Pathfinders were introduced, they were required to complete an extended tour of 45 operations. Many did more of course. Freddie Johnson survived the war after completing 91 missions as a rear gunner and being shot down twice. My father was a Gunner, flew Lancasters during WWII, so it's something that has always been of interest.
Load More Replies... Stannous Flouride 4 years ago
Nicholas Alkemade discovered his parachute was on fire and having to choose between burning to death or the sudden, relatively merciful death from impact, went with the latter. He landed in deep snow among some young pines that broke his fall. He sprained his knee and unable to move and facing hypothermia, blew his survival whistle until some German civilians found him. The Gestapo refused to believe his story, accusing him of being a spy and burying his chute. Only when the wreckage of his plane was found with his burned parachute where he had described it did they accept his remarkable story.
Roger Haywood 4 years ago
He was slowed down by snow covered fir trees and landed in snow, that ultimately saved his life. Witness by a German patrol, treated like a guest after he left hospital.
Chewie Baron 4 years ago
The sound of a Lancaster bomber is unlike any other plane I've heard. When you hear it, you just know it's a Lancaster.
Scarlett Fox 4 years ago
I live near the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, and they will fly the Lancaster on special occasions. It's awesome to see
Load More Replies... Mike Crow 4 years ago
I remember a story similar (it could be the same one) about an American tail gunner. His parachute was useless, the aircraft was going down so he jumped anyway. He crashed through a bunch of trees and broke both legs. The Luftwaffe found him, brought him back to their base and threw a huge party for him before the gestapo came and took him away.
#20
TIL that a pilot's 16 year old son was allowed to sit at the plane's cockpit of an Aeroflot flight while it was on autopilot. He disengaged the autopilot, triggering a series of events which led to the plane crashing and the death of all 63 passengers and 12 crew onboard.
Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
Refer back to above post about teenage brains and an underdeveloped sense of danger.
Travis May 4 years ago
Not even that. He didn't even know that he did anything wrong, and neither did the crew until it was too late. Also, the resulting G forces kept the crew from reaching the controls.
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Mica Silvia 4 years ago
According to Wikipedia it was wrote after this event and inspired by this event.
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JuniorCJ82 4 years ago
How bad a pilot was the father that he couldn't right the wrong(s) in time to save the flight?
Amelia Bedelia 4 years ago
In the cockpit standing right behind him. He didn't notice the autopilot had disengaged until it was too late.
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Kimberley Gayle Thomas 3 years ago
oof. I expected to read that Daddy passed out and that the kid knew what to do due to watching Daddy so much and avoiding disaster.
#21
TIL that a couple days before the deadly eruption of Mt. Pelee in 1902, the town of St. Pierre was plagued by in invasion of giant centipedes and pit vipers, claiming the lives of 50 people.
Joey Marlin 4 years ago
Yes. The citizens were used to the activity and weren't concerned - no-one took it seriously when fresh steaming vent-holes formed and earth tremors started but these creatures were closer to the danger zone and fled, causing their own chaos and destruction.
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#22
TIL teenagers take more risk not only due to an undeveloped frontal cortex, but also due to higher dopamine response that provides greater rewards for novel activities
Otter 4 years ago
And that's why armies have traditionally been made up of very young men, too young to understand the risks.
Twodogsandapicnictable 4 years ago
I think it has something to do with all the extra energy and hornymones.
More Thinking Needed 4 years ago
When I was growing up, I was told it was because I was an idiot.
Robert T 4 years ago (edited)
I expect that had something to do with the dawn of DIY as well.
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TIL after the massive success of his #1 hit "Somebody That I Used to Know", Gotye stopped recording solo music, went back to his old band and hasn't released a song under the Gotye name ever since
May Salvador 4 years ago
I have created an account here just to upvote you. Congrats, mah Panda.
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Thundercuss 4 years ago
"Hey guys, I'm gonna go make us some money so we can get a new van. BRB"
Moosy Girl 4 years ago
I bought a few of both his and Kimbra’s albums (she did the backing vocals) after this song, love ‘m both!
James016 4 years ago
I watched a video of Kimbra talking through her stage setup with her keyboards, sequencers etc. it was really fascinating.
Load More Replies... Otter 4 years ago
Perhaps this is the place to ask... How do you pronounce "Gotye"? Every damn time, I read it as "Goat".
#24
TIL the original John Hughes cut of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" ran 3.5 hours because there was so much improv between Steve Martin and John Candy, and that that cut is probably lost forever.
Jill Bussey 4 years ago
That's heart breaking. It would have been incredible between these two.
Marette 4 years ago
Really? You woke up in a motel room with your hand between 'two pillows'? You dried your face with another man's underwear? You were picked up off the road by your testicles?
Load More Replies... Chewie Baron 4 years ago
Sorry, but 3 hours of John Candy being funny would not suck.
Load More Replies... #25
TIL two thirds of Argentina's population is of Italian heritage. They fled there for economic opportunities and to escape devastating wars. It is the only other country besides Italy with an Italian heritage majority population.
Wilf 4 years ago
In a similar vein, Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 4 years ago
It is a common joke among Latin Americans: "Mexicans descended of the Aztecs, Peruvians descended from the Incas and Argentinieans descended from the ships".
Sofie 4 years ago
Really? I would have thought it was Sweden since a lot of people in Finland talk Swedish and we're very mixed heritage wise. Interesting 🤔
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Huddo's sister 4 years ago
And Melbourne (or more specifically Oakleigh in Melb's SE suburbs) is the largest population of Greek outside of Greece
Richard Keel 4 years ago
Argentina also hosts the largest population of Welsh speakers outside Wales
TheBlackPanda (JustABlackBear) 4 years ago
No wonder they sound Italian even though they speak Spanish. It all makes sense now
#26
TIL that in 1924, a tunnel network was discovered underneath Washington D.C. Speculation behind the network's origins included a Confederate hideout or a liquor depot for bootleggers; they were actually dug by the Smithsonian Institute's entomologist Harrison G. Dyar, who 'did it for exercise'.
Marek Yanchurak 4 years ago
If I remember correctly he had moved to the West Coast in the 1910's, before Prohibition.
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F. H. 4 years ago
Hobby tunnelers are still pretty common. You can read something like this in the news every few years.
#27
TIL Utqiagvik, Alaska. People often call the town "the top of the world," When the sun sets on November 18, it will stay below the horizon until January 23, resulting in a polar night that lasts for about 66 days.
Robert T 4 years ago
The same applies to parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. And in summer, the sun never sets. Also for Antarctica. See https://www.mapsofworld.com/answers/world/places-where-sun-never-sets/#
Judo Flipped By Nobody 4 years ago
Norway mostly has Svaldbard where this happends
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Tor-Arne Hjellen 4 years ago
Speaking about Svabard, I think...the photo above is of Longyearbyen, Svalbard. The mountain in plain sight is Sarkofagen. Not Alaska... In Longyearbyen the sun returns on the 8th of March:-)
Adam Jeff 4 years ago
I confirm. I used to live in one of the huts in the photo!
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Marcellus II 4 years ago
So if they ever have a vampire infestation, they're truly doomed. Oh wait, that's the script of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_Days_of_Night ("Barrow, Alaska" is the location there).
Adam Jeff 4 years ago
Barrow is actually the same town - it reverted back to its original name of Utqiagvik in 2016.
Load More Replies... Pamela24 4 years ago
I follow Cecilia Blomdahl on YouTube. She lives in Svalbard which is an island very close to the North pole. I remember watching one of her vlogs from peak polar night when it's just pitch black all day long and they went on a trip and I knew it was dark 24/7 at that time there but my brain was still going on during the video like: "Why didn't they wait until the sun came up?" It's just such a different way of living.
Raven DeathShade 4 years ago
Nah, my sister and I are heading to the North Pole for the winter.
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IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
That mountain looks just like Ben Bulben the mountain outside my house here in Sligo Ireland. DSCF0064-6...32d3f6.jpg 
#28
TIL that the most successful predator in Africa is the African wild dog. If a pack targets a prey, there’s an 85% chance they’ll bring it down successfully
littlesaresare 4 years ago (edited)
African wild dogs are probably the best candidate for the Hollywood cliche of a predator that hunts the protagonist to unreasonable lengths. Predators will give up if you seem too difficult to catch (unlike Hollywood depictions). But wild dogs, once they've decided you're food, not much can change their mind. They are terrifying hunters. Definitely an animal that I wouldn't want to meet when I'm lost.
Grumble O'Pug 4 years ago
These guys and wolves add that wonderful climate of fear that keeps animals in their evolved niches and protects habitats.
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Twodogsandapicnictable 4 years ago
There's awesome drone footage of their flanking techniques on youtube.
Phil Boswell 4 years ago
Does this include that little cat who has about a 90–95% success rate?
#29
TIL Elvis Presley Never Wrote Any of His Own Songs despite being one of the most recognizable musicians of all time.
Mike Crow 4 years ago
A lot of big artists actually never wrote their own songs. Nothing wrong with that.
Donkey boi 4 years ago
During that time period, most musicians sang each others songs. They would often give them away to each other because 'it'll sound better with your voice'. Carl Perkins in particular was known for it, with his song being recorded by Hendrix, Clapton, Elvis, Johnny Cash and the Beatles to name a few. Even the Rat Pack swapped songs like they were playing cards.
Chewie Baron 4 years ago
Did you know the reason why Elvia never performed outside of the US was because his manager, Colonel Tom was an illegal immigrant?
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
That was normal back then. It wasn't until the Beatles and Bob Dylan came and people realised that they wrote their own songs that the Singer Songwriter was really born. People like Neil Diamond and Carole King actually started off their careers writing sings for other artists.
Tom Susala 4 years ago
And he never performed overseas because his Manager was a fugitive from the law in Belgium - Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/colonel-parker-managed-elvis-career-but-was-he-a-killer-on-the-lam-108042206/
#30
TIL Richard Scrushy, charged with masterminding $2.7 billion fraud case, came up with a novel strategy: "[play] the religion card" and become a televangelist to curry favor with jurors (the trial was held in Alabama). He was acquitted of all charges.
Twodogsandapicnictable 4 years ago
Isn't that what all religions have always been about. If things are bad, give us money and we'll put in a good word with the big guy.
Tom Susala 4 years ago
There's about 10 of those clowns all over cable pulling the same scam...
Caroline Seguin 4 years ago (edited)
On June 18, 2009, Judge Allwin E. Horn ruled that Scrushy was responsible for HealthSouth's fraud, and ordered him to pay $2.87 billion (to whom, I don't know). On July 25, 2012, Scrushy was released from federal custody. Another source says : Birmingham trial: acquitted Montgomery trial: 82 months in federal prison, three years' probation, United States Dollars $267,000 in restitution, a fine of $150,000 and 500 hours of community service. So was in prison for almost 7 years. Which is nowhere near enough of course and I don't know which of these stories is true.
Wesley Lucas 4 years ago
Gross. What's even more disgusting is that this has become such a successful business model for these hucksters and conmen.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
The guy was white and committed a white collar crime, he would have been acquitted anyway, he was just making 100% sure it would happen.
#31
TIL Solitary bees are considered "super pollenators" with a 95% pollination rate compared to honeys bees at 5%
littlesaresare 4 years ago
But that would require people to acknowledge that eating honeybee honey has absolutely nothing to do with saving bees or pollinators and just a wildly successful marketing strategy! Can't have that now, can we?
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#32
TIL Rosemary Kennedy, sister of JFK and RFK, had a forced lobotomy arranged by her father when she was just 23, leaving her incapacitated for the rest of her life.
lara 4 years ago
And there was nothing wrong with her. Doesn't matter, even if she were crazy as a loon, this is an abomination,
Memere 4 years ago (edited)
She had the mind of a child, and would say anything that came to mind. Daddy Joe was afraid of her revealing his machinations to rise to political power so he had her secretly lobotomized - none of the family was told it was going to happen til afterwards. Joe Kennedy was utterly despicable.
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Delta of the Sand/Rainwings 4 years ago
"After Rosemary was mildly sedated, "We went through the top of the head," Dr. Watts recalled. "I think she was awake. She had a mild tranquilizer. I made a surgical incision in the brain through the skull. It was near the front. It was on both sides. We just made a small incision, no more than an inch." The instrument Dr. Watts used looked like a butter knife. He swung it up and down to cut brain tissue. "We put an instrument inside", he said. As Dr. Watts cut, Dr. Freeman asked Rosemary some questions. For example, he asked her to recite the Lord's Prayer or sing "God Bless America" or count backward... "We made an estimate on how far to cut based on how she responded." When Rosemary began to become incoherent, they stopped - Written by the reddit user, AdorableMonk
s. vitkovitsky 4 years ago
Because she likely had depression or bipolar disorder and this would be shameful to a family of bootleggers who were trying to get up the social ladder in Boston.
Missi Boness 4 years ago (edited)
She died in 2005 at Fort Memorial Hospital, Fort Atkinson, WI.
#33
TIL that some of the boulevard medians in Milwaukee, Wisconsin have 8-10 ft deep bunkers with toilets in them, originally installed in the 1930s as a convenience for city workers who were out and about all day without access to a toilet
Dane Wheat 4 years ago
Do they still work? I bet if they don't alot of people left some gross surprises if they were left open
#34
TIL the prosthetics in The Elephant Man (1980) were designed directly from body casts of Joseph Merrick (aka the Elephant Man) made in 1890 & preserved for 90 years in a hospital museum. The prosthetics were so acclaimed that audiences pressured The Oscars into creating the "Best Makeup" award
#35
TIL the heir apparent of Ottoman Empire fought in WW2 and participated in the Normandy landings as an American soldier.
s. vitkovitsky 4 years ago
Not in the lesst. She's just wearing similar hairstyle and clothing.
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#36
TIL: Chili peppers, whose spiciness is now so prominent in Indian, Chinese, Thai, and other Asian cuisines, originated in South America and were unknown in Asia until world-wide sea trade first brought them there the mid 1500's.
#37
TIL that 18-yr old rich socialite Ginevra King, in love with Scott Fitzgerald, wrote & sent him a Gatsby-like short story. In it, she is trapped in a loveless marriage with a wealthy man yet still pines for him, a former lover from her past. 7 yr later this became the outline for 'The Great Gatsby'
Lyone Fein 4 years ago
So, a man took an idea from a woman, did not credit her, and then profited immensely from it. Same old bs.
Yort 4 years ago
I mean “trapped in a loveless marriage while pining for someone else” isn’t exactly an original idea. And she wrote a short story, he wrote a novel. He might’ve been inspired by the idea but he still did all the legwork to write the actual novel.
Load More Replies... #38
TIL In the last four years of Elvis Presley’s life, he had been prescribed 19,000 doses of drugs. In 1977 alone[the year of his death], Dr. Nicholpoulous had written 199 prescriptions totaling more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines, and narcotics to Elvis.
Chris Kane 4 years ago
A shame that "doctors" would do that. He was a drug addict and needed help.
H Edwards 4 years ago
See the current opioid crisis in the US to know how little things have changed.
Load More Replies... WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
Over 40 years later the opioid business is blooming as never before. In the US there isn't much difference between a doctor and a dealer, they are both pushing drugs.
s. vitkovitsky 4 years ago
Drug companies push drugs on doctors with false prmises and lies about safety, aka fentanyl.
Load More Replies... BorPand8 4 years ago (edited)
That's more than 27 doses a day! And he basically died of constipation (a common side effect of opiates). He was straining so hard to have a bowel movement that he gave himself a heart attack and died. PBS.org article says, "Elvis’ blood was found to contain very high levels of the opiates Dilaudid, Percodan, Demerol, and codeine — as well as Quaaludes." ETA: I looked it up, and he died on August 16, so it was about 43 doses a day.
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
It was the same for prince and Michael Jackson. Some horrible doctor giving a rich man what he wants just so he the doctor can become rich off his patient's addiction instead of getting them the real help they needed. It is a disgusting betrayal of their profession.
Memere 4 years ago (edited)
Most of Elvis' problems were caused by that manager of his, Col. Tom Parker. Elvis wanted to try serious acting, and would have been very good but Parker wanted to keep the cash flowing from the music industry. Parker placated Elvis with the musical movies, but also supplied drugs to him & was the one who got him hooked. The 'good' doctor was paid very well to write those scrips.
A. Paige Kruger 4 years ago
In those 4 years, it works out to about 13 pills a day. That's actually not unusual for someone with chronic illnesses.
BorPand8 4 years ago
It escalated. It says that in 1977 alone he got 10,000 doses. And he died on August 16, so that works out to about 43 doses a a day.
Load More Replies... #39
TIL about Crater of Diamond State Park in Pike County, Arkansas. The park has a 37.5-acre plowed field, the world's only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public. Diamonds have continuously been discovered in the field since 1906, including one of the world's only colorless, flawless diamonds.
DE Ray 4 years ago
I used to be editor of the local newspaper there. Newsworthy finds (multi-carat) were usually made about three or four times a year. The town itself only has around 1,000 people, but has at least 500 hotel rooms - and they frequently don't have enough. There are lots of international visitors, with the proportion from Japan being higher than most other countries.
Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
This sounds like a fun day out, my kids love hunting for things! We got a metal detector, but just found ammo. Diamonds are probably safer.
#40
TIL when brainstorming the time travel plot for Star Trek: First Contact, they considered sending the crew back to the Renaissance, befriending Leonardo da Vinci, and having sword fights alongside phaser fights. The idea was scrapped for being too campy and Patrick Stewart refused to wear tights.
Robert T 4 years ago (edited)
I'm surprised at Patrick Stewart refusing to wear tights, as he has performed in full drag.
RoosterDaddo78 4 years ago
I think he was refusing to put Picard in tights. He’s a classically trained actor, it’s likely that he’s worn tights before.
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Donkey boi 4 years ago
I doubt Patrick Stewart would refuse to wear tights, he ran with the Royal Shakespeare Company!
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 4 years ago
Not sure about the last part. Patrick Stewart is a shakespearian actor. He has worn tights on the stage half his acting life...
Antony Jean Sisk 4 years ago
The Shakespearean actor not wearing tights. I call BS! TIL that Bored Panda staff needs 2 learn CITATIONS!
Antony Jean Sisk 4 years ago
And why did he wear tights playing Robin Hood in STNG? TIL Bored Panda needs to cite their sources.
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#41
TIL that a tree in Glastonbury, England, is said to flower on Christmas day—and people were disappointed that it did not obey the switch to the Gregorian calendar in 1752.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
It has been cut down in 1992 because it was pronounced dead in 1991. Full story: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/glastonburys-christmas-tree
Oopsydaisy 4 years ago
It's said to flower. That doesn't mean it does. There are a lot of legends associated with Christmas Day.
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#42
TIL about Henneguya salminicola, the first known animal that doesn't use oxygen to breathe. It is an 8-millimeter white parasite that infects the flesh of Chinook salmon
#43
TIL fluorine is much less common in the universe than most elements of a similar atomic weight, because the usual nuclear reactions in stars cannot create it, but can destroy it.
ƒιѕн 4 years ago
Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electro negative element, it is extremely reactive, as it reacts with all other elements, except for argon, neon, and helium. fig1-619f8...41da50.jpg 
#44
TIL that Michigan ranks number one as the state with the highest percentage of water (41.5% of its total area). Sources of water are so abundant there that no one in the state is ever more than 6 miles from a body of water.
Twodogsandapicnictable 4 years ago
The Great Lakes do contain a quarter of the entire planets drinkable surface water.
Reynard 4 years ago
The roads are terrible, but when I took a trip to Belize, I realized that Michigan roads aren't that bad. And I don't mean to slight Belize, I had a great time and the people are awesome! I will go back.
Load More Replies... #45
TIL that the first airship to be lifted by helium used most of the helium available in the world at the time to fill its 59,000 cubic meter volume.
Jo Johannsen 4 years ago
How is it obtained, since technically speaking, it isn't manufactured?
ZAPanda 4 years ago
Helium is generated deep underground through the natural radioactive decay of elements such as uranium and thorium. This process may take ages (centuries to millennia) to form helium. After its formation, helium seeps through the earth's crust to get trapped in pockets of natural gas.05 Mar 2021
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#46
TIL about Picher, a mining town in Oklahoma that was left so badly contaminated and unstable by decades of unrestricted lead and zinc mining that it was evacuated and declared uninhabitable by the EPA
Mtownmick 4 years ago
You left out the part that the corporation's owners made lots of money. So it all evened out.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
And the best part is that they made the government use tax payer's money to clean up the mess they created.
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#47
TIL the 2006 movie Idiocracy was released in only 7 cities and expanded to 130 theaters rather than the typical 600, the film's distributor was entirely absent in promoting it, and while posters were released to theaters, no movie trailers, no ads, no press kits, and only two stills were released.
Sander 4 years ago
I don't actually get why this movie has become a cult classic. It's not that clever, and the jokes are poor and superficial.
J. F. 4 years ago
Because it turns more and more from a satire on modern society to a documentary about modern society
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#48
TIL because pendulum clocks are unreliable at sea, the first attempt at a marine chronometer was undertaken in 1673 utilizing a balance wheel and spring for regulation instead of a pendulum. This opened the way for the first modern pocket watches and wristwatches.
digitalin 4 years ago
To calculate accurate longitude using a timepiece (set to local noon, to compare with noon of origin) they needed a clock keeping accurate time at sea. There was a competition in England around 1760 to invent one, which went to John Harrison, who made increasingly accurate chronometers. Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Harrison-British-horologist
digitalin 4 years ago
Keeping time at sea was one thing, keeping an accurate time matching the country of origin was much more difficult, due to the motion of the waves and the influence of salt and water on the materials.
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#49
TIL the practice of playing music to the callers on hold was created by a factory owner who discovered that a loose wire in his factory's phone lines made the building a giant receiver. The broadcast from a close radio station was transmitted through the wire and played when calls were put on hold.
WilvanderHeijden 4 years ago
I'm sure he would have kept it a secret if he had known how people in the future would be tortured with mindnumbing muzak.
Yort 4 years ago
There’s a video about this on YouTube, it’s basically that systems used to play the hold music are severely outdated and so they sound awful on modern phones.
Load More Replies... Twodogsandapicnictable 4 years ago
What an a-hole. If he was alive today I would find him and kick him in the balls.
#50
TIL: In 1958 Great Lakes freighter Carl D. Bradley sank with the loss of 33 lives. Over the objections of witnesses who survived the sinking, the Coast Guard concluded the ship did not break in two, shielding its owners from liability. In 1997 the shipwreck was discovered in 2 sections 90 feet apart
s. vitkovitsky 4 years ago
Blame this on the Coast Guard, a government entity. Tjeir mistake.
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#51
TIL of a vaudeville group that tried to sue a pair of newspapers for libel, after the papers ran scathing reviews of their act in 1898. The judge ruled in favor of the newspaper after the group performed their act in court
Caroline Seguin 4 years ago
I love that animation! Les triplettes de Belleville :)
Load More Replies... Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
A double indignity, to have it proven in court that your act is s**t.
Catlady6000 4 years ago (edited)
Anybody remember they're name? I remember reading a newspaper account that was absolutely hysterical
#52
TIL that author Lee Child was inspired to name his character Jack Reacher after a shopping trip. An old lady asked for his help in reaching for a can of pears; Child's wife, when seeing this, commented that if his writing career didn't work out, he could 'always get a job as a reacher'.
Twodogsandapicnictable 4 years ago
Just think, he could have been Jack Stander, or Breather, or Farter.
#53
TIL that several A-list actors turned down the role of Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry because of excessive violence. Burt Lancaster and Paul Newman turned it down because they both disagreed with the character's seemingly right-wing politics, Newman recommended Clint Eastwood for the role instead.
A B C 4 years ago (edited)
Nah, he's east-wood. (/s, I don't know anything about his political views)
Load More Replies... Reynard 4 years ago
Just because it disagrees with your right-wing narrative doesn't make it BS.
Load More Replies... #54
TIL that a Millard Fillmore Society used to gather annually at his grave to remember how forgettable a president he was (1850-1853)
Lyone Fein 4 years ago
Better to be forgotten than to be remembered for doing terrible things.
Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
There’s a brilliant photo of him with his hair slicked down in a comb over and tufted out at each side. It’s worth a google, you’ll know it when you see it. ( I tried to attach it, but my skills are lacking.)
#55
TIL Walt Disney tried to join WW1 so he can fight the Germans but was rejected because he was to young so he forged the date of birth on his birth certificate, and joined the Red Cross to become an ambulance driver.
Bradley Cohen 4 years ago
He worked with Ray Kroc during WWI. Kroc went on to form an empire of his own.
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
Raymond Albert Kroc was an American businessman. He purchased the fast food company McDonald's in 1961 and served as its CEO from 1967 to 1973. Kroc is credited with the global expansion of McDonald's, turning it into the most successful fast food corporation in the world. One made his fortune with a mouse, the other with a clown.
Load More Replies... #56
TIL despite the common theory that “New Coke” was a marketing ploy, the main reason for its launch was it consistently beat Pepsi and Coca Cola Classic in blind taste tests. It performed so well that one bottling company even threatened to sue Coca Cola if they didn’t launch the new product.
Anthony Mann 4 years ago (edited)
Blind taste tests can definitely lead a company astray. A company I used to work for came up with a superior product to its current offerings, but when it went on market, the loyal customers HATED the new formula, and complained mightily. Lesson learned. Balance a blind taste test with testings with your most dedicated customers!
Paula Marowsky 4 years ago
I don't undestand WHY the f*/k companies are always changing their absolutely amazing good products to "new formula". It is so annoying because ALWAYS (with no exceptions) these new products are completely different to the original good one and always, always a lot worse. I really hate those "new yabba yabba" Why on earth change something that already was perfect and completely profitable?? There is a reason why you are still selling something!! Maybe people prefer it just like it ACTUALLY IS! Is it really that hard to get it?? The same for all those software and apps "updates". ARGHHH
Load More Replies... Donkey boi 4 years ago
It was never a marketing ploy. It was created because they worked out that Pepsi won the taste test (The Pepsi Challenge) simply because there was more sugar in Pepsi. Coca-Cola redid the taste test but asked the participants to drink a whole glass. The problem was that because of carbonation all of Pepsi's sweetness rose to the top and they wanted one that would be sweet throughout. What followed was 'New Coca-Cola'.
#57
TIL Tchaikovsky and his patron shared over 1,200 letters, but only met once by accident. When he wrote her to apologize, she responded that there was nothing to apologize for, and invited him to visit her home to see her new paintings, but at a time when she would be away
ZAPanda 4 years ago
well what was her name, or is she erased from history like most women as a relational figure, "Tschaikovsky's patron" instead of contessa whatever...?
Yort 4 years ago
No, the til post just didn’t include the info for whatever reason, although I’m pretty sure this story was already shared on this website a while ago? You could easily just google it.
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Suzy the observer 4 years ago
A person who supports an artist, allowing for creation without financial burdens.
Load More Replies... #58
TIL a hurricane caused Tim Duncan to take up basketball. He grew up in the US Virgin Islands, and trained to be an Olympic swimmer like his big sister... until Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island's only Olympic pool. He was too afraid of sharks to swim in the ocean, so he tried basketball instead
#59
TIL a 21 year old tried to commit suicide by injecting elemental mercury intravenously. The liquid metal traveld to the pulmonary capillaries where it stopped, causing a non-fatal embolism.
Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
But then what? Presumably they did die from mercury poisoning or something.
#60
TIL the premise for The Smashing Pumpkins music video "Today" was inspired by a memory from Billy Corgan when the local ice cream truck driver quit his job, and he ended up giving away all of the ice cream in the truck to all the neighborhood kids.
Aahzmandus Pervect 4 years ago
So? The Smashing Pumpkins are from the US.
Load More Replies... #61
TIL about Andrzej Bargiel, a Polish ski mountaineer who became the first person to ski down from the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain. He climbed without supplementary oxygen and skied down in about 7 hours.
#62
TIL Antoine Walker has earned $108 million throughout his NBA career and he filed for bankruptcy in 2010, just two years after retirement.
Vasana Phong 4 years ago
I do not understand how ppl with this much money lose it all in general, even with only 1 mil I would be fine for life
Twodogsandapicnictable 4 years ago
Their accountants, lawyers, friends and wives are thieves. Monyy makes you a target for all the worst people. You can't spend that much all by yourself..
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Caroline Seguin 4 years ago
How can you run out of money when you have so much is beyond comprehension. What an idiot
Anthony Mann 4 years ago (edited)
I met him once when he was with Boston. (I was a server at a Boston restaurant). He was at another server's table with a group of women as his guests. He rang up an expensive bill, and treated me, the server, and other employees like trash.
#63
TIL when the Romanovs were executed, the Tsar’s daughters were the last to die as their clothes had diamonds sown into then giving them some protection from the firing
F. H. 4 years ago
Even worse, it's 100% what the Soviet propaganda claimed for years.
Load More Replies... littlesaresare 4 years ago (edited)
I just watched this on Ask A Mortician! Apparently they had been secretly sewing the jewels in so they would have money when they escaped.
Catie Marie 4 years ago
Technically the jewelry acted as bullet proof vests and when this was discovered, the women were bayoneted to death
Twodogsandapicnictable 4 years ago
Were you trying to correct them? That's how it's spelled in the post.
Load More Replies... #64
TIL Many Biblical scholars believe Jesus was not born in 0BC, but rather 4-6BC, even though "BC" was named to be Jesus' birth year. Since Jesus' age at death and date of crucifixion are more easily estimated from historical records, many theologians assume the original calculations were off.
Dave In MD 4 years ago
It's fiction to control the masses so what ever made up dates are used don't really matter.
Dave P 4 years ago
The calculation was made at the Council of Nicea in the 300s, they had to backdate calculate using a method we actually still use today in history when we dont have clear dating. We say "Person x today is y number of years old. When he was 3 important person m died, he was 80, but when he was 15 met person g.....etc, etc."
ZAPanda 4 years ago
They date his birth to the census of quirinus, as I recall, which is 6 BC. Trouble is, none of the other events documented in the gospels occurred. The date for Pauline epistles are based on the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, which gives us an idea that Paul only wrote about 40 years after JC's alleged life, meaning he certainly was no witness.
#65
TIL that Long Island is a "terminal moraine", which is the pile of debris that glaciers pushed along as they advanced south during previous ice ages. You can see two set of hills that formed from glacier movement.
Michael Fernandez 4 years ago
This is why NYC became such a busy port: the water was deep enough for large ships to easily get through the Long Island Sound.
#66
TIL In 2007, Warren Buffett bet a hedge-fund manager that the S&P 500 would beat a portfolio of hedge funds. After 10 years, the S&P had returned 85%; the hedge funds, 22%.
Jos Tiguidou 4 years ago
No. Time in the market always beats trying to beat the market. It's a very simple strategy that's been proven time and time again.
Load More Replies... #67
TIL that after being ejected from a game, NY Mets manager Bobby Valentine disguised himself with sunglasses and a fake mustache, and made his way back to the dugout. The game's TV announcers spotted him, and MLB fined him for it.
#68
TIL that the US exports more bull semen to Iran than any other country. In 2018 alone, the amount of semen exported from the US was more than the combined total of the next seven other countries exporting semen to Iran.
#69
TIL That in 1762, Benjamin Franklin had a hollow walking stick created that could secretly hold ~1 pint of oil in it. When the head of the stick was pushed down, it would release oil from the bottom. He did this to trick his friends into thinking he had the power to calm waves in troubled waters.
Pa4040 4 years ago
Am I the only one who doesn't understand how 1 pint of oil can calm waves? What, in a bathtub or a puddle?....
F. H. 4 years ago (edited)
Oil forms a very thin film on the waves. A pint can reach several meters. Don't try it out though. Even vegetable oil is not good for aquatic life.
Load More Replies... Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
This is a really good portrait, the expression, the way he’s sitting, just perfect.
#70
TIL: Kenan Thompson is the longest tenured SNL member ever
Anagram margana 4 years ago (edited)
Kenan is such an uncelebrated talent. He is great in every sketch, is consistently hilarious, and obviously valued by the show — yet everyone just keeps fawning all over that cast member who keeps dating famous women, randomly dyes his hair, has a bunch of tattoos on his arms — and isn’t funny. I literally can’t remember his name.
Analyn Lahr 4 years ago
So they did a movie about the Good Burger skit from All That back in the late 90s as I recall, staring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. They also got their own show called Kenan and Kel. I would love a Kenan and Kel reunion movie about Kenan and Kel as adults to see how this lives are going and if Kenan is still coming up with crazy schemes that Kel reluctantly goes along with. "Aw, here it goes!"
#71
TIL The US Government passed the Stolen Valor Act in 2005. The Act made it illegal to wear or falsely claim to have received any military medal or decoration without authorization, including the Medal of Honor. However, the Act was later ruled unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit Court.
Mazer 4 years ago
Stolen Valor Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to rewrite provisions relating to fraudulent claims about military service to subject to a fine, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both an individual who, with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit, fraudulently holds himself or herself out to be a recipient of: See https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/258 for list
Roger Haywood 4 years ago
I hate those taking credit for something they never where. Especially when trying to get discounts or benefits. (I did basic training but did not pass out. I was in army, but v. briefly).
#72
TIL in order to promote Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Ubisoft funded the exhumation, DNA testing, and facial reconstruction of famous 18th century pirate Amaro Pargo
#73
TIL Joaquin Phoenix's older brother, River Phoenix, who starred as a kid in Stand By Me among other movies, died of an overdose while attending a concert with Joaquin on Halloween in L.A. at age 23, in 1993
Mazer 4 years ago
River took the overdose at the Viper Room, owned by Johnny Depp on October 31, 1993, at age 23. His brother Joaquin was there and called 911. River had quit drugs for a time and was trying to stay off drugs. As with happens to way too many people who are habitual drug users. During rehab the body loses the tolerance it once had, the victim does not realize this and takes the dose they were once used to taking resulting in the overdose.
Art 3 years ago
This also happens when one is stupid enough to put oneself in a position to use again; I should know because I'm a recovering alcoholic/drug addict.
Load More Replies... Hannah Edwards 4 years ago
Makes me feel old that people don’t know this, it was a huge news story at the time.
Melissa TO 4 years ago
Right?! I had a major crush on River when I was a kid. He was so beautiful!
Load More Replies... H Edwards 4 years ago (edited)
He died outside the Viper Room club, part-owned by Johnny Depp.
#74
TIL if you could accelerate continually at just 1g you could travel to the other side of the known universe within your lifetime.
Robert T 4 years ago
Excluding the fact that you would be travelling faster than the speed of light, which is theoretically impossible, at least by simple acceleration - i.e. without wormholes etc.
error_404_user_not_found 4 years ago
but because of relativity time would slow down for you as you got faster so you would travel further in your lifetime
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Scagsy 4 years ago
I am not mentally advanced enough to comprehend this one. Just thought you might like to know.
Nikki Sevven 4 years ago
Sure you are. My math is limited, but 1g is Earth's gravity, so you'd need to exceed that at least slightly to escape Earth's gravitational field. Once you did, your acceleration would remain constant (since there's no friction in a vacuum) and you'd reach Pluto in 18 days...if you aimed correctly for its space-time coordinates 18 days hence. (I should add that the sum of my knowledge of space travel comes from reading Heinlein. He always explains the math behind it in a way that even a layperson like myself can understand.)
Load More Replies... Myumun myumunov 4 years ago
Therefore they say "if you could", which apparently you can't :)
Load More Replies... #75
TIL X-Men movie director Bryan Singer banned Comic Books on set because he worried that bringing comics on set might get in the way of the "three-dimensional characters" he was trying to portray on screen.
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RandomX123 4 years ago
TIL the programming language 'Python' got its name from the show "Monty Python's Flying Circus"
RandomX123 4 years ago
TIL the programming language 'Python' got its name from the show "Monty Python's Flying Circus"
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