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Nowadays, you don't have to take a trip to the local library if you want to go on a fact-finding mission. You don't have to read a whole book, magazine, or even an Encyclopaeda Brittanica to learn something new. The internet is a never-ending treasure trove of trivia. From fascinating bite-size tidbits about science, to celebrities, history, and the plain weird and bizarre. The “Today I Learned” (TIL) page is a go-to corner of the internet, where a whopping 39 million people gather to satisfy their hunger for knowledge.
Bored Panda has picked the top cool and weird facts from the page to create the following captivating listicle. Whether you're wanting to impress your friends, needing something interesting to talk about on your next first date, itching to win trivia night or you just enjoy soaking in new information, you should find something useful here. Keep scrolling and don't forget to upvote your favorites.
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#1
TIL in 2011 a Brazilian man rescued a starving Magellanic penguin that was drenched in oil on the beach near his house. It stayed with him for about 11 months before returning to the sea. Although for at least the next 5 years, the penguin returned to visit the man for a few months each year.
Family's_disappointment 1 year ago
Moments like this are the reason we all still believe in humanity even after everything
Russell Rieckenberg 1 year ago
I, not only believe in humanity, but also penguinity.
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RELATED:
#2
TIL Al Capone, America’s most notorious gangster sponsored the charity that served up three hot meals a day to thousands of the unemployed—no questions asked.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago (edited)
He also helped introduction of the "sell by date" stamps on dairy products when a close relative got sick after drinking spoiled milk.
Beak Hookage 1 year ago
Shades of the Yakuza providing earthquake relief. It's much easier to run an organised crime operation when you've got some public goodwill on your side.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
It's standard playbook behaviour. Paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland, biker gangs, Mafia, Yakuza. They all keep their positions by marketing themselves as saviours to the poorest and most oppressed.
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Michael Largey 1 year ago
Plus he supplemented the salaries of many underpaid Chicago law enforcement officials.
talliloo 1 year ago
capone was not a nice guy and his establishing soup kitchens was just a way to garner good will in the community.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Not really. Capone was a psychopath. He'd have locked them all in a warehouse and burned it to the ground if he thought he could gain something from it. His"good deeds" were about generating good PR, and buying loyalty from the neighborhood so they'd be indebted to him, and less likely to help the authorities catch him.
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Sherman 1 year ago
If you look at all the old mobsters. Most of them did more for their communities than the authorities & government was doing. Some say it’s bc they wanted the public to support them & distrust the authorities. Some say it’s bc these gangsters also grew up in poverty so they truly wanted to give back. But who knows. Does it really matter when it’s helping ppl?
Mason Kronol 1 year ago
Yeah just like all that money trump donated to the wounded veterans so must be a nice guy…oh wait!
#3
TIL the 'Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills' or Pretty Boy Floyd was a thief in the 1930's who was touted as a hero for destroying mortgage documents whenever he robbed a bank. His funeral had over 20,000 people attend to pay their respects.
talliloo 1 year ago
reminds me of the ending of 'fight club' when corporate offices are destroyed in order to get rid of debt documents. surprised some hackers haven't done this already.
Ron Man 1 year ago
They have, but it's not like there's just one copy and oops, there were no backups. This data is updated and backed up continually, and stored on multiple sites around the world. Secure data storage never happens in TV and movies. Secure data storage isn't connected to a network.
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ILoveMySon 1 year ago (edited)
Oh boy, do I have a true story. My great uncle, who was a railroad engineer, picked up a hitchhiker in western Kansas in late 1932. He was a "nice fellow" per my uncle. My uncle realized it was Pretty Boy Floyd but didn't say anything. When Uncle dropped him off, PBF said,"I guess you know who I am." Uncle confirmed and said he "didn't want any problems". I remember the dialogue specifically as Uncle shared it several times and was consistent. A few months later the Kansas City Massacre took place with PBF. Interesting and scary.
There’s no shortage of mind-blowing bite-size facts on this page, to keep your constant need for knowledge satisfied. Bored Panda decided to delve a bit deeper into one of the more endearing ones, in our own quest to learn more about the amazing world we live in.
The story we found particularly fascinating was about a Brazilian man who rescued a penguin drenched in oil. The bird stayed with João Pereira de Souza for almost a year before returning to sea. But in an act of true unconditional love, the penguin returned to visit Pereira de Souza for the next few years. "He arrives in June and leaves to go home in February, and every year he becomes more affectionate, as he appears even happier to see me," said Pereira de Souza during a 2016 interview.
#4
TIL as the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto mounted, the inhabitants knew they would not survive. A team of historians, writers, rabbis, and social workers created a secret cache of documents to record their way of life. 2/3 of the cache survived the war
Deborah 1 year ago
Too much is lost to history. These wonderful people helped preserve the past. Bad or good, history needs to be studied, to know what to avoid as well as what was good.
Nichole Harris 1 year ago
Now if only world powers would pay attention and not duplicate those mistakes....
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Roxy222uk 1 year ago
When the British colonised Timbuktu the scholars hid all their books and papers because they knew what would happen otherwise. Of course the Brits believed that any African culture must be incapable of autonomously creating learning, education, or documentation, so they never went looking for them.
#5
TIL of Kurt Gerstein, a Nazi officer who tried to alert the world of the Holocaust while it was happening by sending detailed reports to Swedish, Swiss, Dutch and Catholic officials. These were largely ineffective and he died by taking his own life in 1945
JokerMan774 1 year ago
I doubt if he killed himself. Having a guy at the end of the war telling the world that he tried to warn them years ago as to what was going on would have been a "problem".
Bewarethere@gmail.com 1 year ago
Guilt that he wasn't able to convince all the people that were warned that he wasn't able to make them pay attention. Wud be my guess
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Karl der Große 1 year ago
If people can deny that bad things are happening, they will. If the facts become too obvious that they can't deny them any longer, then they will want to think that they can't do anything about it. Once they know that they can do something, they will want to believe that they have more important things to take care of first. There are courageous people (I have met some!), but you have to overcome a lot of inertia to do the right thing.
#6
TIL that the Spice Girls co-wrote all their own songs. When they left their original management, they allegedly stole the masters of their recordings from the management office to make sure they retained creative control of their work.
Beak Hookage 1 year ago
Those girls deserve way more credit than they got. I was a kid when they first became popular and they were making so many little girls feel happy and empowered. Even my cynical tomboy a**e loved their music, and it was something me and my more traditionally girly sister could bond over.
Rocky Rocky 12 months ago
Ever notice that Posh Spce NEVER smiled? EVER? Even after she was married to David Beckham? Was she wearing so much makeup that her face would crack?
nuberiffic 1 year ago
"Co wrote" has a pretty loose meaning in pop music. Could just mean they were in the room while writing occured. Also, those masters weren't theirs. Theft is a crime. Why are we supposed to celebrate this?
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 1 year ago
Because record companies regularly scrêw over artists, especially new ones. One of the ways is keeping control of the masters.
Load More Replies...The duo’s unique bond made world headlines and was even turned into a documentary, and later, a children’s book called An Old Man And His Penguin. “Off the coast of Brazil, João rescues a lifeless, oil-covered penguin (Dindim) and nurses him back to health. Dindim adopts João as an honorary penguin, and the steadfast friends do everything together. They swim together, fish together, and stroll the beach together," reads the book's description.
"But there are real penguins somewhere across the sea. So one day, Dindim leaves João. The villagers tell João the penguin will never come back. João cannot say if he will or will not. Are the villagers right? Will Dindim ever patter into his old friend's loving arms again?”
#7
TIL that orcas spend their entire lives with their mothers. Only one whale is known to have survived alone: Luna (or Tsux'iit) was young when separated and ended up in Nootka Sound. He was adored by locals for his interactive and playful demeanor, seeking socialization intensely without his pod.
Roxy222uk 1 year ago
The sons in particular need their mothers to protect them and stand up for them all their lives. The daughters are expected to be much more self-sufficient (well, they're going to be mums with their own sons one day). Orcas have a menopause for the same reason humans do, the older females are far too important to the survival of the community to risk losing them to one too many pregnancies in their old age. And these older females are so bright it is genuinely scary. If they decided to hunt and eat you they would come up with a strategy unique to the situation (not rely on instinctive behaviours), explain it to the rest of the pod, and then get everyone working in unison to make it work. Orcas are absolutely amazing.
Stephanie Barr 1 year ago
Human men should take note. In nature, the female of the species more often then not is in control for excellent reasons.
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glowworm2 1 year ago
More info from original post: As many feared would occur one day and despite great efforts to prevent such a tragedy, Luna was killed instantly one day when he approached a boat he knew—the ocean tugboat General Jackson. It is believed that Luna went up to the tugboat intentionally, as he often did, to engage in playful activity. Apparently underestimating the power of the idling vessel (tugboats have much more powerful engines than other ships of their size), Luna was likely pulled by suction from the propellers into the six-foot diameter blades and died. Sadly, a previous sophisticated attempt to reunite him with his pod backed and assisted by numerous professional and governmental entities was so narrowly unsuccessful. The L98 Luna team responsible for his relocation was poised to attempt another rescue in the spring. Luna was killed merely a few weeks before this second attempt would take place.
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 1 year ago
Geez. Way to bring down the room. Maybe don't share next time.
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Gina Price 1 year ago
He wasn't in captivity. He was separated from his pod and sought out interactions from humans because he was lonely. Try again.
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TIL in South Korea, only blind people can get a masseur's license. This law was established in 1912, to help visually impaired people earn a living. It was upheld by their Constitutional Court in 2008.
Zaach 1 year ago
Zatoichi is a blind masseur who is also a master swordsman - apparently, in Japan, the masseur was one of the lowest jobs you could get (and the actor, Minoru Okumura, developed the fighting style used in his films). I only recently realized that the the Zatoichi movies started with him killing someone and the following 17+ movies was him going to the grave of the man he killed
#9
TIL Malcolm X, while serving a prison sentence in his early 20s, spent his time reading the dictionary and copying its pages to improve his vocabulary. This practice not only expanded his knowledge but also transformed him into one of the most articulate civil rights leaders.
Lene 1 year ago
Haha! I plan to go through this dictionary of old Danish words that are, for the most part, not in use anymore and then take note of all the words I'd like to add to my vocabulary and then just use them as much as I can. I will probably turn out to be the world's worst articulate person in the world. Lol
Annie A 1 year ago
Calling a black man articulate is just the same as calling anybody who is well spoken articulate. We REALLY need to stop shifting definitions of words to suit our agendas, regardless of how well-meaning they may be
Load More Replies...As it turns out, little Dindim never did return to Pereira de Souza after saying his final goodbyes. The book’s author, Alayne Kay Christian tracked down a friend of Pereira de Souza’s to find out more. "He assured me that Joao Pereira de Souza was fine," wrote Christian, before quoting the friend as saying, "Unfortunately, Dindim has not returned to Ilha Grande... Since no tracking devices have been attached to him, it’s hard to know what happened to him.”
#10
TIL while filming Metropolis (1927) they would often end up with more children in the evening than in the morning. Coming from the poorest areas of Berlin, the children would sneak onto set or climb over the fence to experience the warm rooms, games, toys, cocoa, cake, and regular meals
Beak Hookage 1 year ago
I'm trying to figure this one out... I think it means that they had some sort of daycare for cast and crew member's children (or child actors? I haven't seen the film) and that local kids sneaked in to enjoy the benefits.
Ron Man 1 year ago
This was the time between WWI and WWII during the Weimar Republic. Inflation was out of control and most people were extremely poor. There was no daycare on the set, they weren't child actors. Kids were literally sneaking onto the set because it was warm and there was food there they could steal.
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Hobby Hopper 1 year ago
Cool movie. It was the most expensive silent film ever produced at the time of it's release in 1927. The original edit was lost, and then rediscovered in 2008.
#11
TIL that after his passing, Fred Rogers’ wife revealed that behind the scenes he had a raunchy sense of humor and one of his favorite and funniest ways to break up monotony during a bland event was to look right at her, lift a butt cheek signaling that he was secretly farting, and give her a smile.
Excited Panda 1 year ago
From Mr Rogers, that's as far as you'll get. He's a Saint, IMHO.
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R F. 1 year ago
He wasn’t a Marine, but with his values and discipline…he would have been a good one. He displayed a deep understanding of Semper Fidelis and fought for what he believed when he had to.
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TIL a bear in a state park got into campers’ coolers and used claws & teeth to puncture beer cans; Fish & Wildlife Sgt. Bill Heinck said the bear tried a can of Busch, ignored the rest, then drank about 36 Rainier beers. They caught it a live trap baited with donuts, honey, open cans of Rainier.
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
All they had to do, instead of the live trap, was wait until morning. Smokey must have had a hangover.
Zaach 1 year ago
Yellowstone Park bears were quick learners, they learned to unscrew lids, poke holes in beer cans to drink. Our cabin was about 2 mountains over from Yellowstone (Tobacco Root Mountains) and we would get some of those bears wandering around Back in the day before they bear-proofed visitor garbage cans, if a bear was caught causing too much trouble, they would capture it, paint its nose yellow and move it way into the back country, if they caught it again, they would paint its nose red, if they caught a red-nosed bear, it was euthanized
Rosemary . 1 year ago
Rudolph certainly is lucky they never implemented that practice with reindeer.
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Mason Kronol 1 year ago
Smart bear. My husband couldn’t recall if he had ever drank Busch. I told him to imagine pouring a glass of Coors light into a glass, letting it sit out for 3 days and then put it the fridge for 6 hours and drinking it. Better off with a PBR. When I was a teen all the guys would drink Busch light because it was cheap. Michalob Light for me because if I’m drinking I’m drinking quality. Yes, I,m Mic lt old.
Christian revealed in her blog that she also came across two videos online of Pereira de Souza waiting patiently on the beach for his penguin friend to come back. The author managed to get the videos translated from Portuguese, and this is what they said:
"The first video is only him saying he has been waiting for Dindim. He is talking to Dindim and asking him to come, so João can be happy again and play with him. He shows his 3 friends and says they are always at the sea, so Joao asks them to keep on the lookout for Dindim."
#13
TIL that Jordan Rice, a 13-year-old Australian boy, became a symbol of courage during devastating floods when he sacrificed his life to save his younger brother. Despite his fear of water, his selfless act continues to inspire as a story of true heroism.
Steve Robert 1 year ago
Could you ever even imagine someone like tRump or melon muskrat doing anything for totally selfless reasons?
FoxEcoLimaIndiaCharlieIndiAlfa 1 year ago (edited)
A young child lost his life, in order to save his younger brother by his courageous and heroic actions and yet for some reason you chose to write a comment about 2 much hated public figures, that have absolutely nothing to do with this post. Many read BP to escape all that, it would be nice to make it through one thread and actually not see anything about these 2.
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TIL in 2012, over 2,000 Koreans gathered to watch a single man pitch a tent (a 24-man army tent) after he claimed on an internet forum that he could do it in under two hours. The event grew so large it even attracted corporate sponsers. The man succeeded, taking about an hour to accomplish the task.
#15
TIL while on safari, Hemingway survived 2 plane crashes one day apart. The 2nd caught fire & he had to smash open the door with his head, causing extensive burns & skeletal injuries. He was presumed dead until he walked out of the jungle "in high spirits", carrying bananas and a bottle of gin.
Tammy Kirks 1 year ago
"carrying bananas and a bottle of gin" is the most Hemingway thing ever.
Chich 1 year ago
There are bottles of gin laying around in the jungle for anyone to pick up?!?
"In the second one, he says how much he misses him and how he wishes Dindim would come back. He is calling him and he says that he is always thinking about him. He offers him sardines and that he can come play with his dog and he can pinch his dog as usual. He says, 'I am waiting for you here day and night'.”
Christian believes that Pereira de Souza probably won't give up on his penguin partner in crime. And will continue to call for him from the shore every year. We, at Bored Panda, are incline to agree. "I love the penguin like it's my own child," Pereira de Souza once said in an interview.
"And I believe the penguin loves me..."
#16
TIL Since 1950, the Catholic Church has recognized Darwinian evolution as being compatible with Christian beliefs.
The Big Bad 1 year ago
Honestly the Catholic church sometimes surprises me with their thought out stances on a lot of subjects. And sometimes they change it to fit with their own priorities. Like abortion, abortion wasn't always a sin, depended on the times and the need for children. When industrialization became a thing, small children hands were very handy in factories. "Suddenly" abortion was a sin. Children weren't always seen as the precious little angels they are now...
Hidalgo 1 year ago
Still the primary driver for many anti-abortionists and anti-birth control folks like Musk. The rich like slaves and underpaid
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Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
Some very conservative Catholics are. I taught with some.
Load More Replies... Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago
The secret of the Catholic Church is its adaptability to changing times while mantaining an aura being immovable and eternal.
Stephanie Did It 1 year ago
The church changes its stance on whatever issue allows it to gain or retain members. Anything that becomes mainstream will be accepted eventually. That is why so many pagan customs, beliefs, and holidays were welcomed and incorporated from the second century of its existence onward. The word "catholic" itself simply means "universal."
Tommy DePaul 1 year ago
And suicide no longer prohibits burial in hallowed ground. It is presumed the deceased acted while seriously mentally ill.
John Dilligaf 1 year ago
the church often gets a bad rap for being "anti science". The relationship has been rocky at times, but historically speaking the church is not and never has been "anti-science".
nuberiffic 1 year ago
The core concept of Christianity itself is anti science. Faith is the opposite of science.
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Edison Lima 1 year ago
More than a few Archaeologists and Paleontologists are Catholic fathers and nuns.
#17
TIL there was a Japanese government review in 2010 which found that 82% of the people aged over 100 in Japan turned out to be dead.
Russell Rieckenberg 1 year ago
This, along with inability to verify the age of centenarians due to birth records destroyed during war, is why there is a bit of scepticism about so called "blue zones."
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Casey Stengel on turning 75 - "Most people my age are dead at the present time, and you can look it up."
#18
TIL during the filming of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, it became a secret running joke between Tom Holland and Michael Keaton that Keaton would often whisper in a deep voice“I’m Batman” in Tom’s ear on set during a few fight scenes.
Origami Chik3n 1 year ago
That's because Keaton is THE Batman. As a 90's kid, this is the hill i will die on.
#19
TIL: The bodies of two women were discovered over a year after the eruption of Mount St. Helens, but they were both actually victims of murder prior to the eruption whose bodies were hidden to the debris and ash.
D Gibson 12 months ago
I did not know that. I live a few hundred km from Mount St.Helens. I remember all of the ash covering the cars parked outside overnight. The planes stopped flying for a few days. The air felt very thick from all of the soot and ashes moving around. Think: Snow globe conditions.
Brier Random 1 year ago
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/18/us/evidence-of-1980-murders-hidden-by-volcano.html
#20
TIL on November 29th 2001, Mike Myers received the final letter George Harrison ever sent anybody. Being a fan of satire, George hand wrote the letter expressing his admiration for Mike’s Austin Powers movies. Mike received it on the set of Austin Powers 3 on the day George died.
that_gay_snake 1 year ago
Mike Myers was loved??? but he wears that creepy mask every Halloween and has a thing for babysitters....
Rafael 1 year ago
Sad to say that this took me way to long to realize, and I had to check the comments. Well done, sir!
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#21
TIL that in Romania in 1999, a man and a woman died of carbon monoxide poisoning while having sex in a car parked in a garage with the engine running and won the 1999 Darwin Award.
Mason Kronol 1 year ago
When my grandma was dying in the hospital a woman was hospitalized because the overweight “John” had a heart attack and died on top of her in the backseat of the car and she wasn’t found for several hours. I was around 13 and it was awful but it’s the only thing that kept some of us laughing. IIRC some of the more mature family members had a flower basket sent to her. But still 🤦🏻♀️😂
ZGutr 1 year ago
Yeah well, cars get cold real fast in wintertime, so idling the engine for the heater is no luxury. Seat heaters is a big plus when you have leather seating .... or at least so I have heard
Robert T 1 year ago
They are, which is why I have cloth seats. It is also a 2 seater and is incredibly impractical for having sex in. So what I am saying is, this is unlikely to happen to me. LOL
Load More Replies... glowworm2 1 year ago
Having sex in a parked car is by no means unusual. Leaving the engine on though? Well, if it leads to death, probably!
#22
TIL the US Navy had no idea Cher would be wearing a racy outfit when they agreed to let her film “If I Could Turn Back Time” on the battleship *Missouri*. They didn’t see her now-iconic fishnet bodysuit until filming started. The crew’s crazy reaction is genuine.
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 1 year ago
Unpopular opinion but I can't stand Cher or her nasal foghorn voice.
Stuart 1 year ago
I never cared for her music either, but I did really like her movie Mask.
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Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
TIL there was a mix up on her birth certificate and her original name was recorded as Cheryl, rather than Cherylin.
Kurt Hartman 1 year ago
They didn't have a problem when I wore it during the Admiral's All Male Review!
Michael Largey 1 year ago
I never figured out what “If I Could Turn Back Time” had to do with a vehicle like a ship. Now, if it had been a DeLorean, ...
Jossh Nine 1 year ago
Cher was all like, "Seamen? I'll make 'em all seaman" Do you believe in love after love?
#23
TIL Tommy Cooper was a Welsh magician/comedian whose shtick was "a clumsy magician messes up his tricks". He had a massive heart attack, collapsed and died on stage during a live broadcast, in front of 12 million viewers, with studio audience laughing at what they thought was just one of his acts.
UKGrandad 1 year ago
The fez came about by accident while he was performing a comedy sketch in Cairo during WWII (he was with the Desert Rats and had joined a NAAFI entertainment group). He was supposed to put on a pitch helmet during his routine but he'd forgotten to take it with him so he snatched the fez off a passing waiter's head. He got such a big laugh that he decided to use a fez from then on and it became one of his trademarks.
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T.M.P Janssen 1 year ago
I think I saw a recording. It was surreal watching that scene KNOWING that the dude was dying and people laughed.
Penny Fan 1 year ago
I was watching it live. I remember the announcer coming on after. Heartbreaking but he died doing what he loved, making people laugh.
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Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
I remember watching it at the time. The show was (ironically) Live from Her Majesty's, hosted by Jimmy Tarbuck.
Fraxinus excelsior 1 year ago
I remember it too, everyone thought it was part of his routine
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Richienotsorich 1 year ago
I too watched it live. We only had 3 channels in the UK at the time and this was prime time viewing. It wasn't a studio audience, he was live on stage in Her Majesty's Theatre.
Beak Hookage 1 year ago
I've seen the footage. Turns out that in real life when someone collapses and dies of a heart attack it really doesn't look all that dramatic. There's no staggering around clutching their chest like in the movies. They just... fall over.
Sarah McManus 11 months ago (edited)
I remember that vividly. Sunday 15th of April 1984. I was 10. We were watching "Live from her Majesty's.." a variety show, very popular here in the UK at the time. He was half way through his act and he just collapsed and started snoring. The show went to an ad break and then carried on. It was reported on the News at Ten apparently that he'd passed away. All of the grown ups were sad and I was confused. Nobody ever explained it 🤷🏻♀️. A different time I guess. Rest in peace Tommy.
#24
TIL Japan railway platforms saw a 84 percent decrease in s***ides at stations after they installed blue lights.
Jude Bennett 1 year ago
In Australia, the welfare offices have blue lighting in the restrooms so that the addicts can not find a vein.
Mason Kronol 1 year ago
That’s how I read it 😂 so glad I’m not the only one🤦🏻♀️
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 1 year ago
Because the blue lights made people think they were in K-Mart, and who would want to die there?
Kelly Scott 1 year ago
I thought this was a miniature at first, but maybe it's just tilt shift photography.
#25
TIL what we call a 9-to-5 workday, Chinese people have "996," which means they have to work from 9am to 9pm 6 days a week.
Ron Man 1 year ago
Yes, this was similar to what was happening in the US until unions. Nobody understands why we celebrate Labor Day or why there were the May Day riots. People died for your 40 hour work week in the US. And even then, that wasn't the end of it. Go watch a documentary called Harlan County USA.
SheamusFanFrom1987 1 year ago
Jack Ma (AliBaba) and Richard Liu (JD.com) are apparently lobbyist of this sh*tty mindset.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
I'd bet money Bezos and Musk would eagerly line up behind it. It's not reported nearly often enough or loudly enough that Musk is behind a federal lawsuit trying to get the NLRB declared unconstitutional. And since the federal courts are now rigged, there doesn't really seem to be a path to prevent it from succeeding.
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Count Stefan Amaranth 1 year ago
Not totally accurate, it depends entirely on the profession. Although, this 996 scheme has recently been scrapped due to the declining birth rates.
geezeronthehill 1 year ago
Too bad they don't have labor unions. Of course that would be considered communism. Wait, what?
Ron Man 1 year ago
They do have labor unions. They are run by the government, because as you pointed out, communism. I'm sure you can guess who the unions favor.
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Bettye McKee 1 year ago
And people are complaining about the 40-hour work week. How about if you just show up once a week to pick up your paycheck?
#26
TIL Keanu Reeves only says 380 words in the entirety of John Wick: Chapter 4, which has a runtime of 169 minutes.
Simon Chen 1 year ago
What else was he supposed to do? Giving a motivational speech before klling a lot of people?
Jossh Nine 1 year ago (edited)
Keanu is not a good actor, but he is awesome on screen. Take "Dracula" for example.."We can marry when I return" The worst accent ever. He seems to be a cool dude, so thumbs up to him.
Edison Lima 1 year ago
I mean, he is not really famous for being great at speaking his lines, is he?
#27
TIL that in 1835, Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson, marking the first such attempt on a sitting U.S. president. Lawrence's two pistols both misfired, allowing Jackson who was 67 at the time to respond by beating him with his cane until he was restrained.
MicrowaveGoddess 1 year ago
Oh, I had to act this out in a skit at school..I was Lawrence. My friend got to beat me with a wrappng paper roll.
BookFanatic 1 year ago
I love how unambiguous the last line is. "Until he was restrained" could mean either Andrew or his would-be assassin.
ScootyPuffJr 1 year ago (edited)
AJ also killed a man in a duel, owned/traded slaves as well as beat his own, and uprooted Native Americans, playing a huge role in that genocide. He was an evil bastard. F*** that guy.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
If a guy with two guns is trying to kill me, I am not going to walk closer to him, cane or not.
#28
TIL there is no official "national identity card" in the United States. Most Americans use their driver’s license as a national identification
Uncommon Boston 1 year ago
Citizens and legal residents will need a Real ID to board airplanes and visit certain government buildings after May 7, 2025. It is also your driver's license and issued by the same agency. More documentation is needed to get the Real ID, the same information is required to get the ID in every state and territory. They have the same format and look. It is not mandatory, only needed for travel and to access government buildings. It is proof you are a legal resident. Illegal residents are now able to get drivers licenses. It is one step closer to a national idenity card.
ginshun 1 year ago
You will still be able to use a passport for all the things that you can use a "Real ID" for.
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Dragon mama 1 year ago
Many states now have a "REAL" ID program to correct for this. It adds an additional layer of authentication to the driver's license or state-issued ID and is valid for domestic travel and entry into certain government buildings.
Bryn 1 year ago
Real ID is a federal program. It's not just a states thing. All US peoples have to have one by May 2025 or they won't be allowed to fly (you can still drive with the old license)
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Roxy222uk 1 year ago
Every country should offer a low cost government sanctioned ID card for those that can't afford, or don't want or need, a driving licence or a passport. It annoys me that the UK doesn't offer them. The last time Labour were in power there was a lot of talk at one point of enforced ID cards, which I am very much against and don't see any reason for, but voluntary ones seem such as obvious idea.
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
As far as I'm aware we have no national identity card in Australia. Top forms of ID are driver's licence or passport.
Aussi Panda 1 year ago (edited)
My daughter doesn’t have a licence or passport so has a proof of age card/photo card to use as ID
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#29
TIL Early in his career actor Zero Mostel was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) for suspected communist sympathies. During his testimony, Mostel refused to name names, made jokes, and challenged the committee's assertions.
Deborah 1 year ago
A good actor, adept at comedy and serious roles, an an upright, moral person. The HUAC was a nasty piece of work.
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#30
TIL of 'Joe Martin', a captive orangutan actor that starred in over 50 silent era films, and for years lived essentially as a free human, wearing clothes, having it's own keys to come and go, attending film premieres and trusted to work with many children. Eventually it attacked many people...
BrunoVI 1 year ago (edited)
"Eventually it attacked many people" DOH! Way to ruin the coolest story I've read in a long time! UPDATE: Oh, it's even better! "At least three of these cases were apparent defenses of a woman, child, or animal. He staged major zoo escapes at least twice, once releasing the wolves and the elephant on the way out, and, separately, while evading recapture, relieving a police officer of his gun."
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
There is nothing "cool" about abusing an intelligent wild animal for profit.
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#31
TIL about Frederick Valentich, an Australian pilot who disappeared during a flight in 1978 after reporting an unidentified object following him and saying, 'It's not an aircraft.'
Libstak 1 year ago
Over Bass Strait, the water mass between Australia's mainland and Tasmania. Incidentally he lived about 20ms from me at the time of his disappearance.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
It was some species of Australian wildlife. They'll come after you wherever you are.
Andrew Read 1 year ago
Actually it was an aircraft. He wasn’t instrument rated or trained and flew upside down and was watching his
Sand Ers 1 year ago
It was three planets, a star, and his own hyperactive imagination. . . . . https://skepticalinquirer.org/2013/11/the-valentich-disappearance-another-ufo-cold-case-solved/
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#32
TIL researchers studying nominative determinism found that orthopedic surgeons are more likely to have the surname "Limb" than is expected by chance (Limb, Limb, Limb, & Limb, 2015)
Anne Jones 1 year ago
My brother was a tree surgeon. He had to quit because he kept fainting at the sight of sap……
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Upstaged75 1 year ago
I know of a gynecologist named Harold Beavers. Not joking - you can look it up. I guess this theory applies to him as well. ;)
Red PANda (any pronouns) 1 year ago
There’s a study that people named Dennis or Denise are also more likely to become dentists
Costa 1 year ago
There's a study that female twins called Denise often have a twin brother called Denephew.
Load More Replies... Roxy222uk 1 year ago
I do wonder sometimes what people are on about with this nominative determinism. Oh look, how mad, his surname is Baker and guess what he does for a living? Such a funny coincidence, her surname is Taylor, and she runs a business offering alterations and repairs to clothes. How do we think that the ancestor got that surname to start with??? Is it so hard to imagine that such an inclination has made it down the family tree? Don't get me wrong, some really are coincidences, the Limb example is a case in point, but a lot of the time it's a lot less surprising than people make out
Mason Kronol 1 year ago
I went to a Dentist named Dr. Suckling once before he retired. At least that wasn’t my foot Dr. or where I go for mammograms. I think 🤪
#33
TIL: The US developed the chemical compound Cyanogen Chloride for use in WW2 against Japan. It is a highly toxic blood agent that could penetrate gas masks. Truman decided against using it and opted for the atom bomb. It is now listed in the Chemical Weapons Convention and has never been deployed.
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 1 year ago
So, what, the atom bomb was considered ''more humane''? Holy hell >.<
Vermonta 1 year ago
Quicker death. Blood agents cause a painful death due to asphyxiation.
Load More Replies... #34
TIL that Thalidomide, the drug responsible for thousands of birth defects across Europe in the 1950s/60s, was developed by a doctor who had previously worked for the Nazis, experimenting on concentration camp victims
Bettye McKee 1 year ago
A disastrous result from a d**g that was offered to all pregnant women. I turned it down and didn't know until years later what a great decision that was.
Deborah 1 year ago
One of my classmates in grad school was a thalidomide baby, her arm was deformed. It happed here, too, not just in Europe.
Sherman 1 year ago
Yeah……. I hate to break it to you….. but a lot of our medicine n s**t are based off of nazi experiments. Good n bad. Look into operation paperclip. The US cared more about the knowledge of the nazis than actually prosecuting them for their war crimes. We brought them to the US along w/ their research n gave them a key to the country the main dude who helped w/ the atom bottom was a famous nazi. I can’t rmr his name. We threw parades n celebrations for a nazi n nobody cared.
#35
TIL: There is a figure known as the "unluckiest man in Pompeii". In 2018, archaeologists uncovered his skeleton and a rock where his head should've been, he got struck by the rock and his skull was found in a tunnel a distance away.
Serial pacifist 1 year ago
Well, as cruel as it might sound, it just might have saved him the suffering and the horror others felt in their last moments.
Kelly Scott 1 year ago
Actually, the ash cloud happened so fast, people were dead before their nerves could register the pain in their brains.
Load More Replies... IORN 1 year ago
It seems though he died just like the other - suffocated with ash. The stone came after...
Gozer LeGozerian 1 year ago
Yep, this is what happened. He wasn't killed by the rock.
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#36
TIL until the 1980’s, US television stations would sign off at the end of the broadcasting day, and before they cut to static for the rest of the night, they would often play short clips of American landmarks and US military imagery in a patriotic montage accompanied by the star spangled banner.
Deborah 1 year ago
That late? I only remember it here (mid-Atlantic states) until the late 70's.
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Antoinette the Red 1 year ago
That movie came out in 1982, I think they did away with the sign off before the 90's
Load More Replies... Ron Man 1 year ago
This was until the 90s in most places, and the main thing that stopped this was the rise of infomercials. A station that would sign off at 2am and come back at 6am, would now just play infomercials in those 4 hours.
ScootyPuffJr 1 year ago
Some 90s infomercials were so hilarious I'd stay up just to watch them.
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Paul C. 1 year ago
On Southern TV in the UK many years ago, there was often a guy who would, after about five or ten minutes say. Are you still there? Don't forget to turn off.
The acorn fell 11 months ago
Our boondocks tv station did that through the end of signing off at all. Now they're all 24 hours. We're up north so they'd also play "Oh, Canada" as well. I miss it...
#37
TIL that nearly 0% of Indigenous Mexicans develop wisdom teeth, while practically 100% of Tasmanians do.
Andrew Read 1 year ago
There are no pure blood indigenous Tasmanians! They died out in the early 20th century. Therefore, this is not able to be properly verified!
Tiger 1 year ago
OP is trying to demonstrate that almost no indigenous Mexicans grow wisdom teeth, while almost all Tasmanians do.
Load More Replies... Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 1 year ago
Read again please. It doesn't say indigenous Tasmanians. Just Tasmanians.
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#38
TIL Max Planck, the father of quantum theory, considered his quantum hypothesis just a mathematical trick to get the right answer rather than a sizable discovery until Einstein interpreted his hypothesis realistically and used it to explain physical phenomena.
Steve Robert 1 year ago
Never take your car to a quantum mechanics for repairs. You'll never know if it will start, or not, until you turn the key.
Russ Kincade 1 year ago
Yup. Both running and stopped at the same time until you turn the key.
Load More Replies... Zaach 1 year ago
Richard Feynman would disappear in the middle of discussions about particle interactions then return with an explanation of what was happening. People wondered about this so followed him to his office and found him creating diagrams of particle interactions but he was embarrassed that he had to 'cheat' - those diagrams are still used First_Feyn...bc4e08.gif 
#39
TIL David Letterman once insulted Quentin Tarantino on his show, which made Tarantino call Letterman on the phone and threaten to come to NY to “kill” him. Letterman responded by offering to pay for his flight and have QT choose the method of battle. Tarantino agreed and chose “bats.”
Ron Man 1 year ago
Letterman was right that Tarantino was a squirrelly movie nerd, and Tarantino didn't do anything but cry. Years later he had Tarantino on the show for Inglourious Basterds. This was the first time they'd met since the incident years earlier. Letterman went into Tarantino's dressing room before the show and made him apologize before he'd be allowed on the show.
Load More Replies... Bill 1 year ago
Letterman told Shirley McLain "Cher is right, you are a b***h" and I remember him calling Richard Simmons a Greasy Little Fa--got. On Air.
Penelope Orange 1 year ago
"Back in day" early-mid 80's, he was known for often insulting his celebrity guests. He tamed it down the more "big" he got and lost some of what made him popular in the first place. He was on after the Tonight Show if I recall. Like 11pm...it was "The Late Show" for a reason.
#40
TIL: The federal government is by far the largest employer of veterans in the United States
Verena 1 year ago
Don't worry, the new DOGE will make an end to that and chuck them out onto the streets. How a nation that adores their military so much, at the same time feels totally okay with abandoning their veterans into homelessness since decades, is beyond me.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
The adoration is performative and symbolic, and does not represent any sort of deep understanding of what it means to be a veteran, or have been in combat.
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Hidalgo 1 year ago
Slashing government employment will likely lead to massive veteran unemployment and homelessness
Pamacious 1 year ago
He probably wants a coronation (of sorts) that costs more than King Charles's recent $90 million one.
Load More Replies... Pyla 1 year ago
Sounds like you are regurgitating the usual garbage. The Donvict got you suckered, too?
Load More Replies... #41
TIL Mozart, Lenin and Hitler were all regulars at the very same bar
Jrog 1 year ago (edited)
This is often quoted but also incorrect. Hitler did not frequent -at least, regularly- the Hofbräuhaus. He was a patron of the Bürgerbräukeller, that is also where he organized his early political activities, and is the very "Beer Hall" in "Beer Hall Putsch". The confusion stems from the fact that the Bürgerbräukeller was the largest Beer Hall in Munich at the time, but after the war it lost its fame, with the regional government owned Hofbräuhaus taking the lead. Bürgerbräukeller -and its cellar where the Nazi congregated- was demolished in the 1970s. When people hear that "Hitler made his speech in the largest beer hall of Munich" they automatically connect it -wrongly- to the Hofbräuhaus. Unfortunately this mistake made its way in many guided tours and even in some poorly researched city guides.
Seán Baron 1 year ago
Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Freud and Jung all lived in Vienna at the same time.
farbenzirkel 1 year ago
It's the Hofbräuhaus! So it's THE beer "bar" in Munich. There are even songs about that "bar".
Verena 1 year ago
No. Cities in Europe tend to be very, very old and some houses survive through history and keep their purpise. Not only castles, but hotels, pubs, breweries, farms and many more. A bar/pub/coffee house existing for 200 years is not common, but not seldom either. To save googling: Mozart was born 1756
Load More Replies... #42
TIL ecologists once thought Beaver dam-building was an amazing feat of planning, indicative of the high intellect. This was tested when a recording of running water was played in a field near a beaver pond. Although on dry land, the beaver covered the tape player with branches and mud.
Bettye McKee 1 year ago
That's what beavers do. All animals have some ability that we do not yet understand.
#43
TIL Hemingway was three months sober when he took his own life in 1961
Emma S 1 year ago
It's very common for people to experience depression during early recovery. Many people drink or use d***s to self medicate. When the substance gets taken away, they no longer have their 'crutch' and they suddenly have to deal with all the trauma they've suppressed for years with a clear head, as well as all the guilt and shame that they now have for things they've done while in active addiction. That's why proper mental health support for people in early recovery is important. Sadly many people can't handle those feelings and either relapse or end their life.
Gozer LeGozerian 1 year ago
He was also paranoid because he rightfully thought the US government were spying on him
Mason Kronol 1 year ago
I swear I will get to visit his kittehs one day! The hurricanes need to be a little more cooperative though.
ILoveMySon 1 year ago
Make the trip. I visit his home every time I go to the Keys.🌴
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Tommy DePaul 1 year ago
Well, antidepressants can make you suicidal . . . .
Load More Replies... #44
TIL a high-ranking dinosaur ant who challenges her queen but fails will be immobilized, publicly chastised for several days, join the working class and lose all hope of ever ruling or reproducing
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Nah. Medieval would be being beheaded, and the head displayed as a warning to any other ants who had ambitions of power.
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Tiger 1 year ago
I’d never heard of it either but it lives in south Australia! “The Dinosaur Ant (Nothomyrmecia macrops) is so-called because it is a “living fossil”. It is arguably one of the closest living examples of what some of the earliest true ants might have been like, both in body plan and behaviour, perhaps 100 million years ago.“
Load More Replies... The acorn fell 11 months ago
I didn't see the 'ant' and was wondering how the heck they knew dinosaurs were so unforgiving!
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 1 year ago (edited)
You're gonna get the horns?
Load More Replies... #45
TIL a film in 1997 with a budget of $15 million only made $309 because it only played in 2 movie theaters before being pulled.
Panda-sized Potato 1 year ago (edited)
The movie is "Trojan War," a teen comedy about a guy trying to find a condom. Quite a few well-known actors at the time in it.
Origami Chik3n 1 year ago
No wonder the movie was pulled. I'll see myself out.
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Ron Man 1 year ago
It was a movie that shouldn't have been made in the first place. Trojan War is the name. It was one of a handful of 90s movies where the plot was some teen boy trying to copulate with teen Jennifer Love Hewitt. Like there were about 4 movies made with her where that was the plot back then. The studio thought they were financing a different type of teen comedy and when they saw the finished product they refused to market it so it just went nowhere.
#46
TIL certain East Asian physical traits, like thicker hair, more sweat glands, distinct teeth, and smaller breasts, stem from a gene mutation about 35,000 years ago. Africans and Europeans usually carry the ancestral version of the gene, but in most East Asians, one of the DNA units has mutated.
#47
TIL that Graphene is the thinnest two-dimensional material in existence and is 200 times stronger than steel. It is also the most conductive material on Earth, excelling in both electrical and thermal conductivity.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
MrMeltJr • 6d ago • quick note for everybody: "two dimensional material" is a scientific term that refers to materials that are a single particle thick. They're also called "single layer materials". They are not saying that it is literally a material that is two-dimensional.
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#48
TIL The only known naturally occuring nuclear fission reactor was discovered in Oklo, Gabon and is thought to have been active 1.7 billion years ago. This discovery in 1972 was made after chemists noticed a significant reduction in fissionable U-235 within the ore coming from the Gabonese mine.
Jrog 1 year ago
Don't be misled. A natural reactor is just a clump of uranium large and pure enough to sustain fission. It happened 1.7 billion years ago, and the overall power was that of a modern small water heater.
Frank Hassler 1 year ago
Yes, but it also had enough groundwater flowing through it to keep it cool enough to avoid going critical. Pretty cool random chance.
Load More Replies... #49
TIL economists estimate that only 8 percent of the world's currency exists as physical cash
nuberiffic 1 year ago
Why do you say that? Physical cash is only worth something because we agree that it is. The government could announce tomorrow that all notes and coins are no longer legal tender.
Load More Replies... El Dee 1 year ago
I remember before debot cards, before bank transfers and even bank cards & ATMs. Everything was cash and only the rich used cheque books. Many people had money tins at home with different sections for saving up for utility bills, insurance, rent etc. On the one hand it was very easy to keep track of your finances but on the other many people didn't have the discipline to not spend the cash in their wallets..
Ziad Sankari 1 year ago
This is due to the "the fractional reserve banking system", for ex. when you deposit 1000$ in your bank, the bank will lend let's say 900$, this means that now you and the borrower have a total of 1900$, yet only 1000$ exists in cash. Now what if the 900$ that was borrowed, was spent and deposited back in a bank that lend it again :) for every 1000$ deposited you can have 10,000$ worth of money created that is not actually cash.
Ron Man 1 year ago (edited)
This may be true, but don't think it's credit card or crypto. At one point in time Kenya and parts of India were using cell phone minutes as currency. Then there are parts of the world where clean water or food is being bartered. Physical cash is for the 1st world countries for the most part. Most of the world doesn't have regular access to banking on a daily basis, so economics gets more creative and actual currency is less common.
#50
TIL that 1 out of every 8 Americans has worked at a McDonalds at some point in their life.
Mason Kronol 1 year ago
Both my husband and I did in separate locations but not that far off in time because he’s older than me so we commiserate on how bad it was. Mainly how gross and greasy everything was. The customers have to be worse now because it was the late 80s and they were obnoxious then. Only difference is I won’t eat the food anymore. Maybe an occasional coffee or milkshake.
BunnyMommy 1 year ago
Taco Bell and Jack in the Box here. Should count all the national fast food joints!
Penny Hernandez 1 year ago
As a teen I didn.t work at a McDonalds - I worked at a White Castle. So there!
Sand Ers 1 year ago
I worked at a toy store, a restaurant, and a gas station.
Load More Replies... Mtownmick 1 year ago
Not supposedly. That the orange idiot thought people had records from 40 years ago and that they were centralized just goes to prove what we all really know - he is dumb.
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
michael reid 1 year ago
My favourite fact is that, in the UK at least, the leading cause of death for healthy adult men in their prime is suicide.
Slapdash1 1 year ago
You'll sh!t a brick when you realize there is little else it could possibly be for healthy people "in their prime"
Load More Replies... michael reid 1 year ago
My favourite fact is that, in the UK at least, the leading cause of death for healthy adult men in their prime is suicide.
Slapdash1 1 year ago
You'll sh!t a brick when you realize there is little else it could possibly be for healthy people "in their prime"
Load More Replies... You May Like 50 Facts So Fascinating They’ll Stick In Your Brain All Week 60 Interesting Facts That Are Better Than Watching The News If You’re Hungry For New Knowledge, These 50 Facts Might Satisfy Your Appetite
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