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“Today I Learned”: 40 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics)
We’ve got both good news and bad news, dear Pandas. Learning never ever ends. But, on the flip side—learning never ends! The world is far more interesting and changes at a much faster pace for us to forget about ever learning something new the moment we finish school or college. Education is a lifelong pursuit, and staying hungry for knowledge helps you appreciate everything to the fullest. The daily grind can’t get to you if you’re always curious!
The 'Today I Learned’ online community is a mammoth of cool, interesting, and uncomfortable facts that people from all around the globe learned only recently. They’re the kind of historical, scientific, and other insights that you probably wouldn’t ever hear at school. We’ve collected some of the best new facts people decided to share on r/todayilearned, so put on your thinking caps and scroll down to check them out. Oh, and don’t worry, there won’t be a test! Who needs grades when the best reward is reigniting your passion for learning?
The TIL community is probably one of the most interesting corners of the internet. We’re huge fans of them here at Bored Panda! Once you’re done absorbing all of the knowledge in this post, you may want to take a peek at our most recent posts about the subreddit here, here, and here.
Bored Panda reached out to Lenore Skenazy for her insights about what issues there are with the current education system, as well as why grades aren’t the most important thing in the world. She kindly explained why school, by itself, won’t give your kids everything they need to succeed in life, and why they need far more free time than they have now.
Skenazy is the president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence and resilience, and the founder of the Free-Range Kids movement. She also writes for Reason.com. Read on for our full interview with her.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TIL, in 1997, a Russian poacher, Vladimir Markov, shot and wounded a tiger, and stole part of a boar it had been eating. 12 hours later, the tiger tracked down the poacher at his cabin and ate him.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
Good murder mittens. Vengeance is sweet >:3
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Lupita Nyong'heaux 2 years ago
this is the kind of wholesome content i come to BP to read. who's the best kitty?? you are!!
Rico Mendez 2 years ago
Absolutely! And narrated by Morgan Freeman, if I may add lol
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Skenazy, the president of Let Grow and the founder of the Free-Range Kids movement, was kind enough to share her thoughts about school and the education system with Bored Panda.
“School keeps becoming a bigger part of kids’ lives—and that’s a problem. A generation or two ago, says Boston College Psychology Prof. Peter Gray, the school DAY was shorter, the school YEAR was shorter and the hours outside of school—the afternoons, weekends, and summers— were a lot more free,” she shared.
“Kids goofed around, played, explored. Now, with jam-packed schedules filled with adult-run activities, even those out-of-school hours are a lot LIKE school… except instead of learning fractions kids are learning lacrosse, or chess.”
RELATED:
#2
TIL after being scolded by a woman who felt that his shoes were too expensive for kids, Shaq forwent a $40 million deal with Reebok & signed one with Walmart. He then brought in designers from Reebok so that his Walmart shoes would look costlier than the $20 price. Over 400 million pairs were sold
DEW 2 years ago
I have heard nothing but good things about Shaq. I read recently he was in a jewelry store and a man was buying an engagement ring and Shaq paid for it after he had over heard what the guy was getting. Don't know if true but it's nice.
Who Panda 420 2 years ago
My bestie was six foot seven and had huge feet. He was also very poor and people made fun of him because the only shoes his mom could get him that would fit were shaqs. He has a size 15 foot now and it's hard enough to find affordable shoes that fit and were cool but if it wasn't for Shaq shoes he wouldn't have had anything reasonable at all even though he got made fun of for not having Jordans.
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brandyy17 2 years ago
shaq is an amazing person. me and my friends went to an amusment park and then my all the sudden we heard one of my friends yell oh my god. he ran up to a very tall guy in a hat and sunglasses and asked to take a picture with him we were so confused. thats wen we realized it was shaq. the rest of us ran over and he said "r these ur friends?" my friend said yes the shaq said "how about we all get a picture to remember" he to pointed to the log flume that takes ur picture on the way down. he bought us each a copy as well as one for himself. my friend asked if he was actually going to keep the photo he said "of course. i have copies of all photos of me and my fans." i will never forget that day. he took time out of his day to make 4 13 year olds happy. i still have the picture too i put it in a photo album that is full of fun memories. he didnt stop there either he bought us lunch, cotton candy and tshirts and signed them. our parents were so confused lol. i remember my mom saying she didnt think celeberities were that nice. it really was an extremely awesome experience. hes such a kind soul.
JayWantsACat 2 years ago
Shaq is a pretty smart with his money. I stated he only invests in something he would use. No sure if that still stands but I believe he was one of the first investors in Ring. And, I don't recall the exact story, but only one car insurance company would cover his mother and because they did he shot commercials with them and endorsed them and everything. Overall seems like a really good guy.
Nadine Debard 2 years ago
Shaquille O'Neal. He's a basketball player, one of the greatest ever.
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Rob D 2 years ago
It's not even a contest. Objectively speaking, tiger woods is actually a piece of s*** l. cheap to a fault; he consciously under tips. He's awful with fans. Nevermind personal life...
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TIL in 2017, a woman named Chau Smith ran seven marathons in seven consecutive days on seven continents in celebration of her 70th birthday.
howdylee 2 years ago
They have a public marathon in Antarctica??? How on earth (pun intended) did she manage that many flights - seems like the travel time would have taken the majority of those 7 days, not to mention eating and sleeping!
Two_rolling_black_eyes 2 years ago
The Antarctic one happens south of Chile.
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Tamra 2 years ago
For real. Just walked my garbage bin to the end of the driveway and high fived myself on the accomplishment.
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Senjo Krane 2 years ago
Time zones must have played a part there. What an incredible feat though! 👏
V Martinez 2 years ago
I was thinking the same. Like she would probably have to travel east to west to gain time. Awesome accomplishment!
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Vanessa Panerosa 2 years ago
I can’t even get up on time 7 days in a row and I’m half her age!
Skenazy noted that in his book, Free to Learn, Gray explains why this lack of freedom is a problem.
“In the name of education, we have increasingly deprived children of the time and freedom they need to educate themselves through their own means. And in the name of safety, we have deprived children of the freedom they need to develop the understanding, courage, and confidence required to face life’s dangers and challenges with equanimity,” Gray writes.
And the problem is getting worse. “We are in a crisis that continues to grow more serious with every passing year… [We have] lost sight of children’s competence. We have created a world in which children must suppress their natural instincts to take charge of their own education and, instead, mindlessly follow paths to nowhere laid out for them by adults. We have created a world that is literally driving many young people crazy and leaving many others unable to develop the confidence and skills required for adult responsibility.”
#4
TIL nine women, called "The 9 Nanas," kept a decades-long secret that even their husbands knew nothing about. For 30 years, they gathered at 4 a.m. to bake cakes, send care packages to people, anonymously pay bills and buy clothes for those in need.
Lord Mysticlaw 2 years ago
They probably just didnt want recognition for it or didnt want people to think they were doing it to call attention to themselves. Giving quietly is the best way to give, imo.
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AnonymousApple 2 years ago
Believe it or not, there was a time when women weren't in control of the family money, and when they were expected to put taking care of their husbands/kids first. These particular women stopped paying for laundry services and saved that money to help out others. In a time when women weren't really allowed to make executive decisions, they did what they felt they could in order to help others. Once the husbands found out, to their credit, they were happy and joined in.
Zella Haesche 2 years ago
Too bad they felt the need to keep it a secret from their husbands. What would happen if they knew about it?
AnonymousApple 2 years ago
They did find out about it eventually, and started helping.
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Alex S 2 years ago
This sounds like a story of 9 women who needed better husbands
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TIL Mr. Snuffleupagus from 'Sesame Street' was originally a friend of Big Bird's that everyone else thought was imaginary, and it was decided that he should be seen by other people to encourage children to talk about any abuse they might have suffered.
Kristin Ingersoll 2 years ago
I remember being so mad they wouldn't believe Big Bird!!!
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Molly Whuppie 2 years ago
yeah I remember this from when I was a kid. every time Big Bird tried to introduce Snuffy to everyone something would happen and they wouldn't end up meeting. Lots of near misses with Snuffy just ducking out of site when an adult showed up, or Snuffy arriving seconds after the adult left etc. Used to drive me crazy that no one believed Big Bird. I didn't know that was the reason for his reveal though. Thats a really good reason!
glowworm2 2 years ago
Same here. I knew that for a while, Snuffy was thought to be imaginary but I didn't know that this was the reason they decided to reveal him to everyone.
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SaneMinotaur (she/her) 2 years ago
I wish I'd known this when I was a kid; could have helped me and my siblings so much :(
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
I’m sorry, I hope you’re getting the support you need! <333
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GirlFriday 2 years ago
Yes, I remember the exact episode when everyone found out that Aloysius Snuffleupagus was real. It blew my little mind.
Ozymandias73 2 years ago (edited)
That's very interesting. But what I'm missing/don't understand, is how having an imaginary friend ties into child abuse. This is a serious question.
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
It's about children feeling that they will be believed when they tell an adult something. The message that adult won't believe you might prevent a child from seeking help.
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Skip Chick 2 years ago
I always watched Sesame Street as a kid and, as an adult, I actually saw the episode where Big Bird's friends finally met Snuffy and they all apologised to Big Bird for always saying he wasn't real. I felt so vindicated on his behalf!
harpling 2 years ago
Snuffleupagus starred in many of my nightmares as a kid. I was totally oblivious to him being imaginary because I always ran out of the room whenever he came on screen.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
To be fair, the same is true with most muppets…
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TIL about Tommy Manville, the heir to the Johns-Manville fortune. The terms of his family trust granted him $250,000 "when he married." As a result he got married 13 times, giving the women a cut of the proceeds before quickly divorcing them.
Passerby 2 years ago (edited)
Must have been an interesting conversation to ask women to marry him. Like, "Excuse me, will you marry me for money?"
Skenazy, the president of Let Grow, told Bored Panda that she’s seen this tragedy unfold herself. “Clever, normal kids turned into caged animals who despair they are no good, and their lives pointless. The answer? It’s so simple and so overlooked: Kids need more free time and free play—exactly what you loved most as a kid. Time spent making up games, practicing free throws, jumping rope, poking around in the woods—all of that is not wasted time. It’s a time when all of a kid’s senses are engaged and growing: Observation, participation, empathy, curiosity."
According to the childhood independence and resilience expert, “kids learn what they love, who they are, and how much they can do.”
“It’s hard to see when you’re swimming in it, but kids learn so much from life, from friends, from siblings, from doing things on their own that they can NOT learn from an adult, even the most loving parent or gifted teacher. Give them back some free time, during the school day and after, and they will start to blossom,” Skenazy explained to Bored Panda.
#7
TIL of Vitalis of Gaza, a monk who paid prostitutes his daily wages to dissuade them from the profession. The women he served later carried him to his grave, processing him with candles and lanterns. The Catholic Church venerates him as the Patron Saint of Prostitutes and Day Laborers.
KJ 2 years ago
How much did that guy earn daily that he could keep multiple prostitutes employed!
Destiny Gilbert 2 years ago
Or how little were those women willing to sell themselves to have something to eat?
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Garth Bock 2 years ago
Amazing ! In this day and economy it's difficult for me to keep just one prostitute employed... 😆😆😆
Mandy Delaforce (PC Girl) 2 years ago
Obviously didn't work, as they were still working prostitutes when they buried him.
Cheryl Lohr 2 years ago
And then they went out and did their job doubling their wage for that day. St Vitalis was very naive.
#8
TIL: 2nd POTUS Adams never owned a slave and declined on principle to use slave labor
Monica Young 2 years ago
But although his wife implored him to give women the right to vote, he didn’t even try. There’s good and bad to everyone.
Jef Bateman 2 years ago
John Adams on why women should not vote: "Because their delicacy renders them unfit for practice and experience, in the great business of life, and the hardy enterprises of war, as well as the arduous cares of state." (Please don't downvote me because of what John Adams said - I just thought people should know!)
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Michael Largey 2 years ago
John and Abigail Addams received a slave as a wedding present. Infuriated and insulted, Adams freed the slave on the spot.
Alan Christensen 2 years ago
John Adams was from Massachusetts where the economic system didn't depend on slave labor, unlike Virginia (the home of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, etc.) where large scale farms depended upon it.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
A person can have principles, no matter where they live. For instance, there were at the time many Southern abolitionists. And large scale farms can be run without slave labor.. But slavery made it much, much more profitable. So it was a matter of inhumane greed rather than dependence. But yes, if slavery had been viable in the North, I suspect they would have had it too.
Load More Replies... PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
Thank you, all Pandas, for your thoughtful and insightful comments.
LinkTheHylian 2 years ago
And yet it took a further 14 Presidents for one of them to finally abolish slavery.
Captain Kyra 2 years ago
His biography by David McCullough is one of my favorite books. You get to know him through his journals and letters.
Rune Rosen (they/them) 2 years ago
John Adams did not own slaves, as he was not only not in the Presidential House long enough to do so, but was also a firm believer (in public, at least) of abolition. However, there is evidence which suggests John Quincy Adams did have and owned slaves, such as letters and other written records.
#9
TIL about the Asoh defense, a term for just taking the blame when you're at fault. It’s named after a Japanese pilot named Kohei Asoh, who crash-landed a full-passenger jet in the San Francisco Bay. When asked what happened, he said: “As you Americans say, I f**ked up.”
Amanda Rose 2 years ago
And the crash resulted in zero injuries to the passengers! JAL_flight...b7f95b.jpg 
Ariom Dahl 2 years ago
Glad no injuries resulted. And respect to the pilot for accepting the blame.
Jon Steensen 2 years ago
The scary thing is that pilot error and not technical malfunctions are responsible for 80% of all plane crashes. So the pilots often have a fighting chance, and a perfectly flyable plane, and if only they would have done the right thing, things would not have developed as they did. The good thing is that the aviation business learns from the mistakes and put in proceedures to deal with the limitations of the human. So it is usually not the first mistake that kills you, it happens when you continue to dig the hole deeper. It is important to realise that we do not have a mind that is optimised for the world we have created, and therefore we from time to time make mistakes. Everyone does it, so what I find more important is your ability to own your mistakes, especially if you can demonstrate that you have learned something from them, and can reflect on how you plan on avoiding the same situation in the future.
similarly 2 years ago
I used to work in safety engineering. Over 80% of the accidents we investigated were caused by human error. Of those, easily 75% were caused by not following designated procedures and safety protocols, and over 30% of THOSE involved actively disabling safety devices.
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Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
This must be how Sully knew he could carefully put his plane—-which was essentially a huge glider losing altitude by that time—-down in the Hudson and not lose any passengers.
KittyGotClaws 2 years ago
SF airport is a challenge to land a plane because it's surrounded by water and mountainous terrain.
JayWantsACat 2 years ago
Yup. I live in SF and the landing is a bit of a b******e clencher you're essenitally flying really low over water on the approach. The landing in San Diego is pretty intense, as well. Pilots fly low over houses on approach and then really loaw and close to a parking garage that's in front of the landing strip to get as close to the ground as possible. Then they basically drop straight down to land after clearing the garage. Look up videos, it's intense.
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The expert shared some practical advice and resources on how to create more freedom for kids. “One way to do this is to have your child’s school start Peter Gray’s brainchild: A Let Grow Play Club. Schools stay open before or after school for mixed-ages, no-tech, free play. An adult supervises but does not organize the games or solve the spats.”
She continued: “This way, kids get BOTH kinds of education they need: Classroom education AND the lessons learned on the playground, about creativity, empathy, and curiosity. Without some time for truly free play and exploration, kids cannot thrive. With some freedom, there’s no stopping them!”
Meanwhile, Bored Panda was interested to get Skenazy’s opinion on how parents can help their children avoid feeling pressured when it comes to getting ‘perfect’ grades, while also maintaining healthy studying habits.
#10
Today I learned taking photos instead of actually viewing the scene causes your brain to outsource the memory; this causes you to not retain the information as detailed as you normally would. This is called the photo-taking impairment effect.
Lauren S 2 years ago
I do this all the time with events for my son and my husband like mom shames me for not taking pictures to document the moment. I just want to live it! I want my kid to remember my face watching him, not my phone in the air. I want to remember him, not my screen. But according to my husband, not taking a billion pictures somehow makes me… idk, lazy? Not proud? Not loving? I really don’t know, but something not good in his opinion.
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N Miller 2 years ago
I've done the whole "be in the moment" thing and end up with lots of gaps, so I revisit photos and videos all the time - that others have taken in many cases, because I'm in the photos and have no memory of being there!
Jason 2 years ago
Live in the moment is great when you are young and have a solid memory. There is a balance for sure though
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Kathleen Winters 2 years ago
I gotta say that I disagree completely. I take mostly nature photos every day. I look back on photos and remember every detail around them.
C Lawson 2 years ago
If you are taking photos of a still moment in nature you would have time to also process that same scene with your eyes and cement that into memory. I think this refers more to "movement" whereas you are taking a photo and by the time you finish the moment has passed and you can't see it again with the naked eye to cement it in memory. The photo would remind of the event I'm sure though.
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Anyone-for-tea? 2 years ago
I definitely don’t agree. There’s one thing I wish I had more photos of, me in my various different uniforms, or doing exciting things with my friends, as I’m never one for taking photos or videos. Now I’m in my 40s, ill, and too tired for these things, it would give me a lot of comfort to look back on this and remember how adventurous and brave I used to be! And videos can be especially precious if the person or animal isn’t around anymore.
Lydia Languish 2 years ago
I enjoy documenting experiences. I go to a lot of concerts and always try to take a few photos and short video clips (I don’t stand there filming the whole thing tho). Not only do I get to enjoy the show at the time but I enjoy looking at the old photos/clips and reliving the moment. I can also share with people who weren’t able to attend. That being said, I have no patience for people who obstruct other people’s views in order to film/take photos.
Audrey Schuster 2 years ago
I won't remember it if I just look. Momentarily I can not recall a single moment that was beautiful or remarkable or worth remembering. However if I look through my pictures I have those memories and moments stored. Revelation not recorded is lost.
Monica Young 2 years ago
This isn’t true. I still remember a photo I took decades ago of a small chapel in Italy. My camera was stolen afterward, so I don’t have the picture, but the picture is clear as day in my mind. Composing a photo with a real camera might be different than random, all-the-time phone pics though.
Alexandra Comeau 2 years ago
thsts what i keep saying abour concerts. by constantly filming, your brain is trusting the device to record it all, which makes your brain not pay attention, yeah. So many Fans still think that is not true because if they Film, they have it all on their phone, so they csn remember. So sad.
#11
TIL that van Gogh's rendering of the stars in Café Terrace at Night is so precise that the painting can be dated within a day or two of its creation.
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
I would have never thought the stars in that painting being accurate. Cool
Jordi Sharpe 2 years ago
♥️ That man had a beautiful soul and a heart far too large for this world.
#12
TIL during a tour of Germany in 1958, Jewish Comedian Groucho Marx climbed a pile of rubble that marked the site of Adolf Hitler's bunker, the site of Hitler's death, and performed a two-minute Charleston.
Luke Branwen 2 years ago
I love the fact that today, the site of Hitler's death is just... a parking lot. No memorial, not even a plaque, only a parking lot. Exactly the recognition he deserves.
Atreïdes 2 years ago
I think it’s more so people don’t go looking for it or so Neo Nazis don’t congregate there
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Lori Sandoval 2 years ago
I'm not even Jewish, and the best part of Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds was seeing Hitler and Goebbels get machine gunned in the face. Can't believe how much I enjoyed watching that revisionist history.
Vanessa Panerosa 2 years ago
The elation and satisfaction radiating off him must have been electric!!
Ronnie Beaton 2 years ago
I quoted Groucho as part of my Best Man speech when my brother got married. This probably explains why my sister-in-law dislikes me so much.
“Quick! What was Einstein’s grade point average? How well did Dolly Parton score on her SATs? How many AP classes did Rachmaninoff take? Those questions are absurd. And so is the idea that a child is only as bright or talented as his grades and school performance,” Skenazy told us.
“There are so many aspects to a person and yet so few are reflected in their report card. Creativity, kindness, a sense of humor, loyalty, wackiness—those aren’t measurable and so we forget they are even more valuable than an A+ on the spelling test."
According to the childhood independence expert, parents ought to literally tell their kids that they should do their best at school, but it’s not the only thing that matters.
#13
TIL a mannequin in a California funhouse was revealed to be a real body when the arm fell off in 1976. It was the corpse of a man named Elmer McCurdy, an outlaw shot dead by sheriffs 65 years earlier.
Jef Bateman 2 years ago
When I got in my car yesterday, there were two human bodies! There were, however, still people living in those bodies - it was just my family waiting for me in the car. Still a good story, though.
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
But… how did he get there? If he was shot by sheriffs, then there was no need to hide him, was there?
Agnes Jekyll 2 years ago
it's a long, long story. After he was killed, his body was put on exhibit--and it passed through many hands--people trying to make money off it. Drunk History did an espisode on it.
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Blondieybat 2 years ago
I read about that in a book about the LA county coroners office Death in Paradise
Blondieybat 2 years ago
I read about that in a book about the the L.A.coroners office and some of the crazier cases
#14
TIL brussels sprouts used to have a bitter taste until breeders in the 90s started to cross-pollinate different varieties in order to remove the chemicals that caused the bitterness. The result of their work has lead to brussels sprouts' recent culinary popularity
Stephanie Did It 2 years ago
I'm still reluctant to try them because I remember the awful taste.
Headless Roach 2 years ago
Cut in half, sprinkle with oil and parmesan + S&P. Roast until lightly brown. Heaven!
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Uncanny 2 years ago (edited)
As a kid, I sat at the dining table until 8pm (that’s 3 hours after dinner started) staring down these horrors, which were growing colder and stodgier and more horrific on my plate by the second. Was finally told to, ‘Go to bloody bed’. That was a hard fought battle, which I won (mum rolled her eyes and gave up on trying to make me eat them). I don’t care if they now taste like chocolate filtered thru fairy dust, I’ll never try them again, on principal. 😉
HellyHacka 2 years ago
Haha! Same with the late night dining table vigil...had to feed the dog verrry slowly to avoid suspicion!
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Scott Crowe 2 years ago
Brussels sprouts sautéed with chopped thick-cut bacon until the outsides are charred is one of the greatest gifts of life......
Grant Barke 2 years ago
These are delicious whether a bit bitter or not. Its spinach that I can't stand.
Shyla Bouche 2 years ago
I love raw spinach in a salad, but I hate it cooked.
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OwenHasADHD 2 years ago
NO WAY am I eating brussels sprouts again. I ate them recently, still a bitter taste. Yuck.
Jennifer Norton 2 years ago
I LOVE brussels sprouts. If you don't like them or haven't tried them you need to. But you need to cook them correctly. Broil them add seasoning. They are great! Even just cooked and add a little butter. Love them!!!
Fitz_N_Fartz 2 years ago
A traditional staple with Xmas dinners since the 1960's for me, loved them then, love them now....
#15
TIL in 1831 the Swedish Navy planted over 300,000 oak trees with the intention of harvesting them for ships 150 years later. They remain unharvested today.
Annik Perrot 2 years ago
France did the same in the late 17th century. Some of them now have been harvested... to rebuild Notre-Dame.
Robert Trebor 2 years ago
I read that an Oxford college discovered back in the 1960s or 70s that they had serious woodworm damage to the oak beams in the roof of the college hall. There was a discussion about how to get the appropriate size beams to replace the rotten ones. Someone suggested that they contact the college forester. When they did, he said that he had notified them that the oak trees were ready to be harvested. They'd been planted when the roof was built 300 years before, and then forgotten about.
Mtownmick 2 years ago (edited)
The rest of the story is that the forester replied that they had trees ready for the replacements. That the head foresters had been told by their predecessors "Not to cut those oaks, they are for the college hall because they will get beetlely. (Beetles had eaten the beams which was why they had to be replaced."
Load More Replies... John Dilligaf 2 years ago
The US Navy owns a 50,000 acre forest of white oak near Bloomington, Indiana called Constitution Grove. It's purpose is to provide wood for any needed repairs on the USS Constitution.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
Yesssss, as a restorer of machinery, mechanical things, tools, historical artifacts, and other awesome things like Old Ironsides, I looooove this factoid <3
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BarBeeGirl 2 years ago
I have a friend who planted 100 black walnut trees on land his father owned. He plans on leaving it to his grandchildren for them to harvest
Signe Barfoed Sjøstrøm 2 years ago
Denmark did the same after the sinking of our fleet in 1802 and bombing of Copenhagen in 1807. As a joke, and to honour the original order when planter, approximately 200 years after (when the trees had appropriate age for harvesting) the Queen was notified that the trees were ready for new warships 😊
“Just as you have to do your job as best you can, whether you love it or not, kids are tasked with the job of school. So they should try to do their best, but how they perform isn’t a reflection of their worth as a person or even their intelligence!” she told Bored Panda.
“For the record, Thomas ‘Lightbulb’ Edison was doing so poorly in school, his mom took him out and home schooled him. The point? Don’t make school and grades so important that you—and your kids!—forget how many more dimensions there are to childhood. Let them find things they DO love to do, so if they’re not a ‘great student,’ or they flunk a test, or they hate math, they have another thing they find joy and competence in.”
Skenazy stressed the fact that, in the end, “grades do NOT matter.” What does matter is learning.
“And that can and does take place outside the classroom as much as inside. School is a place you do your best, but it’s not the only place that matters. The world is a lot bigger (and older!) than just school.”
#16
TIL: Pac-Man grossed $1 billion in quarters in its first year of release. In the following year, 1982, it earned $6 billion in quarters, which was more than the combined amount of money spent in Vegas casinos and US movie theaters that year.
Sage Gusano 2 years ago
The song, Pac-Man Fever, has now crawled from the depths of my memory to echo in the back of my mind.
Lauren S 2 years ago
Holy bananas! The comparison to Vegas and movies blows my mind. Btw, anyone else here that wa-eh wa-eh wa-eh noise in their brain looking at this pic?
David 2 years ago (edited)
How would they know this other than a guesstimate? Old school arcade games did not have any cell or internet connection. AFAIK absolutely no way to track total plays except on the local level - as in owner could probably see it on some settings screen where they can also set difficulty levels. Whey they empty the machines (ones I've watched anyway) they just go from machine to machine with their key and empty all the quarters into a pouch. So.. to get a nationwide total seems like it would require every arcade in possession of a particular game to write down the total plays number (if that is even a thing but assuming it is) and then manually report that number back to whoever sells a particular game so that company can create a grand total.
Jacob B. 2 years ago
I used to get chastised by my religious parents about playing video games in an arcade. They said it would teach me to gamble. I got an econ degree (and got chastised by other ultra religious relatives for doing so) I had gambled a little in my early 20's but don't now. All those courses on statistics and probabilities have me walk right past the tables and machines.
#17
TIL There are only between 150-300 kidnappings of children by strangers each year in the US. The other 200,000 kidnappings each year are by relatives.
Ariom Dahl 2 years ago
Sadly, relatives and family 'friends' are more dangerous to kids than strangers.
#18
TIL about Ted's bottle. Ted d’Auvergne, a New Zealand WW2 soldier was at the pub and late for his embarkation train. He asked the publican to set aside his 2nd bottle of beer to drink when he came home. Ted was killed but the promise was kept and that bottle of beer is still there.
Stephanie Did It 2 years ago
This image belongs to the previous post. I wanna see Ted's bottle.
Amanda Rose 2 years ago
The picture here doesn't match the paragraph above. I believe that this is the Asoh crash into San Francisco Bay.
Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
that's why I find the honors given to the war dead important, they gave their lives, whether I was for or against the war, they died all the same and I tell myself that they may have thought the same.
We don’t want to sound overly dramatic, but to us, there is no Reddit without r/todayilearned. Created all the way back in late 2008, the subreddit has grown into a powerhouse of a community that few can rival.
At the time of writing, the ‘Today I Learned’ community was home to over 30 million members. This number continues to grow. Constantly.
The secret behind the success of the TIL project is brilliant in its simplicity. It’s hard to beat interesting, weird, and niche facts (well, unless you’ve got funny cat pics to share!). Meanwhile, the community members are encouraged to actively participate. No fact is too small to share! So long as it’s backed up by sources, of course.
#19
TIL in 2010, Washington D.C. held a mock election and invited hackers to test its online voting system. They managed to elect Master Control Program from "Tron" as mayor, Skynet from "Terminator" to Congress, and Bender from "Futurama" to the school board. It took D.C. officials two days to notice.
Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
i don't understand, DC organized the rigging and don't realize it ?
24 mentally unstable can tabs* 2 years ago
Might not have realised that hackers had gotten to it and changed it - It might have had generic names on there for testing
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TotallyNOTaFox 2 years ago (edited)
He would install his own school system - with blackjack and hookers!
JayWantsACat 2 years ago
"I guess if you want children beaten... you have to do it yourself." - Bender for Schoolboard 2023
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LinkTheHylian 2 years ago
"You kids do your homework or you can bite my shiny metal a*s!" - Chairman Bender Bending Rodriguez
#20
TIL for 50+ years, Australian children in the outback attended school via shortwave radio and sent homework via air mail due to the distance between homes. "Schools of the Air" were many children's first social experience outside their families; its quality equaled or surpassed traditional schools'.
Caro Caro 2 years ago (edited)
This still exists but is now modern with internet. EDIT: some still don't have internet as deborah pointed out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_the_Air
deborah ahn 2 years ago
yeah...nah, modern internet is quite unreliable in many rural areas, and expensive. short wave and cb's still used often in some areas.
Load More Replies... deborah ahn 2 years ago
yep. cousins and i are all proud graduates. we would have yearly gatherings. closest school was about 3 days drive but no accommodation. highschool we were all boarders in a school that took a week of driving.
Miss Frankfurter 2 years ago
When I was a kid I remember a TV series called “Flying Doctor” about how doctors visited their patients in the outback by flying around in a small aircraft and responded to emergencies, often evacuating them to medical care this way.
Jenny Fullerton 2 years ago
Still happens , The Royal Flying Doctor Service , my grandmother used it back in the early 80’s when she had a heart attack while staying with one of my aunts ,who lived at the school at Finke River before they moved to Alice Springs
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DEW 2 years ago
This is somewhat sad to me. We have access to schools within a 10 minute drive or so and not everybody wants to attend school. Then we have folks like these kids and they want it so badly they have air mail. Sometimes you don't know what you have until you don't.
deborah ahn 2 years ago
not sad. we had no choice unless we were sent to boarding schools. and we had cousins and siblings as friends to play with. and friends from schools were made.
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Prentice Tompkins 2 years ago
I would have liked that better than my public school experience.
#21
TIL a wanted fugitive performed plastic surgeries on his face using scissors, a box cutter and a needle with thread in order to avoid capture. Some of the surgeries were done in public restrooms. He evaded arrest for over 2 years
Juririn 2 years ago (edited)
He is a sadistic murderer and he also wrote a book about his "adventure". May he remain in prison.
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
You know, had his life taken a different path, one that took him away from a life of crime, he might have been able to go to medical school and become a surgeon. I mean, his cuts and stitches don’t look like they ever got infected and left scar tissue. It also looks like his cuts were pretty steady and his stitches fine enough not to leave ugly scars. For an amateur, I’d say he didn’t do too badly, considering he was operating on his own face. Looks to me like he has steady hands and some natural talent. Too bad. I hate to see talent wasted fir no other reason than a simple lack of opportunity to educate, develop, and perfect it
GingerPanda 2 years ago
This reminded me of what the judge in the Ted Bundy case said about it being a 'shame' that he didn't finish his law degree because he would have been a good lawyer. It's important to remember that these people are sadistic killers who chose to ruin innocent lives.
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Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
Only 2 years? That‘s not long for all the steps he tool. But glad he got cought. I‘ve just learned what he did.
Monday 2 years ago
Absolutely. He's an awful human but I have to admire his dedication!
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There are some limits on what info you can share. For instance, you shouldn’t post anything that’s supported by sources more recent than 2 months. Naturally, sources that are inaccurate or unverifiable aren’t allowed. Misleading claims, agenda-pushing, and personal opinions also don’t have a place on r/todayilearned.
The sub is all about interesting facts. So there’s a certain bar when it comes to quality that you have to reach. That’s what makes the community educational, not just entertaining. Combine the two together and you have a recipe for success on the internet!
#22
TIL that after Toyota recalled millions of cars for stuck accelerator pedals, a man was freed from prison after his Toyota caused an accident that killed 3.
Katy McMouse 2 years ago
This type of crash happened in my town. There were 3 older gentlemen driving a Toyota on one of the busiest streets in our city. Something happened and they ended up barreling through traffic at an insanely high speed. Somehow, these poor men avoided hitting other drivers until they finaly crashed. Witnesses said that the driver appeared to be trying to actively dodge other cars.The car basically disintegrated and the three friends died instantly, but the horror of what was happening must have been beyond belief. There was so little of the car left, they couldn't even prove what had happened, but the fact that it was one of the Toyota models affected, the consensus seems to be a stuck accelerator. The worst part? The car was new. It's been more than a couple of years, but I think the family is still fighting the manufacturer to accept responsibility. Those poor men were the closest of friends and their final moments together were agonizing.
Nik 2 years ago
And that is why people need to remember that you can put your car into neutral at any time while driving, even if the pedals are stuck. If the brake pedal doesn't work the emergency brake or just friction can slow you down. You never know when/how your car will go out of contro.
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Rostit . 2 years ago
hind sight is 2020, but get familiar with your car. If you get a stuck accelerator, put the gear in neutral or park. You may damage the transmission or blow up your engine but you wont careen into people. Do not turn the engine off or you will lose steering(your wheel will lock).
der sebbl 2 years ago
If you remember this when in panic, but of course you're right
Load More Replies... B 2 years ago
My aunt died because of this, her car went off the side of the road right after she got her GED at 50 years old
Nitka Tsar 2 years ago
Oh my. Poor guy! Imagine sitting in a car and having to watch your car accelerating and killing 3 people and you not being able to do anything about it! That must have been a shock for life. I hope he and the families of those 3 dead were compensated by Toyota. And before someone says that the 3 dead people had it worse, I agree and disagree with you. Yes, they are dead, but survivors guilt is a real thing. It‘s the same debate as death sentence and life sentence. At least the 3 dead did not have to live with the consequences.
Jon Steensen 2 years ago
I wonder what would happen if you stomped on the brakes. Is the engine more powerful than the brakes? My intuition tells me "no" as most cars can slow down a lot faster than they can accelerate. If you had a bit more time, I guess you could kill the engine simply by turning the key, and if that does not work and it is a manual, you could either try to use the gears to overcome the engine by switching to a higher/lower gear and release the clutch rather abruptly. Switching to first gear would be likely to result in the engine over-rev'ing which might damage it to such an extend that it comes to grinding halt. So with a bit of luck (and a lot of open road) I don't think that you are completely helpless in that situation. The question is whether you can still think, or the panic has set in at that time.
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T 2 years ago
There's an area at my workplace where you can learn about this recall. Listen to the actual 911 call that happened (crash included), and try it yourself in a empty car body. Sitting in there in the middle of a room, playing with the pedal which then suddenly won't come up (same exact circumstances reproduced). Even in that environment it's scary as f**k at first.
Laura Perkinson 2 years ago
I bought a new Van a Town and Country. I was sitting in a drive through when I tapped on the gas and instead of moving a tiny bit it took off! there was a car in front of me and i was standing on the break, they tires were screaming and smoke was pouring off them , Sad it did not stop until it hit the van in front of it. I cannot explain how frighting that I was as I had zero control. I had a hard time getting my insurance to believe me. I suspect they only did as I have had them since 1964 and this was only the 2nd time, I had to file a claim!
Snorma Ray 2 years ago
I saw a video of a man whose Tesla did the same thing recently and it was horrifying
El Dee 2 years ago
In a manual car you can dip the clutch, put the car in neutral. This is the downside of automatic transmissions..
Taibhse Sealgair 2 years ago (edited)
You can still throw an automatic into neutral in motion.
Load More Replies... #23
TIL that the US post office turns children’s letters to Santa into a giant gift registry that allows citizens to fulfill children’s Christmas wishes
Crease Almighty 2 years ago
Dear Santa, this year I would like you to pay the energy bill for my dad. please Santa.
Denise Jones 2 years ago
In the USA, there is the federal LIHEAP program and local energy bill grants. Check 211 and LIHEAP website for more information. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/low-income-home-energy-assistance-program-liheap
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Anyone-for-tea? 2 years ago
Ha, mine would be dear Santa, please pay for my expensive biological medication and make insulin cheaper for Americans while you’re there!
Luisa Silva Eva 2 years ago
Same in Portugal. Every year i chose a letter and I buy the present in it. The post office send it to the kid for free.
memyselfandI 2 years ago
Why is this not more widely known? I bet there would be a lot more people donating if more people knew about it.
JayWantsACat 2 years ago
What a great idea. As someone with no family, I wish I knew about this sooner. I've bookmarked for next year. Here's the link: https://www.uspsoperationsanta.com/
Luna Crow 2 years ago
Thanks for sharing that. I hope you get your cat, just not by mail ;)
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NotACookieCutter 2 years ago
First off, this is so poorly implemented that I will never participate again. I went to three different USPS Offices last year and found the employees had no idea how it worked. The worst was in Chicago where I unfortunately held up the line for 20 minutes (two workers), when she finally called her supervisor over. He then had to go find the memo or poster with the rules posted in the break room. I buy two $30.00 + toys and go to Evanston to mail them . Again, employees held up the line due to lack of knowledge. Finally, they figure out the procedure and both toys cost the same or more to ship - no discount and not super large or heavy- think a small, remote car and something (old age and can’t remember) smaller and less in weight. Only one shipping option available. I returned the toys, but couldn’t let the kids down, so I bought two Target gift cards for $20 each and paid something like $18 to ship. This year I doubled what I donated to Toys for Tots instead. Easy peasy.
#24
TIL Dogs have much more expressive faces than wolves. Dogs make an effort to make eye contact with humans and have notably high control over their eyebrows when compared to wolves. Looking into a dog's eyes has comparable results to a parent looking at their child.
Chucky Cheezburger 2 years ago
I know a dog who will smile like a human when he comes to greet us. With his lips pulled back and teeth bared, it looks aggressive and can kinda freak people out, but I think he is just imitating what people do. All he wants is lovin and the treats we give to all the dogs we meet.
Sarah 2 years ago
My Missy used to do this, along with the wiggle butt, the copter tail and the happy sneezes, which so many delivery guys took as a sign of aggression, but all she wanted was some loves. I miss her so much.
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Kea_Tortilla 2 years ago
This is due to the evolution of a muscle called the levator anguli oculi medialis, which allows dogs to raise their inner eyebrow in order to make their eyes seem bigger. It's absolutely fascinating, especially since they almost never use this muscle when interacting with other dogs.
TotallyNOTaFox 2 years ago (edited)
Dogs also understand hand signs and will look in the direction we point at. They evolved to work and live together with us.
sturmwesen 2 years ago
not all dogs. Mine has a few tricks but does not understand pointing your finger.
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Michael Largey 2 years ago
Memo from the wolves: "How many expressions do we need to bite your leg off? And we're not looking for eye contact - we're looking for thigh contact - nice tasty thigh meat."
Mickie Shea 2 years ago
Such a beautiful experience to look into a dogs eyes and see love and care.
Some time ago, Bored Panda spoke about education and the internet with Steven Wooding, a member of the Institute of Physics in the UK and part of the Omni Calculator Project. He pointed out that the internet is a tool and neutral in and of itself. It’s neither inherently good or evil. “Of course, it can be both,” he told us.
"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," he told us during an interview, earlier.
According to the scientist, you should set aside specific times for studying and others for fun if you feel that you’ve got a hard time maintaining focus and keep on getting distracted by entertainment. Meanwhile, if you feel that you’re burned out from studying and learning new things, consider gamifying your entire approach to make it more fun.
"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 told Bored Panda before.
#25
TIL John von Newmann was a child prodigy who could divide 8-digit numbers in his head by age 6. By age 8, he was fluent in Ancient Greek, had mastered calculus and would amuse his parents' friends by reciting book pages after just glancing at them. He also developed the modern computer architecture.
Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
me completely unable to calculate 8+6 in front of someone
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Harry Koppers 2 years ago
He also described the von Neumann probe, which is a spacecraft that can duplicate itself. If it had a smart enough artificial intelligence, it could travel to the stars. If you'd like to read about this, read the book " we are legion, we are Bob " which is really quite an interesting and entertaining and funny book.
Mickie Shea 2 years ago
By six I could ride my tricycle and by eight I learned how to avoid school by faking illness. At fourteen, I went on to invent kissing and love making (Your Welcome), and as an adult I've learned to really mess up computers. And I'm just getting going.
#26
TIL that when Unsolved Mysteries aired a segment on missing child Nyleen Marshall, they were contacted by a man who thought he might have gone to school with Nyleen. This turned out not to be Nyleen, but a different missing child, Monica Bonilla, who had been abducted by her noncustodial parent.
crazy_stupid 2 years ago
Wonder how many missing people have been traced as a result of this and similar programmes
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Quite a few apparently. Hell, the program even found John List decades after he disappeared (Google him, plus his capture). It was a really good show. I think Netflix has a version, but the thing is, airing it weekly on network TV kept it fresh, as well as allowed for updates as they came in, plus it reached a national population—-for free. Dropping it as a whole season on a paid service greatly reduces the number of viewers, and therefore the number of potential leads.
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Mickie Shea 2 years ago
Glad for the girl. However I tired of the term "Abducted by Parent". there must be spomethinmg in-between honest citizen and criminal. BTW, never adducted anyone.
Holly Marley 2 years ago
The modern Netflix version has a much different vibe. Btw. It's much less 'help us catch killers' and more, 'check out this freaky thing that happened...'
Dawnieangel76 2 years ago
UM was my obsession in the 90's. Then I found the ID network. Then I found true crime channels on YouTube. I am always happy to see cases from the original Unsolved Mysteries solved, and I bawled like a baby when the recently learned who the "Boy in the Box" was.
Hollie Marie 2 years ago
They need to put this back on Netflix so I can watch all the seasons!
#27
TIL on the morning of July 26, 1184, Henry VI held court at the Petersberg Citadel. The weight of the assembled nobles caused the second story floor of the building to collapse. Most of the nobles fell into the latrine cesspit below the ground floor, where about 60 of them drowned in liquid s**t.
Hotdogking 2 years ago
Well that’s a crappy way to go. (I’ll show myself out. And hopefully not the way they did)
Katy McMouse 2 years ago
I see crappy puns, I upchuck ... I mean upvote.👍
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YinzerGhost 2 years ago
There are a few modern-day "nobles" I wouldn't mind seeing drown in s**t
Phil Boswell 2 years ago
That's Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor not the King of England, and here is more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt_latrine_disaster
David 2 years ago
If you have ever worked with septic tanks the private residence ones are not too large. 1,000 gallon range is common. The internet says, "A typical residential septic tank is usually about 4.5 feet wide x 8.0 feet long x 6 feet tall" So can we take a moment to appreciate the fact they had a septic tank large enough to drown 60 people?
#28
TIL that somewhere between 3% and 21% of the population have a genetic variation in an olfactory receptor gene (OR6A2) that makes cilantro taste very unpleasant. Those with the variant describe the taste of cilantro as "a combination of soap and vomit" or similar to the odor emitted by stinkbugs.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
I can taste it normally (I think), it’s just too strong. It makes me gag.
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Stardust she/her 2 years ago
I’m a part of that percentage and it tastes so gross to me. It’s torture to order food online only to find out it has cilantro
Na Schi 2 years ago
Me too. Interestingly there seems also variations in the occurrence of this "soapy" gene between different ethnic groups. Caucasians seems to have the largest amount of people who carry this gene, whereas it is quite rare to be found in Africans.
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CaliPanda 2 years ago
Sadly, no. I wish restaurants would call it out on menus (and not just Mexican restaurants). It’s extremely disappointing to anticipate a nice meal only to see your plate delivered — and it’s covered in cilantro. If it’s called out on the menu, I can either ask for the cilantro to be omitted, or choose another meal.
Load More Replies... Nupraptor 2 years ago
Cilantro is just about flavorless to me. I can detect slight undertones of what might be a "soapy" flavor but really, it just doesn't taste like anything.
#29
TIL Longyearbyen, Norway is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000. There is a ban on cats, a monthly alcohol purchase limit, and a requirement to carry a rifle while outside for protection from polar bears.
Purple light 2 years ago
They probably want to protect their local wildlife, so that is why they have a ban on cats. I think polar bears can defend themselves from cats, but for nesting birds for exemple it is another story.
GirlFriday 2 years ago
I think the ban on cats is to keep them from pushing the polar bears off of ice floes.
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Xottel 2 years ago
When they're required to carry a gun, a limit to alcohol and a ban on cats is probably a good idea.
Lauren S 2 years ago (edited)
A ban on cats!?!? Why? Edit: Wow! Thank you for the info. I had no idea they could wreak such havoc! I was picturing a fluffy void keeping my lap warm while purring. Feral cats are definitely a different concept I wasn’t thinking of.
Gala Guiba Guerrero 2 years ago
I just read that cats are banned in order to preserve the wild life.
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VikingAbroad 2 years ago (edited)
There is actually one cat in Longyearbyen. It's classified as a fox to be allowed to stay. 😊 Her name is Kesha.
Jef Bateman 2 years ago
An even weirder fact about Longyearbyen is that there is no way to bury people there, so terminally ill people are encouraged to move back to the mainland.
Alan Christensen 2 years ago
Most Arctic settlements have a rifle carrying requirement, or at least a strong advisory.
Jesus Ortiz 2 years ago
Cats are a major disaster to native populations, since they kill so indiscriminately. Many species of birds and small mammals have been hunted to extinction because of them. In fact, Australia had such a bad problem with them, for a while they had an open bounty for feral cats, just to drive down their numbers.
Load More Replies... #30
TIL that the theme song from Mission Impossible get is its iconic beat of "long long short short" from the Morse code of "M" and "I", which is long long short short.
karl briggs 2 years ago
When I was at the zoo, I saw something like a frog tapping things out on a piece of wood. Turned out it was a morse toad. (Sorry) hahaha
Katy McMouse 2 years ago
You and Hotdogking should team up for a road show. 😁
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Kirk Evans 2 years ago
That theme was my introduction to 5/4 time. I could tell something was odd but it took me a while to figure out what was going on. After that, I graduated to Dave Brubeck's "Take Five"
Nicholas McShane 2 years ago
Theme to the UK series "Some Mothers Do Have 'Em' has a similar thing
#31
TIL that part of Icelandic Christmas lore is that a giant cat, the Yule Cat will kill you if you don't give or receive clothing on Christmas
Edward Treen 2 years ago
Mine just glare accusingly at me on the few times I fail in my duty. Believe me, that silent threatening glare is terrifying.
Load More Replies... Atreïdes 2 years ago
And the real reason why they carry rifles while out. “Polar bears” indeed!
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#32
TIL that Charles Dickens was a great lover of cats, so much so that when one of his beloved cats, Bob, passed away, Dickens was so upset that his sister-in-law fashioned one of Bob's paws into a letter opener. Dickens kept this at his side as he wrote and he used it every morning to open his mail.
#33
TIL that the 1927 General Election in Liberia had a turnout of 1660%. The winner secured 240,000 votes, when the country had less than 15,000 eligible voters.
Kirsten Kerkhof 2 years ago
Trump is still trying to figure out how he can do the same, no doubt.
Michael Largey 2 years ago
Well, if it had been completely valid - no voter supression, no gerrymandering - Trump would have lost even biglier.
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Geoffrey Scott 2 years ago
Well..he can cross the Sec State of Georgia off the list. RESPECT to him from a Dem
#34
TIL, for a scene in his movie Tenet, where a Boeing 747 plane crashes into (a fictional) Oslo Airport, they crashed an ACTUAL, REAL 747, because Christopher Nolan determined it would actually be cheaper than models or CGI.
David H 2 years ago
To be fair by the time the movie was filmed most airlines had removed 747s from active service and are still being phased out worldwide as an older plane. THis was a pretty effective way to scrap it, rather than let it rust in the desert for decades
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Hotdogking 2 years ago (edited)
Same with that hospital in Dark Knight. Heath Ledger had to improvise the button not going off because the explosives weren’t working. Nolan really loved to blow things up I guess
Tom G 2 years ago
The hospital was already scheduled to be blown up and IIRC, he was told to fake it according to a YouTube video... It wasn't actually improvised
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Ozymandias73 2 years ago
Sorry you didn't like it. I found the premise and the movie quite interesting. Maybe give it another go. Could be b/c you missed something the first run through?
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Nightshade1972 2 years ago
Reminds me a little of the actor John Travolta. He enjoys flying as a hobby, and actually owns his own 737. A few years ago, Boeing made him the "brand ambassador" for their planes. As a show of gratitude, they offered to give him a 787, their newest model at the time. He was already a multimillionaire when they made the offer, and yet he had to look at them and say, "Guys, I'm flattered, but it's all I can do to keep my 737 airborne. I literally can't afford the 787. Thanks, but I'll keep the plane I already have."
Non-binary cat (they them) 2 years ago
That's like saying we'll make a tsunami to hit the entire world instead of paying to do CGI because the CGI is expensive
Viper Dogfish 2 years ago
It's not really about it being expensive - Nolan is just obsessed with practical effects over the CGI.
Load More Replies... #35
TIL After the release of OutKast's "Hey Ya" - which contains the line, "Shake it like a Polaroid picture!" - Polaroid had to remind the users of its cameras not to "shake" their photos when they were developing, as this can damage the image
Alan Christensen 2 years ago
I thought this was going to say Polaroid had to remind the public what a Polaroid picture was since their film business was nearly dead at the time.
Kristin Ingersoll 2 years ago
Same here!! It's a really dated lyric!! I did always shake them. It was half the fun!!!
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Alan Christensen 2 years ago
I worked with a lot of professional photographers back before digital photography. They would use Polaroids to check lighting and setup. Nearly all of them shook the developing pictures, mostly out of impatience and nervous energy. Their version of the film was different than consumer Polaroid film, so there was no damage.
robin aldrich 2 years ago (edited)
It was less of a shake, more of a fanning motion...to dry the developer in the older Polaroid pictures (my first camera was a Polaroid Swinger!!!).. The really early ones you had to use a little squeegee and coat the picture AFTER you manually pulled the photo from the camera and pulled apart the photo, once it was developed with the finishing coating....you didn't have to do that in the later ones... and they've also gone digital. I've been unable to buy Film from my older Spectra camera but I enjoy the digital one I have now
Annie 1973 2 years ago
My favourite version https://youtu.be/whBQCkhFwYg Avriel and the Sequoia's
Riley Quinn 2 years ago
One of my favorite duos. Hey Ya always puts me in a better, more energized, mood.
#36
TIL that all Ashkenazi Jews are at most 30th cousins because of a genetic bottleneck about 700 years ago.
Happy Panda 2 years ago
Dayumm, probably the same case with my country of less than 500k of people LOL Everybody knows everyone. That's why I don't really want to get married to a local here XD My first cousin is also my 2nd cousin...
Temporary Dork 2 years ago
I seem to remember a more recent bottleneck. Does the shoah have no effect?
SarahBee 2 years ago
My sister had a genetic test done, and she's 99.7% Ashkenazi Jew. For centuries, they almost exclusively married within the faith.
CanadianaKa 2 years ago
In all fairness, most people married within their own groups and faiths for centuries. In many places the alternate wasn't allowed.
Load More Replies... sylvantic 2 years ago
Trump isn't an Ashkenazi Jew AFAIK (and if he is... we don't claim him, the guy's an antisemite)
Load More Replies... Sylvia_SilverVampire 2 years ago
And everyone with blue eyes is related because 1 person had a genetic mutation 10,000 years ago
#37
TIL a reporter at a British newspaper received an anonymous tip telling him to “call the American Embassy in London for some big news” about 25 minutes before JFK was assassinated.
DEW 2 years ago
There is a lot we should be learning about this murder. I heard that the documents are being released to the public.
Fred L. 2 years ago
There possibly is a lot we COULD be learning about this murder ... provided all remaining documents would be released (which of course isn´t the case).
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Pedantic Panda 2 years ago
Paper was the Cambridge news, more information here; https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.politico.eu/article/local-british-newspaper-received-jfk-assassination-tip-off/amp/
Linda Patterson 2 years ago
Everyone knows it was done to get him out of office because of Cuba. (Among other reasons) Oswald was a patsy.
#38
TIL about Henry Cotton, an asylum director who believed that all insanity was caused by sepsis in other parts poisoning the brain, leading to widespread amputation of his patients' colons, teeth, reproductive organs, and even stomachs in order to "cure" them, with as many as 45% dying as a result
Rebelliousslug 2 years ago
I wonder how many patients he was allowed to experiment on before someone was like no, it seems their internal organs are necessary to live
Minath 2 years ago
Most of the mentioned organs you can live without. Although in those days they wouldn't have the necessary skills or medical technology needed.
Load More Replies... Grant Barke 2 years ago
Obviously the directors insanity was in his head. Guillotine is the cure.
John Hammer 2 years ago
Wait until you hear about the doctor who came up with lobotomy as a cure.
Ericthedead 2 years ago
Oh yeah. Guy was a monster. Showed off doing two at one time or tried to beat his best time
Load More Replies... Reinaldo Fuentes 2 years ago
"I don't care how many patients I kill! I'm gonna find the one that is inarguably suffering from sepsis and that will prove me right!" (smdh)
#39
TIL in a 2005 Empire article, Henry Cavill was dubbed “the unluckiest man in Hollywood” after losing roles in Bond and Harry Potter franchises.
Passerby 2 years ago
Ouch, and now Superman too. Is it anything against him or is he just unlucky?
zak 2 years ago
He's going to be producing and starring in a Warhammer (the video game) series for Amazon, so he'll be fine. He was an amazing Geralt and Superman, though
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𝖊𝖆 2 years ago
He was referred to as unlucky because of so many roles he lost out on, coming second in the casting choices. Auditioned for spider-man, auditioned for James Bond and lost to Daniel Craig (too skinny, can you imagine anyone saying now he was too skinny??) he went for so many things and came second. He said though he felt he was lucky, because he came closer than all the other actors who auditioned. Really nice and humble seeming guy! But terrible decision to replace him as superman. No one will ever come as close to being superman as Henry Cavill did, him and Christopher Reeves. He was born to play it.
Anyone-for-tea? 2 years ago
How ironic that he was too skinny especially when he had such a cruel nickname at school (fat Cavill). I’m gutted he won’t be in season 4 of the Witcher, but like someone else said, the writers are messing with the source material too much.
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Jef Bateman 2 years ago
It's funny that this guy is famous and people think he's incredibly unlucky. What about the poor sap who never gets cast in anything he tries out for?
D. Pitbull 2 years ago
Seriously?? Okay so, uhh... he won the genetic lottery (look at him. We all know it. ugh. LUCKY!), plus he's rather famous and is well liked.........................buuuuut........ keeps getting very suddenly unemployed??? What's he have a guradian angel and a murphy's law-demon constantly in fight-mode?
Riley Quinn 2 years ago
I really like Henry Cavill, so it was difficult to learn he will not be reprising his role as Superman, nor returning as Geralt. Still think he should be the next Bond.
#40
TIL 69 is the only number whose square (4761) and cube (328509) use every decimal digit from 0–9 exactly once.
#41
TIL of how a woman successfully sued a casino for her winnings when they claimed it was a machine error. She later donated the full sum to charity.
RagDollLali 2 years ago
Apparently the machine was only supposed to have a grand prize of $6,500 but when she won flashed a $42 million payout. She was smart enough to snap a selfie with the machine when it flashed her winning amount. The casino tried to get away with telling her it was a glitch and offered her a free steak dinner as a consolation prize lol. She sued them and it took a few years in court but she won.
#42
TIL that before trees took over the earth the land was covered with Prototaxites, a fungus that became extinct more than 350 million years ago and is believed to have reached almost 9m high and 1.37m in diameter.
Morris Goodenough 2 years ago
There is a living fungus currently in Oregon that occupies nearly four square miles (10 square kilometers) of turf. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/
#43
TIL that anime director Hayao Miyazaki created a kindergarten specially for the staff of studio Ghibli. The kids are able to freely explore its picturesque interiors and are taught traditional skills like cooking rice over an open fire
#44
TIL that the song Smooth by Santana-Rob Thomas is both the last #1 hit of the 90s and the first of the 2000s
Carol Emory 2 years ago
And it's a hot one...like 7 inches from the midday sun.
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#45
TIL that the chemist Alexander Shulgin invented over 200 psychedelic drugs, self-administered them and wrote a book the experience he had with each of them.
Kevin Beard 2 years ago
He finished with a lot more than he started with!
Load More Replies... #46
TIL one of the earliest escape attempts to bypass the Berlin Wall was by Heinz Meixner in 1963. He removed a convertible's windshield and deflated its tires as low as possible. He, with his fiancee and her mother hidden, then drove up to the boom barrier, sped under it, and escaped into West Berlin.
Christof Irran 2 years ago
This was also a very popular practice between Czechoslovakia (yes, it was called "Czechoslovakia" back then) and Austria. So much so that subsequently all convertibles where stopped a long distance before the border crossing (on the Czech side) and searched to the point of taking the cars apart.
#47
TIL That the white dried dog poop on lawns of the 70s and 80s was related to excess calcium in dog foods at the time. Less commercial bone meal in today's dog food recipes makes it virtually a thing of the past.
Daria 2 years ago
Dunno, I remember white dog poop from the 90s in Russia when there was almost no commercial dog food available.
3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago
Once my dog ate crayons and pooped a bunch of colours, including white. My twin and I apparently fed him red and green crayons around Christmas. (I know that’s absolutely awful but I was so young that I don’t remember this at all and my parents weren’t home, it was the distracted teenage babysitter and she got in a lot of trouble when my parents found out. Dog was totally fine, took him to the vet and everything!) Little festive poops everywhere.
Load More Replies... Lauren Caswell 2 years ago
I did wonder why I didn't see white dog poop these days! Not something to casually ask passers by
Jef Bateman 2 years ago
My dog will poop white if she eats a bone. Like you, though, I can remember cleaning up white poop from my front yard and never wondered why it's such a rare thing to see these days.
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Randy Sanders 2 years ago
That made it easier to see when you walked thru grass while drunk tho.....
Robert T 2 years ago
So what are you saying? That now it's brown dried dog poop? Or that it now dissolves when it rains?
Susan Green 2 years ago
I’ll tell you this much, my large dogs doodies don’t dissolve when it rains.
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AndThenICommented 2 years ago (edited)
Album gr’cum, the weirdest term I know. https://dictionarys.net/Album%20Gr'cum
#48
TIL Astronauts had to leave unnecessary items behind on the moon so the Apollo lander could lift off safely. These items included golf balls, cameras, boots, a telescope and 96 bags of poop, urine and vomit.
Izzy Curer 2 years ago
Pollution? You mean free goodies and delicious compost.
Load More Replies... Grant Barke 2 years ago
Because someone always wants to be the first. Alan Shepard, part of the Apollo 14 mission, stands as the only person to hit golf balls on the moon. During the mission, Shepard took a few swings and ended up leaving two golf balls to live on the moon forever. Apparently, he fitted an 6 iron head to the handle of a lunar sample collection device.
Load More Replies... Alan Christensen 2 years ago
They had to compensate for the weight of the rocks/dust they were bringing back.
🇳🇬 Asi Bassey 🇳🇬 2 years ago
I say retrieve the human waste and examine them for microbial life.
#49
TIL Indiana Jones was inspired by Scrooge McDuck, not the other way around. George Lucas was a big fan of the comics growing up. The famous boulder sequence in Raiders of the Lost Ark was directly lifted from a 1954 issue of the McDuck comic.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
Mr. Barks is solely the soul of the Disney Ducks! I read many of his comic books - first editions, first printings - Dell Comics - that Daddy bought when he was a boy...... still have 'em, but sadly worth a fraction of Action Comics :-/
Load More Replies... #50
TIL Stephen King has almost no memory of writing Cujo because of problems he had at the time with cocaine, Xanax, Valium, NyQuil, Robitussin and mouthwash
Powerful Katrinka 2 years ago
In his book On Writing, he describes the horrific crash that almost killed him. One of his first thoughts on eventually regaining consciousness was that (1) he was on every pain killer in existence, and (2) he was going to have to get off them again.
Load More Replies... Emma S 2 years ago
I'm sure I read that The Shining was a metaphor of Stephen King's battle with alcoholism and recovery.
Jane Doe 2 years ago
I think I read it is Misery. She represents cocaine.
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Julia Cargile 2 years ago
The Stand was so scary when I read it I would throw the book across the room at some parts.
Debra Robinson 2 years ago
I read that in '89...freaky shyt. Saw the miniseries in '94.
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Viper Dogfish 2 years ago
His part-memoir "On writing: A memoir of the craft" is goddamn amazing. Can absolutely recommend it to anyone who is either a fan of King's or is interested in writing in general.
#51
TIL two different comic strips named “Dennis the Menace” both debuted on the same day: March 12, 1951. They were created completely independently of each other, and neither creator knew of the other’s existence
Hell’s Angle’s 2 years ago
The British one and the American one? I honestly like the British one more
#52
TIL almost no palm trees are native to Southern California. They were used as a marketing ploy to transform Los Angeles for a cow town to “semi-tropical”
Harry Koppers 2 years ago (edited)
The Southern California desert is home to Washingtonia filifera, which is the California fan Palm. It grows wild at the desert Oasis throughout Southern California. It doesn't grow near the coast, which is what this post is probably talking about. That is after all, how Palm springs got its name.
Jef Bateman 2 years ago
Palm trees are horrible - they drink a lot of water and provide no shade. It is very expensive to keep them looking right (I actually like the wild look trees, but most people don't). It is also dangerous work to climb up them to trim. We have a lot of them in Arizona, but people seem to be getting wise and replacing them with something else.
#53
TIL Alice Hamilton was the first woman appointed to the Harvard University faculty in any field. During her years at Harvard (1919-1935), she never received a faculty promotion. She was excluded from social activities, could not enter the Harvard Union, or attend the Faculty Club.
#54
TIL Barry Manilow thought "Last Christmas" by Wham! was so similar to his 1978 hit "Can't Smile Without You" that he took George Michael to court. But the case was thrown out after a musicologist presented 60-odd songs from the past century that had a comparable chord sequence and melody.
Falcon 2 years ago (edited)
The usual 4 chords? Watch Axis of Awesome on YouTube if you haven't already :D
SaneMinotaur (she/her) 2 years ago
Just a small-town girl, livin' in a lonely world!
Load More Replies... Stephanie Did It 2 years ago
Let's face it, there are only 8 notes, there's bound to be some similarities!
Christof Irran 2 years ago
I always thought that there is some significance in the fact that "Barry Manilow" and "Bowl Movement" have the same initials.
#55
TIL that Wayne Gretzky is 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, and 11th for most points in an NHL season.
#56
TIL The Silver Snoopy award is given out by NASA to those with achievements in safety or aided in mission success. Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz was a big fan of the space program and did the art for free.
Taibhse Sealgair 2 years ago
When I was at JSC in Houston back in the early 90s, winners of the SS award also got to go to KSC for a shuttle launch. The Astronauts would groan when they found out which date they were all being flown out because inevitably that launch attempt would get scrubbed. Rumor was that none of the winners ever actually got to see a launch.
#57
TIL only one person has visited all 193 UN-recognized countries, as well as space. His name is Jim Kitchen.
#58
TIL Alpha Centauri, the nearest solar system, is 4.4 lights years away or about 40 trillion km's. It would take roughly 18,000 years to reach it with our current technology.
Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
long travel to let golf balls, a telescope and bags of poop, urine and vomit on it
Stardust she/her 2 years ago
There’s a hypothetical way to get there by 15 years. I think it involves using lasers
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
If I am not mistaken, it's actually a galaxy....
Load More Replies... Jef Bateman 2 years ago
This is a little misleading. People have sent two probes into space (Helios 1 and Helios 2) that travel fast enough to reach Alpha Centauri in 18,000 years, but they do not carry people and would not be able to travel that fast for that length of time.
ThatG 2 years ago
Speaking of misleading…. Those would be the Voyager 1 and 2 probes. And after 18,000 years they wouldn’t even have passed through the Oort Cloud. That would take about 30,000 years. Then another 40,000 years to reach Alpha Centauri.
Load More Replies... #59
TIL that in 1984 Weird Al Yankovic's single "Eat It" reached number 1 in Australia. It outranked the song that it was making a parody of, Michael Jackson's "Beat It," which only reached number 3.
Megan The Viking Traveler 2 years ago
Remember Coolio got super pissed at him, for Amish Paradise! So stupid.
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Kate Jones 2 years ago
Eat It is one of the best music videos of all time, honestly. It's so hilarious. I'm kind of surprised people haven't tried to cancel him for it seeing as how it basically makes fun of fat people. But it's Weird Al... you can't get mad at him, lol.
Shyla Bouche 2 years ago
That's funny! In Weird, Al comes out with Eat It first, and Beat It is the parody. I wonder if this is why Eat It was chosen to be the "real" song for the movie.
Henry Russell 2 years ago
hi here to remind people you were confused. she is not saying that eat it came out first. she is saying in a movie about Al Yankovic it says eat it came out first. beat came out in 1883 or 1883 and eat it came out in 1884
Load More Replies... #60
TIL in 1996 a couple named their son "Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116" claiming it was pronounced "Albin." This was in protest to a $740 fine they'd received for failing to register a name by his fifth birthday.
Kate Jones 2 years ago
Seriously. Trying to sign up for any legal documents or even trying to get debit cards, bank accounts, etc is going to be a huge hassle for him because of length restrictions. Not to mention trying to get travel documents. Good job making your kid's life a nightmare.
Load More Replies... Emma S 2 years ago
5 years to register a birth? What were they waiting for? In the UK you only get 6 weeks. 😆
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago
Nowadays everyone seems to be doing that same thing with perfectly normal names for their babies. Poor kids.
clist414 2 years ago
It says "failed to register his name" by his first birthday. Most likely they had named him, just couldn't be bothered to do the paperwork
3 Owls In A Coat 2 years ago (edited)
My great-great-etc uncle was VP Alben William Barkley. I wish they’d called him vice president Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116.
#61
TIL When Enrico Fermi first split an atom in 1934, it was completely by accident. He was actually trying to create new elements by hitting uranium with neutrons. It was only in 1938 that other scientists figured out what Fermi did.
Lauren Caswell 2 years ago
No wait, Ernest Rutherford did this earlier! "In 1917 Rutherford claimed that he had 'broken the machine and touched the ghost of matter'. In his third major breakthrough, he had succeeded in 'splitting' the atom – making him the world's first successful alchemist. This research was published in 1919, the same year he became Director of the Cavendish Laboratory."
AvocadoProblems 2 years ago
I think you are right. Enrico Fermi just named it I think. (maybe) he was just the first to split a U238 atom
Load More Replies... DEW 2 years ago (edited)
I am so grateful all the people who understand this or know just know what it is. I sometimes feel really stupid after reading some of the posts here. I read your comments to understand the post! So from the bottom of my heart Thank you each and every one of you! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2023 to everyone!
boone williams 2 years ago
I thought it was Young Einstein trying to make bubbles in beer. Or maybe I just saw it in a movie...
#62
TIL that Douglas Kelley, psychologist who examined the defendants at the Nuremberg Trials, committed suicide in front of his family by taking potassium cyanide.
keighterz 2 years ago
Don’t even want to imagine the horrors he heard. Probably lost all faith in humanity. So tragic.
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Ozymandias73 2 years ago
Geezus! I can't even imagine what was going through his mind. And then the horror of his family witnessing him (unalive) him self like that. All around a horrible tragedy.
#63
TIL that Aunt Bethany, from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, is played by the famous actress Mae Questel. Mae is best known for voicing Betty Boop, Minnie Mouse, and Olive Oyl.
ALEXANDER DALE 2 years ago
Christmas vacation is honestly the best Christmas movie made yet. It is so hilarious, and has a winning formula of being about a dysfunctional family around Christmas, and they stay like that, instead of some stupid cliche like Santa brings their family together or the dad gets "Christmas spirit" and becomes a better person. This movie made some Christmas movie cliches. There are very few Christmas movies anything like it, and now, Christmas movies are finally getting better. You can look at the Christmas Chronicles on Netflix and see that things are improving. It uses old cliches and makes them into something better, while also having original stuff. New movies are taking inspiration from it and are being better.
#64
TIL that the dream of "teeth falling out" seems to be a pattern for citizens living in western countries.
deathrose 2 years ago
I didn't dream that they fell out but that they were all cracked and broken. I woke thinking that they were all still broken and had a mild panic attack.
Douglas Gilanyi 2 years ago
Same! Well, I used to, haven't had one of those in a while, used to get them all the time though.
Load More Replies... Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
I often have a "dream" of this kind. I do not dream that they fall, but that some have already fallen and that I have a mouth full of them. and no matter how much I spit them out, my mouth is always full of them... yuck
Grant Barke 2 years ago
For over a decade I had dreams about my penis coming off in my hand. Every time I woke up I checked if my guy was still attached. Strange dream.
Alan Christensen 2 years ago
A psychologist explained that such dreams could be about loss of things like love, money, status, confidence, and safety, or that they can be about fear of losing your teeth.
Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 2 years ago
I've had that dream so many times that while I was dreaming I knew it was a dream and I just accepted it
Chrissie Anit 2 years ago
In folklore it is said if you dream of teeth falling out, a loved one is going to die.
#65
TIL the top 10% of drinkers in America consume an average of 74 drinks per week. About 30% of Americans never drink at all and another 30% only drink on special occasions, at most once every couple of weeks.
Alex S 2 years ago
Linking alcohol consumption with health has been shown to be really problematic for these reasons because a lot of people who never drink do so on the advice of doctors for pre existing health conditions like diabetes. So when you see research that says "people who drink a glass of wine a day are healthier than people who don't drink at all", remember that these studies don't take into account WHY people don't drink at all. Basically just use your common sense and don't let context-free pop science guide your life choices
Alicia M 2 years ago
I know someone who pretty much drinks non-stop, yet they never seem drunk. This is a good person whose had a hard life. I feel bad for anyone in this situation.
Load More Replies... El Dee 2 years ago
Even at the top end of that you can be never seen drunk and not be over the limit driving the next day. The term 'alcoholic' has been removed now as people tend to think that someone they see drunk all the time is the only person who has a problem. Truth is that it is VERY common to have issues with alcohol..
Alan Christensen 2 years ago
That sort of fits with what I was taught in a marketing class about the "20/80 Rule." In the case of a variety of products — including alcohol — 20% of customers consume 80% of the product.
Paul Brown 2 years ago
I dont drink alcohol any more, I'm allergic to it. Every time I drink I break out in handcuffs.
Jesus Ortiz 2 years ago
I'm so glad that I've never had an alcoholic drink before. I'm 32, almost 33, and I plan to stay that way. I have too many relatives who drank away their riches, inheritances, and/or income. It truly is a scourge.
#66
TIL Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, despite being 6'4", had a voice that was described as “a thin tenor, or rather falsetto, voice, almost as high-pitched as a boatswain's whistle.”
Phobrek Taz 2 years ago
Now I'm just imagining Lincoln speaking in the voice of Beaker from The Muppets
Harry Koppers 2 years ago
Yet his oration was timeless and riveting. I would love to have heard him speak. He could give a speech and say everything he needed to say in few words. As opposed to the fashion of the time in which an orator would speak for 3 hours. That was considered common. Lincoln's speeches were brief yet powerful.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago (edited)
And if I am not mistaken, Daniel Day-Lewis worked his ASSS off to replicate his voice, and largely succeeded, with only minor inflections and accents being incorrect, according to top historical linguists. I saw his film when it came out. It was amazing!
Marci Rommal 2 years ago
My dad told me that about 40 years ago. Every time I read the Gettysburg Address, I hear it in a high-tenor. I cannot help but laugh.
#67
TIL a chain of volcanoes last erupted within France 6000 years ago. Until 1750 they were thought to be piles of Roman mining waste or furnaces.
Ian Webling 2 years ago
Slag from smelting furnaces is molten rock which solidifies into a glassy substance - resembling volcanic glass.
#68
TIL that in 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban American Football after 19 college students died that year playing the game. In response, 62 colleges and universities met in New York City to discuss rule changes, where they formed the athletic association that would become the NCAA.
#69
TIL Ancient Egyptians mixed lead into their eyeliner, resulting in an immune response, killing off bacteria and preventing diseases. It’s also where the color Kohl originated from.
Agnes Jekyll 2 years ago
didn't it also act as a kind of sun reflector (the same way American football players put black under the eyes) and it also apparently was a fly repellent
#70
TIL That the reason you can see corn in poop is because corn kernels are coated in cellulose, which is strong enough to withstand the rigors of the human digestive system.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago
And alternately, what you find may also be the kernel husks devoid of their yummy internals and now stuffed with pooop
Carol Emory 2 years ago
It's because it's a C4 Plant. Unlike other plants that use the suns energy immediately to initiate photosynthesis to create oxygen through the use of chlorophyll, CO2 and water... corn stores up the energy during the day and waits until the cooler hours of darkness to perform the process to limit the amount of water loss. Another plant that does this...cactus.
Christof Irran 2 years ago
"Looking for truth in the Bible is like looking for corn in feces: sure, you'll find some, but why would you want to?"
#71
TIL actors with tattoos may need release forms from the tattoo artist if their work is visible on film.
Broad Panda 2 years ago
The saying is "The love of money is the root of all evil". It's about greed, not fair pay.
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Na Schi 2 years ago
Wow, indeed TIL. I thought you have acquired the artwork, when paying the tattoo artist for the design and work... or is this a US thing only (honest question)?
Christof Irran 2 years ago
The tattooed guy owns only the artifact, but the tattoo artist retains the copyright under international copyright laws, and therefore has a say under what conditions his/her copyrighted art appears in a commercial setting (e.g. in a movie/film which was made with the intention of making money for the producer/studio).
Load More Replies... #72
TIL that when Peyton Manning was 5, his mother took him to a Saints game, as his father Archie was the quarterback. Due to Archie's poor performance, the crowd started booing him. Peyton's mother was worried that seeing his father booed would upset Peyton, only to see that he was also booing Archie.
#73
TIL that all representations of the Egyptian god Aten were accompanied by a sort of footnote. It stated that the art was only an imperfect representation of something that transcended nature, and could not be fully or adequately represented.
Carol Emory 2 years ago
That's because Aten was the god of the sun. Akhenaten made Aten the only god anyone could worship during his reign. After Akhenaten died, his surviving son, Tutankhaten would be moved back to the original location of the capitol of Egypt and his name changed to Tutankhamun as Egypt went back to being a polytheistic society.
Salmon Shark/Forbidden pupper 2 years ago
That’s the guy! The nitwit who sad they should hail only the sun! The rings of akenhaten.
Load More Replies... #74
TIL that the US is home to a major supervolcano at Yellowstone Caldera. If it erupts again it won't wipe out humanity but could severely alter weather and climate patterns to the point where it caused a new ice age.
T'Mar of Vulcan 2 years ago
To quote Bill Bryson, when that thing goes, you're going to want to stand well back.
TotallyNOTaFox 2 years ago (edited)
The Mediterranean Sea also has a super vulcano in proximity - The Vesuv and Etna in Italy are parts of it
#75
TIL the White House has military social aides who's jobs include everything from escorting dignitaries to providing a dance companion or small talk to lonely guests.
indiecognition 2 years ago (edited)
So they have the Tango and Foxtrot covered, but what if someone wants Whiskey?
crazy_stupid 2 years ago
They only do this for the Alpha males like Charlie from India and that guy from Lima
TotallyNOTaFox 2 years ago
I heard that somebody from Quebec once needed an X-ray after they took care of him...
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#76
TIL about the Glass Armonica, a musical instrument invented by Ben Franklin. Inspired by playing glass cups, bowls were mounted on a rotating spindle allowing a musician with wet fingers to play music. Mozart and Beethoven wrote for it but after 60 years strange rumors spread and it fell out of use.
Piggy Tee 2 years ago
That using the instrument caused both musicians and their listeners to go mad.
Load More Replies... #77
TIL Concrete is the second-most consumed substance on Earth behind only water. Thirty-three billion tons of it are used each year, making it by far the most abundant human-made material in history
Nicole Weymann 2 years ago
I'd like a collection of recipes with that one. Something on the lines of "Sand or pasta: 1000 things to go with concrete"
Sanguinius 2 years ago
It's also the number #1 consumer of sand, which is actually a limited resource. There's an entire black market of people who drudge sand from the ocean floor to supply the neverending need for it.
Fred L. 2 years ago
There are a few prominent cases where they took the sand from beaches.
Load More Replies... Chintan Shah 2 years ago
I wonder if plastic is up there if we count according to volume rather than weight.
#78
TIL Tourism was popular in ancient Rome. The most popular attraction was the pyramids of Giza, where local tour guides fed misinformation to the Romans to draw them in and profit from them
#79
TIL in the late 70s, Martin Scorsese was very depressed & struggling with a dangerous coke addiction. Once, while hospitalized w/ internal bleeding, De Niro visited & convinced him to make another movie, to save his life. Scorsese agreed, sure it would be his last film. It was Raging Bull.
#80
TIL that former pro skater, Jacka*s and CKY star Brandon Novak has become a Certified Intervention Professional and professional speaker following a 20 year cycle of substance abuse, and has written two books about his heroin addiction
Sanguinius 2 years ago
Watch any interview with him. That guy really has his sh*t together and can speak on addiction like few other people are able to.
#81
TIL There's a board game called 'The Campaign for North Africa' which can take up to 1,500 hours to complete.
Ozymandias73 2 years ago
That would've been the perfect COVID lock down game to play. I can hear the commercial now: "Stuck at home? Nothing to do? Tired of pranking your family members? Well, we've got just the game for you! Pit your wits against mom, dad, sister and brother! The Campaign for North Africa is much longer than your average game of Monopoly! Dominate, Destroy, RULE!"
Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
the real question : how many games have actually been played to completion ?
Hotdogking 2 years ago
Don’t worry, it has a shorter name. It’s also known as ‘Risk’ (I’m joking btw)
#82
TIL in a 2009 episode, Michael Schumacher appeared on BBC's Top Gear as the Stig. Jeremy Clarkson hinted that Schumacher was not the regular Stig which was later confirmed by BBC. Schumacher was there because Ferrari would not allow anyone else to drive the Ferrari FXX featured in the show.
Thomas Bentley 2 years ago
that he is the only one who knows what the letters B&Q stand for.
Load More Replies... Julie Zugz 2 years ago
According to Google: "What does the slang STIG mean? stig (plural stigs) (UK, derogatory) Someone from a poor background, with poor dress sense."
CaptainDinosaur 2 years ago
At the time it was actually British racing driver Ben Collins, who was the 2nd Stig after OG Perry McCarthy. The current Stig is still unknown.
Load More Replies... El Dee 2 years ago
Such a shame that Clarkson caused the end of his career on the show and now, possibly, the end of his career as a columnist. But then it IS his own fault for being a violent, racist bigot..
Snood Le 2 years ago
Lol butthurt much? Clarkson's going nowhere. Grand Tour is amazing.
Load More Replies... #83
TIL that before it was "Donner and Blitzen," it was "Donder and Blitzen," and before that it was "Dunder and Blixem," which is colloquial New York Dutch meaning "Thunder and Lightning."
Ian Webling 2 years ago
In Afrikaans, Donder and Blixem are very mild profanities roughly equivalent to damn and dammit.
#84
TIL That Alfred Eisenstaedt, the man who took the infamous "Eyes of Hate" photo of Joseph Goebbels, also took the well known "Victory Kiss" photo
Katy McMouse 2 years ago
That is a perfect black and white- solid black, solid white, and a nice range of grays. I've never seen that one - thanks!
Load More Replies... Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
both are disturbing for me. when you look at the successive photos taken for "Victory Kiss", the woman tries to push the man away, it looks like a forced kiss
Katy McMouse 2 years ago
"Eyes of Hate" is the one image that makes me think that your blood can actually run cold. I don't think any other image has ever made me mentally uncomfortable like this one.
#85
TIL Retention rates among students studying engineering are among the lowest of all majors
Yu Hong Tam 2 years ago
Of course, engineering students wants to break things apart, study them and maybe put them back together!
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
From what I've heard locally, I would have thought law had a lower retention rate. So many people go into it only because they got the marks, or their parents want them to, and then they find out how difficult it is.
#86
TIL about the 100-Man Kumite, a martial arts challenge wherein a challenger endures 100 consecutive sparring matches against fighters of equal or higher rank. Since 1965 there have only been 30 total victors, the last being in 2020.
Sanguinius 2 years ago
I think the movie Bloodsport is about this event. Stars Jean Claude Van Dame at the peak of his physicality. It's pretty fun!
#87
TIL Apollo 11 astronauts had to sleep on the cold lunar module floor but astronauts from Apollo 12 on were provided with adjustable hammocks which helped reduce the cooling effects of contact with the cabin floor
#88
TIL Papyrus 115 (which is the oldest preserved manuscript of the Revelation as of 2017), give the number of the beast as χιϛ, 616 and not 666.
Ian Webling 2 years ago
I once read that many years ago, a Moscow company company had the P.O. Box number 666. They changed it for religious reasons and were allocated 616.
#89
TIL That C4 is relatively stable unless detonated by a blasting cap, meaning it was used as an improvised fire starter in the Vietnam war, where it simply burned like a piece of wood
TotallyNOTaFox 2 years ago
You can shoot it, set it on fire, hit it, etc. - without an electric primer it doesn't explode
Christof Irran 2 years ago
"...was used as an improvised fire starter in the Vietnam war" - true, but it was heavily frowned upon because C4 was expensive, and using it this way was an eklatant waste of military resources. It was best not to get caught doing it.
Eliyahu Rooff 2 years ago
We used it to heat C-rations if we didn't have the issue heat tablets handy.
#90
TIL that Catalan families take care of a log named Tio de Nadal from Dec 8 until Christmas, when they hit it with wet sticks and sing songs until it sh**s presents.
Kea_Tortilla 2 years ago
The song roughly translates to: Poo, tió, Hazelnuts and nougats, Do not poo herrings, They are too salty, Poo nougats They taste better. Poo, tió, Almonds and nougats, And if you don't want to poo I will hit you with a stick! Poo, tió!
Captain Kyra 2 years ago (edited)
But not sardines! Edit:I learned about this custom from a Jim Gaffigan stand-up special The Pale Tourist.
Load More Replies... Captain Kyra 2 years ago
That's correct, I don't know why you are getting down voted. People must not understand that you asked a genuine question. Excuse me if I spell it wrong but the man having a poo is the Caganair.
Load More Replies... Falcon 2 years ago
One does not question The Log as long as it shits out presents!
Load More Replies... J loves cats 2 years ago
I think I read that it is covered with a blanket each night to keep it warm. So on Christmas the children are sent to another room where it is switched for gifts.
Load More Replies... #91
TIL after graduating from McGill medical school in 2018, NFL lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif unsuccessfully petitioned the NFL to add "M.D." to the nameplate on the back of his jersey.
Julie Zugz 2 years ago
How could it even fit with DUVERNAY-TARDIF across the back? But seriously, they should be encouraging higher education for their players, who are role models for the youth
#92
TIL that approximately 1,000 copies of the Ultimate Toy Box edition of the movie Toy Story 2 were shipped with a processing error that included a scene from an R-rated film 'High Fidelity', which featured the usage of the word "F**k" several times.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
“Mommy, what does that word mean? Why are those people doing that?”
Frank Ropen 2 years ago (edited)
It's just a comedy rated R because they use the word F**k so often
Load More Replies... #93
TIL about "corner crossing," a legally ambiguous method of entering public land that has otherwise been deliberately blocked off by a private party for their exclusive use.
#94
TIL Richard M. Daley authorized the midnight bulldozing of Meigs Field, a small, downtown, lakefront airport in Chicago. This stranded 16 planes on the ground including several Fire Department helicopters. The FAA fined the city $33,000 for not giving 30 days notice ahead of an airport closure.
#95
TIL American rapper Jay-Z stabbed a man in at an album release party, with a 5-inch blade in the stomach, after rumours the man was behind the bootlegging of one of his albums. He later pleaded guilty to third-degree assault, accepting a 3-year probation sentence.
#96
TIL Dachshund (sausage dogs) were specifically bred to hunt European badgers and spent hours underground, facing the badger straight on and dragging it out by the face.
Zedrapazia 2 years ago
Incorrect. A badger was always considered a potentially fatal enemy to a dachshund as they were bigger and stronger than these little dogs. They could mawl a dachshund or bury them in dirt. Dachshunds were more intended to chase foxes and badgers out of their burrows, not to fight them. Once the badger/fox comes out, he can be shot by the hunters waiting outside. However, dachshunds actually have those short legs to fit better into the burrow tunnels.
Carol Emory 2 years ago
And another breed that was also intended to flush prey out of burrows, Jack Russell Terriers.
Load More Replies... TotallyNOTaFox 2 years ago (edited)
The correct translation is Badger dog, so no surprise - we call the, "Dackel" though
#97
TIL President Gerald Ford once tried to eat a tamale without taking off the corn husk while campaigning
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
You need to get some right now!! They’re SO GOOD! It’s meat, cheese, and/or beans with spicy sauce in thick dumpling-like cornmeal breading. Try to get it homemade or from an authentic local restaurant though, some of them are really gross and can ruin the experience for you.
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Well one of our Australian Prime Ministers (Tony Abbot) ate a raw onion with the skin on while at a press event
#98
TIL that the person who discovered the double-helix structure of DNA was Francis Crick, who was high on LSD when he deduced it.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago (edited)
Yup, the one that actually discovered it, who had her research stolen, and was portrayed as a terrible lab assistant by Watson in his book about DNA. She died of cancer at a young age (I think 30 something) without any recognition, and only AFTER her death did Watson and Crick admit that her research was ‘invaluable’
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Chocolate llama 2 years ago
Nope, Crick did not discover the double-helix structure of DNA. It was discovered by Rosalind Franklin, but Watson and Crick stole her results.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
NO. IT. WAS. NOT. ROSALIND FRANKLYN discovered it with her now-famous Photo 51, and Watson and Crick stole her research and rushed their paper, so by the time she had finished hers, theirs was published **without crediting her**
Laura Gillette 2 years ago
One of my favorite jokes: Teacher: "Now, who knows what Watson and Crick discovered?" Me, from the back of the room: "Rosalind Franklin's notes!"
Kate Jones 2 years ago
I've always wanted to try lsd or cocaine but i don't know any drug dealers. I feel like it's some magical drug that makes you more creative or brilliant. I know some people who have done mushrooms and mostly they just get sick and stare at a wall for 2 hours.
Temporary Dork 2 years ago (edited)
Cocaine is totally different from psychedelics and not really worth the money, imho. First law of LSD: don't do it alone. Have a 'trip sitter' who is sober and at least marginally competent. But LSD is far too intense for a beginner - either microdose or start with shrooms.
Load More Replies... #99
TIL Mickey Mouse's original name was Mortimer until Walt Disney's wife, Lillian, objected that the name was "sissified" and suggested Mickey.
PolymathNecromancer 2 years ago (edited)
No downvotes please, I believe this is correct, Mortimer was a big rat lookin' mouse later in the canon....
Load More Replies... #100
TIL the Beatles last public concert played at Candlestick Park San Francisco in 1966 was a major flop and not even close to a sellout with over 20% of the tickets left unsold. The Beatles never performed before a paying audience again.
#101
TIL: Only two companies have a higher credit rating than the US Government, Microsoft and Johnson&Johnson
#102
TIL that a pair of man-made structures which are older than the pyramids, one of which has been dated to be the among the oldest known human structures on earth, are located on the LSU campus and were used for tailgate parties as recently as 2010.
David Fier 2 years ago (edited)
Since there is no information in the post https://www.lsu.edu/mediacenter/news/2018/04/24campusmounds_2018.php#:~:text=What%20do%20we%20know%20about,area%20about%206%2C100%20years%20ago.
Kel_how 2 years ago (edited)
Thank you! From the article: The LSU Campus Mounds are among the oldest known mounds in Louisiana that are accessible to the public. The people who built the mounds were egalitarian fisher-hunter-gatherers. Archeologists previously thought that these people could not have built monumental architecture such as these earthen mounds. The LSU Campus Mounds played a large part in upending these previously held beliefs.
Load More Replies... Temporary Dork 2 years ago
The oldest man-made structures IN NORTH AMERICA, not the world. And they are 11,000 years old, whereas the oldest in the world are 1.8 million years old (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania), predating homo sapiens (that's us) by 1.5 million years.
Kel_how 2 years ago
A tailgate party is a celebration, usually before an American football game, where people gather to bbq, drink, eat, and party. I'm honestly not understanding the rest of the post...not sure about why a structure that old would be used for tailgating. Or why the structure was even originally built.
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#103
TIL that since 1976, the New York Yankees have maintained a strict appearance policy that states: “All players, coaches and male executives are forbidden to display any facial hair other than mustaches, and scalp hair may not be grown below the collar. Long sideburns and muttonchops are not banned.”
Vicki Cunningham 2 years ago
A study conducted about what teachers wear in the classroom proved that dresses, ties, and slacks actually commanded more respect from students and learning was enhanced.
RagDollLali 2 years ago
I'm not sure how much respect mutton chops have really commanded since 1976 🤣
Load More Replies... #104
TIL The most successful submarine captain of all time was Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière. He only fired 74 torpedos, with 39 hits, but during his career sank 194 ships, totaling 453,000 tones.
Katy McMouse 2 years ago
I kind of have a similar account of a great commander. My dad served on a submarine (The USS Barb) during WWII that was commanded by a man who didn't lose one man in battle, throughout the entire war. His last name was "Flucky", therefore, he became "Lucky Flucky". His boat was also the only submarine to blow up a target on mainland Japan - it was an actual train. They had a locomotive on their battle flag to record this mission. Oh, and FDR was so engrossed with Flucky and his boat, he had any reports of The Barb sent for him to read. My dad didn't speak much about the war, but he did like to talk about this.
#105
TIL over 20 years ago AOL Instant Messenger had a "AI" bot called Smarterchild. One of the first consumer facing machine learning interfaces that was publicly available!
Electra Complex 2 years ago
Me, realizing that the days of AIM were apparently over 20 years ago: 👵👵👵
Little Wonder 2 years ago
I chatted with that bot, I'm officially Internet Geriatric.
Load More Replies... Laura Gillette 2 years ago
I remember chatting with Smarterchild! Ok I guess I'm pretty old...
#106
TIL that during his retirement, George Washington was so intent on staying within 25 miles of his Mount Vernon Estate that he declined to attend the wedding of his nephew Lawrence Augustine Washington.
#107
TIL Joseph McCarthy falsely claimed participation in 32 aerial missions in order to qualify for a Distinguished Flying Cross and multiple awards of the Air Medal, which the Marine Corps chain of command decided to approve in 1952 because of his political influence.
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TheLadyMagic 2 years ago
They're actually only about 65 facts, because of a lot of facts are repeated, 2,3or 4 times
TheLadyMagic 2 years ago
TIL that this title is misleading. Well technically they're 107 facts numbered
TheLadyMagic 2 years ago
They're actually only about 65 facts, because of a lot of facts are repeated, 2,3or 4 times
TheLadyMagic 2 years ago
TIL that this title is misleading. Well technically they're 107 facts numbered
You May Like 41 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That Show How Little We Actually Know (New Facts) 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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