Article created by: Indrė Lukošiūtė

With unlimited access to the digital world at our fingertips, it’s virtually impossible to avoid learning new information every day. And why should we? We're well aware of the evidence that discovering something new is an incredible way to improve our life. From stretching our thinking in different directions to keeping our minds sharp, exercising our brains lets us make sense of ourselves and our surroundings.

But if you feel that the amount of information floating around makes it hard to know where to start, then you’re in luck. There’s an impressive corner on Reddit aptly titled 'Today I Learned' where people do the heavy lifting and scour the internet for the most fascinating and captivating facts.

This subreddit is home to 27.6 million curious members who waste no time in sharing tasty bites of knowledge they recently found with everyone online. To celebrate their efforts, we at Bored Panda compiled a new TIL selection right below, so continue scrolling and let us know which ones you enjoyed most! And if you’re ready to gain even more precious wisdom, check out our previous TIL posts right here, here, and here.

#1

Close-up of a horse wearing a bridle, illustrating the idea that it's never too late to learn something new. TIL about the Horse, Sergeant Reckless. A Horse who served with the marines in Korea. She was able to haul ammunition by herself without a handler, would seek a bunker or lay down when under fire and received two purple hearts as well as other medals for her service in the Korean war

SonofSanguinius87 , knl_photo Report

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    #2

    Young woman wearing a black hijab and earrings, sitting thoughtfully by a textured brick and tiled wall, learning new facts. TIL A turkish mother that read lecture notes for four years to her blind daughter in law school, has been awarded an honorary degree with the daughter

    Kaos2018 , Raamin ka Report

    #3

    Yellow Labrador swimming in blue water, demonstrating the joy and benefits of learning something new at any age. TIL in 1908, the NYT reported a story on a dog that would push kids into the Seine in order to earn beefsteak treats for “rescuing” them

    atrailofdisasters , mugeinsky Report

    #4

    Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs carved in stone representing learning and knowledge in historical context. TIL There's 3,200-Year-Old Egyptian Tablet Records Excuses for Why People Missed Work

    nixass , Jeremy Bezanger Report

    jay gerhard
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    how about some examples? the dog ate my papyrus?

    #5

    Early Wright brothers' airplane flight on a barren field illustrating today I learned facts about learning new skills. TIL The Wright Brothers only flew together on the same flight one time, a six-minute flight on May 25th, 1910. They promised their father, Milton, they would never fly together to avoid the chance of a double tragedy and to ensure one brother would remain to continue their flight experiments

    literally12sofus , historyhd Report

    jay gerhard
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    but two Wrights make an airplane

    #6

    Raindrops on window glass with blurred outdoor scene, symbolizing today I learned facts about learning new things. TIL that 1996's movie "Twister" was rated PG-13 for "intense depiction of very bad weather"

    SimeoneXXX , glenncarstenspeters Report

    #7

    Open book on a wooden table with soft natural light, symbolizing today I learned and continuous learning. TIL that "Old Book Smell" is caused by lignin — a compound in wood-based paper — when it breaks down over time, it emits a faint vanilla scent

    lnhvtepn , fangweilin Report

    #8

    Library shelves filled with a variety of books, illustrating the concept of learning new facts and continuous education. TIL that Alice Munro, co-founder of a bookstore with her then-husband Jim, started writing after reading some of the store's stock and thinking "I can write better books than this." In 2013, she won the Nobel Prize in Literature

    1945BestYear , Alfons Morales Report

    #9

    Sunlight streaming through barred window in a dark room, illustrating ‘Today I Learned’ facts about learning new things. TIL Captain Robert Campbell whilst a prisoner of the Germans in WW1 asked the Kaiser to visit his dying mother in England. Surprisingly he was given permission, provided he returned to prison afterwards. He did

    Stotallytob3r , Denny Müller Report

    Phantom Phoenix
    Community Member
    Premium
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That first sentence reads as though the request was for the mother to be visited by the Kaiser...

    #10

    Gray wolf in a snowy forest, representing today I learned facts about never too late to learn something new. TIL that by letting a wolf population recover, traffic collisions caused by deer are reduced by nearly 25%; the reduction is not based as much on the decimation of the deer population but on the “landscape of fear” created by the wolves

    sunkid , Milo Weiler Report

    #11

    Luxury black Rolls Royce Ghost parked on a grassy driveway, symbolizing success and new learning achievements. TIL that the new Rolls-Royce Ghost soundproofing was so overengineered that occupants in the car found the near-total silence disorienting, and some felt sick. Acoustic engineers had to go back and work on "harmonizing" various sounds in the car to add a continuous soft whisper

    poyup , martinkatler Report

    #12

    Colorful street art of a woman holding a gun, illustrating creativity and the concept of learning something new every day. TIL That the hair style Princess Leia wears in Star Wars, was inspired by women of the Mexican Revolution, most notably, guerrilla fighter Clara de la Rocha

    thesuavedog , gpthree Report

    #13

    ATM machine in a dark setting with illuminated ATM sign, symbolizing facts that prove it’s never too late to learn TIL in 2011, a 29-year-old Australian bartender found an ATM glitch that allowed him to withdraw way beyond his balance. In a bender that lasted four-and-half months, he managed to spend around $1.6 million of the bank’s money

    Str33twise84 , Jake Allen Report

    #14

    Red helicopter flying in a clear blue sky illustrating today I learned facts about learning something new. TIL about Jean Boulet who in 1972 set the world record for the highest altitude reached in a helicopter, 40,280ft. During descent his engines failed, and he landed the helicopter without power, setting another record in the process for the highest unpowered helicopter landing

    LongshanksAragon , isaacbenhesed Report

    #15

    Close-up of a colorful Donald Duck statue outdoors representing fun facts about learning and discovering new knowledge. TIL every year at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the 1958 special 'Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas' is screened on Sweden's main channel. Swedes are so compelled by the cartoon that last year during the program, cell data usage fell 28% and calls to emergency services dropped 16%

    Travellingjake , Kin Li Report

    #16

    Hand holding a lit cigarette with smoke rising, illustrating a Today I Learned fact about habits and change. TIL when you see actors smoking cigarettes in movies, they’re often smoking “Herbal Cigarettes” which contain other plants like lettuce or tea leaves instead of tobacco

    LazeLinez , iriser Report

    #17

    Mountain landscape with winding road and clouds, illustrating the idea that it’s never too late to learn something new. TIL when one adventurer drove a Jeep Wrangler to the world record altitude of 6,646 m, he left a sign saying "Jeep Parking Only: All others don't make it up here anyway.". The next record breakers, who had a Suzuki Samurai and climbed up to 6,688 m on the same volcano, removed that sign

    YourOwnBiggestFan , Darko Pribeg Report

    nttw26r4fw
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ah, humans, removing others’ achievements instead of adding yours 🤣

    #18

    Close-up of a Toyota steering wheel inside a car illustrating facts about learning something new every day. TIL that Toyota is headquartered in the city of Toyota, Japan and was founded there, but is not named after the city. In fact, the city (originally called Koromo) renamed itself after the company in 1959, because Toyota had become so famous

    ChiaraStellata , tinatelep Report

    See Also on Bored Panda
    #19

    Tall palm tree with green and yellow leaves against a clear sky, symbolizing growth and new learning facts. TIL: The Coconut Monk was a pacifist mystic who founded the Coconut Religion in Vietnam. He lived on an island, meditated in a palm tree for hours every day, had a cat and mouse as his companions, made shards of bombs into a gong, and went to prison for his opposition to the Vietnam War

    SunlitMeadows , Amy Humphries Report

    #20

    Old metal kettle with black handle resting on a rustic wooden surface, illustrating facts about learning something new. TIL in 2013, JCPenney sold a stainless steel tea kettle that attracted controversy due to its perceived resemblance to Adolf Hitler

    Giantsgiants , laura adai Report

    #21

    Map of Papua New Guinea highlighted in black and red, illustrating facts related to today I learned and learning new things. TIL 12% of the world's total languages are found in Papua New Guinea, which has over 820 indigenous languages. There are more languages on this island than in any other country

    Krank33 , GDJ Report

    #22

    Person holding a round fishbowl with a goldfish inside, symbolizing today I learned facts and new learning. TIL in 2000, an art exhibition in Denmark featured ten functional blenders containing live goldfish. Visitors were given the option of pressing the “on” button. At least one visitor did, killing two goldfish. This led to the museum director being charged with and, later, acquitted of animal cruelty

    Str33twise84 , sarimsuck Report

    #23

    Strawberry smoothie in a tall glass with fresh strawberries, illustrating facts about learning something new. TIL that one if the original ingredients for a Milkshake was Whiskey

    peligro2k , sebastiancoman Report

    #24

    Close-up of hands playing a Steinway piano, illustrating today I learned facts about learning something new at any age. TIL that Hans Zimmer deliberately used a broken piano for the score of Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" to make it sound like something you would hear in a pub

    ShabtaiBenOron , dolodol Report

    #25

    US Capitol building under clear blue sky symbolizing today I learned facts about lifelong learning and knowledge growth. TIL that Daniel Inouye, who served 50 years in the U.S. Senate, destroyed three German machine gun nests in a single assault in the WWII Italian Campaign. The third nest was destroyed after Inouye grabbed a live grenade from his severed right hand and threw it through the firing slit with his left

    MIkeR1988 , Obi - @pixel6propix Report

    #26

    A small piglet standing on straw-covered ground, representing facts that prove it’s never too late to learn new things. TIL Mini pigs aka Teacup pigs are a hoax. They are just potbellied pigs that have been underfed to stunt their growth and will eventually grow to weigh 100-150 pounds

    Anarchiszt , bhris1017 Report

    LLP-roundincircles
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm a little teacup, short and stout. I will grow up to be a lout. With burps and farts I'll run about To offend all snobs Without a doubt!

    View more comments
    #27

    Open CD drive tray with a shiny optical disc reflecting colors, illustrating 34 Today I Learned facts about learning new skills TIL about Jon Lech Johansen, a self-trained software engineer who created software that decoded DVD copy protection. Johansen defended himself against computer hacking charges, arguing he didn't access anyone else's information: he owned the DVDs. He was acquitted in 2003

    WouldbeWanderer , Lucky Alamanda Report

    #28

    Hands holding up a golden trophy against a clear blue sky representing achievement and learning new facts today TIL about the Financial Modeling World Cup, which is essentially the World Cup for Competitive excel users. Participants solve real-life case studies by building financial models in Microsoft Excel. $25,000 prize fund

    Ok-Video5299 , fznsr_ Report

    See Also on Bored Panda
    #29

    Close-up of a January calendar page with paper clips and a green leaf, symbolizing new beginnings and learning something new. TIL that January is the first month of the Gregorian calendar because it is named after the roman god of all beginnings, Janus

    DrJamesMoore , Maddi Bazzocco Report

    #30

    Ornate antique chair with decorative patterns and a cushion, symbolizing history and learning new facts today. TIL that after 5 Tamil chiefs defeated the Sri Lankan king Valagamba, one of them became king but was eventually slain by another, who also became king before being slain by another, and so on until only one remained, then Valagamba returned, slew the last one and took back his throne

    ShabtaiBenOron , William Krause Report

    #31

    Two slices of white bread on a black surface, illustrating simple facts for today I learned content. TIL it took an Iowa man named Otto Frederick Rohwedder some 16 years to perfect and sell the first bread-slicing machine. A prototype made in 1912 was destroyed in a fire, and he didn't sell his first slicing machine until 1928. Within 5 years, 80% of bread sold in the U.S. was pre-sliced

    PikesPique , graphyco Report

    Phantom Phoenix
    Community Member
    Premium
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What was "the best thing" before sliced bread?

    #32

    Close-up of a vintage bronze statue head with laurel wreath, symbolizing wisdom and the idea it’s never too late to learn new facts. TIL that one of the earliest recorded variations of classic dad phrase "Women: can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em" is found in a speech from 102 B.C. by Roman Censor Q. Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, in a speech that would be repeated by Caesar Augustus nearly a century later

    A_Disgruntled_Mule , couleuroriginal Report

    #33

    Abstract geometric design with glowing blue light edges creating modern shapes, illustrating the concept of learning and discovery. TIL that the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to the three men who invented the blue LED. Until their discovery in the 90s, white LED lights couldn't be produced

    keirawynn , Dawid Sokołowski Report

    #34

    Man in orange shirt excitedly talking on phone outside house, illustrating today I learned facts about learning new skills. TIL that when his film Uncut Gems began to receive critical acclaim, Adam Sandler threatened the world with making "the worst movie ever" if he did not receive a nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars. He was not nominated

    derstherower , celebrityabc Report