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“Today I Learned”: People Share 50 Fascinating Things They Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics)
Interview
Ever had that feeling of being overwhelmed by the very digital world we currently live in? Information zooming past you faster than a supersonic jet, gadgets updating quicker than you can say "iPhone 23," and jobs transforming like a chameleon on a rainbow? Well, you're not alone. A lot of this stuff can escalate to overwhelming levels, especially when you're using technology to unearth interesting or, more specifically, educational information. I mean, come on, you open Google and the amount of data on just one topic can quickly snowball into a digital avalanche just by skimming through the first page (we don't talk about page 2 of Google, that's another topic entirely).
So, what if you want to learn something new? You know, bite-sized chunks of intriguing info, tidbits of knowledge to store in your brain and impress your friends during a sleepover when the topic of discussion becomes something random. Well, look no further than the Today I Learned forum on Reddit as it collects all of that into one large space. And today we are here to share with you, Pandas, some of the most interesting and recent facts that have emerged from there.
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TIL there was a briefly popular social movement in the early 1930s called the "Technocracy Movement." Technocrats proposed replacing politicians and businessmen with scientists and engineers who had the expertise to manage the economy.
Why didn't this BRILLIANT idea take hold? The fat cats wouldn't have made a profit from it, plus, a lot of businesses would have been OUT of business.
TIL that In 2018, A hacker broke into people’s routers (100,000 of them) and patched their vulnerabilities up so that they couldn’t be abused by other hackers.
TIL that Walmart tried and failed to establish itself in Germany in the early 2000s. One of the speculated reasons for its failure is that Germans found certain team-building activities and the forced greeting and smiling at customers unnerving.
Bored Panda reached out to Pooja Agarwal, a cognitive scientist and assistant professor of psychology, to discuss the cognitive implications of navigating digital information. Agarwal is also the author of the book "Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning," which delves into effective teaching strategies grounded in cognitive science.
When asked about using platforms like Reddit's "Today I Learned" for bite-sized learning, Agarwal stated, "From a cognitive science perspective, platforms like 'Today I Learned' on Reddit can actually be quite beneficial for learning. They align well with established cognitive learning theories, particularly those emphasizing the importance of active recall and spacing, both elements central to my book 'Powerful Teaching'."
TIL the earliest known name for a pet was Nedjem, a cat owned by Puimre high priest of Amun in the 15th Century BC. Nedjem translates to 'the sweet one', meaning the very first named pet was a Sweetie.
TIL that STAR WARS released a Christmas music album in 1980 and the producers wanted a better lead singer for the track "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" so they asked the 17 year old kid who was sweeping floors at the studio, and he nailed it. His name was Jon Bon Jovi.
TIL of Ida & Isidor Straus, a couple aboard the Titanic the night it sank. Isidor had a chance to join his wife on a life boat, but stayed behind to give his place away to a child. Ida, refusing to leave her husband behind, too left the life boat. They died together arm in arm when the ship sank.
The scientist also shared her insights on the immense volume of online information, stating, "The volume of information available online can be both a blessing and a curse... quick and accessible knowledge from platforms like Reddit can be so effective. They provide the opportunity for micro-learning moments that can, cumulatively, contribute to significant cognitive development. Yet, it's crucial to remember that the quality and depth of our interaction with that information matter. We need to actively engage with it and make connections to our existing knowledge if we feel the need to do so in certain cases."
TIL That Historians Believe Cats Domesticated Themselves
And they are only semi-domesticated, as anyone with a cat will attest to.
TIL orcas cultural fads. In the 1980s one such fad was wearing dead salmon as hats. It spread to three separate Pacific pods before suddenly going out of style.
TIL that while filming The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger went into a LA restaurant in battle-damaged Terminator makeup. He asked for a table in character and since no one knew who the Terminator was yet, the host and everyone in the restaurant started freaking out, screaming, and quickly left
Discussing the impact of the high-paced digital environment on cognitive function and information retention, Pooja mentioned that, "The high-paced digital environment is a double-edged sword when it comes to cognitive function and information retention... In my book 'Powerful Teaching,' me and my co-author emphasize strategies like retrieval practice and interleaving, which encourage deeper processing and enhance retention." She shared with Bored Panda before also adding to her statement that, "these strategies can also be effectively applied in online environments."
TIL octopus have nine brains – one mini-brain in each arm and another in the center of their bodies. Each arm can independently taste, touch and perform basic movements, but all arms can work together when prompted by the central brain.
Octopuses are amazing creatures. They also have a great concept of bodily awareness: when being trapped in a box with an escape hole they immediately will start to explore the hole's size with their arms. When the arm/s deem the hole to be big enough they start to squeeze them trough it. If they deem the hole to be too small they don't even try to escape. Edit: I should add that the octopuses' estimations were always right.
TIL that in 2002, Chumbawamba accepted $100k from General Motors for the rights to use one of their songs in a Pontiac commercial. The band then donated it to a corporate watchdog group that used the money to launch an information campaign against GM.
TIL about John Smeaton, a former baggage handler at Glasgow Airport. He helped thwart the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack by kicking one of the attackers in the groin. He was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his actions.
this failed to mention that the dude punched the terrorist while he was on fire
TIL that playing Tetris after a traumatic event can help prevent post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Addressing the concept of learning something new every day, she emphasized the role of active engagement and 'spacing,' stating, "Learning something new every day is indeed beneficial from a cognitive perspective, provided it involves active engagement and is not simply passive absorption... Spacing out learning over time can greatly enhance long-term retention."
TIL In 2013 a couple walking their dog in California found 8 coffee cans containing over 1,427 gold coins worth over $10 million. The original source of the hoard is still unknown.
TIL of the 1850 shipwreck of the Jenny Lind on a South Pacific coral reef. 28 people survived for 37 days on a tiny patch of sand because a passenger created a water distillation system from salvaged cookware capable of making 25 gallons a day of freshwater.
Does anyone know which kitchen parts he used and how they go together? It would be good information to know?
TIL that the choir in the title sequence of Mr Bean is singing ‘Ecce homo qui est faba’, which translates to ‘Behold the man who is a bean.’ in Latin.
The assistant professor also provided advice to you Pandas, on navigating online forums for learning, suggesting, "To navigate online forums effectively for learning, individuals need to be proactive... They should engage in active learning strategies... engage with the information over time, returning to it after a while with a fresh mindset. We should be critical consumers of information, cross-checking facts from reliable sources to minimize misinformation that we often tend to overlook, especially with the rise of social media when books also became available online or as articles."
TIL In Scotland, two students went to an art exhibition and left a pineapple on a table to see if it would become art. When they returned four days later, the pineapple was still there and had been covered with a glass display case
TIL that 'Nothing' was a Shakespearean nickname for the Vulva... 'Much ado about Nothing' could just as easily have been called 'A lot of fuss about Fannies'
TIL in the original German ending of the fairy tale Snow White, the evil queen is forced to put on red-hot iron shoes and dance until she drops dead.
and in the original ending of red riding hood, the wolf has a rock put in him to replace the people he ate and he goes to the river to drink, falls in, and drowns!
TIL that Austrian actress Eva von Berne was presumed to be dead for 70+ years because a PR consultant at MGM accidentally reported her death in 1930. 96-year-old von Berne said in 2006: "It was fortunate that the world thought that I died. So I did not have to deal with autograph hunters."
TIL of Chaser, a border collie whose tested memory was the highest of any non-human animal. She could identify and retrieve 1022 different toys based on name and category.
Border collie, not surprised. How many border collies does it take to change a light bulb? One, and then it will check that your wiring is up to spec
TIL that International Shooting Union barred women from shooting with men in 1993, after Zhang Shan won the gold medal in Skeet Shooting in 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
TIL after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS West Virginia battleship was salvaged six months later. During the salvage operation, a calendar was discovered in an airtight room indicating three sailors survived for another 16 days after the event.
TIL about Empires of the Deep, an $130 million mermaid movie from 2011 that's never been released
TIL that in the 17th century, when coffee had made its way to Europe, some people reacted to it with suspicion or fear, calling it the “bitter invention of Satan.” In 1615, the clergy in Venice asked Pope Clement VIII to intervene. He found the drink so satisfying that he gave it papal approval.
TIL that all clownfish are born as males. One female lives with a group of males but only mates with one of them. When she dies her mate will become female. This change is irreversible.
TIL that every employee at the Hanford Engineer Works in Richland, WA donated one day's worth of their pay to purchase a B-17 bomber, as their contribution to the WW2 effort. The plane was christened 'Day's Pay' and flew over 60 missions in Germany
TIL that a set of triplets found each other coincidentally after being separated at adoption for a pyschological experiment, when a college student mistook one of the triplets for his unknown brother. Once the two reunited, the unusual story made the paper catching the attention of the third brother
Why did people think using children as experimental subjects is OK?
TIL that there is a German man named Marc Wubbenhorst who must drink 20 liters of water every day in order to not die from dehydration. He suffers an extreme case of diabetes insipidus.
This poor guy. All kidding aside, does he even get to have a life outside of monitoring his water intake & the subsequent trips to the restroom that must follow? I wonder how they discovered his condition, initially?
TIL the world's oldest terrarium / sealed bottle ecosystem has been thriving since 1960. The 10-gallon bottle is like a mini Earth. It has only been opened once in 53 years to add a bit more water (in 1972). Otherwise it has been sealed without fresh water or air.
TIL in 2013, Italian surgeons split new residents into two laparoscopic surgery training groups. They found that the group that was ordered to play the Nintendo Wii for 1 hour a day/5days a week performed better on test surgeries than their non-gaming counterparts.
TIL of socialite Ida Wood: in 1907 she emptied her 1 million dollar bank account(21 million in today's money), declared she was “tired of everything" and shut herself in a hotel room along with her sisters. She stepped out of the room for the first time 24 years later
TIL about Grizzly 399. A female bear from the Grand Tetons that bucks the trend of living into her old age and giving birth to triplets instead of twins. She chooses to live in close proximity to humans for their protection and has become a social media celebrity and tourist attraction.
TIL that there's a species of wasp called the horse guard wasp. It is found in the eastern US and acts as a natural biological control by hanging around horses and killing horse flies. Despite their loud buzzing noises, horses are not disturbed by them.
TIL The Ninja Turtles are a parody of Daredevil (Marvel). Daredevil and the turtles were both created in the same radioactive material accident, and Daredevil fights 'The Hand' while the turtles fight 'The Foot', and Daredevil's sensei is called 'Stick', while the turtles' is called 'Splinter'
TIL that when the submarine ARA San Juan disappeared in 2017, initial search crews picked up a banging noise at the search site, like tools hitting metal. After analyzing the audio, it was determined the sound was not from the submarine and was probably from a biological source.
TIL that orcas have a culture that they pass down to their offspring and they also have variations in vocalizations similar to languages and dialects in humans
TIL that the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City is so long with such tall towers that the top of the towers are 1 5/8 inches farther apart at their tops than at their bases. This is because the distance between the towers made it necessary to compensate for the earth’s curvature.
TIL that they stopped putting missing children on milk cartons because the threat was largely overblown, was mostly ineffective, had no requirements for what missing meant, was emotionally disturbing to families, and was done mostly for the tax credits.
I wonder if this is one of the reasons parents in the US seem to keep their kids on a much tighter leash than here in Europe
TIL Peppers evolved to prefer birds spread their seeds. Capsaicin and pepper colors attract birds. Seeds that pass through the digestive system of a bird germinate at a rate of 370% higher than seeds that pass through mammals who are normally repelled by Capsaicin.
TIL: Antilia is one of the most expensive private residences in the world, costing over $1 billion. The billionaire had his entire family live in the 27 story home which requires 600 servants and has 168 car garage, 9 elevators, a theatre, pool, ballroom, and snow room. It was built on an orphanage.
In 2001, a New York couple got married on the deck of the Titanic, in a submarine. They faced criticism that their stunt was in "bad taste."
That's because it WAS in bad taste. Why not just get married in a cemetery?
TIL that Sigourney Weaver only earned $35,000 for Alien (1979) but got $1,000,000 and a share of the profits for Aliens (1986)
Fun facts about Sigourney Weaver. Her real name is Susan. She is the daughter of Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, former President of NBC and creator of the "Today Show". Pat's brother (and Sigorney's uncle) was Winstead Sheffied "Doodles" Weaver, popular movie actor, a singer with the Spike Jones City Slickers, and writer for "Mad Magazine". What a family!!!
TIL that Rüppell's griffon vulture has the highest documented altitude of any bird at 36k feet. Unfortunately this information was discovered after a Boeing 747 took the bird into the engine over western Africa.
TIL - The Onion submitted a 23-page Amicus Curiae brief to the US Supreme Court in 2022 for the case Novak v. City of Parma, Ohio, in support of the protection of parody as free-speech. In the text, The Onion openly parodies the Court and says it is "staffed entirely by total Latin dorks".
TIL game designer Will Wright (creator of The Sims) held the record for the illegal 'Cannonball Run' race to drive across the US in 1980, driving from New York to California in 33 hours 9 minutes
Couldn't help myself...that is an average of 84 mph or 136kmh! Smokin'!
TIL Paris has more than 44000 restaurants, with an approximate population of 2.14 million residents, that’s 48 people for every restaurant.
TIL that only $2 was budgeted toward safety training for the crew of MV Sewol, the South Korean passenger ferry which sank in 2014 killing 306 people. This was used to pay for a paper certificate.
TIL there are 20 mountains over 23,000 ft in the world that have never been climbed.
So those mountains are devoid of all the trash and debris climbers leave behind. Good.
TIL 200,000 to 600,000 pets were estimated to have been left behind in the evacuations from hurricane Katrina, as people were not allowed to take pets with them and pets were not allowed in sheltering places.
TIL heart attack symptoms for women may include Nausea, Sweating, Vomiting, Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, abdomen or back because they buildup cholesterol plaque differently than men
And are often failed to be diagnosed as having a heart attack because physicians use men's symptoms as the standard.
TIL: In 1989, musician Jon Bon Jovi secretly left his tour and headed to Las Vegas to marry his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Hurley. They have four children and are still married. One of their sons is engaged to actress Millie Bobby Brown.
Til of E Henry Knoche, A former star college tennis and basketball athlete, he asked for a job with the CIA with no qualifications other than his trophies, 2 years with the navy during WW2 and speaking Russian and an obscure Chinese dialect. When he retired in 1977 he was acting director of the CIA
TIL Dolphins call each other by ‘name’ using a unique whistle to identify each other. They only respond to their own names, by sounding a distinct whistle back. Researchers believe dolphins are acting like humans: when they hear their name, they answer.
How unlike cats, who know and hear their own names, but don't care.
TIL about the Ghost Blimp. In 1942, a crew of two men left San Francisco in a Navy blimp to conduct an antisubmarine patrol. Five hours later, the empty blimp drifted back ashore and crashed into a residential neighborhood. No trace of the crew was ever found.
TIL the bizantines had to deal with a whale that attacked ships in the Bosporus Strait for 50 years
TIL of Kevin Budden, who caught a deadly taipan by hand and hitchhiked to town still holding the snake. He lost his grip and was bitten, but bagged the snake and made the driver promise to get it to researchers. Kevin died the next day, but the snake was used to create the first taipan antivenom.
No way would I stop to pick up a hitchhiker holding *any* snake let alone the deadliest one there is...
TIL: The US Navy used Xbox 360 controllers to operate the periscopes on submarines based on feedback from junior officers and sailors; the previous controls for the periscope were clunky and real heavy and cost about $38,000 compared to the Xbox 360 controller’s cost of around $20.
I’ve been training for operating a periscope on a sub my entire life.
TIL about Yang Jingyu: a Chinese resistance leader who fought the Japanese during WWil. Yang was encircled & killed after 5 days of fighting alone in the wild. An autopsy found only bark and grass roots in his stomach. His desecrated body was later given a proper burial due to fear of his ghost.
TIL A camel's hump does not hold water. It actually stores fat. The camel uses it as nourishment when food is scarce. If a camel uses the fat inside the hump, the hump will become limp and droop down. With proper food and rest, the hump will return to normal.
A gourmet cook was the guest on the David Letterman Show. She was talking about exotic foods, and asked Letterman "Have you ever had the hump of a camel?" David replied "No, I have never had the hump of a camel – but when I was younger I was pretty damned good!"
TIL If a fighter pilot ejects using a Martin-Baker ejection seat, the company provides a tie, patch, certificate, tie pin and membership card for the "Ejection Tie Club" plus a subsidised limited edition Bremont watch.
Humm.Eject and score a little swag. Bet the country the pilot flys for will not be happy with a bag of swag.
TIL McDonald's closed in Iceland, but the last burger and fries still linger on and are now in a glass encased shrine in a guest house in South Iceland. Twelve plus years later, neither appear to have decayed one bit.
TIL that Brighton, one of the sunniest places in the UK, still has considerably fewer sunshine hours (~1,840) than 'Rain City' Seattle in the US (~2170)
TIL that Lucille Ball convinced Merv Griffin to hire Alex Trebek to host the revival of Jeopardy in 1984 when original host Art Fleming, a friend of Trebek’s, declined to return. Trebek holds the Guinness World Records for most episodes of a game show hosted, hosted the show until his death in 2020.
TIL that when Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, hospital staff cut away his clothing. Finding a laminated card in his suit pocket, they discarded it into his shoe on the floor where it was left unattended. That card was the list of nuclear launch codes.
To be a bit more accurate, the laminated card contained his message authenticators.
TIL Daniel Suhr, who was responding to the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, was the first firefighter killed in the attacks. He was hit by a falling body.
TIL the only copies of the Haitian Declaration of Independence are in the UK's National Archives, Kew. And was only found to be there as recent as 2010 by a student from Duke University.
TIL Shakespeare's skull is missing from his grave, which mysteriously does not bear his name, but rather a curse: “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear, to dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones."
TIL Composer Bart Howard's song "Fly Me to the Moon" made him so wealthy that he was able to ride on it for the rest of his life. Howard curtailed his songwriting efforts and entered semi-retirement, with the occasional concert and cabaret stint
Does anyone want to hear my song 'Drive me to the carwash'? Yes? Ok, here goes..a one a two a one two three four...
TIL Of Titanic Thompson, a prolific hustler and golfer of the early 20th century. One of Thompson's tricks was to play righthanded, win, and offer to play double or nothing lefthanded, he was naturally lefthanded. In his time a professional golfer could earn 30,000$ a year, he earned that in a week.
TIL Actor Dermot Mulroney is also an accomplished cellist and has played on many of Michael Giacchino's film soundtracks, including Rogue One, Jurassic World, and Spider-Man: Homecoming
TIL that AIDS was initially called GRID - Gay Related Immune Deficiency. It was changed to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome once it was clear that the disease was not confined to the gay community.
Was never a gay disease. It just hit that community first and the hardest in those early days. Read "And the Band Played On." by Randy Shilts.
TIL President Lincoln established the Secret Service on April 14th, 1865. He would be murdered later that same evening
TIL of the United Kingdom's Locomotives Act 1865, which mandated that motor vehicles abide by a 2 to 4 mph speed limit, be crewed by minimum of three persons, and have man walk at least 55 meters ahead of the vehicle, waving a red flag and sounding a horn.
TIL according to international space law, space is defined as common heritage of humanity, which makes territorial claims in space prohibited. The main purposes of this law are to prevent colonial claims and militarization of space.
As if that is going to stop it from happening in the future
Til that an entire species of bird went extinct because of ww2 - Wake Island rail. They were flightless birds specific to one tiny island and the Japanese troops there ate them.
During WW2, a bird that had been extinct from British waters decided to re-introduce itself. The Avocet (a wading bird with an upturned bull - the symbol of the RSPB) was able to safely live and breed on the beaches of eastern Britain as all the beaches had been closed in case of potential invasion. When they were noticed a couple years after the war’s end, they’d already set up a healthy colony and have thrived ever since.
TIL a mentally unstable man in Canada cut down a rare golden spruce tree, sacred to Indigenous people, to protest the logging industry. His trial was on the island where he cut down the tree. Fearing for his safety, he opted to kayak there solo rather than take a plane. He hasn't been seen since.
TIL that Albert I, King of the Belgians (b. 1875, r. 1909-1934) commanded the Belgian Army from the front during WWI, while his wife Elisabeth worked as a frontline nurse and their 12 year old son Leopold enlisted as a private and fought in the ranks
TIL that there were 26 families of passengers on the Mayflower that are known to have left descendants; it is estimated that over 30 million people can trace their ancestry back to those 26 families on the Mayflower.
TIL "Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat" was an unofficial mascot of the 2000 Summer Olympics. He proved so popular that the Australian Olympic Committee attempted to ban athletes appearing with Fatso to stop him upstaging their official mascots.
TIL Canada geese eggs are "aborted" by coating the eggs with corn oil for population control. Simply removing or destroying the eggs will just result in the geese laying more eggs
TIL that in the 1960s, Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead worked for Jimi Hendrix as his roadie and drug supplier for after-show parties. Lemmy later recalled how he got to see Hendrix perform a whole lot - twice a night for about three months.
Lemmy gave Keith Emerson the antique knives Emerson used to hold down keys in his stage show. The provenance if the knives is not known.
TIL about Prince Mikasa who was Japanese Emperor Hirohito's brother and repeatedly criticized the regime's war crimes during and after World War II including proposing that the Emperor resign in 1945 to take responsibility for the war
TIL During the first dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, one of the outer window panes on the bathysphere cracked. They opted to continue, and successfully reached the bottom.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that would have been a nope from me at that stage
TIL on Fridays, the Swedes love to eat tacos. It's called Taco Fredag or Taco Friday.
TIL the founders of Outback Steakhouse intentionally decided not to visit Australia, as they were concerned that having too much authenticity would confuse customers
Born and raised in Australia and I've never even seen a "bloomin' onion". It does sound tasty, though.
TIL the rat filmed breathing liquid in The Abyss (1989) was really done, and not an effect. The rat is filmed in an emulsion of oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion, aka "breathing liquid"
TIL that the Titanic was the place of discovery for tiny iron eating microbes. These microbes form icicle-shaped “rusticles.” Which consists of 35% iron compounds and a community of symbiontic microbes and fungi. “Halomonas titanicae” is expected to dissolve the Titanic by 2045.
TIL that Japanese actor Bandō Mitsugorō VIII claimed to be immune to fugu kimo, naturally toxic pufferfish liver. He ate 4 portions in a restaurant with his friends in Kyoto and died 8 hours later.
TIL The Undertaker was engulfed in flames during his entrance at 2010’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, but he remained in character for the entirety of the match, despite being on the receiving end of 1st and 2nd-degree burns and a chest burn that would bubble up during the match.
The Deadman really is THE performer of his time. Although I prefer his biker-gimmick more, I cannot deny Death Valley's Favourite Demon. *Eye Roll* R... I... P....!!!
TIL Diamonds were first discovered and mined in India 3000 years ago. India remained the primary source of diamonds until the 18th century.
When De Beers cleared out the mines and monetised them as rare when they release just a small amount every year. Conflict free or lab grown is the way forward !
TIL that a fried chicken factory in Hamelt, North Carolina fell victim to a severe grease fire caused by faulty machinery and made worse by locked emergency exits and the fire was the second deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the state
This fire was the culmination of a history of horrific behavior by the owner and most likely a preventable tragedy. The building had no fire alarm or working sprinkler system. Several exits were locked, including an emergency exit that was locked from the inside using chains and padlocks, to prevent employee theft. (Because low paid workers do desperate things.) After this fire, hardware for emergency exits was changed to prevent chain locking from the inside. The phone line burned in the fire so the operations manager had to drive to the fire station for help. The owner pled guilty to 25 counts of involuntary manslaughter and received a 20-year sentence, but was paroled in around 4 years. NC issue a record high fine and the company declared bankruptcy. There's much more https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet_chicken_processing_plant_fire
TIL that Yoko Ono created an experimental film called Self-Portrait. It's a 42 minute shot of John Lennon's semi-erect penis. It was shown once at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1969, and has never been seen or released since.
But isn't a self portrait, by it's very nature, supposed to be of one's self?
TIL Chinese checkers is actually called Sternhalma and is not related to Chinese culture or the the game of checkers and was invented in Germany in 1892.
Huh. I (German) know it as "Halma" without the star in the beginning. But now I finally know what Chinese checkers is without looking it up.
TIL That when 'Wayne's World' was filming, Mike Myers didn't know how to drive a car, so he had to take driving lessons from Sears
TIL: That the first aircraft carrier landing was done with no arresting wires to stop the plane, men on deck grabbed ropes tied to the plane
I think this was the Battleship Texas. Take a tour if you ever get the chance.
TIL Wilt Chamberlain is the reason players have to stay behind the foul line when shooting a free throw. While at KU, thanks to his 7’ height, 7’8” wingspan, and 50” vertical, he would start from top of the key, leap before the foul line, and dunk the ball before he touched the ground in the lane.
TIL that in Japan there are company specializing in helping people vanish.
TIL that filmmaker James Cameron has visited the Titanic 33 times, including once when he was trapped for 16 hours due to on-board technical issues
Isn't it incredibly expensive to visit the Titanic? Though it's cool, I wish the money had gone to letting others have the experience or donating it to something that would help more people
TIL: Until as recently as 2020, tattoos in Japan could only be legally performed by licensed medical professionals. South Korea still has this restriction.
@Lia you're so right actually. And remember, 'licenced medical professional' does not mean 'someone who has a phd' it means someone who has undergone training toward a licence, usually safety training. I know of at least one american tattoo artist that used to be a phlebotemist for example. The tattoo industry SHOULD be regulated by the same safety standards we apply to ANYBODY sticking needles in other people, or sticking fluids in other people. They should receive at least as much safety training as phlebotemists and should be held to at least the same standards and practises. So too should the inks be tested and reegulated by the FDA. Tattoos are pretty but that is still a NEEDLE putting a chemical into your body! It's actually criminal that tattoos are such a taboo subject (STILL) that they go so unregulated. I feel the same way about how sex toys aren't regulated. That is something going into your body!! You should know what it is and whether it's safe!
TIL that Andy Buckley (who played David Wallace on “The Office”) is a former financial analyst in real life, and was chosen for the role specifically due to his familiarity with the intricacies of corporate finance, and continued to work in the field during his time on the show.
TIL that the Canadian government will send you a flag that has been flown on top of the Parliament buildings. The current waiting list is over 100 years.
For those wondering, the flag on top of Peace Tower at Parliament gets switched out every weekday, except in bad weather, to keep the colours looking vibrant. The ones on the Senate building get switched once a week. At least they're giving away the flags instead of trashing them.
TIL: That Owsley Stanley, legendary creator of the LSD that inspired Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze and sought after by the Hell's Angel's for his amphetamine production was also the key sound engineer for the Grateful Dead
TIL that Pizzly Bears are the offspring of a female Polar Bear and a male Brown Bear. These hyprid Bears are able to breed offspring and to date there have been 8 confirmed hybrids (4 50:50 B:P, 4 75:25 B/P) in the wild. All 4 75:25 came from one 50:50 female and all 4 50:50 came from one female PB.
TIL that the line "There's one for you, nineteen for me" in the Beatles song "Taxman" was not an exaggeration - at the time, the highest UK tax rate was 95%.
Of course, that's not a tax on ALL of their money. It's a progressive tax.
TIL it used to be mandatory by law for Indian cinemas to play the national anthem before showing a movie. However, in 2018, the Supreme Court of India decided it wasn't necessary.
TIL in 1978, The Beatles record company Apple sued newly founded Apple Inc. for trademark infringement and won. Part of the agreement was for Apple Inc. to never enter the music business. When they created iTunes, a new lawsuit began but The Beatles lost this time (2006).
TIL in 1974 the Cleveland Indians held a Ten Cent Beer promotion that resulted in on-field streaking, fans lighting fireworks in the stands, and pelting of players with hotdogs that culminated in a riot in the 9th inning, a local sports writer interviewing fans after was punched in the face twice.
Just what did they results did they expect after offering Ten Cent Beers?
TIL it took 88 skydiving jumps to film the scene of James Bond jumping from an airplane without a parachute in Moonraker (1979), often getting just 3 seconds of action filmed in a jump.
TIL the person who invented dumpsters name was dempster, and they where originally called Dempster Dumpsters
TIL that some Jeeps have "Easter Eggs" of designs of animals and other symbols that are hidden around the vehicle; with some found on the windshield or carved into the dashboard, under seats, and near the gas cap.
TIL The first "The Fast and the Furious" movie licensed its title from an old 1954 Roger Corman movie after rejecting other bad titles involving racing and wars. But Corman kept the rights to numerical sequel titles, thus why the franchise has no "The Fast and the Furious 2."
TIL that women can give birth to twins with different biological fathers (heteropaternal superfecundation). The frequency has not been established, but one study found it occurred in around 1 in every 42 cases of fraternal twins whose parents were involved in paternity disputes.
TIL in 1925, a forger convinced Portugal's money printer to make him 200,000 bills, worth ~1% of Portugal's GDP. They were easily laundered, since they weren't actually counterfeit. To cover his tracks, he started buying a controlling interest in the Bank of Portugal, but was caught. He was 28.
TIL that Princess Anne was briefly involved with a man named Andrew Parker Bowles. He would later marry Camilla Shand. Later, Camilla Parker Bowles would have an affair with and eventually marry Prince Charles, Anne's brother.
TIL that Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky was not at the funeral of Vladimir Lenin, despite being among the USSR's top leadership at the time of his death. Trotsky later claimed he had deliberately been told the wrong date for the funeral.
You'd think Russians had learned to check the calendar after missing the Olympics in 1908
TIL that Gabe Newell, president of the video game company Valve which created steam, owns Inkfish, an ocean-exploration research organisation which currently holds the records for the deepest crewed dives in all five oceans with their deep-submergence vehicle Limiting Factor
TIL about the CSS Hunley, a confederate submarine that sank three times, killing her entire crew each time.
Is it just me, or does it sound weird hearing that a submarine... sank?
TIL that Oceangate blew up a 1/3 scale carbon fiber hull model during 6000 psi testing at the University of Washington, shook the whole building, and had to pay for the pressure sensors destroyed.
TIL the world's oldest (still existing) anime was made back in 1917 and is still preserved!
TIL the person who came up with the concept of a supermodel was the father of the lead singer of The Strokes
TIL I learned about the HMS Thesis submarine disaster. It had an escape chamber that saved 4 lives but the fifth person panicked when using it, dooming all 98 others aboard.
https://greatdisasters.co.uk/hms-thetis/ Heartbreaking read but amazingly written.
TIL that the movie "Flamin' Hot" is not based on a true story; the LA Times investigated the origin of Flamin' Hot and it does not match up with what Richard Montanez claims he did
TIL that there were 26 families of passengers on the Mayflower that are known to have left descendants; it is estimated that over 30 million people can trace their ancestry back to those 26 families on the Mayflower.
The post about gendered competitions for shooting reminded me of gendered titles for chess championships, which reminded me of the Polgar sisters. If you don't know about them, basically their dad was an educational psychologist who wanted to prove that anyone could become exceptional with the right training and support. He decided he would prove this when he had kids and chose chess because it would not be subjective. He was right. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3_Polg%C3%A1r
Recent TIL that blew my mind was that I always thought the theme to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was created by the BBC Radiophonic workshop. It's actually an Eagles track called Journey of the Sorcerer.
I didn't know it when I first heard HHGTTG but I found out soon after. Now I cannot hear it without being whisked back to my first b/f's bedroom where we damn near wet ourselves listening to the radio show.
Load More Replies... If he truly loved Camilla, why didn't he tell his mum I'm marrying her!
The post about gendered competitions for shooting reminded me of gendered titles for chess championships, which reminded me of the Polgar sisters. If you don't know about them, basically their dad was an educational psychologist who wanted to prove that anyone could become exceptional with the right training and support. He decided he would prove this when he had kids and chose chess because it would not be subjective. He was right. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3_Polg%C3%A1r
Recent TIL that blew my mind was that I always thought the theme to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was created by the BBC Radiophonic workshop. It's actually an Eagles track called Journey of the Sorcerer.
I didn't know it when I first heard HHGTTG but I found out soon after. Now I cannot hear it without being whisked back to my first b/f's bedroom where we damn near wet ourselves listening to the radio show.
Load More Replies... If he truly loved Camilla, why didn't he tell his mum I'm marrying her!
