“Today I Learned”: 40 Lesser-Known Facts About The World That Should Be Common Knowledge (New Pics)
One of the distinguishing features about pandas, one that separates them from other mammals, is their curiosity. Sure, they can get a bit lazy and too preoccupied with bamboo (we can't blame 'em). And yet, they go out and poke things with their fluffy paws, do somersaults until they learn something new about their environment.
And that is one of the reasons why we, dear pandas, can't get enough of the r/todayilearned subreddit which never fails to keep our inner pandas somersaulting from all the new things we learn. Whether it's bits of trivia related to hit TV shows like "Friends" or something new about the always weird, always surprising Weird Al Yankovic, we couldn't help but handpick the tastiest facts for your curious inner pandas.
This post may include affiliate links.
TIL I learned that the the town of Boring (Oregon, US) established relationship with village of Dull (Scotland, UK) in 2012; the following year they were joined with the Shire of Bland (New South Wales, AU) to form the League of Extraordinary Communities.
For many people, maintaining curiosity and continuously learning new things can be a lifelong journey. By now, it’s probably not a secret to most of you that new experiences, like visiting new places or trying something out for the first time, make it feel like time slows down. Or as one headline of a scientific article brilliantly put it: "It's like you're Doctor Strange, but only in your head."
The feeling of discovering something you didn't know before, in other words, can be deeply rewarding and satisfying. As we noted in one of our previous articles, our brain rewards us for learning or achieving small things with dopamine, which, although addicting, can give enough encouragement for those "Duolingo" streaks.
TIL during World War II, Papua New Guinean ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ carried 750 wounded up/down the Kokoda Trail. They prioritized feeding patients & built shelter with 4 sleeping on each side at night. No known injured soldier was ever abandoned by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, even during heavy combat.
Another great reason why we can't get enough of communities such as r/todayilearned is the ability to open up new worlds and perspectives. Whether you're exploring a new subject area, reading about a historical event, or delving into a scientific discovery - just take a look at the top facts of today - learning new information can help you to better understand the world around you and the people in it.
Of course, being curious and hungry for knowledge can often challenge our assumptions and beliefs, prompting us to reconsider opinions and expand our understanding of different cultures, experiences, and perspectives. Do you remember what it was like to unlearn that the poor ol' Pluto is not worthy enough to be considered a full-sized planet like its ball-shaped contemporaries?
TIL after the fires that followed the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many insurance companies tried to avoid covering the losses, except for Lloyd's of London: "Pay all of our policyholders in full, irrespective of the terms of their policies." This cemented Lloyd's reputation in the U.S.
TIL of Solomon Islander Jacob C. Vouza. During WW2, he was captured by the Japanese during the Guadalcanal Campaign, tied to a tree, bayoneted, and left for dead. He then chewed through the ropes with his teeth and made his way to American lines warning them about an impending attack. He survived.
TIL that while 'Beat It' by Michael Jackson peaked at #3 in Australia, 'Eat It' by Weird Al Yankovic peaked at #1
It's no surprise, then, that curiosity has been described as the driving force behind scientific and technological advancement. The desire to understand the unknown and discover new truths about the world has led to some of the most significant breakthroughs in human history. From the discovery of penicillin to the exploration of space, curiosity has been at the forefront of human progress. What else, do you think, put humans all the way on the Moon?
TIL the first U.S official coin in circulation, the Fugio Cent, had the motto "Mind Your Business" instead of "In God we Trust".
TIL In ancient Greece, men weren't allowed to become midwives because it was required by law one had to have given birth themselves to qualify as one.
TIL in the early 1930s, Cadillac's policy was to not sell cars to black people. In 1933, Nicholas Dreystadt, a middle manager at General Motors, crashed a GM executive committee meeting and convinced them to drop the policy and instead market to black people. Sales increased by 70% within a year.
Then again, curiosity isn't just important for scientific advancement - it's also essential for personal growth and development. The more we learn and explore, the more we understand ourselves and the world around us. It's also been scientifically proven that curiosity can improve our creative problem-solving skills. Not to mention the enhanced empathy and compassion for others.
TIL in 2018 a mom put out an ad to borrow an orange cat so her kids could have "a lasagna dinner with Garfield" and succeeded.
TIL that unlike most animals, African wild dogs follow an age-based food sharing system where pups are given immediate access to kills, making older dogs wait before they can eat.
Today I Learned Roman physician Galen would use wine as a disinfectant for all types of wounds, and even soaked exposed bowels before returning them to the body. Only 5 Gladiators died under his watch.
Our openness to new experiences and information varies according to the personality trait of being curious, it turns out. This trait is linked to the Big Five personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. As Regan Gurung, an American psychologist and award-winning author of "Study Like a Champ", explained to Bored Panda, there are certain variables, such as the Need for Cognition, which encourage deeper processing rather than surface processing, leading people to want to know more.
TIL: The consensus is that octopuses are most likely sentient.
TIL that ginkgo trees are a symbol of hope and tenacity in Japan, as they were one of the few living things to survive the nuclear bomb at Hiroshima.
They outlasted the dinosaurs, i'm not surprised that a nuke would be shrugged off.
TIL The pika is a small rodent that collects plants and dries them out in the sun to store them for winter.
"From an external standpoint, it is reinforcing to know facts (silly or random) when people around us give us attention for knowing or value us knowing," Gurung argued. "There is also a satisfaction some derive from knowing the answers to 'Why' questions (not something all share). It gives some [people] meaning."
TIL that everyone wears Crocs in the 2006 movie Idiocracy because the costume designer had a limited shoe budget, and thought the cheap plastic shoes made by the then startup company were futuristic yet too stupid looking to ever become popular in real life.
TIL about the Pizzly Bear, a Polar and Grizzly Bear hybrid. This hybrid species isn't sterile and can actually procreate.
Everybody in this thread is geeking about the cuteness and the name, but really the most ferocious type of bear and the only one that will actively hunt humans are mating to make Pizzly Bears
TIL a boy was hit in the head with a foul ball during a televised game, rather than wait for EMTS to arrive, Jim Rice Ran into the stands and took him into the clubhouse, where he was immediately treated by the team's medical staff. He is credited with saving the boy's life.
Gurung also pointed out that the digital age and social media have made obtaining information much easier compared to the time-consuming process of physically visiting a library. "Those of us who are more curious may go down deeper rabbit holes due to social media (calling for higher levels of managing the self)."
TIL Christine Maggiore founded the HIV/AIDS denialism group Alive and Well. Maggiore herself then died of aids in 2008.
Sorry but I really think this is a darwin award, I can't feel bad for her. We had an aids denialist president and we estimate the death toll as over 100 000 as a result.
TIL that Wild European hamsters in Vienna, Austria have learned to survive harsh winters by feasting on the oily, protein-filled candles left by mourners in gravesites.
There is a saying "Death must be from Vienna". Vienna takes pride in its enourmous cemeteries, people flock to them , it is deeply ingrained into the city culture. There are famous mausoleums and crypts, mummified remains, death as a pompous staging. So it makes sense that even the hamsters take advantage of the dead.
TIL that the low cost wine brand "Two Buck Chuck" was created by Fred Franzia, who bought the Charles Shaw name from a bankrupt winery for $27k. Once when asked why his wine was cheaper than water, he replied "They're overcharging for the water. Don't you get it?"
TIL Anti-climb paint, a class of non-drying oil paint, was developed in the 1960s. It can take over 3 years to dry, It is used to prevent trespassing and mark trespassers as it is very difficult to remove.
I've definitely had nail polish like this. My bet its the polish reacts with ones need to pee right after painting nails
TIL that the deepest scuba dive of all time was 1,090 feet, set by Ahmed Gabr in 2014. It took him nearly a decade to properly prepare for the dive. While the descent took only 15 minutes, the ascent back to the surface took over 13 hours.
TIL about “One Night Cough Syrup” was sold in the late 1800s, and it contained alcohol, cannabis, chloroform, and morphine. This mixture was available over the counter and promised to eliminate your cough in one night so you could sleep.
TIL King Charles & Prince William always travel in separate planes in case there is a crash, one needs to survive.
TIL Mt. Thor on Baffin Island, Canada, has Earth’s greatest sheer vertical drop (4,101 feet).You can take one step off the peak and fall nearly a mile before you hit anything.
TIL of a courtier, Jeffrey Hudson, in the court of King Charles I of England who was only 18 inches tall. He challenged a normal-height man to a duel with pistols over an insult. His opponent came to the duel armed with a water squirt gun. Hudson shot him in the head with a real gun, killing him.
TIL: That scam baiters managed to trick Nigerian scammers into traveling 1400 miles and left them stranded in Darfur in a warzone.
Okay that's awful wth I know they are not princes and yeah they scam people (who still fall for this?) but wtf, a warzone????
TIL that the famous dish: tikka masala - is British, not Indian and it was invented in the 70’s, not some cultural cuisine that’s been around for ages.
Britain has had a thriving community of people of Indian descent for centuries.
TIL that Madame Tussaud's skill at making wax replicas of people is what saved her from the French Revolution's Guillotine.
TIL in 1656 Boston, a ship's captain was sentenced to sit in the stocks for two hours because he had engaged in "lewd and unseemly behavior" on the Sabbath. Upon arriving home on a Sunday after a three-year voyage at sea, Captain Kemble had kissed his wife
ah, christian governments. More worried about bedrooms than genocide.
TIL about Troy Hurtubise, a Canadian man who built multiple suits of armor to study grizzly bears up close in nature. He'd test these by having his friends hit him with 2x4s or drive trucks into him.
TIL that the Voynich Manuscript, a a 240-page medieval codex written by an unknown author, in an unknown language, and illustrated with unknown plants, strange creatures, and naked women, was radiocarbon dated to the early 15th century. Despite 600 years of study it has never been deciphered.
"We have been trying to reach you about your horse and cart's extended warranty"
TIL Eleanor Roosevelt's maiden name was Roosevelt. Her husband, Franklin, was her fifth cousin once removed.
TIL: 1 in 5 German parents regrets having children and would prefer to live their life without them.
TIL that EU citizen can demand a copy of all personal data that companies hold about them. However, most Android and iPhone apps completely ignore this right, a study has found.
TIL that Kit Kat Bars come in over 200 flavors. Soy Sauce, Matcha, Orange, Blueberry, Lemon Vinegar, Yuzu, Blood Orange, Salt, Banana, Fruit Parfait, Melon, Muscat, Maple Syrup, Red Bean Soup, Cherry Blossom... just to name a few.
TIL that a McDonald's in the Netherlands once fired an employee for selling a coworker a hamburger and then separately giving them a piece of cheese, arguing that she should've charged more for a cheeseburger. Courts ruled in the employee's favor, ordering the rest of her contract paid out in full.
TIL about a painkiller present in human saliva called Opiorphin which is stronger than Morphine.
TIL In 2000, when the cast of "Friends" wouldn't come down from their $1,050,000/episode salary demands, NBC's Garth Ancier produced promos saying "You've loved them for seven years, see how it all ends with the series finale of Friends this Thursday". The cast agreed to lower salaries.
Personal opinion, I never liked the show or them, and this little things of abusing the greed and fame. No
TIL of Irene of Athens (750-803 CE), the first sole-ruling empress in Roman history. Her husband the emperor having died, she had her son's eyes gouged, and him imprisoned, becoming sole ruler for 5 years, when she was exiled to the island of Lesbos and forced to support herself by spinning wool.
TIL Bob Norris, the first Marlboro Man, was discovered after being seen in a photo with John Wayne. While Norris was the Marlboro Man for 12 years, he never smoked. He also told his kids not to smoke. After they asked why he was doing cigarette ads, he quit his job as the Marlboro Man the next day.
TIL That the Last Emperor of China was, after being deposed, forced to work as a street sweeper in Beijing. On his first day, he got lost and asked for help by telling strangers “I'm Puyi, the last Emperor of the Qing dynasty. I'm staying with relatives and can't find my way home”
TIL that 13% of people who receive CPR outside of a hospital are still alive a year later.
Did you know the face of Resusci Annie is based on a death mask? A teenage girl found dead in the River Seine in Paris in the late 19th century - whose body was never identified and her face was captured in a mold and made into a mask.
TIL that Japan’s Tobe Zoo conducts lion escape drills using a human in a lion costume. Due to Japan’s earthquake-prone location, these elaborate drills are crucial to prepare for emergencies
TIL: Kobe Bryant is mostly responsible for the fall of high top basketball sneakers. Raised in Italy, Kobe noticed that soccer players play in a fairly similar way to basketball player. Kobe told Nike point-blank, 'I want the lowest, lightest-weight basketball shoe ever’.
TIL during the Cambodian genocide (1975-1979) life expectancy in the country fell to 12 years.
TIL Aristotle's payment for teaching Alexander the Great was the reconstruction and repopulation of Aristotle's home village, which had been destroyed and enslaved by Alexander's father.
oooh was it the one that actually acknowledges Bagoas???
Load More Replies...
I still cant believe that we call him 'the great' after he behaved like a psychotic douchebag all his years
well "great" doesn't have to have positive connotations, in this case it's more like "powerful" because he was skilled at military stuff
Load More Replies...TIL The creator of Barbie and the creator of Hot Wheels were married.
TIL you shouldn’t eat more than 5 Brazil nuts in a day. They contain selenium, which can cause gastrointestinal problems, brittle hair and nails, joint pain, and tiredness. In large amounts, it can cause kidney failure, heart failure, and heart attacks.
They're also slightly radioactive. And they are the only foodstuff where allergy to them can be transferred sexually. No, really.
TIL that the first national speed limit law of 55mph passed in 1974 in the US was not because of safety concerns, but because fast-traveling vehicles would have exacerbated the oil shortage at the time.
TIL that most blackboards are actually green because boards that were black tended to reflect a lot of light, while green boards reduced glare and were favored by teachers who had to stare at them all day.
TIL that as revenge for Oscar Wilde being in a relationship with his son, The Marquess Of Queensbury planned to present Wilde with a bouquet of rotten vegetables at the opening night of The Importance Of Being Earnest, Wilde’s hit play. But Wilde was tipped off and stopped Queensbury getting inside.
whew. They should start the sentence with Marquess of Queensbury otherwise it reads as " Oscar Wilde being in a relationship with his son" ... which sounds a bit banjo.
TIL an 1861 Japanese book about the "history" of the United States included such colorful scenes as George Washington punching a tiger and John Adams killing a giant snake.
TIL the song "Lesbian Seagull" from Beavis & Butt-Head Do America was not written for the film as a comedy bit, but already existed as a real song written in 1979 in response to a scientific study of long-term monogamous lesbian behavior observed in seagulls on Santa Barbara Island.
TIL after the outlaw George Parrott was executed in 1881, his skull was used as an ashtray, and his skin was made into a pair of shoes and a medicine bag. The doctor who performed the autopsy later became Governor of Wyoming and wore the shoes to his inaugural ball.
TIL that the 1994 film “The Mask,” was based on a much more violent comic book. The protagonist, Stanley Ipkiss, goes on a revenge spree, murders a number of cops, and is eventually shot in the back and killed by his girlfriend, Kathy, who sees the Mask for what it is, and plans to destroy it.
TIL that smoking prevents broken bones healing - smokers have 2.2 times the risk of delayed and/or non-union bone healing after a fracture.
The more I hear about this smoking lark the more I start to think it's not good for you.
TIL Sublime’s debut album "40oz. to Freedom" was recorded in secrecy at the studios in California State University. The lead singer, Bradley Nowell, recalled how they would sneak in after closing time, stay there till 5:00 AM, hide from security, and managed to get $30k of studio time for free.
TIL in 1975, Stevie Wonder, frustrated with the U.S. government, considered quitting music and emigrating to Ghana. He reconsidered and wrote and recorded Songs In The Key Of Life, an album widely considered a masterpiece.
TIL: 100 Americans a year choke to death on pen caps, but that the number used to be higher before manufacturers put a hole in the cap.
TIL Canadian Geese poop every 12 minutes.
It's not just canadian geese. It's any type of goose, and the 12 minutes is an AVERAGE
TIL Soccer legend Diego Maradona used a fake penis to pass drug tests at the height of his cocaine use. The phoney phallus was stolen from a Buenos Aires museum in 2003 and has never been recovered.
I know someone who used one. They're sold under the name, "The Whizzinator."
TIL it’s illegal for civilians to wear camouflage in 11 countries, including Jamaica, Barbados, and Zimbabwe, to prevent them from being mistaken for military personnel or law enforcement.
TIL That John O’Hurley, the actor who played the fictional version of J. Peterman on Seinfeld, now owns the J. Peterman company with the real J. Peterman.
TIL that an estimated 1 of every 8 workers in the USA has at some point been employed by McDonald's.
TIL The temperature on the moon at the Apollo 11 landing site was 200ºF (93ºC).
TIL that Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street, was blacklisted for refusing to testify to the House Un-American Activities Committee.
TIL about the "Loneliest Tree on Earth," a Sitka spruce on Campbell Island, over 170 miles from the nearest tree. It was planted by a lonely meteorologist in 1907.
TIL about Edwarda O'Bara, a Florida woman who went into a diabetic coma for 42 years after contracting pneumonia. Nicknamed "Florida's sleeping Snow White," her mother took care of her to the point that by 2007, 5 years before Edwarda passed, she was at least $200k in debt.
this is why living wills / do not resuscitate laws are so important. What's the point of being a vegetable for 42 years?
TIL The longest ever personal name was that of a German-born American called Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr. His full, unabbreviated name is made up of 26 names, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet, in alphabetical order, followed by a 666-letter surname.
TIL that while the English language is classified as a West Germanic language, its vocabulary also shows major influences from French (about 28% of words) and Latin (also about 28%), plus some grammar and a small amount of core vocabulary influenced by Old Norse.
yep. Skirt -> old norse. Shirt -> west germanic (saxon). Skipper -> old norse. Ship -> saxon. In the sentence above, (TIL), everything is west germanic except: language (french); classified (latin with germanic past tense), vocabulary (latin), major (latin), influences (latin via french), French (frankish germanic), grammar (greek).
TIL in 2018 a flatulent passenger who refused to stop farting forced a plane to land and police to be called to remove four fliers after a fight erupts on board.
I find it funny how they used the term "refused" as if he wanted to be farting
TIL after the death of Bruce Lee in 1973, film industries in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea raced to find his replacement in order to build off of his legacy. This period, later known as 'Bruceploitation', would feature actors with screen names like Bruce Li, Bruce Lai, Brute Lee, etc.
TIL Lightning McQueen from “Cars” isn’t named after Steve McQueen, but after late Pixar animator Glenn McQueen, who died during the film’s production.
So was his name always Lightning McQueen, or did they change his name after the animator died?
TIL the famous riff to INXS’ song “Need You Tonight” appeared in guitarist’s Andrew Farriss head while waiting for a cab to go to the airport. He then asked the cab driver to wait a couple of minutes while he grabbed something from his motel room. In reality, he went up to record the riff.
TIL: Kobe Bryant's "33" High School basketball jersey was stolen in 2017 and sold to a collector in China who returned it after suspecting it was stolen.
TIL that people with hypermobility carry a gene that makes them much more likely to have children with autism.
TIL that the feeling of being awake when you’re actually sleeping is a disorder called paradoxical insomnia and the reason for it is unclear.
"Researchers do not understand what causes paradoxical insomnia, but some research suggests a link between the condition and mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression." I think I have this. I match most the boxes.
TIL that “Stars and Stripes Forever” is an emergency alert at the circus. When it is played by the band it usually means there is a fire and that the performers and circus hands should go to their emergency stations and start evacuating people.
TIL About Starlite, an insulator invented by a hairdresser that was said to be able to withstand a laser beam of 10,000 °C and was 90% organic and eatable, but despite even NASA being interested in it, its creator took the formula to his grave.
TIL that the Moon is one of the dullest objects in the solar system, and if Neptune's moon Triton was in its place it would appear 7 times brighter.
This one is false. True the Moon is much duller than Triton and Earth, but it is much brighter than the Martian moons Phobos and Diemos, and even brighter still than all of the carbonaceous chondrite asteroids in the asteroid belts.
TIL Lynyrd Skynyrd the band who had a massive hit with their song 'Sweet Home Alabama' are actually from Jacksonville, Florida
TIL that in 1950’s Britain, it was noted that the middle class used overly complex language in an attempt to be more posh. However, the actual upper class themselves preferred the more straightforward language of the working class such as scent instead of perfume.
Exactly. And people get pissy with me when I say "what" instead of "I beg you pahdon". Pretensiousness irritates me.
TIL there is a cliff on Miranda (moon of Uranus) named Verona Rupes that is estimated to be 20km high. It is the tallest known cliff in the solar system and if you jumped off of it you would fall for about 12 minutes before hitting the ground due to the lower gravity.
TIL in 1283 King Edward I of England had the last Prince of Wales executed and started the custom of giving the title to his first born son instead.
He promised the Welsh that he would give them a Prince of Wales who would speak no English. He did. Although his son was only four days old at the time.
TIL In 1987, a Boeing 747 was hijacked by a lone attacker armed with dynamite from a gold mine. After 6 hours, the flight engineer hit the attacker over the head with a whiskey bottle. He was given a suspended sentence and then became a member of the House of Representatives of Fiji.
TIL In 1971, Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the moon. He made four swings, “a shank” with the third, and on the fourth swing he caught the ball flush. “Miles and miles and miles,” he said to the TV audience
And that ball killed the last surviving dinosaur on the moon, whose corpse NASA keeps locked away in a secret vault.
TIL consumption of crickets, mealworms or other insects can trigger an allergic reaction in people with shellfish allergies. This is true even for farm or pet store workers with occupational exposure to crickets.
TIL Oliver Smoot, whose body was used to measure Boston's Harvard Bridge as part of an MIT fraternity prank in 1958, went on to become the chairman of the American National Standards Institute and the president of the International Organization for Standardization.
TIL that in 2017, several Maryland college students consumed so much alcohol at a house party, that the air in the house registered a reading of 0.01 on a breathalyzer.
TIL "Tater Tots" were invented by Nephi Grigg, co-founder of Ore-Ida in 1953 using excess potato shavings from making frozen french fries. Originally, these shavings were sold as livestock feed.
Til that Thailand bans the sale of alcohol on election days.
Thailand has other weird stories including (a) a queen drowning due to no-one being willing to risk death for touching her to save her, (b) that money must be face-up to not put the king face-down, and (c) you can still get severe punishments for insulting the king.
TIL the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse is set to enter the public domain in 2024, which means that anyone will be able to use or adapt this version of the character without fear of copyright infringement.
TIL that after leading a peasant revolt in Hungary in 1514, György Dósza was punished by being chained to a heated iron throne and had pieces of flesh torn off by hot pliers. His followers were then forced to eat him alive by biting the spots where the pliers were inserted and to swallow his flesh.
Of the nine rebels who were forced to head to the heated throne to eat Dózsa, around three or four refused to munch on their leader. They were swiftly cut up, while those who obeyed were released and left alone. Also among those who were led to the throne was Dózsa's brother, who did not even have the luxury of eating his brother alive, and was instead chopped into three pieces.
György's death, and the brutal torture of 40.000 rebels who took part in the revolt, may have aided the Ottoman forces during their 1526 invasion, as the Hungarians were no longer a politically united people. The result was that for the next few centuries, Hungary was partitioned between the Ottoman Empire, the Hapsburg monarchy, and the Principality of Transylvania.
See? People stink. This is why we need laws - modern laws - which recognise human rights. This is so disgusting.
TIL The largest illegal dump in Europe is the Triangle of Death in Naples, Italy. As the landfills filled up in the 1990s organised crime increasingly dumped and burned trash in this area, driving in garbage as far away as Venice. The area's population has significantly higher rates of cancer.
Some more information and lots of sources below the article for those interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_death_(Italy)
TIL the 1983 film "Scarface" was originally given an X rating three times in a row by the MPAA. On the fourth appeal, the film was finally given an R rating, but director Brian De Palma released the original version anyway, only admitting to it months after the film's release.
Hammer Horror films had nudity to ensure an X certificate. It was thought that audiences would not go to see a horror film without one.
TIL about the Lost Children of the Alleghenies, two young children who disappeared from their home in Pavia, PA in 1856. They died from exposure after being missing for several days and were found in the forest by a local farmer who dreamt,for two nights, of clues that led to the children's bodies.
TIL that the 7ft 2in actor who played the Predator and Harry, from Harry and the Henderson’s died from AIDS because of a HIV infected blood transfusion he received from a car accident.
TIL of the Order of Malta Passport. It's the rarest passport in the world and is only issued to a few hundred people.
j__z added:
Just wanting to point out there is no relation between the Order of Malta and the nation of Malta. The Order of Malta is the descendant of the former Knights of Malta who ruled the island until the French Occupation removed them, and still lay claim to the island but are now based in Italy.
TIL Of the Chinese drywall health issues. Between 2001 and 2009 the United States imported large amounts of drywall from China that would off-gas, slowly releasing chemicals like hydrogen sulfide and corrode pipes. The South-East was especially affected because of rebuilding following hurricanes.
That drywall also contained significant amounts of asbestos and was installed in homes in the US.
TIL - The Onion Futures Act is a US law banning futures contracts on onions. In 1955 two traders bought so many onions and futures they controlled 98% of the onions in Chicago. They forced growers to purchase their stock by threatening to flood the market.
TIL legendary footballer Lionel Messi's first contract was written on a restaurant napkin during a meeting with FC Barcelona executives. That napkin is now held in a safe in the Credit Andorra bank.
TIL that, in the 1930's, the only commercial airport serving New York City was in New Jersey. To protest this, NYC Mayor LaGuardia once refused to deplane in NJ because his ticket said "New York City," so they flew him to NYC.
TIL Ekiben are bento (Japanese box meals) made specifically for train travel. The meals vary by train station and are typically a local speciality. At their peak in the 1980s an estimated 12 million ekiben were consumed daily in Japan.
TIL Chicory has been a historic substitute for coffee. Frederick the Great banned coffee in Prussia which led to the mass production of chicory by 1795 and the chicory drinks were common in Napoleonic France. Chicory drinks also became popular in Confederate states because of the Union blockade.
TIL since 2020, white LED streetlights have been turning purple because of a defect during the manufacturing process between 2017 and 2019. The yellow phosphor coating was delaminating, and the blue LED began showing through, giving off a purplish glow.
TIL that in over 50 years, 'In N Out' has kept their menu essentially the same, with the exception of the "Secret Menu Hack" of Animal Styles fries or burgers that started in the '60s.
TIL that six American soldiers have defected to North Korea after the end of the Korean War.
TIL that in 1982 Delta Air Lines employees raised $30 million dollars in order to buy a new Boeing 767 as a sign of gratitude and appreciation to the company during economic hardship in the airline industry.
TIL that Rage Against The Machine Bassist Tim Commerford once confronted Buzz Aldrin at a party, saying the moon landing was faked.
TIL Kingsford Charcoal originated from Ford Motor Company selling scrap wood from the construction of their Model T vehicles.
Lookup Fordlândia. He built a city in the Amazon rainforest to tap rubber trees for... well.... rubber.
TIL Jaywalking laws vary dramatically from country to country. In most countries crossing outside of designated a crosswalk is illegal (atleast when one is available). In some countries like India and the UK it is only illegal if one obstructs traffic. The Netherlands has no concept of jaywalking.
TIL there was a Baywatch spin-off show called "Baywatch Nights", starring David Hasselhoff. Intended to be a grounded procedural crime show, it pivoted in its 2nd season to being a full-on paranormal show with monsters, ghosts, mummies, vampires, parallel universes, and time travel a la The X-Files.
TIL that, when Cleopatra VII. Philpator (the one we know from Shakespeare/Asterix) was born in 69 b.c., her greek family, the Ptolemies, had already been ruling Egypt for 236 years since 305 b.c., and been there since the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 b.c. or his death in 323 b.c.
TIL that Dwight Eisenhower took up painting during the last twenty years of his life and did about 260 paintings including a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.
TIL Nick Offerman was originally up for another role in Parks and Recreation, Rashida Jones’ love interest Josh, who ended up turning into Mark Brendanawicz. Nick got turned down because he wasn’t “handsome” enough.
TIL that, prior to the arrival of the Mayflower, a thriving Patuxet village existed on the Massachusetts coast. An endemic wiped out 90 percent of the population, and the pilgrims converted the abandoned settlement into Plymouth Colony.
TIL that the rapper Immortal Technique went to high school with Lin-Manuel Miranda and used to bully him.
TIL: The punishment of the dogs was an annual sacrifice of Rome where live dogs were suspended from a cross & paraded. In the same procession, Geese were decorated in gold and purple and carried in honor. Because The Dogs didn't Bark and the Geese honked When the Gauls launched a nocturnal assault.
TIL that Big Ben is leaning to one side and may eventually become unstable. 🇬🇧
Big Ben is the bell, Elizabeth Tower is the building in which the bell is housed but anyway. From Google: 'Changing ground conditions have affected the London clock tower, and it leans ever so slightly to the north-west, with an inclination of 0.26 degrees (that's just one-sixteenth the tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa). Notwithstanding this slight lean, the tower should be safe for 4,000 to 10,000 years.'
Big FYI on the "40,000 Americans are hurt by toilets". No, we don't have rampaging wild feral toilets. About 39,000 of those injuries are back injuries caused by improper lifting and carrying of toilets being replaced or installed by plumbers (OK, that's my guesstimate, based on back injuries seen as a medical doctor). The other 1,000 are people who aren't plumbers trying to lift, carry, etc., toilets. Sometimes they get dropped on your foot, sometimes they explode because a drunk idiot threw a firecracker in and got toilet shrapnel in his face, but mostly... It's basic "Oof, my back!"
Today I learnt that Braille has numbers, punctuation marks and abbreviations, and not just letters. Obvious in retrospect, but it had never occurred to me.
Big FYI on the "40,000 Americans are hurt by toilets". No, we don't have rampaging wild feral toilets. About 39,000 of those injuries are back injuries caused by improper lifting and carrying of toilets being replaced or installed by plumbers (OK, that's my guesstimate, based on back injuries seen as a medical doctor). The other 1,000 are people who aren't plumbers trying to lift, carry, etc., toilets. Sometimes they get dropped on your foot, sometimes they explode because a drunk idiot threw a firecracker in and got toilet shrapnel in his face, but mostly... It's basic "Oof, my back!"
Today I learnt that Braille has numbers, punctuation marks and abbreviations, and not just letters. Obvious in retrospect, but it had never occurred to me.
