45 Fascinating Facts That People Didn’t Learn At School, As Shared On ‘Today I Learned’ (New Pics)
We’ve all had different life experiences, and we have pandas gathering here from all over the world. But one thing we all have in common is an insatiable appetite for learning! So today, we hope to provide you with a tasty treat in the form of fascinating facts you’ve never heard before.
Below, you'll find some of our favorite recent posts from the Today I Learned subreddit, which celebrates all of the random, niche information that people recently found out, as well as an interview with author Jana Louise Smit. So enjoy learning something new, and be sure to upvote all of the facts that you’re glad you stumbled upon today!
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TIL the production for Mork and Mindy had to hire a censor that spoke 4 languages to keep track of Robin Williams secretly trying to slip in swear words in other languages during filming of the show
TIL that in 1939, African-American singer Marian Anderson was denied permission to perform at Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Hall had a white performers-only policy. Anderson responded by giving an open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
To learn more about why it's important to be a lifelong learner, we reached out to fellow lover of fun facts and author of How to Kill an Earworm, Jana Louise Smit, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. Jana Louise Smit honed her craft as a trivia writer at Listverse, the internet’s original Top Ten site. She also wrote for the award-winning Introvert, Dear, the world’s largest online community and blog for introverts. Born and raised in sunny South Africa, Jana has now settled in the Eastern Cape where she enjoys life as a busy freelance writer, a blogger on various topics, and a deep thinker (mostly about snacks and dogs).
When it comes to why we should never stop learning, Smit says, "Continuous learning makes you smarter and can ground you in a world where people are being swept away by false stories. I believe that fun facts make the best teacher. They’ll educate, inform, and open the mind merely by being entertaining."
TIL that when a man had a heart attack at a grocery store in rural Minnesota, 20 people lined up and performed CPR on him for over 90 minutes until paramedics arrived - and he survived
Smit's book, How to Kill an Earworm, is full of psychology fun facts we "need to know," so we were curious what inspired her to write this book. "I want people to fall in love with the wonderful rabbit hole of psychology and that means giving them something of value, something that will keep their eyes glued to the page," she told Bored Panda. "For this reason, I decided to write a book packed with unusual facts that provide quick shortcuts to a deeper understanding of the human mind."
TIL in 2018 a Missouri deer hunter convicted of poaching hundreds of deer was forced to watch the animated film “Bambi” once a month for the duration of his one year prison sentence
TIL that a Swedish woman found her missing wedding ring, lost in 1995, wrapped around a carrot which she picked from her garden in 2012.
Smit also shared how she decided what information to feature in her book. "I settled on seven branches of psychology, or chapters," she explained. "In every chapter, I added roughly 90 or 100 facts that were relevant to that particular branch. For this book, I only drew on reputable sources including scientific journals, psychology associations, medical associations, and well-respected news outlets, among others."
TIL A baboon named Jack officially worked for South African railways (1881-1890) as a signalman and was paid twenty cents a day, and half a bottle of beer each week. Jack never made a single mistake in his entire Railway career.
He was an assistant to a disabled signalman, he didn't work alone.
TIL of a court in France which stopped a girl being named "Nutella" and forcibly renamed her to Ella in the absence of her parents. The Judge said that the name Nutella would "only lead to teasing or disparaging thoughts," a complaint not heard by her parents as they did not attend the hearing.
The author even shared some of the most interesting information she's come across throughout all of her research. "Mosh pits. Like most people, I assumed mosh pits happened when music fans lost their minds during a live performance, simple as that. I was surprised to learn that this 'mindless' behavior is actually a microcosm with a complex social psychology," Smit explained, adding that, no, she has not been in a mosh pit herself (yet!).
TIL the oldest Inn (Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in Japan, near Mount Fuji) in the world has been in business 1300 years and in the same family for 52 generations
TIL that Patrick Stewart, a theater actor, was hesitant to sign a 6 year contract to perform on Star Trek: TNG, but his agent reassured him that the show would probably fail after one season. Stewart expected to "make some money, get a suntan, and go home."
Finally, Smit shared some wise words on how we can continue being lifelong learners. "Choose a topic that you’re already interested in, but don’t hesitate to dive into something completely novel every now and again. Both have the ability to keep you engaged and learning for life."
If you'd like to learn some psychology fun facts to understand yourself and everyone else a bit better, be sure to check out How to Kill an Earworm right here!
TIL in the 1970s American authorities along a nonprofit group founded by fishermen, threw around 2 million old tires into the coast of Ft. Lauderdale to create an artificial reef which would help the growth of new coral. Instead they created an ecological disaster.
TIL Dumb Ways to Die, the world’s most shared Public Service Announcement (PSA), hit the internet in November 2012. The public service announcement campaign was launched by Metro Trains Melbourne to promote rail safety.
TIL that vomitoriums in ancient Rome were the exits to stadiums and theaters which spewed crowds into the streets. They had nothing to do with purging to eat more.
TIL that NASA engineers designed a make up kit because they thought female astronauts would want make up in space
Not futile. Mental health is important for astronauts and the force of habit plays a strong part in it. Providing anything that is part of the routine of the team members, female or not, is not a bad idea.
TIL A Chinese Emperor Jing Ke escaped an assassination attempt by running in circles around a pillar
TIL After eating the "miracle fruit," very sour foods will taste sweet for 15 to 30 minutes. "Miracle fruit" or Synsepalum dulcificum releases a sweetening potency that alters the taste buds. For about 15 to 30 minutes, everything sour is sweet. Lemons lose their zing and taste like candy.
I believe the Good Mythical Morning Boys gave this a try and sure 'nough
TIL If you call 911 by mistake, You should not hang up. Rather you should let the dispatcher know what happened so they know there isn’t an emergency
TIL That In 2013, a Florida man, Jeff Bush, was sleeping in his bedroom when a large sinkhole opened up directly underneath his bed, swallowing him and his entire bedroom. His brother heard him scream, but was unable to see or reach him in time. Bush’s body was never recovered.
When lying in bed reading bored Panda, you ever get that sinking feeling your life is going nowhere?
TIL Great White Sharks are not technically apex predators since they are preyed upon by Orcas
TIL that the neurologist who invented lobotomy (António Egas Moniz) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for this highly invasive procedure, which is widely considered today to be one of the greatest mistakes of modern medicine.
TIL of a man who was discovered to be unknowingly missing 90% of his brain, and was living a normal life.
TIL there is a jellyfish whose sting causes feelings of impending doom
So how do you tell if you’ve been stung? This just sounds like a normal feeling.
Who needs a jellyfish? Just put on CSPAN and watch the House of Representatives.
i think they talk about this jellyfish in the book by ali benjamin
Yes! It doesn't really have a plot, but it's one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read. It's called "The Thing about Jellyfish".
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Feelings of impending doom should not be ignored as multiple life-threatening medical events can manifest this way. It’s one way the body interprets a risk to survival.
Irukanji jellyfish. The sting causes Irukanji syndrome, one of the symptoms of which is a feeling of impending doom.
And they're actually tiny too. Only a couple cm in size.
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Maybe because it brings on a heart attack. That feeling of impending doom is a fairly common prodrome for a heart attack
TIL that in 1986, Australian cricketer Dean Jones played a match in India while severely ill. Due to the extreme heat, he urinated and vomited several times. He lost 7 kgs during the match and doesn't remember the game. Jones scored 210 runs, in what is considered one of the best performances ever.
TIL The tallest dam on earth, the Usoi Dam, is not man-made. The dam is a landslide from the 1911 Sarez earthquake that blocked the Murghab River in Tajikistan. In 2015 the dam survived a 7.2 magnitude earthquake with no signs of deterioration.
TIL that fossilization is so unlikely that scientists estimate that less one-tenth of 1% of all the animal species that have ever lived have become fossils.
TIL that aside vitamin D, the human skin also makes serotonin directly when exposed to sunlight
I will need to research that one Edit: Am finding - tryptophan hydroxylase, the initial enzyme in the synthesis of serotonin, is found in human skin. -and- When sunlight enters your eyes, it stimulates the parts of your retina that then cue your brain to produce serotonin. One source claimed UV light on skin increases serotonin production. Another just talked about bright light in general triggers... but did not say the mechanism. Takeaway - physiological reason why S.A.D. is a thing.
TIL in 1981 American Airlines offered a "lifetime unlimited AAirpass" for a lifetime of free first class flights for $250k. You could get an additional lifetime pass for a companion for an extra $150k. Two of their most frequent fliers cost the airline $1m a year and flew over 30m miles.
Imagine having the freedom to say, "Hey, want to go to [Other Country] for lunch tomorrow? I've been craving such-and-such." And you're just out the cost of the meal.
TIL soon after Bergen-Belsen was liberated, Private Sol Goldberg, with a nearby Canadian unit, smuggled supplies into the camp and used an operating room to illegally treat survivors. He was once caught smuggling supplies into the camp; instead of punishing him, his officers donated more supplies.
If the camp was liberated, how tf was it illegal to take care of the survivors?
TIL Nikola Tesla never married, but claimed to have fallen in love with a white pigeon. After its death, he told friends that he felt his life's work was over. “I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me. As long as I had her, there was a purpose to my life.”
TIL Philip Ahn was a Korean American actor who played villainous Japanese characters "to the hilt" during the Second World War. Ahn had fun with the parts, when asked to speak Japanese would actually speak Korean and make remarks described as “highly uncomplimentary to the Japanese.”
TIL that during the production of Superman(1978), Gene Hackman was reluctant to shave his moustache, only acquiescing when Richard Donner promised to do the same. After getting it shaved, Hackman went to Donner to fulfil his end of the bargain. Donner responded by tearing off his fake moustache.
TIL The Quaker Oats Company financed the original Willy Wonka movie in exchange for the right to make Wonka brand candy bars.
Did not know but worth it I guess. The original wonka movie is kind of a gem. I like the Depp version as well but it's darker / weirder. (cuz depp movie lol ) Edit: That got more responses than I expected. Okay, tim burton movies. Not EVERY depp movie is dark. .. but he does seem to thrive in that environment. As for the debate going one - liked both movies for different reasons, never read the book.
TIL the main reason why Francis Ford Coppola used The Doors’ song "The End" at the beginning of his 1979 film “Apocalypse Now”, was because he found it humorous to use a song titled "The End" at the start of the movie.
Til- The division of the hour into 60 minutes and of the minute into 60 seconds comes from the Babylonians who used a sexagesimal (counting in 60s) system for mathematics and astronomy. They derived their number system from the Sumerians who were using it as early as 3500 BC.
TIL there are cave drawings that are 65,000 years old, made by Neanderthals, much older than the oldest human cave drawings (30,000 years ago) in France.
For those interested, that’s in Spain but the datation is not verified and is certainly far more recent. The oldest paintings scientifically dated are 32,900 ± 490 BP
TIL that despite many variations on which technologies are allowed, practically all Amish have adopted the use of motorized washing machines
TIL: The descendants of Genghis Khan (1162 — 25 August 1227) continued to rule parts of Central Asia for 700 years until the 1920s, when they were conquered by the Bolsheviks and their states became part of the Soviet Union.
TIL scientists from Newcastle University discovered that honeybees become 'pessimistic' after being shaken vigorously for 60 seconds.
TIL about Tangier Island, a community of ~500 off the coast of Virginia that live on a sinking island and speak a unique form of Old English
TIL According to a study, East Asians are capable of digesting seaweed because their gut bacteria went through repeated “genetic upgrades” that enabled them to digest and absorb seaweed.
TIL Karl Bushby - a British ex-paratrooper - set out to walk around the world in 1998. He's currently at the Iranian border.
TIL that there are only two known parchment manuscripts of the United States Declaration of Independence. One is in US National Archives and the other is in the archives of West Sussex County Council. No one is sure how it got there.
TIL ancient geographers knew that Earth was a sphere but there was intense debate on the question if the opposite side of the planet is also inhabited by humans (called Antipodeans). Most thought that Antipodeans do not exist because intense heat at the equator forms an impassable barrier.
TIL about Robert Hanssen, a former FBI agent regarded as the most damaging spy in U.S history. He made an average of $67,000 a year selling thousands of top secret documents to Russian intelligence for 22 years. The ex-KGB agent the FBI hired to catch him was paid $7 million.
MICE - Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego Ideology for the Soviets was a strong motivator
TIL that in Ancient Rome, citizens and soldiers drank an average of 100 gallons (~450 litres) of wine per year
TIL Burt Ward did a lot of his own stunts while shooting Batman because his stuntman looked nothing like Ward. Ward went to the hospital all four days in a row shooting the pilot.
Could they not have found a stuntman that looked like him? I always assumed that was fairly important.
TIL Army ants were used to close open wounds. When grasped just behind the head, the ants will open their mandibles wide. One mandible is placed on each side of the cut and the ant then clamps down. Its head is then snipped off while clamped onto the wound, acting like a staple.
TIL that in Medieval England all freemen were required by law to own weapons and armor based on their wealth. This ranged from a simple gambeson and iron cap for the poorest, to a mail shirt and helmet for the wealthiest.
And good quality mail would cost around $250,000 in the equivalent of todays money
TIL that Natale Olivieri created Yoo-hoo after several failed attempts to bottle chocolate drinks that would spoil shortly thereafter. After Olivieri observed his wife canning fruits and vegetables, Olivieri adopted the same heat processing techniques and began officially bottling Yoo-hoo in 1928.
TIL the most expensive car in the world is no longer the 250 GTO but a 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR coupe that sold for $142 million in 2022
Starts singing "Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?" I'll see myself out, kthxbai
TIL that in 1981, a 12-year-old girl began sneezing, and continued to sneeze repeatedly, for 978 consecutive days. Initially sneezing twice every minute, her rate would eventually slow to once every five minutes. Donna would have her first day without sneezing on September 16, 1983.
TIL in the Lorax (2012) by Illumination, "How Bad Can I Be?" only exists in the film because the original, "Biggering", was not considered palatable because of it's much darker commentary on big business, anti-corporatism and greed as the author (Dr. Seuss.) intended.
TIL Take Our Daughters To Work Day started nationally in 1993 to provide girls an opportunity to see real world role models. The program expanded focus to include sons in 2003.
Nope! I remember going with my Dad to his office for Take your Daughter to Work Day in the late 1980's. I'm certain of this because I graduated from high school in 1991, and I was in middle school when I took part in the holiday.
TIL about Saturday Night Palsy (named after partying on Saturday nights), which is when nerves are compressed and muscle function is lost due to sleeping in an unnatural position and being too drunk to adjust yourself. Severe cases have a low chance of full recovery.
TIL of the Euphemistic Treadmill whereby euphemisms, which were originally the polite term (such as STD to refer to Venereal Disease) become themselves pejorative over time.
I've never heard the term but I've been observing this for decades. It is one reason many old folks poo poo all the "PC" terms. not because we are haters but because we have watched the current "acceptable" term keep changing over time and we recognize it is the INTENT not the word. Every time people start using the current word with bad intent (as a pejorative) they change the preferred word. It's silly.
TIL of the Church of One Tree, a church in Santa Rosa, California built with lumber from a single redwood tree The tree used to construct the Church stood 275 feet high and was 18 feet in diameter. It produced 78,000 board feet of lumber.
And they killed it to build a building dedicated to the great sky pilot.
TIL that two days before singer Nina Simone died, she learned that she would be awarded an honorary degree by the Curtis Institute of Music, the music school that had refused to admit her as a student at the beginning of her career.
TIL that most states in the USA have an official state fossil, for example the *Stegosaurus stenops* for Colorado.
TIL that match fixing got so out of control in Canadian soccer that one pro match ended early after the home team’s attempts to score an own-goal were repeatedly thwarted by the away team
TIL there was a Confederate general named States Rights Gist, whose father chose his son's name to reflect his own political sentiments
TIL Smokers aged 75 and older have, on average, 5.8 fewer teeth than their non-smoking counterparts.
Smokers over 75 have outlived their most important statistic and should be exempt from all others.
Til india is the biggest producer and consumer of the milk in the world. Top source of milk in India are Buffalos. cow is the second.
TIL That early model M-16s were so prone to jams and malfunctions, mostly due to the failure to ship them with cleaning kits and ammunition which fouled the operating mechanism, that the US military produced a comic book detailing proper field stripping instructions for the weapon.
TIL my now 92yo father, who was in the Navy and worked as a parachute rigger in the Korean War era, once snuck aboard a paratrooper training flight, and jumped. Without any jump training or experience. He sewed, repaired, and packed those parachutes and just had to try jumping once. He only told us now because he's living in the past.
I just learned Sonic isn't a Nintendo character! And no, this isn't a troll like some people assumed for some reason. Sonic has been a staple Smash Bros character which is a Nintendo fighting game and he has been in other games with Mario, and they have very similar vibes with being cartoonish and child friendly animated platforming characters. Sonic is a classic character and I've associated him with Nintendo my whole life especially since I grew up as a kid playing Smash Bros with him as one of the many characters along with Link and Mario and Pikachu!
TIL my now 92yo father, who was in the Navy and worked as a parachute rigger in the Korean War era, once snuck aboard a paratrooper training flight, and jumped. Without any jump training or experience. He sewed, repaired, and packed those parachutes and just had to try jumping once. He only told us now because he's living in the past.
I just learned Sonic isn't a Nintendo character! And no, this isn't a troll like some people assumed for some reason. Sonic has been a staple Smash Bros character which is a Nintendo fighting game and he has been in other games with Mario, and they have very similar vibes with being cartoonish and child friendly animated platforming characters. Sonic is a classic character and I've associated him with Nintendo my whole life especially since I grew up as a kid playing Smash Bros with him as one of the many characters along with Link and Mario and Pikachu!
