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Today is a brand new day and before it turns into yet another small and insignificant spot somewhere in a 365-day bender, there’s time to make it worthwhile. So today, we baked you a special treat of a list that features some of the most entertaining facts you probably didn’t know.

Thanks to our dear friends and the powerhouse of Reddit, “Today I Learned,” we have quite a read to scroll through right below. The group’s whopping 26.2 million members prove that too many of us love that sense of discovery, no matter how big or small it be. And often all it takes is one specific fact to pump up your trivia muscle!

After you're done, be sure to check out our previous TIL posts here, here and here.

#1

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL 110 years ago Dr Charles Campbell constructed 30 feet high bat roost to fight malaria. Bats that lived in the roost ate the mosquitoes and Mitchell's lake municipality was malaria-free in 4 years.

ketanpande , Larry D. Moore Report

#2

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that the first child protective services organization in the world was created after the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals realized laws protecting animals from abuse were stronger than laws protecting children

Stock_Trading_Pro , Anna Shvets Report

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Ren Karlej
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

First child cruelty case in the UK was prosecuted under animal welfare legislation.

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#3

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL Mexico was the only country to protest the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. To honor that support, there is a square in Vienna named "Mexikoplatz"

iSleepUpsideDown , Bwag Report

#4

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL about a man who shot a protected saguaro cactus down with his shotgun in 1982. The cactus fell on him, crushing and impaling him to death.

Pups_the_Jew , Sullynyflhi Report

#5

TIL that in 2013, Star Wars was dubbed into Navajo, making it the first major motion picture translated into a Native American language

2 days ago Report

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Devil's Advocate
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depressing it took so long! We need to keep older languages alive. Moana was released in Tokelauan, and there are songs that were never translated into English to encourage natives to keep their language alive.

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#6

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that the song "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" by the artist Skrillex was observed as a mosquito repellent due to its low-frequency vibrations. The scientists also found that mosquitoes exposed to the song had sex "far less often" than other mosquitos without music.

30phil1 , Weekly Dig Report

#7

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL The British army breaks step when crossing bridges. This is because in 1831 a suspension bridge collapsed from all the soldiers marching in unison.

OntarioIsPain , Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files Report

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NsG
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Look up what happened with the Millennium Bridge. Pedestrians hit the resonant frequency of the bridge by accident, but then the effect was multiplied when people started correcting their steps to keep their balance.

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#8

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that the FTC actually recommends against organizations using regular password changing policies as it only encourages users to use simple, easy to remember passwords that they then only alter in predictable ways.

Gullible_Skeptic , Tima Miroshnichenko Report

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Something
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Alternatively, it causes users to come up with passwords so secure that even they can't access their accounts.

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#9

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that in China 209 BC two generals were going to be late which was punishable by death. They realized that the punish for rebellion was the same as the one for being late, so they decided to rebel and created an uprising.

maicii Report

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Richard Liu
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They're not general but just low level officer. Their names are Chen Sheng & Wu Guang (surname first). Their revolt was suppressed in just 6 months.

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#10

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that Enya lives in a castle in Ireland, and when Bo Burnham wanted to include Orinoco Flow in his film, he had to send her a hand written letter

cugzkani , Sardaka Report

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#11

TIL of Lady Lucy Houston, a British philanthropist who, after WWI, recognized the need for a strong Air Force... when the British government refused, she funded development of what became the Spitfire. She passed before WWII, and never saw how much that investment paid off.

jrrybock Report

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Caro Caro
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is interesting. What a great woman. http://www.warfaremagazine.co.uk/articles/Lady-Lucy-Houston-The-Unsung-Heroine/224

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#12

TIL that a guy drove 3.25 million miles with his Volvo that he bought in 1966 until his death in 2018

fella-from-chernobyl Report

#13

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL, While alcohol made from apples is called cider, alcohol made from pears is called "Perry"

APleasantMemory , Bicanski Report

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Scagsy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It goes down like water as well and is usually quite strong. Perfect for a hot summers day but watch yourself on it.

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Alex Bailey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You are so right. I do enjoy Perry. Oh, and cider!! Can find yourself out your tree before you realise it - some of them are quite strong!

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Sky Render
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you did bricklaying and used pear alcohol as a binding agent in your caulking, would that make you a Perry Mason?

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Sam Chilton
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Calvados is also made from apples (sometimes with pears, too).

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Grady'sRaider
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

After the maple syrup season, one local producer taps birch trees and concentrates that sap to make a wine.

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Crycket
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have a pear tree in the back yard and make our own Perry...it is delicious

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Riley Quinn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Made from Perry pears. Had to look this up because I'm strictly a tequila drinker.

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AnnaBanana
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, it's lovely to not get that overwhelming sweetness of apple cider. I love pear cider!

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Ivy la Sangrienta
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was quite partial to perry in my early 20s. Much too sweet for my taste now.

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GoddessOdd
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My maiden name was Perry... it is also a place name, at least, that's what I was told was the basis for our surname.

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lil_gremlin
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Yeah, I'm gonna just drink some Perry." That one person called Perry: f e a r

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grotesqueer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So pear ciders aren't actually cider? How about other flavors like pineapple or strawberry?

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Remi Flynne
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Perry is made by fermenting the juice of freshly squeezed pears with the help of natural yeasts. As apples are to cider, so pears are to perry. That's it. If you see something called "pear cider" you should ask what it is made of and why it needs to be called pear cider rather than perry (might be a blend for example). The other flavours are added, not part of the original fermentation process.

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Gogubaci
Community Member
2 years ago

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this is weak. in eastern europe we make raki from both and it usually is 50 degrees plus strong, used for both drinking and as a replacement for battery acid

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Rob Woodman
Community Member
2 years ago

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This is kind of false. Apples and pears etc are used as the basis for whisky, for vodka, etc. For it to be perry it’s made into cider (although some don’t like the term) which is then fermented. The cider is then fermented into hard cider.

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#14

TIL: President Nixon, wife Pat, and Henry Kissinger took lessons and practiced for months to learn to use chopsticks properly, in preparation for the dinner banquet on his visit to China in 1972

simp-for-china Report

#15

TIL that Filipino churches built during Spain's colonial period used millions of egg whites in the concrete to make it more durable. This is also why Filipino desserts often use lots of egg yolks- many were developed to use up all the extra yolks from construction projects

camwynya Report

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Laugh or not
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the other hand, monasteries used a lot of egg yolk for their manuscripts and had to create recipes with the white, which is why we have meringue, macarons, and other sweets with a lot of egg whites.

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#16

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL James Blunt(singer) developed scurvy in university when he ate only meat for two months 'out of principle' to annoy vegetarian classmates

saeijou , Dani Dapena Report

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Ren Karlej
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He added orange juice to his diet to try to combat it and got acid reflux. Balance in diet is important!!!

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#17

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL the sex of alligator hatchlings is based purely on temperature while incubating. At 86F or lower, the babies will all be female; at 93F or higher, they will all be male. The mother can sense these changes in temperature and will alter the nest to maintain an optimum temperature.

TululaDaydream , Roger Smith Report

#18

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL The Vatican has its own telescope staffed by priests, and has previously been given awards for the pursuit of scientific research.

_Mr_Washee_Washee , H. Raab Report

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Romenriel
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Several catholic orders consider pursue of academic knowledge and research to be one of their

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#19

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that in 1939 an experiment was conducted at the University of Iowa on orphans in which the purpose was to induce stuttering in otherwise normally speaking children. Dubbed the "monster study", it caused lifelong psychological issues in some of the subjects.

Tufflaw Report

#20

TIL David Lucas, a producer of the 1976 rock hit "Don't Fear The Reaper", really did want more cowbell, while band members felt he was crazy. In a 2005 interview, the bassist recalled that the cowbell "really pulled the track together".

AnthillOmbudsman Report

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#21

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL of garden hermits, people encouraged to dress as druids and live in caves and grottoes on the estates of rich people effectively as decoration in the 18th century, usually receiving room and board as payment. One such hermit was fired three weeks into a seven year term after being found drinking at a local pub.

a3poify , Johann Baptist Theobald Schmitt Report

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Romenriel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Druid" is not a correct term. Hermite is a type of Christian monk that lives alone in a wilderness, but now that I think of it, they were similar to druids in some aspects, for example, they were believed to be friends with animals and animals would be helping them out.

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#22

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that Stalin struggled with depression and summoned renowned Russian psychiatrist Vladimir Bekhterev to examine him. After the examination Bekhterev said only one word - "paranoiac". He died on the very next day from what most believed was poisoning.

PrognosticatorMortus , Unknown Report

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Serial pacifist
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I have a feeling people don't like me, it's not like I ban them from speaking their minds and send them to gulags to freeze or work to death if I don't like what they say."

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#23

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus. It takes Venus longer to rotate once on its axis than to complete one orbit of the Sun. That's 243 Earth days to rotate once, and 225 Earth days to complete one orbit of the Sun.

WildAnimus , NASA Report

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Devil's Advocate
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pretty sure Mercury is the same. Conversely, a lunar year and a lunar day are identical which is why we always have the same side facing us

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#24

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) Today I learned Charlie Chaplin didn't actually have a mustache, it was a part of his makeup.

ElaborateRuse420 , P.D Jankens Report

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Andy Acceber
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unlike Cesar Romero who did have a mustache that Ben Nye attempted to hide under makeup. (Cesar Romero played the Joker in the original TV Batman series.)

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#25

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL there is a full taxidermed whale in a Swedish museum that was open to the public until a couple was caught making love inside it (1930's)

anonymous , Jopparn Report

#26

TIL pepperoni is an American invention. It's similar to the spicy salamis of southern Italy, but it also has elements characteristic of German sausages (smokiness, beef content, and fine grind). In Italian, "peperoni" just means "bell peppers".

howmuchbanana Report

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Kari Panda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Germany, 'peperoni' is used for something similar to chili peppers. For years, when I read about 'peperoni pizza' I believed it was just a pizza with a whole lot of chili.

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#27

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL ancient Egyptians would give opium to quiet crying babies. This practice was also a popular way to calm babies in the Victorian era, but it sometimes caused infants to starve to death as they were kept in a constant state of narcotism.

The_Ry_Ry , pxhere Report

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Burs
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This used to be done in my village too. They would give strong poppy tea to crying babies to calm them down. Good as a painkiller but definetly too dangerous for babies since some would die.

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#28

30 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Show It’s Never Too Late To Learn (New Pics) TIL that half of all panda births result in twins, however, it is very rare for both cubs to survive as giant pandas almost always abandon a cub if they give birth to more than one

CaptainI9C3G6 , piqsels Report

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Romenriel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw a Youtube video about this! Chinese scientist were trying to keep alive both babies, so they switched them up in regular intervals. The bear mama only had one baby at her at all times, while the other one was in incubator and nursed by caretakers, and then switch so both babies would get mama love and milk.

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#29

TIL that the opossum and the possum are not the same animal. The opossum lives in North America and the possum lives in Australia and SE Asia. While they are both marsupials, they belong to different orders. An example of a possum would be the sugar glider, which weighs less than 5 ounces.

Squaragus_Asparagus Report

#30

TIL that in 1457 golf was banned in Scotland by king James II, because he felt that young men were playing too much golf instead of practicing archery. It remained in banned until 1502, when James IV became a golfer.

jcd1974 Report

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Sue Lynn Chan
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But...............HEAR ME OUT! What if they use a golf ball made of metals..........so that when the enemies comes, the can swing the golf to the enemies.

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Note: this post originally had 69 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.