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If you’re a fan of learning something new every day, you are probably well familiar with the ‘Today I Learned’ community, or TIL, for short. If you’re not, let us introduce you to one of the biggest treasure chests of interesting facts you can find online.
Created back in 2008, the community on Reddit now has over 40 million members, seeking to learn something new every day. So, if you’re eager to do the same, check out a sneak peek of what you can expect from the community on the list below. Or, browse our category of interesting facts for more similar content that can help you scratch that curious brain of yours.
On the list below you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, Dr. James C. Kaufman, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TIL that in 1978, a 30 people hostage situation in Melbourne was resolved when the perpetrators mother stormed the place, hit him over the head with her handbag and told him to "stop being so stupid".
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#2
TIL Beastie Boys won a lawsuit for company using their songs "Girls" without permission, then donated all to a charity that is STEM programs for females.
Riley Quinn 2 weeks ago
All the musicians whose songs are being used by Trump, despite Cease and Desist being filed, should contact the Beastie Boys' attorney.
#3
TIL a 2018 study found that male gorillas who participated the most in babysitting duties sired more than five times the offspring as male gorillas who avoided child care. Male gorillas are "often quite snuggly, letting infant and juvenile gorillas cuddle, play and just hang out in their nests."
Talking about learning something new everyday, Dr. James C. Kaufman noted that, assuming what you’re learning is actually true and not misinformation, it can have a positive effect on your creativity.
“One way that we think of creative ideas is associating different concepts or ideas together in our minds. The more distant or random the connections, the better the chance that it can be creative – assuming we can think of something that is not only new but also useful or task-appropriate in some way,” the expert told Bored Panda. “Simply being able to make a connection between red pandas and Diet Mountain Dew together in your head would only be creative if you did something with it, such as draw a funny cartoon.”
#4
TIL that while filming John Wick 4, Keanu Reeves gifted stunt performers customized T-shirts showing how many times they "died" in the film, with some dying over 20 times. His personal team of stuntmen also received custom Rolex Submariner watches after filming, as a token of appreciation.
#5
TIL Anthony Bourdain called “Ratatouille” “simply the best food movie ever made.” This was due to details like the burns on cooks’ arms, accurate to working in restaurants. He said they got it “right” and understood movie making. He got a Thank You credit in the film for notes he provided early on.
Featherytoad 2 weeks ago
I have this movie saved on one of my streaming apps. I have seen it a couple times before, and it's such a cute movie. I keep putting off watching it, but tonight I'm watching it just to see the credit.
According to Prof. Kaufman, having a wide array of trivia, fun facts, and interesting details about many different topics can be a way of having creative ideas, and being able to use strong and distinct examples to illustrate your point.
“And often, I would guess, the decision isn’t ‘I’m going to learn a very small amount about something or I’m going to deep dive and learn a lot.’ It’s ‘I’m going to learn a very small amount about something or I’m not going to learn anything about it’,” the expert added.
#6
TIL Titanic survivors who said the ship split in half before sinking were not believed for 73 years, with one survivor saying people would 'argue' with her about what she really saw, until the Titanic's wreckage was found in half in 1985.
Fuhleeheece 2 weeks ago
It's useless arguing with crazy people who think they know everything.
#7
TIL: Ancient Athens had a system called ostracism, where citizens could vote to exile someone for 10 years without a trial, often used against powerful or controversial figures to protect democracy.
Gingersnap In Iowa 2 weeks ago
Just a thought 🤔 we should bring this back in the United States.
#8
TIL there is a Titanic monument in DC, funded by women, to honor the men of the Titanic who died so that women and children could live. Only 20% of men survived, while over 70% of women and children made it.
superfluous 2 weeks ago
The statue, which depicts a n**e man draped with a robe, represents "Self Sacrifice". His arms are outstretched in the shape of a cross and his eyes are closed. He is standing on an uneven block above a relief of waves on the pedestal. The following inscriptions are on the memorial: Front: TO THE BRAVE MEN WHO PERISHED IN THE TITANIC APRIL 15 1912 THEY GAVE THEIR LIVES THAT WOMEN AND CHILDREN MIGHT BE SAVED ERECTED BY THE WOMEN OF AMERICA Side: GERTRUDE VANDERBILT WHITNEY 1931 Back: TO THE YOUNG AND THE OLD THE RICH AND THE POOR THE IGNORANT AND THE LEARNED ALL WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES NOBLY TO SAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN Wikipedia
Prof. Kaufman continued to point out that the learning process itself is often inherently creative. “When we learn an interesting factoid or fun piece of trivia, we often think about it. Maybe we are visualizing something in our minds, or we are making an association to a different fact we know, or we are thinking about how it might relate to our lives. These personally meaningful insights—which may not mean anything to anyone else—still ‘count’ as being creative.”
#9
TIL a judge in Brazil ordered identical twin brothers to pay maintenance to a child whose paternity proved inconclusive after a DNA test and their refusal to say who had fathered the child. The judge said the two men were taking away from the young girl's right to know who her biological father was.
Hippopotamuses 2 weeks ago
I hope that made them a little more focused on saying who was actually the father.
#10
TIL Yale psychologists compared 'Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood' to 'Sesame Street' and found that children who watched 'Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood' tended to remember more of the story lines and also demonstrated a much higher “tolerance of delay”, meaning they were more patient.
#11
TIL that Benjamin Franklin never patented any of his many inventions, writing that “as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.”
Nowadays, many people gain knowledge and learn all sorts of things using the internet, which can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s brimming with information about anything and everything, but on the other—much of that information might not be true.
“I think there’s good and bad when it comes to AI, social media, and other technological advances. We have amazing access to information, but it often is shallow and, worse, it can be wrong,” Prof. Kaufman shared.
“It might simply be a misunderstanding of a concept or an urban legend, but wrong information is also out there for more nefarious purposes, like changing people’s minds, [encouraging them] to follow a political agenda, or scamming people.
“Similarly, I think things like AI can not only give wrong or hallucinated info, but can also give relatively shallow coverage of a topic. I don’t think it’s bad to just know a little bit about something, but it can be hard to find more in-depth knowledge or more analytical takes on topics in a sea of identical or very similar search results.”
#12
TIL Simón Bolívar, born into Venezuela’s wealthy elite, voluntarily gave up his fortune and freed his own slaves to lead independence wars against colonial powers, becoming an enduring icon revered by leftist militias across South America today
#13
TIL 9-yr-old Jodie Foster was mauled by a lion on the set of Napoleon and Samantha, leaving her with scars on her back & stomach. While being held sideways in its mouth & shook "like a doll", she saw the crew running off. The lion did drop her when told to, but it left her with lifelong ailurophobia
#14
TIL Divorce papers in the roman empire had to include a culpable party, which had potential legal complications. To avoid this, couples who wanted to divorce amicably, would officially put the blame on "an evil demon" that got between them and forced them to split up, thus avoiding culpability
According to Dr. Kaufman, not everything we learn is equally valuable. And not everything has to be learned from books, courses, or the almighty internet. “We can learn knowledge, facts, or information, but we can also learn how to do something ‘hands on’ or even learn something about ourselves if we simply think and reflect.”
So when you’re done browsing these interesting facts, feel free to continue to our previous edition of ‘Today I learned’ or take time to reflect, and maybe today, you’ll learn something new about yourself!
#15
TIL Jamestown governor John Ratcliffe, the villain in Disney's Pocahontas, died horrifically in real life. After being tricked, ambushed & captured, women removed his skin with mussel shells and tossed the pieces into a fire as he watched. They skinned his face last, and burned him at the stake.
#16
TIL: In 1355, Portuguese King Afonso IV had his son Pedro’s mistress, Inês de Castro, decapitated in front of her children to end their romance. When Pedro became king, he had her k**lers’ hearts publicly ripped out—saying they had pulverized his own.
#17
TIL in 2012 as a man was cleaning out his great-aunt's home after she died, he found 345 well-preserved comic books in a closet, including Detective Comics No. 27 (first appearance of Batman), Action Comics No. 1 (first appearance of Superman) & Batman No. 1. In total. the collection sold for $3.5m.
Riley Quinn 2 weeks ago
No one in my family is cool enough to have a stash of comic books, so no money for me.
#18
TIL that during the Habsburg monarchy, belief in vampires was so widespread that Empress Maria Theresa sent her personal physician Gerard van Swieten to officially investigate. He concluded that vampires did not exist, leading her to specifically outlaw all forms of "anti-vampire" corpse desecration.
superfluous 2 weeks ago
Van Swieten was the inspiration for Van Helsing in Bram Stoker's Dracula.
#19
TIL When the fork was first introduced as an eating implement it was normal for people to have their own knife and fork made which would be kept in a special box called a cadena. Whenever someone threw a dinner party or a feast all the guests would bring their own cadenas to eat with.
#20
TIL that in 2018, Saudi Arabia lifted a 35-year ban on cinema. The first film to screen publicly in the country after the ban was lifted was "Black Panther"
#21
TIL that Domino’s Pizza used to have a mascot called The Noid. In 1989, a man named Kenneth Noid held two Domino’s employees hostage, believing the mascot was designed to mock him. The employees escaped while he ate pizza. Noid was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and acquitted due to insanity.
#22
TIL: James Carter received a $20,000 royalty check for a song in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" that he had sung 40 years earlier but didn't remember.
#23
TIL Mikhail Kalashnikov, creator of the AK-47, regretted its deadly legacy and feared he was responsible for millions of deaths.
#24
TIL the 1944 Nobel Prize went to male German physicist Otto Hahn solo for the discovery of nuclear fission, despite the fact he had done the work in collaboration with Lise Meitner, a German Jewish woman forced into exile who had in fact even been the first to use the term 'fission' and explain it
#25
TIL that of all the world's existing companies that are 200 years +old, over half are Japanese.
Magenta Blu 2 weeks ago
Because that companies won't claim "bankruptcy" to avoid paying damages
#26
TIL Pink Floyd's Shine On You Crazy Diamond was a tribute to Syd Barrett who left the band in 1968 due to his d**g use and declining mental health which impaired his ability to integrate with the band. The band felt guilty about removing him but were concerned about his severe mental health decline
iseefractals 2 weeks ago
Years later, an overweight disheveled man wandered into the recording booth of studio while the band was recording "wish you were here" It took the band a good long while to realize that it was in fact, syd Barrett. "Syd, is that you?" Hello boys "Syd....what happened to you" Well....i quite like pie" While it was long assumed that Syd suffered from schizophrenia, more recent hypothesis attribute his overt instability to his excessive d**g use and state his underlying issues as low-functioning aspergers
#27
TIL that a group of artists secretly built and lived in a hidden apartment inside a Rhode Island mall for four years before being discovered.
Riley Quinn 2 weeks ago
They figured out there was an entire section that wasn't being used for any reason, an error on the blueprint or something. I thought it was pretty ingenious. A lot of thought went into this.
#28
TIL in 2012, Spain’s King Juan Carlos I went elephant hunting in Botswana. The trip was meant to be secret, but he was badly injured and needed a medical flight home. A scandal erupted over the cost—and since he was an honorary president of the World Wildlife Fund at the time.
#29
TIL that in 2017 Microsoft announced that it would replace Paint, its longstanding Windows drawing software, with Paint 3D. After "an incredible outpouring of support and nostalgia" from users, the company offered both to users. Microsoft later removed Paint 3D, but Paint is still available.
Huddo's sister 2 weeks ago
Paint has been useful for me at work recently when the formats templates for flyers etc have not been editable. While not the main purpose of it, being able to add text wherever you click has been great. Plus it's a program I'm familiar with, unlike things like Canva. I am not a technophobe, but it takes me a while to figure out new programs and is stressful so I like going back to familiar ones.
#30
TIL the 1997 death of unknown "Baby Garnet" remained unsolved until 2022, when a woman took an at-home DNA test which revealed her grandmother did it.
#31
TIL Oscar winners are forbidden from selling or disposing of their trophies without first offering it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for $1.
#32
TIL Thomas Jefferson wanted the official motto of the US to be "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." When it was rejected he appropriated it for his own seal.
superfluous 2 weeks ago
I agree with the sentiment BUT NOT 'obedience to god', change that to moral duty and I'm with you.
#33
TIL in 2006 a jury awarded $5.6m to the family of a man who had the shaft of a screwdriver implanted into his spine by a surgeon after the two titanium rods he planned to use were discovered missing during the surgery. The screwdriver snapped & after 3 more back surgeries, the man died 2 years later
Hippopotamuses 2 weeks ago
I thought it was someone's job to keep a tally of all instruments, and to count them before closing up?
#34
TIL In 1919 Britain's most remote colony, Tristan da Cunha, learned that World War One had started and ended after not being resupplied for 10 years.
🇺🇦 🇵🇸 TribbleThinking 2 weeks ago
They're a patient people! I'm surprised they didn't find someone else to pledge their allegiance to after being kept short for that long.
#35
TIL in 2017, five bald men were k**led in Mozambique because their k**lers believed that the heads of bald men contain gold.
#36
TIL about YInMn Blue, a near perfect blue colour, which was discovered accidentally in an Oregon State University lab and is noteworthy for its vibrance and unusually high near infrared reflectance.
#37
TIL warships used to demonstrate peaceful intent by firing their cannons harmlessly out to sea, temporarily disarming them. This tradition eventually evolved into the 21-gun salute.
#38
TIL Nissan spent $500 million in 1981 to rebrand their cars from Datsun to Nissan because Nissan executives were annoyed that Honda and Toyota had become household names.
#39
TIL that many countries used to take ships that were no longer seaworthy, anchor them near shore, and use them as prisons. During the American Revolution, more Americans died as POWs on these ships than in combat.
#40
TIL ancient Roman tourists would visit Egyptian tombs and write negative reviews in graffiti, like not enjoying anything but the sarcophagus and being unhappy they couldn't read the hieroglyphs. These would ironically end up becoming valuable historical records themselves.
#41
TIL Looney Tunes’ Porky Pig’s original voice actor, Joe Dougherty, had a stutter he couldn’t control. It caused production costs to became too high as his recording sessions took hours. Mel Blanc replaced him, allowing the stutter to be controlled and used comedically
glowworm2 2 weeks ago
As a huge Looney Tunes fan, I'm aware of this one. Amusingly enough, Blanc's first Looney Tunes short was a Porky Pig cartoon, Picador Porky in 1937. He voiced one of Porky's friends who dresses up as a bull and gets drunk. His first short as Porky occurred not too long afterwards with Porky's Duck Hunt in 1937. This short was also the debut of a certain little black duck who Blanc also voiced for the first time.
#42
TIL George Clooney hung a photo of himself as Batman in his office as a reminder of what can happen when you make movies solely for commercial reasons.
Magenta Blu 2 weeks ago (edited)
I won't mind doing anything for commercial reasons as long as I get paid. That's called capitalism
#43
TIL: Elderly Americans lost over $3bn to scams in 2023
SouthernGal 2 weeks ago
I hope there is a special place in hell for people who take advantage of the elderly.
#44
TIL that Michael Keaton only had 17 minutes of screen time even though the movie was called "Beetlejuice."
Riley Quinn 2 weeks ago
True, but Keaton chewed up each minute so impressively it seemed there was more of him in the movie.
#45
TIL that Dr Harold Shipman is believed to have murdered so many of his patients that his trial, where he was charged with the murder of 15 people, investigated only 5% of his speculated victims.
Riley Quinn 2 weeks ago (edited)
Serial k!llers are scary enough, but when they're in a profession that practically allows them the freedom to expand, that's horrific.
#46
TIL that in 2024 a construction company built an entire family home on the wrong lot in Hawaii after miscounting the number of telephone poles on the land. They then sold the home without the landowner knowing.
superfluous 2 weeks ago
Judge ruled it be demolished by construction company, but not that the land has to be restored to its pre built state. I couldn't find anything after that (in June 2024).
#47
TIL Rhode Island Hospital was fined $50,000 and reprimanded by the state Department of Health after brain surgery was performed on the wrong side of a patient's head three times in 2007. The state also ordered the hospital to develop a neurosurgery checklist that includes the location of the surgery
Pyla 2 weeks ago
Atul Gawande did a very good article on this in the New Yorker ages ago. How in large aircraft the captain doesn't have sole control over checking if everything is correct. He wrote how a gallbladder operation went really wrong and how having nurses and other doctors involved in the operations do perform these checks is a better practice. He's a great writer.
#48
TIL that in the first edition of “The Hobbit,” Gollum willingly gave the ring to Bilbo for winning a riddle game, and the two parted amicably. After Tolkien began working on “The Lord of the Rings,” he edited the story for future printings.
Ace 2 weeks ago (edited)
Intrigued, I went off and downloaded that part from the first edition. Gollum did indeed intend to give Bilbo the ring, was very apologetic when he went to his island and could not find it, but Bilbo of course had already found it by then. So instead Gollum was tasked to help Bilbo escape, which he did. "What has it got in its pocketses?" does not appear in that version.
#49
TIL that George Boole, founder of Boolean logic, died after walking three miles in cold rain to give a lecture in wet clothes. He developed pneumonia and was treated by his wife with cold water, which worsened his condition and led to his death.
#50
TIL Salvator Mundi is a painting by Leonardo de Vinci, in 2017 it was sold for 450 million dollars.It is the most expensive painting ever sold at auction. The painting was bought by a Saudi Prince, who has not put it on display.
What do you think ?
Major Harris 1 week ago (edited)
in 1973, the world famous rock band, "the who" were performing in san francisco. their drummer, keith moon was well known for his d**g use and antics. an hour before the concert, he had taken a large dose of ketamine. just as the first song was ending, he passed out. after taking him back stage, pete townsend turned to the audience, "any one out there knows how to play drums? and i mean good" 18 year old scott halpin was near the stage and raised his hand at the urging of his friends. they invited him up and tested him out. he then sat in on the drums for the rest of the show. after, they gave him and his friends free tour merch and had them party with them.
Forrest Hobbs 1 week ago
Keith Moon passed out *during* the show. According to Wikipedia, due to "sedatives and brandy" and (so Wikipedia says) he was revived with a cold shower and cortisone injection before passing out again. Moon probably hadn't taken ketamine - for one thing, it doesn't typically make you pass out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Moon#Passing_out_on_stage and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scot_Halpin#Playing_with_The_Who
Load More Replies...
Brian Droste 2 weeks ago
TIL: That sometime after WWII a person took over off the coast of England what was a anti aircraft platform and since it was outside of England's range of national waters he created a micro nation and called it Sealand with it own laws and regulations. It's own currency. It's own sovereignty.
Cee Cee 2 weeks ago
Reginald Bates who now lives in Essex though caretakers still live on this Maunsell Sea Fort. He booted off a pirate radio station to grab the fort.
Load More Replies...
Major Harris 1 week ago (edited)
in 1973, the world famous rock band, "the who" were performing in san francisco. their drummer, keith moon was well known for his d**g use and antics. an hour before the concert, he had taken a large dose of ketamine. just as the first song was ending, he passed out. after taking him back stage, pete townsend turned to the audience, "any one out there knows how to play drums? and i mean good" 18 year old scott halpin was near the stage and raised his hand at the urging of his friends. they invited him up and tested him out. he then sat in on the drums for the rest of the show. after, they gave him and his friends free tour merch and had them party with them.
Forrest Hobbs 1 week ago
Keith Moon passed out *during* the show. According to Wikipedia, due to "sedatives and brandy" and (so Wikipedia says) he was revived with a cold shower and cortisone injection before passing out again. Moon probably hadn't taken ketamine - for one thing, it doesn't typically make you pass out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Moon#Passing_out_on_stage and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scot_Halpin#Playing_with_The_Who
Load More Replies... Brian Droste 2 weeks ago
TIL: That sometime after WWII a person took over off the coast of England what was a anti aircraft platform and since it was outside of England's range of national waters he created a micro nation and called it Sealand with it own laws and regulations. It's own currency. It's own sovereignty.
Cee Cee 2 weeks ago
Reginald Bates who now lives in Essex though caretakers still live on this Maunsell Sea Fort. He booted off a pirate radio station to grab the fort.
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