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80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared

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You learn something new every day. And you don't even have to attend a class to do so. You might learn something by accident, through a friend, in a book or on the internet. It could be a recipe, a new route to work, a word you never knew before, a fun fact, or a complex skill. We can keep learning throughout our lives. And as we do, our brain grows. It's a process called brain plasticity. But in order for that growth to occur, we have to exercise and train our brain. As if it were a muscle.

The Today I Learned community has 38 million members. It's a mind gym for anyone obsessed with gaining more knowledge about the world around them. Every day, people post the most interesting and intriguing facts they happened to stumble across. Bored Panda has gathered our personal favorites. From a student who got full marks for handing in a blank essay, to some lesser known truths about famous people, there's bound to be something here that you might want to share at the dinner table tonight. Don't forget to upvote your favorites, and let us know what you learned today.

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#1

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared After a boy in the 1930s found what looked like a "great lump of coal", his family used it as a doorstop for a decade until his dad had "a little look at it." This led to the realization it was the world's largest black sapphire. After being faceted, the Black Star of Queensland is 733 carats.

tyrion2024 , greyloch/Pexels Report

34points

"Disembodied voice" 8 hours ago

See! That's why you should let me bring more rocks home

16points

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#2

L Ron Hubbards Grandson is a renowned Slam Poet and activist against Scientology.

Nincruel Report

30points

Robin Roper 6 hours ago

Good for him!

17points

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#3

In 1972 Canada had a contest to complete the saying "As Canadian as..." The winner was Heather Scott who answered "As Canadian as possible under the circumstances."

cwood1973 Report

27points

Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 8 hours ago

As Canadian as an angry goose harassing a sorry moose.

9points

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In 2019, Eimi Haga handed a blank piece of paper to her professor and hoped for the best. The first year student had been asked to write an essay about a visit to the Ninja Museum of Igaryu. She was studying ninja history. Something she became hooked on after watching an animated TV show as a child.

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The night before her essay was due, the 19-year-old spent hours soaking soy beans, crushing them and squeezing them in a cloth. Haga then took another two hours to mix the soybean extract with the right amount of water. Only after she had finished all of this, did she quickly jot down her essay, without giving much thought to the content.

#4

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Japanese war criminal Hitoshi Imamura, believing that his sentence of 10 years imprisonment was too light, built a replica prison in his garden where he stayed until his death in 1968.

Puzzleheaded_Eye_276 , National Museum of the U.S. Navy/Flickr Report

26points

Savahax 5 hours ago

That honour only a few men poses. Not surprised it's from a Japanese man

3points

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#5

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared A Coca-Cola secretary offered to sell Coca-Cola trade secrets to Pepsi. Pepsi responded by notifying Coca-Cola, and the secretary was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Brendawg324 , Olena Bohovyk/Pexels Report

26points

Cammy Mack 5 hours ago

That's gratitude for ya...

6points

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#6

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared In Japan, only 100% fruit juice can display a realistic cut fruit on the label, 95% may display a whole but unsliced fruit. 5% or less, it is forbidden to display a realistic fruit on the label.

bodhi-r , David Pursehouse/Flickr Report

26points

leendadll 4 hours ago

They also have strict requirements about fast food looking like the adverts.. none of the US-style thick fancy burgers that are actually smaller and sloppy.

8points

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“I wasn't really worried about getting a bad score for my essay,” Haga later told the BBC. It might seem like the student was cooking instead of paying attention to her homework. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. She’d managed to pull off the ultimate student ninja move, using a technique known as "aburidashi".

The essay was written in invisible ink, and the words only appeared when the paper was heated. Before handing it to her professor, she left a note in normal ink telling him to heat the paper. "When the professor said in class that he would give a high mark for creativity, I decided that I would make my essay stand out from others," she said.

#7

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared In 2019 a Japanese University student studying ninja history turned in an essay written in invisible ink. The words only became visible when the paper was heated over a gas stove. Her professor without even revealing the whole essay gave her an A.

Ill_Definition8074 , Peter Olexa/Pexels Report

25points

Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 8 hours ago

Gross fact, a man can use his sperm as an invisible ink.

6points

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#8

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Sir Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Bhanji but changed his name and noticed an immediate uptick in job offers, from "We don't quite know how to place you" to "When can you start?"

innergamedude , FilmFestOslo/Flickr Report

25points

D. Pitbull 9 hours ago

Still happens today... any name sounding "non-white" seems to get automatically chucked in the 'we'll look at that later' bin unless the role is specifically for that population (East Asian character: "Okay, we will look at East Asian names) Even worse with Voice Acting... I have quite literally zero Non-North American accent (I can't speak any Asian languages, at all) - yet... I've heard more than one casting director/assistant say "Yeah, we just heard a bit of... something..." Or... how my demos got a 500% increase in 'listened to' count within days of me changing my profile name to a 'stage name'. Or how I get shortlisted for LOTS of stuff... but they see my picture and... oh, gosh darnit, wouldn't you know, you're not quite right for this (Yes, I know lots of people experience this, it's just a little 'convenient' feeling).

9points

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#9

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Early TV remotes worked with a spring-loaded hammer striking a solid aluminum rod in the device, which then rings out at an ultrasonic frequency, requiring no batteries.

antesocial , Alan Levine/Flickr Report

25points

SkyBlueandBlack 6 hours ago

They were called clickers.

9points

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Her creativity paid off, earning her 100% without the professor even reading all of the essay. "I didn't hesitate to give the report full marks - even though I didn't read it to the very end because I thought I should leave some part of the paper unheated, in case the media would somehow find this and take a picture," said her professor, Yuji Yamada.

The student made world headlines with her magical essay, and put handwriting in the spotlight again. Her ninja move was so intriguing that she was featured on the "Today I Learned" subreddit.

#10

Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys wrote their first single "Surfin'" for a high school music class and received an F for it. In 2018 the high school retroactively changed his grade to an A.

thedubiousstylus Report

25points

Toothless Feline 7 hours ago

Too little, too late…

10points

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#11

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Tolkien and CS Lewis hated Disney, with Tolkien branding Walt's movies as “disgusting” and “hopelessly corrupted” and calling him a "cheat"

TechnicalBean , Kenrick Mills/Unsplash Report

24points

Kira Okah 6 hours ago

They hated that it was slapstick, low brow, and cutesying fairy tales. They loved the use of shadow, the movement of the animals, the actual talent behind it all, and that the scary bits were aptly scary; but thought that the cutesying of mythological creatures and adapting fairy stories without telling the entirety of their complex narrative was abhorrent.

6points

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#12

Microsoft Solitaire was developed by a bored summer intern named Wes Cherry. He received no royalties for his work despite it being among the most used Windows applications of all time.

Bad-Umpire10 Report

23points

Blah Blah Blah 4 hours ago

Booo to you Microsoft

12points

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If we were to ask you to grab a (normal) pen and notebook right now, would you be able to? Possibly not. In a world where technology reigns supreme, it might have been a while since you wrote anything by hand. But did you know that it’s actually one of the best ways to learn? Researchers say there are several benefits to closing your laptop or ipad and putting pen to paper.

#13

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared That P.T. Barnum noticed people were lingering too long at his exhibits so he posted signs indicating "This Way to the Egress". Not knowing that "Egress" was another word for "Exit", people followed the signs to what they assumed was a fascinating exhibit and ended up outside.

Agnesactomithat , Pixabay/Pexels Report

22points

Tucker Cahooter 5 hours ago

Lucky they didn't sue him for emotional distress due to failure to see the Egress

10points

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#14

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared "Tiffany Problem", where a historical or realistic fact is deemed anachronistic or unrealistic due to modern associations. Named after the name Tiffany, which is often considered a modern name but has medieval origins.

Zealousideal_Art2159 , frank minjarez/Pexels Report

21points

Andy Frobig 2 hours ago

Tiffany and Co. was founded in 1837, and Charles Tiffany didn't make his name up

4points

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#15

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Just 2 months after 9/11, another commercial airliner, American Airlines Flight 587, crashed into a NYC neighborhood in Queens after a critical mechanical/piloting failure just minutes after take off. 265 people were killed and several homes were completely destroyed.

SylemNova , max lewandowski/Pexels Report

21points

Mary 9 hours ago

its not as commonly known because it was overshadowed by 9/11.

13points

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Whether we write or type, we have to use our hands to get words to appear on a page. But because handwriting is more complex, it supports learning more. A study published earlier this year found that “the precisely controlled hand movements when using a pen contribute extensively to the brain’s connectivity patterns that promote learning.”

Psychologist and co-author of the study Audrey van der Meer explained that handwriting is worlds apart from typing. "We don't see that [synchronized activity] in typewriting at all." She added that writing by hand is a "neurobiologically richer process" and that this in itself has cognitive benefits.

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#16

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Mark Ruffalo woke from a dream that told him he had a brain tumor. He got a CT scan the following day confirming he had a benign tumor behind his left ear. The tumor was removed, and he is deaf in that ear as a result of the surgery.

jchillin2 , Gage Skidmore/Flickr Report

20points

Isaac Harvey 8 hours ago

All that gamma radiation must have transcended into the real world.

13points

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#17

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared A man missing nearly 30 years was found alive and living just 80 miles away from where he disappeared after he helped solve his own disappearance by telling a social worker he had a flashback and remembered his name. He had reportedly suffered major memory loss due to a head injury.

tyrion2024 , Lukas Rychvalsky/Pexels Report

19points

Hiram's Friend 6 hours ago

That's his story and he's sticking to it!

12points

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#18

Switzerland has accidentally invaded neighboring Liechtenstein several times. On one such occasion, the Liechtensteiners reportedly offered drinks to the Swiss soldiers, who declined and quickly departed.

ILoveTabascoSauce Report

19points

"Disembodied voice" 8 hours ago

They also accidentally bombed Liechtenstein, but nobody was hurt and all was forgiven.

6points

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Cognitive neuroscientist Marieke Longcamp agrees, saying that handwriting is one of the most complex motor skills our brains are capable of. While van der Meer adds that when you type something, you're not actually processing all the information the way you would when you write it down by hand.

You might think taking notes by hand in a meeting or class is tedious, and time-consuming. But that's exactly why it works. Van der Meer explains that because it takes longer, you're forced to process the information. You might write key words or phrases and use drawings or arrows to work through ideas. "You make the information your own," she told NPR, and that helps it stick in the brain.

#19

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared The Double Rainbow guy was a prolific uploader and created thousands of videos. He also scheduled 15 years of uploads in advanced before he died, leaving his channel still active now 4 years after his death.

2SP00KY4ME , Sami Aksu/Pexels Report

18points

Isaac Harvey 7 hours ago

For those who are curious, I think his YouTube channel is Yosemitebear62, but I'm not 100% certain.

5points

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#20

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Iceberg Lettuce has a water content of 96%. This results in it having essentially no nutritional value and only trace amounts of vitamins and minerals.

UndyingCorn , Doğan Alpaslan Demir/Pexels Report

17points

Robin Roper 6 hours ago

Many vegetables and fruits have very high water content. For lettuces, the vitamins are in the dark leaves; iceberg has very little dark green thus, low in vitamins; still it has a decent amount of Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and folate. It's a place to start to get someone who doesn't want to eat vegetables to give something a try.

9points

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#21

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared While great apes can learn hundreds of sign-language words, they never ask questions.

AlexCoventry , Ishara Kasthuriarachchi/Pexels Report

17points

"Disembodied voice" 8 hours ago

I mean, have you seen what we do to people that ask questions?

15points

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#22

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Medieval European cuisine used to be more complex and flavorful. However, once spice became cheap and readily available to the poor, the elites started taking spices out of European cooking as they didn't want to be associated with the poor. This trend had lasting effects on European cuisine.

Flares117 , Shantanu Pal/Pexels Report

17points

Fishpanda (fish/panda/it) 8 hours ago

Europe has a really flavorful history!

4points

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#23

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared 'Zombie fires' are fires that burned during the summer, stay underground all winter long and pop up above the surface again in the spring.

manbrasucks , Alexandre P. Junior/Pexels Report

16points

Fishpanda (fish/panda/it) 8 hours ago

Groundhog fires, if they see their shadow, go underground again and then we have a prophecy.

6points

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#24

Japan received its first female fighter pilot in 2018. She was inspired as a child by Top Gun but could not become a combat aviator until the JSDF began accepting female candidates in 2015.

Candle-Jolly Report

16points

Andy Frobig 2 hours ago

I've read that the first woman fighter pilot was one of Kemal Atatürk's adopted daughters, in the Turkish Air Force in the 1930s

1point

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#25

The first Sony Walkman had two headphone jacks so you could share it with someone else as they thought it would be considered rude to listen by yourself. This feature was removed as no one used it.

TheOSU87 Report

16points

Savahax 5 hours ago

I remember how many times I sat with someone each listening to 1 side of the headphones though..

6points

#26

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared George Washington was unusually tall (6'2") and quite strong, and never wore a powdered wig.

penkster , Library of Congress/Unsplash Report

15points

Alex Kennedy 5 hours ago

6’8, weighed a f*****g ton! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv6OOuPI5c0

3points

#27

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared According to a 2016 study, having a first-class section on an airplane quadruples the chances of an air rage incident. Furthermore, loading economy passengers through first class doubles the chances again.

theotherbogart , Pew Nguyen/Pexels Report

15points

Mark Savoie 8 hours ago

Correlation/causation

7points

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#28

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared In 2012, a California high school student was directed to urinate in a bucket in a supply room closet after a teacher mistakenly believed that bathroom breaks were not permitted. In 2017, a court ordered the school district to pay the student $1.25 million.

Forward-Answer-4407 , Aaron Mello/Pexels Report

15points

Isaac Harvey 7 hours ago

$1 million for a minute of abnormality? Is there a way to replicate those conditions?

10points

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#29

In 1973 a British couple survived 117 days lost at sea on an inflatable raft after their boat sank when it was struck by a whale. They survived by "almost continually" bailing water out of their raft, while collecting rainwater & killing turtles, birds and fish with their bare hands for food.

tyrion2024 Report

15points

Robin Roper 6 hours ago

As a teen, I read "Staying Alive" By Maurice and Madalyn Bailey. This book fascinated me and to this day, one of my favorite genres is "true adventure" and survivor books.

6points

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#30

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared The Notre Dame fire disaster was made worse because a guard was sent to investigate, but to the wrong location where he found no fire. The alarm system was not designed to automatically notify the fire brigade.

ChupdiChachi , Jarod Barton/Pexels Report

15points

Tucker Cahooter 5 hours ago

He mistakenly went to the cathedral next door

5points

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#31

Hippos can defecate into rivers so much that their feces builds up and kills fish through hypoxia, or lack of oxygen. In the Mara River, about 4,000 hippos poop out more than 9 tons of dung each day. Hippo feces also leaves behind chemicals such as ammonium and sulfide, which is harmful to fish.

XiGoldenGod Report

15points

Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 8 hours ago

There are around 400 hippos living wild in South America, descendants of hippos that were kept in Pablo Escobars private zoo and later let loose.

9points

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#32

Matt Damon wanted The Bourne Conspiracy video game to be a puzzle game, and refused to lend his voice talent to the game when it was turned into a shooter.

guydebordwarrior Report

15points

Savahax 5 hours ago

TIL I like Matt Damon 👍🏻

7points

#33

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared In 1958, Burma-Shave offered a "free trip to Mars" for sending in 900 empty jars. A grocery store manager, Arliss French, took it literally and collected all 900. To save face, Burma-Shave sent him, fully dressed as an astronaut, to Moers, Germany (of which they felt was pronounced Mars).

candlebo , Kari Nesler/Flickr Report

14points

Isaac Harvey 7 hours ago

So... the Wish version of Mars?

5points

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#34

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Male peacocks make fake mating sounds to make him seem more popular so females will mate with him.

MetsFan37 , Anand Dandekar/Pexels Report

14points

Savahax 5 hours ago

Me too! 😁

8points

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#35

A 2022 study proposed that Bruce Lee may have died from hyponatraemia - a low concentration of sodium in blood, which is caused by excessive water intake. At the time of his death, Lee had reportedly been existing on a near-liquid diet of mostly juices.

waitingforthesun92 Report

14points

Kira Okah 5 hours ago

Well, he died of cerebral edema (liquid in the brain), hyponatraemia is a known cause of cerebral edema.

8points

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#36

A basketball player, Boban Janković, frustrated with his fifth foul, slammed his head into a padded concrete post, leaving him unable to walk for the rest of his life.

Henwoows Report

14points

Robin Roper 6 hours ago

A guy who lived in the area where I grew up was golfing and make a bad shot. Who to show his frustration, took his iron and swung it at the bar that hold up the golf cart top. The shaft wrapped itself around the bar and snapped. The head and shaft connected to it swung around and went through his chest. He died instantly. True story.

4points

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#37

When Elton John married his wife Renate Blauel in 1984, Rod Stewart sent a wedding telegram that read "You may still be standing but we're all on the f**king floor".

EssexGuyUpNorth Report

14points

Dzessa Golden 7 hours ago

Meaning…?

5points

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#38

No child with type I diabetes survived until adulthood before 1922.

TheHabro Report

14points

Midwest Mike 2 hours ago

AND YET!!! INSULIN SHOULD BE FREE!!!! Having been an Insulin Dependent Human being since 9 years old. I in the U.S.A.....the Weathest Country in the World...I live paycheck to paycheck on something THAT SHOULD BE FREE!!!!! or at least low cost.... https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/55/insulin-should-be-free-yes-free/

7points

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#39

In 1952 a doctor in France released a deadly virus to kill rabbits on his estate, which then killed 90% of France's rabbits within two years.

14points

Kira Okah 5 hours ago (edited)

Is this about Myxo? Just checked OP, yeah, it's Myxo. Myxomatosis, a natural mild illness of the Brazilian and Brush rabbits of the Americas, it was widely used as a biological European rabbit control in the 1950s, to devastating results. It's very widely studied because of this. Because it can be spread by contact and by fleas, an infected rabbit can spread it across, well, a whole country, hundreds of millions of rabbits. In places where it was released (or spread to, rabbits don't follow country borders), over 90% population death occurred, and the survivors are all immune to it - and also carriers, which is why in countries with Myxo, you shouldn't mix wild rabbits and domestic rabbits (domestic rabbits are domesticated European rabbits and they will suffer immensely before dying). Erm...another thing that I did a paper on after seeing some sick rabbits in a rescue centre, they were mixing wild and domestic rabbits in the same enclosure.

7points

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#40

Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that sank in 2012, resulting in the death of 32 people, had been carrying a large amount of mafia-owned cocaine when it sank and traces of it were found in Captain Francesco Schettino's hair samples.

14points

Kira Okah 5 hours ago

Likely knowledge of the d***s was not known to the captain, or any of the senior officers, but it would have taken the complicity of at least one crew member. The particular mafia group that hid the d***s aboard is known for hiding d***s aboard cruise ships without senior officer knowledge. Note: traces in hair samples /= traces in the hair strands themselves - the strands and his urine tested negative, n evidence that he had taken any d***s.

3points

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#41

The burial sites in Medina and Mecca for the Prophet Muhammad's family members were destroyed to make room for the Hajj pilgrimages.

GabbotheClown Report

14points

Andy 5 hours ago (edited)

In many cases it was also due to the rise of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia. Preserving or celebrating structures and sites related to Muhammad, his family and the founders of Islam were seen as heretical and idolatrous in their eyes.

5points

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#42

Polio is one of only two diseases currently the subject of a global eradication program, the other being Guinea worm disease. So far, the only diseases completely eradicated by humankind are smallpox, declared eradicated in 1980, and rinderpest, declared eradicated in 2011.

Voyager_AU Report

14points

Elchinero 47 minutes ago

An anti-vaxer alert

0points

#43

The oral history of the Klamath indigenous people describes the eruption of a volcano and subsequent creation of Crater Lake in Oregon, events that geologists date to almost 8,000 years ago.

MaximinusRats Report

14points

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#44

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Due to their long association with humans, dogs have evolved the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet, which would be inadequate for other canid species.

MaroonTrucker28 , Johann/Pexels Report

13points

Emma London 43 minutes ago

Unlike cats, who were domesticated for killing mice, meaning that they provided their own food and adaptation to live off the same food that humans ate was not needed.

0points

#45

Before the breakup, AT&T didn't allow customers to use phones made by other companies, claiming using them would degrade the network.

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13points

Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 5 hours ago

They also wouldn't sell phones. Customers had to rent them.

6points

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#46

The end of the Stone Age to the present represents only around 0.7% of human history.

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13points

Kira Okah 4 hours ago

The evolution of Homo sapiens has evidence dating to nearly 300,000 years ago, from a fossil of remains discovered at the site of Jebel Irhoud in Morocco.

3points

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#47

If your SSN was issued before 2011 it reveals where you lived when you got your number. The first 3 digits correspond to a specific state.

13points

Midwest Mike 3 hours ago

and if you are "THE OLD" in the United States....you may be like myself that LITERALLY your Social Security Number was listed as and printed on your "College ID" because....hey this is normal and will never be weird or a problem. So I by age 19 learned my Social Security Number number by age 19 since it was used even for my College Food ID....nope...was never going to be a horror show in the future....!!!!

2points

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#48

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Shoes discovered in Titanic wreckage are typically found in pairs because they were worn by victims when they died. The bodies disintegrated but the shoes remain due to tannic acid in leather

heylistenlady , José A. Martínez/Flickr Report

12points

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#49

Following Michael Jackson's death, his sister discovered two hard disks at her brother's home that contained more than 100 unreleased songs, many of which were unregistered. In 2010, Sony signed a deal with Jackson's estate to release 10 posthumous albums, but only 3 were ever released.

12points

martymcmatrix 8 minutes ago

Three-hee...🕴🏽

0points

#50

Pascha is the largest brothel in Europe, having over 120 workers and serves 1000 daily customers. The workers rent a room for 180 Euros/day and negotiate in the halls. Each floor is themed with one for cheap services and another for Trans. It offers a money back guarantee for bad service.

Flares117 Report

12points

Savahax 5 hours ago

It's in Köln, Germany obviously

5points

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#51

More than 86% of psychologists have themselves sought therapy (average of 221 sessions), and 62% identify as depressed, themselves.

quarky_uk Report

12points

Robin Roper 6 hours ago

Of course. A standard recommendation in the training to become a therapist is to "heal thyself" first and to maintain a therapeutic relationship for yourself. Anyone who spent as much time and energy helping others through their trauma and struggles could escape the blowback onto themselves. No one would consider it odd that a cardiologist would see a cardiologist would they?

9points

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#52

On Dec 16, 1962 John Paul Scott escaped Alcatraz and swam to Fort Point beneath the Golden Gate Bridge where he was found hypothermic and exhausted. It is the only verified case of an inmate escaping and reaching shore by swimming. He was then returned to Alcatraz.

dissoluti0nn Report

12points

Laughing Orc 4 hours ago

John Mason also escaped Alcatraz, but then snuck back in with Stanley Goodspeed when General Hummel and his rogue military outfit occupied the Rock. I saw a movie about it.

1point

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50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#53

Senior citizen Emerich Juettner eluded the US Secret Service for 10 years while he used just enough poorly created counterfeit $1 bills (one version misspelled Washington) to support himself & his dog. He only used fake $1 bills one at a time & never to the same place twice. He'd serve 4 months.

tyrion2024 Report

12points

Stephanie Did It 6 hours ago

Per Wikipedia, he only used his funny money a dollar at a time, and never in the same place twice so that his victims never suffered the loss of more than a dollar. Hence, Juettner was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, plus a one-dollar fine that elicited laughter from those inside the courtroom. No mention is made of his serving only 4 months of his sentence, at least from that source.

8points

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#54

The reason The Simpsons are so crudely drawn in their first appearances on the Tracey Ullman Show was because Matt Groening had sent in basic sketches assuming they'd be cleaned up by the animators, but the animators just traced over his drawings.

haddock420 Report

11points

Andy Frobig 2 hours ago

I loved the time all the family photos got burned, and they had to pose for replacements, and for the earliest ones they had to look like their Tracey Ullman versions

1point

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#55

After a lawyer complained that Cleveland Browns fans were throwing paper airplanes, their lawyer responded "Attached is a letter that we received on November 19, 1974. I feel that you should be aware that some asshole is signing your name to stupid letters."

MajesticBread9147 Report

11points

Moltar 7 hours ago

uncensored! ahh my freakin eyes!

14points

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“Everyone Went Dead Silent”: Family Dinner Ends In Tears After Woman Announces 7th Pregnancy

“Everyone Went Dead Silent”: Family Dinner Ends In Tears After Woman Announces 7th Pregnancy

“Everyone Went Dead Silent”: Family Dinner Ends In Tears After Woman Announces 7th Pregnancy

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

#56

The reason why older Japanese paints have women with black lips is not to provide contrast, but because they actually represent black teeth which was a common custom of the time.

aditya_rs Report

11points

Lene 32 minutes ago

Iirc women would color their teeth black. They were not having rotting teeth. They had colored teeth. But I could be wrong

0points

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#57

In addition to ethical concerns, Ford's Theatre won't put on "Our American Cousin" (the show Lincoln was assasinated during) in part because it's a comedy that just isn't very funny.

Notmiefault Report

11points

Kira Okah 5 hours ago

It's actually very funny. I mean, if it wasn't then it wouldn't have crossed the pond to America in the first place. Crossd the pond? It's a British play, with British humour about British classes. America has a different humour style and a different social makeup, so the jokes don't land in the same way as they do to a Brit. It is very funny, if you're British.

6points

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#58

Since its invention in 1959, the MOSFET transistor has become the most produced artificial object in history with over 13 sextillion manufactured.

rezikiel Report

11points

Savahax 5 hours ago

I'm holding well over 10 billion of those in my hand now

0points

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#59

In the 17th century, young upper-class men in Europe would travel across the continent in a rite of passage known as The Grand Tour.

charmer143 Report

11points

Laughing Orc 4 hours ago

Typically they travelled as a party of 3 and took a film crew with them.

9points

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Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

#60

There is a fancy restaurant in California where you can eat free if you are taller than the chef.

cplofnotes Report

10points

Isaac Harvey 7 hours ago

*laughs nervously in short*

6points

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#61

Nauru, the third smallest country in the world (8sq miles) had a 10 year civil war in 1878 that saw the island's population fall from ~1500 to >1000, sparked by the introduction of firearms. It eventually ended when the German Empire intervened and confiscated >700 rifles.

KnightTrain Report

10points

Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 8 hours ago

The country became safer when guns were taken away? Who'd have guessed that? I wonder if there could be a modern day application of this? For a country known for excessive gun deaths?

20points

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#62

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Pakistan accidentally took down Youtube for the entire globe in 2008 in an attempt to block it.

IAmHappyAndAwesome , freestocks.org/Pexels Report

9points

Savahax 5 hours ago

"The Pakistani government had ordered a nationwide ban on YouTube due to content it deemed offensive (reportedly relating to the Danish cartoons of Prophet Muhammad). To enforce the ban, Pakistan Telecom (PTCL) created a false BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) route to reroute YouTube traffic away from Pakistan.However, instead of limiting the rerouting to Pakistan, this incorrect routing information propagated globally due to a misconfiguration. This led to a situation where many internet service providers (ISPs) around the world were rerouting YouTube traffic to a "black hole," effectively making YouTube inaccessible worldwide for about two hours.This incident highlighted the vulnerabilities in the BGP system, which plays a critical role in internet traffic routing."

5points

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#63

No-panties cafe in 1980s Japan. It's just like every cafe but the waitresses do not wear panties and wear short skirts.

Token_Thai_person Report

9points

Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 8 hours ago

Japan has a very strange but seemingly accepted culture of perverts.

21points

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“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

#64

Mohammad is the most popular boys' name in Berlin, Germany.

Critical-Working8446 Report

9points

Alex Kennedy 5 hours ago

Yes, if you consider 25 different spellings of “Mohammed” all the same, but also don’t do that for other names, then a *whopping* 1% of baby boys in Berlin had the name “Mohammed”. It’s a madhouse! Those damn dusky hordes are going to replace us. (Sarcasm). https://amp.dw.com/en/baby-name-mohammed-afd-context/a-48624839

4points

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#65

In 1959, thirty TV Westerns aired during prime time in the US; none had been canceled that season, while 14 new ones had appeared. In one week in March 1959, eight of the top ten shows were Westerns. In addition, an estimated $125 million in toys based on TV Westerns were sold that year.

tyrion2024 Report

9points

Kira Okah 4 hours ago (edited)

Entertainment comes in popular waves before moving onto something else, like all popular trends. The current in thing in entertainment is superheroes.

2points

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#66

Disney spends about $50M each year on fireworks, over $130k a night. The only consumer that tops this is the military.

Disc-Golf-Kid Report

9points

Cammy Mack 5 hours ago

Maybe they should spend nothing on fireworks and pay to have better writing in their movies instead.

6points

#67

The Brooklyn Bridge was inaugurated in 1883 and was considered an engineering marvel at the time. However, rumors of its weakness caused a public panic that led to the death of about 12 people. To restore confidence in the bridge's strength, P.T. Barnum marched 21 elephants and 17 camels across.

Left-Coffee3944 Report

9points

Rob D 2 hours ago

How? Like was it the opening ceremony, and the rumor spread in the crowd, leading to panic? 12 cases of "weak bridge induced spontaneous death"?

1point

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College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

#68

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared The third season of 'Finding Your Roots' was delayed after it was discovered the show heavily edited an episode featuring Ben Affleck. Affleck pressured the show to do so after he was shown one of his ancestors was a slave owner.

GentPc , Gage Skidmore/Flickr Report

8points

Savahax 5 hours ago

He can't help it that one of his ancestors was a slave owner

10points

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#69

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared After Kevin Costner declined the lead role in the film Tombstone to develop what turned into the film Wyatt Earp instead, he attempted to "blacklist" Tombstone & commandeered every Western costume in Hollywood. Yet it was more well-received & made more money than Wyatt Earp on a smaller budget.

tyrion2024 , Pete For America/Flickr Report

8points

Owen 2 hours ago

I'm your huckleberry.

1point

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#70

There is enough actinide metal (thorium and uranium) on Earth to sustain Breeder Reactors, which produce more fissile material than they consume, leading to enough fuel to satisfy the world's energy needs at 1983 levels for 5-billion years, making nuclear energy effectively renewable.

Plupsnup Report

8points

RaisedByCats 8 hours ago

Shame about the waste

6points

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#71

Actor Peter Dante, famous for his appearance in Adam Sandler films, has not appeared in a Sandler film since 2013, following an incidence in which he called a hotel worker the N-word for not recognizing him.

CableBoyJerry Report

8points

Rob D 2 hours ago

Getting a little disconcerting how many of Sandlers really close friends are absolute a*****eṣ.

2points

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#72

Drawing the time on a clock is a test used to check for signs of dementia.

stefeyboy Report

8points

LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 hours ago

I feel like the skill of reading an analog clock is no longer commonly taught to children since digital clocks are pervasive and phones/devices with clocks on them are downright ubiquitous. I wonder if this test will lose its efficacy as current generations age :x

10points

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#73

80 Lesser-Known Facts That The “Today I Learned” Community Recently Shared Marlon Brando often refused to memorize his lines for movies like The Godfather. Instead, the crew used cue cards placed around the set, even on other actors. Brando claimed this approach made his performances feel more real and spontaneous, capturing the uncertainty of real conversations.

Ezekiel-25-17-guy , pingnews.com/Flickr Report

7points

TennesseeHomesteadUSA 15 minutes ago

Who's going to argue with Brando about his preferences on the set ?

0points

#74

Randy Savage (aka Macho Man) died from a heart attack while driving with his wife; autopsy found his coronary artery 90% blocked.

7points

Andy Frobig 2 hours ago

Having eaten a few Slim Jims in my time, this tracks

1point

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#75

Medieval Peasants generally received anywhere from eight weeks to a half-year off. At the time, the Church considered frequent and mandatory holidays the key to keeping a working population from revolting.

Majorpain2006 Report

7points

David 5 hours ago (edited)

This is a well known falsehood that was fabricated by Sociologist Juliet B. Schor (who is hated by historians of the Medieval period for what they refer to as shoddy research, and poor understanding of historical documents) that historians have been trying to correct. This entire myth is based on one single data point from Medieval England, and not any other place. The one data point was looking at the villein (a feudal tenant farmer in England) and took amount of hours required under law for them to work for the Feudal Lord, to earn their tenant rights and rent (150 days of sun-up to down of labor). Schorr takes this one data point, and then claims this was the only labor they had to do, and then assumes all Peasants at the time in England did the same hours. It did not take into account any other professions, nor the other labor required by the villein, such as their own food, excess to trade to others, taking care of the animals, making goods for the home, etc. Her work is bad research, and

15points

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#76

Neanderthals lived in a high-stress environment with high trauma rates, and about 80% died before the age of 40.

BizarroCullen Report

5points

Savahax 4 hours ago

Yeah, no s**t. When you're spending your days dodging mammoths, wrestling cave bears, and trying not to fall off cliffs while chasing dinner, 40 starts looking like a pretty decent fůcking run

4points

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#77

The average age for virginity loss in the USA is 17 years old.

paulbunyanshat Report

4points

LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 hours ago

I'm perfectly average! \o/

2points

#78

After assaulting two people, Monroe Isadore, a 107-year-old man from Arkansas, died in a shootout with a SWAT team.

The-Curiosity-Rover Report

4points

TribbleThinking 1 hour ago

The chap didn't want to move from his home, and no one was listening.

2points

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#79

Robert Hoagland vanished from Newtown, Connecticut, in 2013, with suspicions of foul play. in fact, he had actually resettled in Rock Hill, New York, under an assumed name, Richard King, which was not discovered until after his death in late 2022.

Ok_Writing_9320 Report

3points

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#80

Jeremy Harper, who in 2007 livestreamed himself counting to 1,000,000. It took him 89 days, during which he did not leave the house or shave. He spent an average of 16 hours a day counting.

AntonioLeeuwenhoek Report

3points

Tucker Cahooter 5 hours ago

I'm guessing that there were also people who wasted 89 days watching him do it too

5points

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Robyn Smith

Robyn is an award-winning journalist who has produced work for several international media outlets. Made in Africa and exported to the world, she is obsessed with travel and the allure of new places. A lover of words and visuals, Robyn is part of the Bored Panda writing team. This Panda has two bamboo tattoos: A map of Africa & the words "Be Like The Bamboo... Bend Never Break."

Robyn is an award-winning journalist who has produced work for several international media outlets. Made in Africa and exported to the world, she is obsessed with travel and the allure of new places. A lover of words and visuals, Robyn is part of the Bored Panda writing team. This Panda has two bamboo tattoos: A map of Africa & the words "Be Like The Bamboo... Bend Never Break."

Evelina Šiukšterytė

Photo Editor Assistant at Bored Panda. In 2023, Evelina graduated from the Photography Technology Studies at the Vilnius College of Technology and Design. Photography caught her eye since high school, so after 4 years of spending her free time with a camera and photographing her friends, she decided to turn her hobby into a job she likes. However, as usually happens after the studies, Evelina felt that she lost herself in photography and decided to take a break on that, but not completely abandon photography itself. Besides photography, Evelina also found another hobby - embroidery. She creates tote bags with her embroidered designs, so as you can understand, she loves arts and crafts. Also, Evelina spent all her 12 years at school with music by her side, which is still one of the most important things in her life.

Photo Editor Assistant at Bored Panda. In 2023, Evelina graduated from the Photography Technology Studies at the Vilnius College of Technology and Design. Photography caught her eye since high school, so after 4 years of spending her free time with a camera and photographing her friends, she decided to turn her hobby into a job she likes. However, as usually happens after the studies, Evelina felt that she lost herself in photography and decided to take a break on that, but not completely abandon photography itself. Besides photography, Evelina also found another hobby - embroidery. She creates tote bags with her embroidered designs, so as you can understand, she loves arts and crafts. Also, Evelina spent all her 12 years at school with music by her side, which is still one of the most important things in her life.

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

What do you think ?

Sand Ers 35 minutes ago

Why do I always start on these long lists right when I should be going to bed?

0points

Sand Ers 35 minutes ago

Why do I always start on these long lists right when I should be going to bed?

0points

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