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50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Facts)
It’s the holiday season, and we understand that your brain might already be on vacation mode, pandas. But it’s still a great time to learn some fun facts!
Below, you’ll find a new batch of interesting information that’s recently been shared in the Today I Learned subreddit. From how long it takes to make a jellybean to which university has banned rock music, you’re sure to find something on this list that you’ve never heard before. So enjoy scrolling through, and don't forget to upvote the facts you’ll be sure to remember the next time you need to strike up a conversation at a party!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TIL Van Gogh's sister in law was behind Van Gogh’s posthumous success and fame, She dedicated her life to spreading his art and legacy after his death, She preserved and published his letters, organized and exhibited his paintings, wrote and translated articles and books about him.
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#2
TIL the "ALS Icebucket Challenge" actually raised enough money to create treatments for the disease (that work). It wasn't just a social media trend that went nowhere.
Jefferson Selvy 12 months ago
I took part. It was summer and I live in the high desert so it was more refreshing than a hardship
#3
TIL in 1943, a US bomber over Germany was hit by explosive ordnance directly in the fuel tanks 11 times, but none exploded. After the shells were cut open, all were found to have no explosives in them, and one contained a note in Czech saying "This is all we can do for you now".
Sonja 12 months ago
Schindler's workers did similar things too. Schindler had several munition factories and his jewish workers which he got from the camps for forced labour sabotaged the munition to help the enemy win. He knew about it and did nothing. He made excuses for them against the party and constantly asked for more workers, blaming lack of workers for the bad quality of the munition. That way, he saved thousands of people from the concentration camps.
#4
TIL that monkeys in Ethiopia have managed to "domesticate" wild wolves by helping them hunt small rodents. The wolves now coexist with (even baby!) monkeys without ever attacking them, instead going for smaller, harder-to-catch prey!
Amber_Moon 12 months ago
This sounds sweet and heart warming but it's not gonna be good when the monkeys decide to revolt and people are getting attacked by monkeys riding on wolves.
#5
TIL an orangutan named Fu Manchu figured out how to escape his enclosure at a zoo by picking the lock on a door. He did it repeatedly for weeks as zoo staff was stumped about how and tried every measure to prevent it only to finally catch Fu Manchu in the act using a piece of wire he kept hidden.
#6
TIL: In about six weeks a transplanted liver section will grow into a normal-sized, fully functioning liver in a recipient, while the donor’s remaining liver will regenerate to replace the transplanted section.
#7
TIL in 2019, basketball player DJ Cooper was suspended for two years after using his girlfriend's urine to attempt to cheat a drug test. The test "discovered" that he was pregnant.
Artsy Bookworm 12 months ago
I'm imagining the shock of the person who got the test results back 🤣
#8
TIL that the Nike logo was designed for 35$ but the company gifted the designer stock that is now worth millions because she held it all without selling.
#9
TIL - Rammstein once played a concert in Hamburg, Germany and the physics department of the local university picked it up on their seismograph. They did not register the sound, but literally the shaking ground.
#10
TIL after getting LASIK surgery, Horace Grant continued to wear his signature goggles without the prescription in order to remain a positive influence so kids who needed glasses would think it's cool.
#11
TIL There was a study in Africa that showed that cows with large eye painted on their butts would not be attacked by ambush predators.
#12
TIL a New Zealand woman was detained in Kazakhstan because they did not believe New Zealand was a real country. When they asked her to show the country on a map, their map did not include New Zealand.
Dragon mama 12 months ago
A common failure in the map world, to the point that there are online communities that collect and share them with each other. I have a few examples somewhere in this dusty old camera roll....
#13
TIL - One of the 8 Hawaiian islands, Ni’ihau, is known as The Forbidden Island. It’s privately owned, you can’t visit without an invitation, there were 84 residents in the 2020 census, and they live primitively, like their ancestors.
David Paterson 12 months ago
I think I saw a documentary segment on this. Not so much "primitively", more like subsistence farming. If it was the same island.
#14
TIL: There are virtually zero commercial planes that fly over Tibet, one of the reasons being that in the event of depressurization/engine failure, planes cannot descend to 10,000 feet because the Tibetan Plateau has an average elevation of 14,370 feet.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 12 months ago
Same issue flying north to south over the Rockies or the Andes. No flights there either.
#15
TIL The Hollywood sign was rebuilt after a successful campaign in 1978 by Alice Cooper. He was one of 9 donators to replace each letter. He bought the first "O" in memory of Groucho Marx.
#16
TIL tennis balls used to be black and white, but changed to yellow for TV viewers thanks to David Attenborough's suggestion.
Ace 12 months ago
To clarify - David Attenborough was the "controller" of BBC2 at the time, when it was the first European TV station broadcasting in colour. The early cameras weren't great and yellow showed up a lot better than the dull white of previous balls. For more about the great man, read https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/nine-astonishing-ways-david-attenborough-shaped-your-world/z4k2kmn
#17
TIL the largest air force in the world is the US Air Force. The second largest air force in the world is the US Navy.
#18
TIL Abercrombie & Fitch’s "Appearance/Look Policy" required staff to buy the company’s clothes. After losing a lawsuit, they agreed "not to force workers to buy its clothes" and to reimburse former employees for purchases made during the period cited.
MrPractical 12 months ago
If the company wants staff to show off their clothes, they should provide them.
#19
TIL that following the success of the 90s hit film, "the Bodyguard", Kevin Costner contacted his longtime friend, Princess Diana, to star in a sequel. She agreed. The first draft arrived the day before her death in 1997. Following her passing, the film was scrapped.
#20
TIL: While many animals run faster than humans, the strength and positioning of our butts (gluteal muscles) gave humans the endurance to keep running and chasing prey when other animals had to stop.
Jefferson Selvy 12 months ago
Related: many herbivores will only run a relatively short distance before they stop and attempt to hide.
#21
TIL: Many choking deaths happen in bathrooms. It turns out that people who start choking often feel embarrassed and rush to the bathroom for privacy, only to end up dying alone, often next to a toilet.
EP 12 months ago
This is alarming… I did just that the last time I was coughing bc I was choking on food going down the wrong pipe. Everyone was staring af me coughing so hard so I ran into the bathroom out of embarrassment. I could still breathe so it’s not exactly the same. But I can definitely see how this is true considering I felt like I had to remove myself due to the stares!!
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 12 months ago
I nearly choked to death in prison. My friend and I were eating, and a bite of bread completely covered my trachea, and it was damp enough to seal. I couldn't get any air at all. I elbowed my friend. She started patting me on the back, which wasn't going to help. With no breath, I couldn't talk or scream, so I started banging my lunch tray on the table. Someone at the next table said, "Oh look, she's choking." The staff noticed at the same time, and one of them came running. He couldn't get his arms around me well enough, but the second staff member did. A thrust or two, and the seal broke. The bread went flying, and I started coughing. Scary as all get out. The worst part? It was my birthday.
James Peek 12 months ago
I enjoy a lot of your stories Shyla, but this has happened to me, so I can relate. Very scary!
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David 12 months ago
I suspect it isn't just embarrassment. If you have something stuck in your throat you are often trying to cough it up. A convenient place to hork up some food and spit, sometimes by sticking your finger down your throat, is over a toilet. I used to have a problem with my throat. I have choked a number of times and never died. My point being - I think many of those folks don't expect to die. They often likely think they are just going to spit up in the toilet.
EvilNob 11 months ago
Thank you for clarifying that you, in fact, did not die. ❤️
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EvilNob 12 months ago
This entire "fact" is wrong. Choking people feel mostly terrified and not embarrassed. And the main reason for the bathroom is not the privacy, but because they think that they will be able to womit. And guess what the best place for it is. The second one is the sink or bin in the kitchen. And yes. I already saved choking People.
David Paterson 12 months ago (edited)
It's not just embarrassment. I was choking due to anaphylaxis and the washbasin water washed the allergens from my throat so I recovered instantly. At other times washing and swallowing dislodge or soften the plug.
whiterabbit 12 months ago
People do the same thing if they think they're going to pass out. I work in an outpatient surgery center, I've seen the driver of many patients pass out over the years. We have a rule not to let them use the restroom if they're starting to look pale and panicked. I also had a new coworker who kept passing out when she was scrubbed in, made it to the bathroom one of the times, sat on the toilet and passed out. Ended up busting her forehead on the granite floor and got a concussion.
IMHO 12 months ago
Quick Tip: If you're taking a pill(s) keep a cup of hot coffee or tea handy. If it gets lodged in your throat try to swallow something hot to melt the capsule quickly and send it on it's way.
TheBlueBitterfly 12 months ago
Bread actually works better. With something hot, you risk dissolving the capsule and exposing the contents to your esophagus, which can errode the lining, causing holes, bleeding, etc.
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Lady Gypsy Rain 11 months ago
Makes mental note. While choking try to be around someone who could save you. Or better yet,, ASAP take a Red Cross course on the Heimlich maneuver and CPR so you can learn how to give yourself the Heimlich maneuver. Life saving Personal experience talking now. I have a yet to be diagnosed with any name neurological issue that, causes me to not be able to fully swallow more frequently than healthy people would ever believe. 1. Don’t panic 2. If you can still breathe, you are not in need of outside assistance. Yet. 3. Do not hesitate to give yourself the Heimlich maneuver. Even if you can still breathe as it may help to dislodge the food. 4. If that fails or you are hesitant, again. Only if you’re still able to breathe, try a drink of any beverage of choice. That can often help get the stuck items to finally move on down. 5. If you CANNOT breathe, & you’ve been trained in administering the Heimlich maneuver on yourself, do NOT hesitate. Give yourself the maneuver immediately
Lady Gypsy Rain 11 months ago (edited)
6. If you are unsuccessful or not trained and cannot breathe, know the international sign of distress is to place both of your hands, arms crossed, around your throat as if you are trying to throttle yourself. USE IT. 7. If in restaurants, there is often someone on shift that knows the Heimlich maneuver. Your server could end up being the one to save your life. Never hesitate to signal for help if you are not able to breathe. This is so important. Make large sweeping motions with your arms and stand up if you are having difficulty getting the attentions of others. Seriously, I have saved my own life a few times by administering the Heimlich maneuver to myself. And now my mother has Parkinson’s and also has difficulty swallowing. If you want to be able to help others in distress, taking those Red Cross classes is massively important. &, if like me, you live alone, it’s so important to know how to administer to yourself. & when to recognize you or someone else is in serious trouble
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Mary Kelly 11 months ago
my sister gave someone who was choking in her work cafeteria, and the woman was furious with my sister for embarrassing her b/c she vomited as the food was expelled...luckily her coworkers were like, "imagine how embarrassing it would have been to choke to death our of pride"
Mad McQueen 12 months ago
I agree. I was given a raw clam at a dinner one time. I bit it and it got caught between my teeth and most fell dangling down my throat. I made hand gestures but no one got it. I ran to the restroom and threw my head down to get the clam to get into my mouth. Used a finger to hook it out. If I didn't think fast I would have been a number too
Bettye McKee 11 months ago
If you're choking, get your head as low as you can without lying down. Gravity will help the obstruction fall out.
Margaret Weaver 11 months ago
Been there... I think we've all been to workdinners that should have been an email, and wished we were dead. Not sure I'd take it THAT far, though. You can OVERcommit to a gag.
Cybele Spanjaard 11 months ago
I would be making sure I was seen if choking. It happened twice. Once at a beach picnic I fell and dislodged the stuck sandwich and then recently my daughter gave me five big thumps between the shoulder blades then a big rear Heimlich manoeuvre, a hard upward hug as I was choking on a cracker..very very careful now
Riley Quinn 11 months ago
Commendable attitude. Why ruin everyone else's night out. But the question is, were they dining alone or were their dining companions selfish idiots for not pursuing them in their time of need? As to the point of dying alone, that prospect is increasing by the rate of 8.8%.
#22
TIL frankincense and myrrh are the dried sap of trees, also known as resin.
David Paterson 12 months ago
The original test is Zoroastrian in origin and is described in detail by Marco Polo. A baby is offered gold, frankincense and myrrh. If they choose Gold then they're going to be a king. If they choose Frankincense then they're going to be a priest. If they choose Myrrh then they're going to be a doctor. A good fortune telling gig. Obviously, the gifts are not left with the baby. In other news, Frankincense in that time came from a tree that grew in Oman and Yemen. I have used a middle eastern toothpaste flavoured with Myrrh rather than peppermint. I do not recommend it.
#23
TIL when Greece won its independence in 1822, Athens was reduced to a small village of 4,000 inhabitants that had faded into irrelevance over centuries. It was selected as the capital for historical and sentimental reasons. The city is now the largest in Greece with over 3 million inhabitants
#24
TIL America had over 50,000 pay toilets in 1970 but by 1980, there were almost none. Four teenagers formed the Committee to End Pay Toilets in America. Chicago became the first major American city to ban pay toilets altogether in March of 1973.
#25
TIL that the "seductive nature" of the Green M&M is a reference to an urban legend during the 1970s that green M&Ms were aphrodisiacs.
#26
TIL about 'The Campaign for North Africa' - a board game published in 1978 that is estimated to take 62 days to play. The game includes 1,600 counters and the level of detail is such that Italian troops require additional water supplies in order to boil pasta.
#27
TIl that citizens of Monaco are banned from gambling or working at casinos. The famed Monte Carlo Casino is strictly for foreigners only.
#28
TIL that the Milky Way Galaxy is being pulled toward a mysterious area in space called "The Great Attractor" at about 6000km/s. Whatever it is, we can't see it from Earth because it's obscured the hub of our galaxy.
#29
TIL the director of Captain Phillips didn't allow Tom Hanks and Actors playing somali pirates to meet before filming the movie, so that the pirates can terroize Tom and his crew and create a realistic tension and hostility between them.
#30
TIL Emperor Justinian II (685-695 and 705-711) was overthrown in a rebellion and had his nose cut off to prevent him from ever ruling again. However, he managed to return to power in 705 with a prosthetic gold nose and took his revenge on those who had deposed him.
#31
TIL the longest prison sentence ever given was 141,078 years, given to a Thai woman in 1989. She was released 4 years later.
Passerby 12 months ago
Look up Chamoy Thipyaso if you are curious. She defrauded more than 10,000 people, and she got sentence for each case of fraud, that's why the sentence was so long. She actually received just 20 years of prison though, because that is the maximum sentence allowed by the law. She ended up serving even less than that though.
#32
TIL that the Soviet spacecraft Luna 1 was intended to be the first craft to land on the moon. It missed the moon by nearly 6000km and ended up becoming the first spacecraft to enter orbit around the sun between the orbits of Earth and Mars.
Jefferson Selvy 12 months ago
The actual body count of the Soviet Space Program is still not known
#33
TIL It would take 18 months to walk the great wall of China.
#34
TIL Liechtenstein has been accidentally attacked or invaded by Switzerland 5 times since 1968. In 1968, chairs were broken by artillery. In 1976 soldiers were offered drinks by the locals. In 1985 a forest fire was started. Switzerland apologised or compensated for the damage each time.
Jefferson Selvy 12 months ago
Lichtenstein is one of the quartet of tiny countries along with Andorra, Luxembourg and Vatican City
#35
TIL that Thomas Cornell was convicted and sent to the gallows for the 1673 murder of his mother, due in part to "spectral evidence" presented by his uncle, who said her ghost paid him a visit and told him that Thomas did it.
#36
TIL Prior to 1970 most Pistachios were dyed red!
#37
TIL in the last years of his life, J.R.R Tolkien, a devout catholic, resisted the liturgical changes implemented after the Second Vatican Council, especially the use of English for the liturgy. He continued to make the responses in Latin, loudly, ignoring the rest of the congregation.
WonderWoman 12 months ago
Having liturgy in your own language lets you understand the passages and meanings of what is being preached rather than the word of the priest who brings his own agenda to the people.
#38
TIL that despite being commonly ranked as one of the worst Christmas films ever made, the 1985 film “Santa Claus: The Movie” is immensely popular in the UK. One of the film actors, John Lithgow, said in 2019 that he wishes he had a nickel for every Englishman who’s told him it's their favorite film.
#39
TIL that in a survey of 500 law firm workers, over 50% confirmed that legal TV shows had influenced their career choice & 57% of those felt that the TV series that impacted them was a "realistic depiction of a legal career." 30% identified Suits as their show, 22% said Law and Order.
#40
TIL - The severed head of Mata Hari was embalmed and kept in the Museum of Anatomy in Paris. In 2000, archivists discovered that it had disappeared.
Jefferson Selvy 12 months ago
Keeping the heads of famous criminals is nothing odd. The skeleton of Burke of the famous Burke and Hare murders is still on display at Surgeon's Hall at the University of Edinburgh, the Alma Mater of Dr. Know who bought the murdered corpses
#41
TIL that The Simpsons episode where they go to Japan is banned in Japan.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 12 months ago (edited)
That's because the episode depicts Homer disrespecting the Emperor. Japan has Lèse-majesté laws. The Emperor cannot be mocked or disrespected in any capacity in public media. While no longer a criminal offense, the figure of the Emperor is venerated in Japan.
#42
TIL that although it's commonly believed that we can feel stares, studies on the Psychic Staring Effect have repeatedly produced results no better than random chance.
#43
TIL America was almost named “Amerige” meaning “Land of Amerigo”, but was changed to the feminine form America, following the naming convention of Asia and Europe.
#44
TIL: To stop cannibalism among poultry in the 1940s thought to be due to natural instinct, "Anti-Pix" sunglasses were developed to prevent birds from seeing "raw flesh or blood" due to their rose color. They worked!
#45
TIL Japan has several "Nose Tombs" which contain tens of thousands of severed noses from Korea.
Daniel Atkins 12 months ago
Look up The Rape of Nanking and it will tell you how horrible the Japanese were during WW II to the Koreans and the Chinese. The bad thing is they didn’t acknowledge what they did even to this day.
#46
TIL while filming the scene in 1983’s “A Christmas Story” where Ralphie is dressed as a sheriff, a prop man gave actor Peter Billingsley real Red Man chewing tobacco. Peter, who was 12, didn’t know the difference and ingested it. Production then had to be shut down until Billingsley recovered.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 12 months ago
Poor Ralphie! Seriously, what the heck? That's like giving a twelve year old cigarettes!
#47
TIL that Mao Zedong gave out a box of mangoes gifted to him by Pakistan. A cult formed in China for the unfamiliar fruit. Replicas were made and publicly displayed. One man said that the fruit didn't look like anything special, and was shamefully paraded around his town and then publicly executed.
#48
TIL director Michel Gondry found Jim Carrey's emotional state after a breakup "so beautiful, so broken" that he asked him to stay that way for one year to fit his character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
#49
TIL it's not possible to watch every film ever nominated for Best Picture. Only 2/3 of 1928's The Patriot still exists, and the only complete prints of 1931's East Lynne and 1934's The White Parade are in the UCLA film archive
#50
TIL that for several years Mick Jagger believed he was the father of Liv Tyler.
What do you think ?
pebs 12 months ago (edited)
Sorry for the OT, but for days BP keeps showing me the same notifications as if they were new, even if I click on them. Does this happen to anyone else too? Edit: thanks for your answers!
Wheeskers 12 months ago
Is it just me or is BP difficult to browse? Slow, unresponsive, doesn't scroll worth a dang.
Mike F 12 months ago
Maybe loading the animated ads is eating up processor power. I'm using a tablet and it's gobbling my battery.
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The Darkest Timeline 11 months ago
Most of these are irrelevant factoids that clearly would not be taught in school
pebs 12 months ago (edited)
Sorry for the OT, but for days BP keeps showing me the same notifications as if they were new, even if I click on them. Does this happen to anyone else too? Edit: thanks for your answers!
Wheeskers 12 months ago
Is it just me or is BP difficult to browse? Slow, unresponsive, doesn't scroll worth a dang.
Mike F 12 months ago
Maybe loading the animated ads is eating up processor power. I'm using a tablet and it's gobbling my battery.
Load More Replies... The Darkest Timeline 11 months ago
Most of these are irrelevant factoids that clearly would not be taught in school
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