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‘Today I Learned’: 50 People Share Fascinating Things They Didn’t Learn At School (New Pics)
Interview With Expert
Every single day is an opportunity to learn something new. But even if you’re not actively reading scientific studies or in-depth socio-economic analyses, you can still pick up a lot of new information just by spending time online.
And if you ever wanted to share all those interesting tidbits of knowledge with everyone else, well, the massively popular ‘Today I Learned’ online group might be the perfect place to do it. Its members post the most interesting and unusual facts about the world that they heard about just recently. We’ve collected some of the freshest ones to share with you, Pandas. Scroll down to check them out (and don’t forget to take notes so you can impress your friends later).
Bored Panda wanted to get to grips with how we can all continue to stay curious about the world and how we can check the reliability of scientific claims. So, we reached out to N. Otre Le Vant, the author of ‘On Progress in Physics and Subjectivity Theory’ and the founder of Inisev. He kindly shared his insights with us. You'll find his thoughts below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
In 2001, a 13-year-old Boy Scout named Cody Clawson went missing for over 18 hours near Yellowstone Park. Clawson resorted to using his belt buckle to signal to planes overhead. Eventually, he got a pilot’s attention - and that pilot was none other than Harrison Ford - who rescued Clawson.
N. Otre Le Vant researches progress in science and uses a pseudonym on purpose because he thinks his name is irrelevant. In his book, 'On Progress in Physics and Subjectivity Theory,' he makes the point that it's the ideas that count, not the people who came up with them. "Just because someone is likable or not doesn't mean all their ideas are good or bad," he told Bored Panda via email. "We should separate the art from the artist."
According to the researcher, we're all born with the gift of curiosity, but some of us end up losing it as we grow older. From his perspective, one reason why we grow less curious about the world is that the social norms that surround us force us into a mindset of accepting things as they are, without question. This means that some people feel pressured to go with the flow of the crowd, switching off their minds.
"We must resist this 'easy way' and keep the playful, challenging, and 'always asking why' approach that was the main reason we learned so many things when we were kids. If we can retain this mindset, we’ll naturally stay curious," N. Otre Le Vant told Bored Panda.
RELATED:
#2
Despite not having played since 2018, MLB player Andrew Toles has remained under contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers so he can continue receiving mental health treatment for his schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
#3
In 2015, a woman's parachute failed to deploy while skydiving, surviving with life-threatening injuries. Days before, she survived a mysterious gas leak at her house. Both were later found to be intentional murder plots by her husband.
We asked the researcher for his thoughts on how the average person can determine whether the scientific claims they spot online are reliable or not. He was happy to shed some light on this.
"The scientific method can be summarized as follows: a theory is conceived (supported by evidence) and then exposed to attacks by other scientists. Eventually, only the theories that are still standing after the avalanches of attacks are considered as 'truth'—not as ultimate truth, but only as long as no refutation is successful, or a better theory is found. This approach has proven to be very robust, and we owe almost all of our modern technology and standard of life to it," the author of 'On Progress in Physics and Subjectivity Theory' explained.
"Therefore, any theory that deviates from this scientific method should be regarded skeptically. Examples include theories that are so fuzzy they cannot be refuted, or those claimed to be true without having undergone a thorough scientific review."
#4
In the 1960s, Washington D.C.'s poor areas were plagued by severe rat problems until Julius Hobson began catching them by trapping enormous rats, and attaching the cage to his car’s roof and drove to affluent districts where he warned of setting the rodents free, spurring rat control measures.
#5
On April 18 1930, the BBC's evening news report simply said "there is no news" and then played piano music for the entire segment.
#6
In 2018, a K***er whale named Tahlequah, known to researchers as J35, grieved over her dead calf by carrying it across the ocean for 17 days and over 1,000 miles, refusing to let it sink.
That being said, he stressed that we shouldn't ignore new ideas that haven't (yet) been peer-reviewed.
"After all, that’s how all ideas start out. However, these ideas must never be claimed to be true, but regarded as ‘interesting hypotheses’ at best. Those who assert early-stage ideas as definitely true demonstrate a lack of understanding of how easy it is to be wrong and don’t exhibit the level of humility required for progress in science."
#7
Muhammad Ali's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is on a wall instead of on the ground. This is because Ali, a devout Muslim, did not want people stepping on the name "Muhammad".
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 7 months ago
I can respect that. Glad whoever runs the Walk of fame these days makes these considerations.
#8
Dr. Jessie Lazear, an American physician who studied yellow fever under the famous Dr. Walter Reed. He allowed himself to be bitten by an infected mosquito, and died of the disease himself 17 days later, confirming how the disease was spread. His sacrifice saved millions.
#9
Weather forecasters tend to exaggerate the chance of rain because if it rains when they said it wouldn't, people get angry, but if it doesn't rain when they said it would, they are happy. This is known as "wet bias."
Robert Trebor 7 months ago
That 10% or 20% is to be able to say either, "I told you so," or "Well, it was only a 20% chance."
Many people fall prey to the illusory truth effect, a cognitive bias where the more often we’re exposed to information, the more plausible we think it is. In other words, repetition makes us believe something is (more likely to be) real, even if the information is thoroughly false. Even knowing about this effect doesn’t make us immune to it… but having more awareness is always a plus.
It would take too much time and effort to double-check every single claim, so it’s best to focus your energy on checking the reliability of the outlet. Reliable organizations always show the evidence behind the facts. They also tend to disclose any conflict of interest, use multiple sources to back up their claims, and are quick to update their information if they make a mistake. Even the best sources will make mistakes sometimes, and nobody is completely objective, but some outlets have a solid track record of reliability, while others peddle opinions as facts.
#10
There was a girls dance camp nearby when the atomic Trinity test occurred. The girls played in the falling white ash. 10 of the 12 girls died before 40.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 7 months ago
First, that's horrifying. Second, now I want to know what happened to the other two...
#11
Aldgate Pump, a historic water pump held as marking the start of London’s East End. Long famed for its “sparkling, agreeable” water, it was later found that this rich mineral taste came from the flesh and bones of nearby cemeteries leeching into the water. The tainted water killed hundreds.
#12
Viggo Mortensen wore his Russian gangster make up tattoos to a Russian restaurant while filming Eastern Promises. The Russian diners fell silent out of fear until Viggo identified himself and said the tattoos were for a movie. After that he removed the tattoos after every workday.
If you spend even a moderate amount of time on the internet and social media, it’s quite likely that you’ve stumbled across a post written by someone from the ‘Today I Learned,’ aka TIL, community.
The subreddit is absolutely sprawling, currently boasting some 36 million members from all corners of the Earth. The common threads that unite them are a thirst for new knowledge as well as the entertainment factor folks get from reading what others have to share.
#13
The Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness: poor people buy cheap products that need to be replaced repeatedly, proving more expensive in the long run than more expensive items.
#14
Octopuses deliberately throw shells at each other. Researchers found that 66% of throws were made by females, often in response to mating attempts. For a creature with no thumbs or rotator cuffs, they had a 17% hit rate.
#15
Chief Baker of the Titanic, Charles Joughin, survived by getting smashed on Brandy and calmly paddling around until dawn when he was rescued by a lifeboat. He was also one of the last people off the ship, riding the stern rail into the sea like an elevator.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 7 months ago
He actually appears in the movie. He is the portly, moustachied man wearing white that is next to Rose and Jack when the ship takes the final plunge. You can even see him taking a swig of the bottle in the deleted scenes.
The TIL community is very strict when it comes to sharing facts. The moderators demand that their members only post facts that are accurate, verified, and supported by reputable sources. There’s no room here for personal opinions, political posts, or anecdotes.
What’s more, you’re not allowed to refer to sources that are more recent than two months. All of this helps ensure that the facts shared on r/todayilearned are as accurate as possible. That, along with the fun factor, is a huge draw for many internet users. It’s education and entertainment (aka edutainment) in one place.
#16
That 'Rocky' (1976) was inspired by the true story of Chuck Wepner, a local boxer from New Jersey who was set up for a dream fight with Muhammad Ali. Wepner quit his job to train full time, and against all odds, lasted 15 rounds with the champ. Stallone was in the audience.
#17
A man survived two separate bear attacks in one day, After the first attack, where he was bitten on the head and arms, he played dead to make the bear lose interest. Despite the ordeal, he walked three miles to his truck, only to be attacked again by the same bear and miraculously survived.
#18
The reason why animal shelters are full of huskies, is because of the TV show Game of Thrones. Everyone wanted their own real life dire Wolf, but then abandoned them after they realize how much work they are.
sturmwesen 7 months ago
I don't know how often I had to tell people with no dog experience that working breeds need work. doesn't matter if a sled dog, herding dog or hunting dog.
Which of these featured facts blew your mind the most, Pandas? Have you learned something interesting recently that you’d like to share with everyone else? How do you stay curious about the world when you've got so many responsibilities weighing on you? Tell us all about it in the comments.
#19
287 years is the longest a library book was overdue. While writing a biography on Colonel Robert Walpole in 1956, Prof. John Plumb returned a history book to the Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge after Walpole had checked it out around the year 1667.
#20
Cold temperatures weaken nasal immunity, making us more vulnerable to viruses. A mere 5°C drop in nasal tissue temperature reduces immune response by nearly half.
#21
War pigs were used by the Romans because the squeals would scare war elephants into fleeing, and cause them to trample their own armies.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 7 months ago
Yeah, those squeals were not by training. The Romans covered the pigs in oil and set them on fire...
#22
in 1915 tipping was so unpopular that 6 states made it illegal to do so.
#23
While dogs may not pass the traditional mirror test, they do pass a "smell mirror" test, suggesting they understand the concept of 'self'.
Julia Ford 7 months ago
Elephants pass the mirror test. It’s extremely interesting and also very sad that self-aware and intelligent beings were kept (and some still are) in little zoo enclosures for so long.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 7 months ago
To quote the One and Only Ivan, a bad zoo is just another cage. A good zoo is how humans make amends. Sometimes it’s safer, or just the only option, to have them in a zoo. Many animals would be a lot closer to extinction if it weren’t for zoo breeding programs. That being said, a lot of zoos do keep animals in too-small cages without stimulation.
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Greyskull 7 months ago
Cats don't pass the mirror test, but when their owners hold them and do a Snapchat filter that changes the owner's face, the cat will often look back at the owner in surprise. So cats do recognize that the phone/mirror shows their owner, that the person in the mirror is the person's lap they're sitting on, so they're tangentially close to passing the mirror test.
Remi (He/Him) 6 months ago
cats might also look at their image in the mirror and think "it's not me, it doesn't even smell like me"
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Vicki Doggurl 7 months ago
Agreed!! That dog is beautiful! What a boopable nose, too!
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Joosep Niidas 7 months ago
This is a bit bollocks, I've never seen a cat or dog, when confronted with a mirror for the first time, not realize after a couple minutes that the figure in the mirror is themself and then just not pay any attention to mirrors from there on out
Pyla 7 months ago
The mirror test is pretty simple and cool: the animal has a mark placed on its body, then is brought in front of the mirror. If they perceive that the mark is actually on their own body (by reaching to touch it or wipe it off) then they evince understanding that it is themself in the mirror. Dogwise, I guess they can tell if themself by reacting with some variation of “reading the news” like dogs normally do.
Binky Melnik 7 months ago
So many of these assume we know what they’re talking about. Why is it assumed I know what a “mirror test” is? You can be bothered to add parenthetically a half a sentence explaining what it is? Will you miss out on chow time if you explain it briefly?
Hannah Taylor 7 months ago
The mirror test is when an animal researcher places a mirror within view of an animal, to gage its response. Most animals, like the large cats, have a negative response. But others are fascinated, even amused, by their own reflection. Dolphins and orangutans are examples.
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Margaret Clarke 7 months ago
My little dog used to look at herself in the door mirror, then look at me in the door mirror, before turning and looking me in the face with a smile face and tail wag.
Lena Flising 7 months ago
My old cat was aware that I could not be at two places at once. When we let them out on our patio, she used to jump up in my window, where I was usually sitting inside, surfing the net (as I am now) and tell me that she WANTED TO COME IN NOW-NOW-NOW. But one time, I was out there with them, and when she wanted to come in, she jumped up on the table and was about to jump up on the window-sill, but then she looked back at me and at the window, and jumped down and went over to the door instead.
Erica brown 7 months ago
Elephants are so fascinating, brilliant among many other amazing characteristics i did a essay in college on death rituals ( health care) and I began on what elephants rituals were, beyond fascinating
Hannah Taylor 7 months ago
Dolphins definitely pass the mirror test. It is actually entertaining to see how they react to their own reflection. They will turn around endlessly, just enjoying the view. We should all learn to think like dolphins. "Oh, I've put on a few pounds. And boy, do I look GOOD!"
Charlotte 7 months ago
Mine absolutely do. Move the (identical) dog beds around and chaos ensues because that’s MY bed but one dog believes only she is worthy of sleeping closest to the human bed
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In 1992 Annette Herfkens was the sole survivor of a plane crash that included her fiancé & 28 others. Despite having 12 fractures in her hip, 2 in her leg, a broken jaw & a collapsed lung, she survived 8 days in a Vietnamese jungle on rainwater until a local officer came by & got help.
#25
Korean serial killer Kim Sun-ja laced her friend's tea with cyanide, causing her to vomit. She told her friend that she would feel better if she drank more of the beverage, but her friend became suspicious and refused, becoming the only known survivor of 6 poisoning victims from 1986 to 1988.
#26
The directors of Tangled held a “hot man meeting” and had all the women from the studio critique Hollywood men to create the character of Flynn Rider.
#27
The largest unfinished church in the world, the Sagrada Família, began construction in 1886. It is expected to be completed in 2026, nearly 150 years after it began construction.
Jerome Lenovo 7 months ago
Gaudi were really hard to accomplish (plus the periods when work stopped)
#28
in 1969 Ted Conrad embezzled $215,000 from a bank in Ohio & proceeded to evade capture for the remaining 51 years of his life. He became 'Thomas Randele' & settled in Massachusetts. Described by authorities as a deathbed confession, in 2021 he told his wife & daughter who he was & what he did.
#29
Squirrels terminal velocity is so low they can fall from any height and survive.
#31
English scientist Henry Cavendish discovered physical laws like Ohm's, Dalton's, or Charles's law and few others as first but they were not named after him because he didn't publish his notes and didn't tell his fellow scientists, propably due to being asocial and shy.
#32
A mother named Kathleen Folbigg, who was imprisoned for 2 decades for murdering her 4 children. Later, she would be pardoned by the Governor after it was discovered that the deaths were instead due to an extremely rare genetic condition.
Marie Clear 7 months ago
From Wikipedia: Genetic evidence published in November 2020 showed that at least two of the children had genetic mutations that predisposed them to sudden cardiac death.[33] The researchers concluded that the CALM2 mutation carried by Kathleen and her two girls altered their heart rhythm, predisposing them to sudden unexpected death possibly precipitated by their intercurrent infections (respiratory tract infection in Sarah; myocarditis in Laura) and/or by medications such as Laura's pseudoephedrine.[10] Mutations in CALM2 are observed at a very low frequency, occurring in approximately 1 out of every 35 million individuals. The CALM2 gene encodes a protein that plays a critical role in the regulation of heart rhythm.[34]. . .
#33
2020 study found evidence that arrows fired from medieval longbows could cause injuries similar to modern gunshot wounds. One example is the analysis of a skull that revealed an arrow had left devastating entry and exit wounds that are similar to injuries caused by modern bullets.
River Daski 7 months ago (edited)
velocity (speed of a bullet) versus weight (sheer mass of an arrow itself); this checks out! ETA: mass!! not volume. XD thank you commenters!
#34
Archaeologists working in a 2,500 y.o. Chinese cemetery unearthed charred incense burners and burnt stones that tested high for cannabinol, which is released when THC is burned. "Unlike many wild varieties, the cannabis smoked at the site [...] was pretty potent stuff."
#35
King Cobra is not a cobra. It is the sole species of its genus and happens to look a lot like a cobra.
#36
LaMarcus Thompson, the father of the American roller coaster, invented the first coasters on Coney Island because he thought the world was too sinful and needed more moral entertainment.
#37
Infants under one year old should not be fed honey.
River Daski 7 months ago
this is because there is natural botulism in honey; it's not enough to make older people sick, but it's enough to overwhelm a baby's still-strengthening immune system
#38
creator of Wonder Woman was in a thruple that involved his first wife and his student. They were heavily into bondage which inspired early iterations of the super heroine. Thruple lasted 22 years all the way to his death
glowworm2 7 months ago
He only had one wife. “First” wife makes it sound like he divorced her later and married someone else which did not happen. After his death, the two women, Olive Byrne and Elizabeth Holloway Marston, continued to live together as a couple until Olive’s death in 1990 at age 86. Elizabeth died 3 years later at the age of 100.
#39
Mocha Dick (the real life inspiration for Moby Dick) was ki***d in 1838 after appearing to come to the aid of a distrought cow whose calf was just slaughtered by whalers. He was known to be friendly until attacked, he survived 100 skirmishes before being slain.
#40
many English words and phrases are loaned from Chinese merchants interacting with British sailors like "chop chop," "long time no see," "no pain no gain," "no can do," and "look see"
#41
in 1988 a U.S. Marine was abandoned and died in the Mojave Desert. Search only started when his weapon wasn't returned.
#42
The final words of Terry Kath, founding guitarist for rock band Chicago, before dying from an accidental self inflicted gunshot wound were “What do you think I'm gonna do? Blow my brains out?"
#43
Babe Ruth constantly cheated on his wives during his baseball career. A detective that the New York Yankees hired to follow him one night in Chicago reported that Ruth had been with six women. Another player said that he was not Ruth's roommate while traveling; "I room with his suitcase".
#44
TIL the worst skydiving accident in US history took place over Lake Erie and resulted in 16 fatalities. Due to miscommunications, the skydivers jumped out over water rather than land, and subsequently drowned.
Skid Marks 7 months ago
Unless it was cloudy.... you would think you could see that there was water below.
#45
The temperature on the moon at the Apollo 11 landing site was 200ºF (93ºC).
The Original Bruno 7 months ago (edited)
OK, so this is probably true, but misleading. Temperature is a measure of how much vibrational energy is stored in molecules: the higher the temperature, the more vibration PER MOLECULE [times the mass of the molecule]. The lower the air pressure, the less heat it takes to raise the temperature. This is why at a certain altiitude, the "temperature" of the atmosphere begins to rise like crazy.... the same amount of heat is spread over far fewer molecules. On the surface of the moon, the surface itself may be quite hot because it's directly in the sun without shedding heat only by re-radiation, not by convection. But with extremely little air (not actually quite exactly zero, the sun provides some molecules), you aren't being warmed at all when you're in shadow (except through the bottom of your boots).
#46
Spelling Bees (competitions where competitors must correctly spell words until one is left standing) don't really exist outside of English, and within English, they're pretty much only an American thing.
Stardust she/her 7 months ago
They’re also there in India. I was able to get through till state level but unfortunately my exams were on the same day as the competition
#47
In 1671 a man attempted to steal the Crown Jewels, and when he was caught he was brought before King Charles II, who found him so amusing that not only did her pardon the man, but he also ended up giving him massive lands in Ireland and a pension of £500 a year (£92,000 today).
#48
Super Bowl XXXIV (34) is known as the "Dot-Com Super Bowl" because it featured 14 ads from 14 different dot-com companies, each paying an average of $2.2 million per spot. Of these companies, four are still active, five were bought by other companies, and the remaining five are defunct.
General Anaesthesia 7 months ago
A little more context: Superbowl 34 was played on January 30, 2000. The stock market "dotcom bubble" burst in March, 2000. Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-com_bubble
#49
That Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Tom Hanks have colonoscopy parties together.
#50
in 1944 the CIA created a manual on sabotaging organizations. Among other things, it suggests to "make speeches... at great length", "refer all matters to committees", "make committees as large as possible", "insist on perfect work in relatively unimportant products"
What do you think ?
Kristal 7 months ago
I was never taught in school that the bomb for Hiroshima was detonated ABOVE the city, for maximum damage. I learned by going to the museum in Hiroshima. I was mighty confused why the city didn't have a giant dent in it until going into the museum.
Brandon Parisien 7 months ago
I didn't learn about the shadows left behind until I visited a museum...possibly Ottawa's war museum, I forget which
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Marie BellaDonna 7 months ago
While I definitely agree that if one isn't going to tip, they absolutely shouldn't go anywhere that tipping is expected (anywhere that it makes up for the greedy employer NOT paying their employees), I still think that the custom should be abolished, and servers paid a living wage. Everyone should be paid a living wage. Some more than others, of course. But we should all make enough to pay our basic, necessary bills. And yes, I still tip. Even though I don't believe in it, until the law is changed, I will still do it. But it should be changed.
Load More Replies... Kristal 7 months ago
I was never taught in school that the bomb for Hiroshima was detonated ABOVE the city, for maximum damage. I learned by going to the museum in Hiroshima. I was mighty confused why the city didn't have a giant dent in it until going into the museum.
Brandon Parisien 7 months ago
I didn't learn about the shadows left behind until I visited a museum...possibly Ottawa's war museum, I forget which
Load More Replies... Marie BellaDonna 7 months ago
While I definitely agree that if one isn't going to tip, they absolutely shouldn't go anywhere that tipping is expected (anywhere that it makes up for the greedy employer NOT paying their employees), I still think that the custom should be abolished, and servers paid a living wage. Everyone should be paid a living wage. Some more than others, of course. But we should all make enough to pay our basic, necessary bills. And yes, I still tip. Even though I don't believe in it, until the law is changed, I will still do it. But it should be changed.
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