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Today I Learned, also known as TIL, is the fifth-biggest subreddit. It unites a whopping 30.9 million members, who all go there with a single goal in mind — to enrich each other's understanding of the world.

Sharing interesting facts about human psychology, animal behavior, food history, and pretty much everything else you can imagine, this online community is full of fascinating trivia that has been successfully evading many of us.

Continue scrolling to check out its recent posts, and for more, fire up our older publications on TIL here, here, and here.

#1

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL that dogs intentionally try to make humans laugh. They understand that laughter means play, and play is positive.

PetLoverGuy1993 , seventyfourimages Report

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Cyber Returns
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Like my pup Cleo. She likes to do silly things. Here she is trying to go to bed but not quite making it An-attempt...50a13b.jpg An-attempt-was-made-63ff3d250a13b.jpg

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#2

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL Jonathan Goldsmith, AKA The Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis commercials, has been an advocate for landmine victim support, has assisted the effort to prevent and cure cancer in dogs, save the Siberian Tiger, and end child sex trafficking in Cambodia.

meep_launcher , Toglenn Report

#3

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL Japan has a 'wind phone'. An unconnected phone booth where grieving relatives go to 'talk' to their lost loved ones. Opened after the 2011 Fukushima earthquake/tsunami, it has seen over 30,000 visitors.

Standard-Assist-5793 , Matthew Komatsu Report

#4

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL The average life span of a pet cat has risen from seven years in the early 1980s to fifteen years as of 2021.

haddock420 , viki2win Report

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#5

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL in 1915 a pharmacist saw his sister make her own mascara with coal and petroleum jelly and thought he could make a better product. His invention was easier to apply and won't burn a woman's eye. He named his new company Maybelline after his sister Maybel and the base material Vaseline.

shaka_sulu , Maybelline Report

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Abrufal
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What I read was guys sister invents modern mascara guy steals idea and gets rich. It's okay though cause he used her name.......I did 0 research if it turns out his sister got rich also awesome

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#6

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL Environmental activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill lived in a 1500-year-old California redwood tree (known as Luna) 180 feet (55 m) off the ground for 738 days in order to prevent it from being chopped down by Pacific Lumber Company. She successfully saved the tree.

PyrowithJared , Shaun Walker Report

#7

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL about Third Man Syndrome. An unseen presence reported by mountain climbers and explorers during traumatic survival situations that talks to the victim, gives practical advise and encouragement.

my__name__is , McKay Savage Report

#8

TIL that elephant poaching has steadily decreased in certain African countries causing elephant populations to slowly begin rising.

IanMazgelis Report

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censorshipsucks
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We've also seen shortening of tusks which we believe has to do with short tusks being undesirable to poachers.

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#9

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL that Sea Urchins are called Sea Urchins because Hedgehogs used to be called Urchins until about the 15th century. Sea Urchins are Ocean Hedgehogs.

visiblecustomer2021 , www.quirkbooks.com Report

#10

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL that domestic dogs have developed muscles in there brow to "mimic" humans.

Doomncandy , StudioVK Report

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Mickysixxx
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or we've selectively bred the ones that could move their eyebrows because we consider them cuter and as a result they now have the muscle rather than they developed it to mimic us

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#11

TIL Crows are a highly intelligent species, which are self-aware just like humans. They are as smart as Gorillas and have a complex brain which has the ability to reason.

DueDoughnut7842 Report

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ISeeWendiGo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's 3 in my neighborhood that I feed. If I'm gone before I feed them in the morning they will sit in a tree at the main road so they can spot my vehicle turning into our road. They will follow me home and patiently wait for about 30 minutes in the backyard for their food. If it's longer than that, one will sit on the deck and tap on my sliding door and caw until he sees me coming out. Visitors think it's hilarious, and they are cute! I named them Poe, Lenore, and Nevermore, what else?

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#12

TIL that in The Shawshank Redemption, when Morgan Freeman’s character is asked “why do they call you Red?” and he responds with “maybe it’s because I’m Irish”. It’s because the character in the novel was a red haired Irish man. They cast Freeman for the part but added the line as a joke.

lettuceandcucumber Report

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#13

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL that in 1554 Elizabeth Crofts hid in a wall on Aldersgate Street, where she pretended to be a heavenly voice. Reputedly 17,000 people came to listen to her give out anti-Catholic propaganda.

Kurma-the-Turtle , Ethan Doyle White Report

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waddles
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so, if i simply hide in a wall, people will listen to anything i say? FANTASTIC

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#14

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL mixed-breed dogs live an average of 14 years while purebreds live only an average of almost 10 years.

Splashlight2 , Christopher_Boswell Report

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Jill Rhodry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It also depends on the size of the breed of dog - a great dane averages 8-10 years whereas a chihuahua 12-18 years.

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#15

TIL that the world's largest rodent "Capybara" are so chill to the point that they can form an unlikely friendship with crocodiles.

Lets_Earn26 Report

#16

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL Willie O'Ree, the first black man to play in the NHL, was blind in one eye. It was caused by a ricocheting puck that hit him in the face when he was 18 and he kept it a secret for his entire 21-year career.

PyrowithJared , Eric Connolly Report

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RenRenRan
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Does anyone know if the fact that he was blind in one eye would have disqualified him from being in the NHL? ?

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#17

TIL that New York City is reintroducing millions of oysters into their harbor to help clean the water and create marine habitats. They've been collecting used shells from local restaurants to create new homes for juvenile oysters.

Rexton9 Report

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Mark Mark
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's an American city (forgot which one) that uses mussels to gauge water cleanliness. Mussels will only filter clean water, so if there's a contamination the mussels will close their shells and the water will be shut off until its rectified.

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#18

TIL the Higgs-Boson Particle, aka "the God Particle", was actually called "the Goddamn Particle" by physicists because it was so difficult to detect. Publishers forced the rename, resulting in a confusing tie to religion for the particle which is nearly universally hated by physicists.

whozitsandwhatsits Report

#19

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL - The Middle Ages had retirement homes, where seniors could buy residence for the rest of their lives at a monastery with food, shelter and clothing included.

fencerman , monkeybusiness Report

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Rae Ramirez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This should always be a thing, but in about 10 years, it’s going to be bad in America

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#20

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL That in 1941, USS New York opened fire on an object, believing it to be a japanese aircraft. Fire commenced until a navigator realized they were shooting at Venus.

daesereg , www.pacificwarmuseum.org Report

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#21

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL when an American film has more than one writer, an "&" indicates that the screenwriters collaborated on the script. An "and" means they worked independently on separate drafts.

griefofwant , Alex_star Report

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Nicola Roberts
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

et al means 'and others' in text books. I wonder why they can't say what it means. That way you wouldn't need to learn what all the coded language meant.

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#22

TIL a “ferocious rabbit” ran amok in Central Park in 1917. He terrorized the sheep in Sheep Meadow, maimed dogs, and fought an orangutan in the zoo.

cy_ko8 Report

#23

TIL Wolfgang Mozart had a sister, Maria Anna, who was also an extremely talented child prodigy in music. Sadly, she was prevented from performing as an adult. Many of her compositions have been lost, including one Wolfgang wrote that he was in ‘awe’ of, contributing to her obscurity.

madhatter103 Report

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Nicola Roberts
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder why Maria Anna was prevented to perform? Whatever the reason I'd be surprised if it was for her own good.

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#24

TIL In 1941 The Germans allowed the British RAF to drop a prosthetic leg by parachute to a Luftwaffe base in France. The Germans were very respectful of Captain Douglas Bader, who was captured after bailing from his plane with only one of his two prosthetic legs. One got stuck in his damaged plane.

aim179 Report

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#25

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL about the thymus, a small (1 oz.) organ behind the sternum that trains new white blood cells to NOT attack the body's own cells. Only 2% survive this rigorous training program; the rest commit suicide to prevent themselves from attacking friendly cells.

Iestwyn , en.wikipedia.org Report

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Stardust she/her
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This kind of makes me want to write a fanfic about the immune system. It’s so interesting to me

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#26

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL about hysterical strength, a display of extreme physical strength by humans, beyond what is believed to be normal. Examples include a woman saved several children by fighting a polar bear and a woman lifting a car high enough to save a person.

Paesano19 , ivanmorenosl Report

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TotallyNOTaFox
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Our brain limits us from using our maximum strength to prevent bone and muscle damages, in a life or death situation that limit often gets lifted

CP
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You easily have the jaw strength to bit off your own finger but your brain won't allow you to do it.

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Zia Barrett
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The human body is capable of doing some absolutely insane, amazing things, but to do them we are very much likely to permanently injure ourselves or even possibly die in the attempt, so our brain actually limits us. In times of extreme stress or life-or-death situations, we can override this limitation.

DamnBecky
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was working at a summer camp and a stone siding came off the side of the wall and pinned a camper across their legs. Before we could get there across the field a freaking 8 year old girl immediately reacted and lifted it so the other kid could pull their legs out. We sent both kids to the hospital bc we were worried due to the incredible use of strength the girl may have hurt herself. Not even joking it took us connecting the stone on the ground to a tractor to move it out of the way later.

Xenia Harley
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Last year, my horse got pinned under her very heavy stall door. I don't know if she cast in her stall, or what. I picked this heavy door off her leg and carried it off. Only when I realized I shouldn't be able to lift this door, a very heavy solid wood door, that the door became too heavy for me. I dragged it after that. I often think of that incident.

Ale Díaz
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's true, I (petite woman) moved some heavy furniture in my house when there was a flood. I couldn't move them back after that.

Nic Behrens
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know I'm late but if all of our muscles contracted at once most of of our bones would break.

Ember Flame
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have disassociate Identy disorder, when I "switch" into that protective personality I get this. I am 5'4, and 145 pounds, "I ame back" from a loss of time in solitary confinement. Apparently I took down the biggest, meanest girl in the jail, and broke 1 arm, 3 fingers, and THREW her 5 feet into a metal bunk bed where she cracked her skull. I didn't get any extra time, because they were made aware of my condition when I entered the jail.

Justin Thyme
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Brain shuts down pain response-- have seena small women lift the front end of a car off her child.

Burnt Bagel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have found that when I am stoned my imagination is endless…

I'm bad at nicknames
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This happened to me. I'm an average 5'1" woman. There was a person who was pretty heavyset that fell out of their wheelchair with a city bus headed towards them and I was able to run up behind them, grab them by the armpits, and get them back in their chair, and out of the road. Thankfully the bus stopped in time as well.

Keley Babs
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The two examples are female, and it's called "hysterical" strength?!

Linus G.
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wish my brain had stopped me from pulling my bicep out of the bone and rupturing all the other tendons. I was saving my female dog from the clutches of a pitbull. Even with .six hours off surgery the arm never came all the way back. Would I be more careful I next time? Not when it comes to my dogs.

Cass Malone
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Notice how the examples are women? It's because of the "mom gene" which pushes your adrenaline to a certain point you don't feel the pain when children are screaming for help. (hope that made sense how I said it 😂)

Greg Sheldon
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

David Banner studied this a lot and unlocked the secret, but only when he was really angry

StarlightPanda!
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've had a few experiences where I had to make a split decision, and my body ended up being flexible and moved in a way I couldn't normally do. Lol

Robyn Ward
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I understand this. I had a bad car accident, T-boned, I opened the passenger car door several times to get my baby daughter out of the car. The next day it took 2 men and a crowbar to open that door.

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#27

TIL Founding Father and author of the Bill of Rights James Madison stopped the Virginia Assembly from establishing Christianity as the state religion with the help of Thomas Jefferson.

Dvibs420 Report

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Atero
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And now we need further push to get religion out of the politics entirely... Doesn't matter which idol you worship - your personal believes should not affect lives and behavior of other people.

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#28

TIL that the writers on Futurama created and proved a new mathematical theorem as a plot point for a body-switching episode.

rarelyapropos Report

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#29

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL in the 1800’s bananas were seen as “immoral fruit” because of their shape. Fruit companies began issuing postcards of women eating bananas to advertise the fruit wasn’t taboo.

mmmyesplease--- , Queensland State Archives Report

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Lilla Ontherun
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The only acceptable way to me to eat a banana in my male friends company is to break it half at first. Looking at their face during it is priceless.

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#30

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL On PC/console games, about 60% of the female avatars you meet are played by a male player.

28nov2022 , quanticfoundry.com Report

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General Anaesthesia
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's an improvement over 1995, when 95% of women on internet weren't, and 98.6% of internet statistics were plucked out of thin air.

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#31

TIL The Rocky Horror Picture Show is still in limited release after 47 years making it the longest-running theatrical release in film history.

shakeyjake Report

#32

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL After plagiarizing work for his directorial debut, actor Shia LaBeouf plagiarized a public apology from a Yahoo! answers question about plagiarism.

sweaterking6 , Pietro Luca Cassarino Report

#33

TIL that a thousand years ago Sweden had a guy whose job was to have *ALL* of the law memorized. He was called the Lawspeaker.

Zenquin Report

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~blobcow
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

and there's me forgetting all the math formulae that i was lectured about a minute ago

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#34

TIL that Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo has "slow lane" checkouts for customers who like to chat with the employees.

TBTabby Report

#35

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL about Andy, the goose born with no feet. His owner outfitted him with Nike sneakers to help him stand and move, helping him to become a role model for disabled children before he was [unalived] in 1991 under mysterious circumstances.

Seevian , Jessica Korgie Report

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Little My
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wish they would drop the term ‘unalived’. It’s a fad word and doesn’t read well. Maybe I’m just old though?!…

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#36

TIL A Seattle nursing home houses a child care center of 125 tots and is a place where a 5 year old can have playtime and learn with a 95 year old. Children under 5 don't grasp the concept of death so residents dying don't need to be fully explained.

Ok_Copy5217 Report

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Cecilie Hammershøy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom work in "The house of generations". It's a sky rise where there are a child care, student housing, family homes, and a nursing home. My mom works in the nursing home. They have activities with all the other people in the sky rise.

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#37

TIL that you can buy a room on a cruise ship and live on it. You pay a yearly fee and all amenities are provided like normal cruise ships.

Scary_Brother_470 Report

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#38

TIL Tolkien assisted on the Oxford Dictionary's first edition, focused on 'W' words waggle to warlock. He "learned more in those two years than in any other"; and certain etymologies continued to puzzle him for years, with many pages of notes written later on 'walrus' for a lecture at Leeds.

PianoCharged Report

#39

TIL that George Washington signed the 1794 Slave Trade Act, which banned U.S. ships from participating in the Atlantic Slave Trade, as well as forbid the exportation of slaves for foreign sale. It was the first major piece of legislation against slavery passed by the United States government.

HawkeyeTen Report

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CHRIS DOMRES
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And today most MAGA folks would have no problem bringing slavery back. That is how America became "great" to begin with. Build everything with free forced labor.

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#40

TIL That Lewis Carrol's nonsense poem "Jabberwocky" requires great creativity on the part of translators as they need to invent nonsense words that evoke similar feelings to each made-up word in the English original.

andybak Report

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Robert Trebor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I showed a German version to a German and he was confused. It looked like German, but made no sense, and when I said that "That was the point", I got the same look.

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#41

TIL to finish writing The Hunchback of Notre Dame within an impossible deadline of 6 months, Victor Hugo locked his clothes away, making him unable to go outside and procrastinate which forced him to do anything but finish writing his book.

Old_Sport7920 Report

#42

TIL ENYA has never gone on a concert tour or even performed a solo concert, despite being Ireland’s best-selling solo artist and 2nd overall behind U2.

byronhadleigh Report

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Kioh81
Community Member
Premium
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now I've got her songs stuck in my head. Haha

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#43

TIL Concorde airplane flew so fast, if you left London (or Paris) in the evening flying west towards New York, to the passengers in the plane, the sun would actually appear to begin rising again shortly after reaching cruising speed. The plane flew faster than the Earth's rotation.

PyrowithJared Report

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Robert T
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Concorde was actually capable of "time travel". It could fly from London to New York in less than 5 hours, which is the time difference between the two cities. So you would effectively land before you set off. :D

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#44

TIL beavers are a keystone species, which means they play an important role in ecosystems by modifying the area in a way that is beneficial to plants and animals.

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#45

TIL Lego was flirting with bankruptcy, and the release of Bionicle, which accounted for 100% of their profits in 2003, saved them from going under.

lonewolf9378 Report

#46

TIL scientists believe people started wearing clothes between 83k and 170k years ago because that's when clothing lice diverged from head lice.

cwood1973 Report

#47

TIL That a carbon dioxide bubble in Lake Nyos killed 1,800 people, including livestock and flies. ‘“There were no flies on the dead”; the flies were dead too.’

id31 Report

#48

TIL most audio recordings contain a background "mains hum" from electric power grid oscillations that can be matched with grid readings to date the clip to the second it was recorded.

tildenpark Report

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#49

TIL Grapefruits were invented in 1693. A man named Captain Shaddock shipped some pomelo seeds to the West Indies, he planted seeds next to some orange trees. After some cross pollination, the grapefruit was born.

iboughtarock Report

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troufaki13
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you add some salt to the grapefruit, it cancels out the bitterness and actually makes it taste really nice :)

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#50

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL the only confirmed case of poisoned Halloween candy was in 1974 when Ronald O'Bryan [unalived] his son Timothy by giving him pixie sticks laced with cyanide to collect insurance money.

Aerron , seventyfourimages Report

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Dash Junior
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unalived again. Dead. Deceased. Off to the farm. Late. Kicked the bucket. And so on.

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#51

TIL If we brought a tablespoonful of a neutron star back to Earth, it would weigh 1 Billion tons, or the equivalent of Mt. Everest.

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#52

TIL I learned that in England, there are "wavy" brick fences. This shape uses fewer bricks than a straight wall. The waves' arch support allows the wavy wall to stand strong while a straight wall requires at least two layers of bricks to do the same.

pentacontagon Report

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LK
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are known as crinkle crankle or serpentine walls. They are found in Suffolk and East Anglia in England, UK. They are not common. There's also one at the University of Virginia, USA. But the oldest known ones were found in Ancient Egypt.

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#53

TIL that during Prince's Super Bowl halftime show volunteers accidentally ran over and severed three power cables during the stage set up, so a member of the lighting crew stripped the ends and held the cables in place by hand for the entire 12 minute show in the rain.

kramerica_intern Report

#54

TIL Birds can eat rice safely, they don't explode and die. It was a 1996 urban legend that has been spread every wedding season.

Johnny_Venus Report

#55

TIL that Anne Frank's stepsister is still alive. Eva Schloss and her family lived in the same apartment block as the Franks, and she often played with Anne and Margot. She and her mother survived Auschwitz, and her mother resumed her friendship with Otto Frank after the war. They married in 1953.

derstherower Report

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Chickie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

https://www.historyhit.com/eva-schloss-how-anne-franks-step-sister-survived-the-holocaust/

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#56

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL New Mexico is older than regular Mexico by over 250 years. It was not named after the country, but in fact both take their name from the ancient Valley of Mexico which was the heart of the Aztec civilisation.

xe3to , Ron Cogswell Report

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Jan Rosier
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, it's no longer "Aztecs" apparently. If you are referring to the original people over there you should say "Mexica". Source : one of the recent (and very frequent) update courses my wife (57 yo history teacher) had.

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#57

TIL in 1575, Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes and his brother Rodrigo were captured and enslaved by Barbary Pirates. After two years his family could only afford one ransom, so Rodrigo was freed. Cervantes was freed three years later after a religious charity paid his ransom.

triviafrenzy Report

#58

TIL there was a time when 6 geologists were convicted of manslaughter for failing to predict a deadly earthquake in Italy in 2009. They were later exonerated but faced high levels of shame from the general public afterwards.

JurassicPark9265 Report

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Libstak
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember this, absolutely outrageous that the Italian legal system even pursued such a ridiculous case.

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#59

TIL The autocorrect feature in Excel, which converts certain combinations into dates, has mangled up to 30% of published papers, causing significant issues. As a result, at least 27 gene symbols have been forced to change to prevent further errors from occurring.

greenappletree Report

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I Am John
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, the genes SEPT7 and 14-3-3 are notorious for being automatically converted into dates.

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#60

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL the pajamas that we wear today actually have a story behind it. Because during World War I air raids in England, people began donning pajamas rather than nightgowns so they would be ready to sprint outside in broad daylight and still would look presentable.

Lets_Earn26 , Lucy Adlington/History Wardrobe Report

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Andy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Think this one is made up (or maybe confusing with the second world war, when women probably were more inclined to wear them for this reason due to the large number of raids?). Men had been wearing pyjamas in Britain long before WW1, and there were only just over 50 air raids across England for all of WW1, so doubt it had any impact on dress

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#61

TIL that ligers (the offspring of a male lion and female tiger) are the largest big cat because, unlike lionesses, female tigers do not possess growth-limiting genes to counter the growth-maximising genes of male lions.

argh-ok Report

#62

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) Today I learned that a rooster was prosecuted in Switzerland for laying eggs and thus, going against the laws of nature in the 15th century and again in the 18th century. The rooster was condemned to be burned alive in public.

askingrytquestions , blueplutothegreat Report

#63

TIL The most powerful commercial radio station ever was WLW (700KHz AM), which during certain times in the 1930s broadcasted 500kW radiated power. At night, it covered half the globe. Neighbors within the vicinity of the transmitter heard the audio in their pots, pans, and mattresses.

PyrowithJared Report

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censorshipsucks
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if they complained about the illuminati trying to read their thoughts back then?

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#64

TIL people were drinking beer and eating blue cheese over 2 thousand years ago according to studies of ancient bowel movements discovered in caves.

RainManToothpicks Report

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#65

TIL that although smoking is prohibited on commercial aircraft, the doors of airplane lavatories must have ashtrays to give rule-breakers a safe place to dispose of their cigarettes.

EtOHMartini Report

#66

TIL National Geographic editor Bill Garrett was fired from the magazine in 1990 because he wanted to publish more controversial features that raised production costs and stories about AIDS, Exxon Valdez oil spill were published under his direction.

Ok_Copy5217 Report

#67

TIL that there are male-only species of clams that reproduce by having their sperm fertilize the eggs of other clam species, kicking out most of the egg's DNA.

junkholiday Report

#68

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL that Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante went to audition for Frank Zappa's 1988 touring band but left the rehearsal room before actually playing, saying later that " I wanted to be a rock star, do drugs and get girls, and that I wouldn't be able to do that if I was in Zappa's band."

a3poify , Jupshaw Upshaw Report

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ISeeWendiGo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son took me to see them in Charlotte, NC last September. I have been a big fan since 1990 and never had the chance to see them. They were absolutely fantastic! Had one of the greatest nights and concerts of my life, second to Ozzy (never put anyone ahead of him!) and tied with Slipknot and the Rolling Stones (unable to decide!). Frusciante was AMAZING! Also found out that he's really an incredible singer, too!

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#69

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL Queen Elizabeth I required 600 horse carts to carry everything she needed for her summer excursions to the countryside. She’d stay with the local Nobles, but if their castle was too small, the nobility would get kicked out to make room. Of course you wouldn’t turn her down, or expect payment.

triviafrenzy , luna.folger.edu Report

#70

TIL that during Dean Smith's tenure as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, 96.6% of his players received their degrees and he also helped pioneer desegregation by recruiting their first black scholarship player, Charlie Scott.

astarisaslave Report

#71

TIL Lacrosse descends from a version played by Native Americans in the 17th century. Games could last several days with as many as 1,000 players per team, on a field with goals up to 6 miles apart. Sticks were so treasured, players were often buried with them upon death.

austinthedeveloper Report

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RajunCajun
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have an old set that was given to my grate grandfather by a native American friend of his.

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#72

TIL Shift work is associated with cognitive decline. Shift work throws of the circadian rhythm which causes hormonal irregularities and various neurobehavioural issues. Decline was seen in processing speed, working memory, psychomotor vigilance, cognitive control, and visual attention.

jamescookenotthatone Report

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Little My
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to do many many nights at the start of my nursing career. I’m sure they made me mentally and physically unwell. I remember each shift at about 5am, a switch would literally flip in my head and I would start to internally feel despairing, nauseous and panicked, there were so many times where I had to force myself to not just up and walk out the door. I still joke about my ‘I can’t be here anymore, I need to leave!’ moments from my nights days.

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#73

TIL Babies have about 30,000 taste buds, while adults have only about 10,000.

LOngTimeSQLGuy Report

#74

TIL that gargoyles were meant to scare church-goers, lure pagans, divert water in order to preserve stone walls, and date back to ancient Egypt.

errorists Report

#75

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL There are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the observable universe.

PhonedVenus21345678 , microgen Report

#76

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL you're completely blind for about 40 minutes a day because of Saccadic masking. Without it, your life would be like watching a constant movie that's filmed with a shaky, handheld camera.

GoatChad , atercorv Report

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Nikki Sevven
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It happens when you rapidly shift your focus from one point to another. Somewhere in between those two points, there are spots where you're technically blind. The purpose is so you can maintain your equilibrium.

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#77

TIL Uwe Hohn is the only person in history to throw a javelin 100m. His world record of 104.8m was declared an "Eternal World Record" as it will likely never be broken due to the IAAF redesigning the javelin in 1986 and resetting the WR to coincide with the change.

HucklecatDontCare Report

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Ian Webling
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When he retired, 87 of the 100 longest javelin throws (new javelin) were made by Jan Železný.

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#78

TIL scientists don't know what makes the stones curl across the ice in Olympic curling and despite a number of studies, it remains an unsolved mystery for physicists.

unsw Report

#79

TIL that the founders of video game maker "Acclaim" named their company so it would be listed alphabetically before their former employer "Activision" and before "Accolade" another company founded by ex-Activison employees. Activison itself was founded by ex-Atari employees based on the same logic.

Loki-L Report

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LK
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is often seen with taxi companies and plumbers. They choose a name that will put the company at the top of an alphabetic listing. Many people will simply call the first company on the list. I'm a contrary person, so when presented with an alphabetic list, I'll start at the bottom.

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#80

TIL that in the first edition of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory novel, The Oompa Loompas were Black pygmies imported from "the deepest and darkest part of the African jungle".

echoesreach Report

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#81

TIL that in the State of Georgia there is a 150-foot-deep canyon that formed due to poor farming practices in the 19th century.

dacrew Report

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Vermontah
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Poor farming practices was one of the main causes of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s

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#82

TIL Hugh Hefner tried countless times to get Raquel Welch to pose nude, and she kept rejecting the offer. Welch did eventually pose for Playboy with her clothes on. Hefner then called her boring, but still had to pay her.

Ok_Copy5217 Report

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Jared Robinson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hugh Hefner was a perv that oppressed and exploited women. Granted the women gave him permission to do it in exchange for money. Nobody is a good person at the playboy mansion.

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#83

TIL that singer Cass Elliot, better known as 'Mama Cass', did not like her 'Mama' moniker a single bit - to the point where she named her 1973 live album and TV special “Don’t Call Me Mama Anymore.” This is why her solo career in the 1970s is billed as 'Cass Elliot'.

waitingforthesun92 Report

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Tricia Barnes
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

TIL that Cass Elliot and Keith Moon died at the same age, in the same bedroom, 4 years apart.

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#84

TIL that Michelin once accidentally gave a Michelin star to a small cafe which shared the same name as the actual recipient.

Dylan7230_ Report

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#85

TIL that following the D-Day invasion the USS Texas intentionally flooded part of itself to allow the ships guns to fire further inland.

Mal_in_America Report

#86

TIL Texas A&M University used to have an annual bonfire. In 1999, 12 students died when the Aggie Bonfire collapsed upon them during construction. The deaths led to the end of the tradition as the University faced a series of lawsuits and couldn't afford the expected $2 million per year insurance.

jamescookenotthatone Report

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Bisexual Axolotls
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Duke students have a bonfire with benches that the dorms build at the beginning of the year if they beat UNC, I wonder if they're paying the insurance fees or if NC somehow has more dangerous laws than Texas.

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#87

TIL a South Park video game was completely finished for the Game Boy, but was personally cancelled by Trey Parker and Matt Stone who felt the adult content didn't suit the console. The developers then reskinned the game's artwork, and released it as a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen game.

evilclownattack Report

#88

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL Pekin, Illinois was named under the mistaken belief that the city is on the opposite side of the globe from from Beijing, China. It is actually opposite the Indian Ocean.

Unleashtheducks , Ammodramus Report

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Burnt Bagel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This should be a barn burner for fun, witty and exciting comments😂

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#89

TIL It's estimated that after the Civil War, up to 20,000 Confederates emigrated to Brazil from the US South. Today, roughly 260,000 Brazilians descend from these American Confederates.

Vitboi Report

#90

TIL that Clint Eastwood - at the height of his "silent and violent gunslinger" fame - starred in a big-budget western musical called Paint Your Wagon. At nearly 3 hours long, the film was not well reviewed. Eastwood's song "I Talk to the Trees" was singled out for derision.

ScissorNightRam Report

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Ariom Dahl
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I loved that movie. Both he and Lee Marvin sang in it. It was fun. Marvin's song was 'I was born under a wand'ring star.' Clint Eastwood also played Rowdy Yates in the very old Western TV series Rawhide. I remember watching it in the 1960s in Australia.

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#91

TIL dogs can smell up to 100,000 times better than humans due to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses.

PetLoverGuy1993 Report

#92

TIL that during residency, prospective doctors work around 40-80 hours per week, with some far exceeding that level.

humvee911 Report

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Robert Trebor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's supposed to replicate real life, but I've always wondered how many people were made inert and unresponsive by the poor decision making of brain dead interns.

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#93

TIL The thick white rind on the outside of a wheel of brie cheese is actually mold, Penicillum candidum.

Majorpain2006 Report

#94

TIL Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes) was so enamored of yogurt’s effect on gut health that he promoted a pint of yogurt for his patients: half to be eaten and the other half to be administered via enema.

edjxxxxx Report

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Robert Trebor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cold cereal for breakfast was supposed to control teenage male libido.

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#95

“Today I Learned”: 30 Interesting Things About The World That People Didn’t Know Until Recently (New Pics) TIL One out of every 21 New Yorkers is a millionaire.

BarCzar86 , Pasanheco Report

#96

TIL The USS Indianapolis delivered the enriched uranium and parts for the "Little Boy" atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, but no one onboard knew the contents of this cargo. The uranium was secretly monitored by a radiologist throughout the trip to make sure the sailors would not be poisoned.

aversionals Report

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Tams21
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The eventual fate of that ship is a story itself. It was sunk by torpedos and nobody even knew it was missing for over three days. Meanwhile the survivors were getting picked off by sharks...

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#97

TIL that Henry Ford refused for years to make any significant improvements to the Model T. When his designers surprised him with a new prototype, he destroyed it in front of them with his bare hands.

Dega704 Report

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Jojo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly why power needs to exchange hands every so often. Nothing good ever comes out of leaders who are 'set in their ways' and refuse to see beyong the tips of their noses.

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#98

TIL the state of Texas keeps a database of over 500 executed inmate's last words going back to the 1980's.

jab116 Report

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Jared Robinson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree with this. It keeps us human even though we sometimes need be executioners.

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#99

TIL The Sultan of Brunei owns over 7000 cars and his official car is gold plated Rolls Royce.

Reiisnotaskywalker Report

#100

TIL the average annual household income of a Broadway theater attendee is $261,000.

LETS_MAKE_IT_AWKWARD Report

#101

TIL virtually all communion wafers distributed in churches in the USA are made by one for-profit company (Cavanagh Company).

Specialist_Check Report

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#102

TIL Vulfpeck was one of the first ever bands to sell out Madison Square Garden without a manager or record label.

BluePinky Report

#103

TIL there were no former US presidents alive at the time of NIxon’s resignation.

stoutpourer Report

#104

TIL that after the American Revolution, British Sir Guy Carleton argued with George Washington who wanted Carleton to return American slaves that Carleton felt obliged to free. Carleton freed the slaves and promised that Britain would compensate the slave owners, but Britain never did.

VengefulMight Report

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Paul Neff
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be fair, Britain DID compensate British slave owners. They took out a loan that took until 2015 to finish repaying the debt on. That's how you avoid a war, I guess.

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#105

TIL about Bountygate - a scandal in the NFL during the 2011 season which involved New Orleans Saints players gambling over the severity of injuries they could cause the opposing teams players. The result was the head coach being suspended for a season as he was found to have condoned the behaviour.

theanswar Report

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#106

TIL in 2010, following slumped sales after the Financial Crisis of 2008, Gap decided to redesign their 20-year longstanding logo, costing an estimated $100M. The amount of public backlash was so great, that Gap took the decision to revert back to their old 1990 logo after less than one week.

waitingforthesun92 Report

#107

TIL Jack Valenti, the President of the MPAA, regretted giving South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut an R rating, wishing to have labeled it with the NC-17 rating.

Luigilito Report

#108

TIL about Goldbach's conjecture, one of the oldest and best-known unsolved problems in mathematics. It states that every even natural number greater than 2 is the sum of two prime numbers. The conjecture remains unproven despite considerable effort.

WouldbeWanderer Report

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CPooh
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1 year ago

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#109

TIL that 51% of births are male because female fetuses are more likely to die during pregnancy.

the88doctor Report

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#110

TIL Claire Danes is considered a persona non grata in the Philippines after making derogatory comments about the country.

IcallBSonthat Report