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We have long heard about the power of learning new things. It keeps us motivated, confident, and curious about the world around us. No wonder science has shown time and again that learning plays an important role in improving the brain's ability to cope with damage.

It can also prevent memory loss, and possibly even prevent us from developing dementia. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that the dementia rate in Americans decreased by a staggering 24% from 2000 to 2012. Scientists believe that more years of education are directly linked with this decline.

And although not everyone has time (or need, for that matter) to take on learning things like chess or language, or memorizing verses from Homer’s Iliad (although this is what high school students do in European countries!), we can keep our mind open for bits of information that get those brain cells tingling! And there’s nothing that does it better than our beloved TIL posts, thanks to Reddit's powerhouse community known as the ‘Today I Learned’ subreddit where 26.6 million members share facts and factoids to fill your idle or bored mind.

Get your cuppa ready ‘cause below is a freshly baked collection full of TIL amusement, and after you’re done, be sure to check out our previous posts with things to learn today here, here and here.

#1

Fact

TIL about Tim Wong who successfully and singlehandedly repopulated the rare California Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly in San Francisco. In the past few years, he’s cultivated more than 200 pipevine plants (their only food source) and gives thousands of caterpillars to his local Botanical Garden.

AwesomeFrito Report

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Otter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw a Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar at the Botanical Garden, in Golden Gate Park! Thanks to Tim Wong!

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New Year is just around the corner and that means it's time for New Year's resolutions. Apart from the classic ones, like ditching sugar or (insert your own), we can also think of ways to give some food for the soul and learn something we never knew we could. So we reached out to Helen Marlo, a licensed clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst who is also a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Notre Dame de Namur University, to talk about power learning and how we can benefit from it if we make it our goal.

#2

Fact

TIL when the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) denied permission to Marian Anderson for a concert at Constitution Hall under a "white performers-only", First Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR and arranged for Anderson to perform before an integrated crowd of more than 75,000 people.

Iregretbeinghereokay , Carl Van Vechten Report

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Otter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I qualify for the D.A.R. because of my ancestry, but I don't want to join.

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#3

Fact

TIL about environmental activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill who lived in a 1500 year old California redwood tree (known as Luna) 180 feet (55 mm) off the ground for 738 days in order to prevent it from being chopped down by Pacific Lumber Company. She successfully saved the tree.

AwesomeFrito , Julia Butterfly Hill Report

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Grant Barke
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's brave of her, proving one person can make a difference. 55 metres up a tree would give me the w*****s.

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“Having a goal of learning can be wise since learning is a process that one can fulfill in small steps or in various forms,” Helen said and added that “Learning something new can be associated with having a “growth mindset,” a mindset that is focused on the process of learning rather than the outcome.”

It turns out that staying focused on the process of learning has profound outcomes on a personality. “Staying focused on the process of learning allows one to focus on being committed to bringing less concrete but more influential qualities like openness, receptivity, curiosity, effort, and determination which are more often associated with success and mastery.” 

#4

Fact

TIL that Javier Bardem's performance as Anton Chigurh in 'No Country for Old Men' was named the 'Most Realistic Depiction of a Psychopath' by an independent group of psychologists in the 'Journal of Forensic Sciences'.

abaganoush Report

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#5

Fact

TIL: When the Titanic rammed an iceberg, William Murdoch, the officer in charge, was portrayed in the film as shooting a passenger and then committing s**cide. In reality, he was last seen trying to fill as many lifeboats as possible and heroically went down with the ship.

Leoz_13 , williammurdoch.net Report

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F. H.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Censoring suicide? Come on BP mods, what kind of policy are you following here? Trying to deny reality?

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#6

Fact

TIL GM recalled 800k cars in 2014 for faulty ignitions. The cars would shut off while being driven which meant drivers lost power steering/brakes, and the airbags wouldn't deploy. They knew about the problem since 2005 but never fixed it because it would be 'too expensive'. 124 people died.

rexmons , JESHOOTS.com Report

According to Helen, a goal that commits to learning is something completely different from a goal that's concrete, although people more often stick to them. “Having a goal that commits to learning supports one's efforts to stretch themselves and be outside their comfort zone. This is in contrast to other kinds of concrete goals, for example, like losing 20 pounds or giving up caffeine, which does not give one the opportunity to be committed to a growth-oriented process,” the professor explained. And this growth mindset has a much more profound effect on our lives and personalities.

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#7

Fact

TIL that people with dementia think that stuff like a black doormat isn’t a doormat, but a deep hole in the floor. Due to these visual perception problems, people with dementia avoid stepping the doormat, and this is sometimes used to keep them from leaving their care facilites.

simulatislacrimis , cb2 Report

#8

Fact

TIL that “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was written by composer Frank Loesser in 1944 for he and his wife to sing at the end of their housewarming party as a way to tell guests it was time to leave. Afterwards, they were invited to tons of parties with the expectation of the song being the closing act.

Ben-Stanley , Frank Camerano Report

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#9

Fact

TIL: A camel after standing in 109 F (43 C) heat all day decapitated his absent-minded owner after he remembered to untie him.

LimeSugar , Shafeequdeen Stm Report

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Bob D. Lin Quint
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How does a camel decapitate someone? I'm imagining one big chomp, but I really wanna know.

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And this doesn’t end just there. The clinical psychologist explained that “having a goal of learning also helps us to align with a central, lesser known drive in humans to be curious and learn, otherwise known as “the epistemophillic instinct.” It is posited that this drive to be curious and learn is central in humans. It is associated with playing which is also central for learning and growth as humans.”

Meanwhile, failing to nurture this drive may have serious implications. “When we fail to manifest or exercise this drive, which can happen when we become too focused on external achievements and outcomes rather than the process of being curious and learning, we rob our brains and psyche of being in touch with this life-giving, epistemophillic instinct,” Helen said.

#10

Fact

TIL When Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon, inside his pocket was a small piece of fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer

stonermeg , NASA Report

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ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The same honour was paid to the Wright brothers with the current mars rover helicopter. It bears a piece of the wright flyer as well.

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#11

Fact

TIL of the Deep Lake Water Cooling System (DLWC), a natural cooling system that extracts cold water from deep within Lake Ontario, and then transfers it through a system of pipes and exchanges to cool downtown Toronto. Compared to a traditional air conditioning system, it uses up 75% less energy

NorthNorthSalt , Joe deSousa Report

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KatHat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Things like this are just brilliant. We need more lateral thinking solutions. Of course, we're past the point when we can just look for low-cost solutions. The costs of inaction on the climate crisis will be many times the cost of action at this point.

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#12

Fact

TIL in 1997 a Danish woman visiting New York City was arrested and strip-searched for leaving her baby in a stroller outside a restaurant while she and the baby's father dined inside, a common practice in Denmark. She later sued the city and was awarded $66,000.

david-saint-hubbins , ellengoestocph Report

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MyOpinionHasBeenServed
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Although a bit extreme of the police, foreign visitors should do their research on the laws of the countries, and regions they are visiting, and pay attention to what the locals do. Don't see babies being left in strollers on the street? Don't assume it's acceptable.

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So since we figured out the power of having a goal that commits to the growth mindset, the question remains how exactly we can stimulate the brain. Helen shared a couple of very useful insights. “One of the best ways to stimulate your brain and mind is to start with an honest appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses. Commit to learning something new in an area that aligns with your strengths. This helps set yourself up for success rather than failure.”

For anyone who’s wondering how important it is to step out of their comfort zone when learning something new, the professor assured us that it is indeed helpful if it is a little outside your comfort zone. However, it shouldn’t be too unattainable. 

“When you think of starting on this path, consider if you can bring a spirit of play to the learning? Consider if it evokes more curiosity or wonder in you? Committing to learning something that evokes qualities of wonder and play makes the experience more affirming and encourages one to stay with the process,” the professor explained.

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#13

Fact

TIL Isaac Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books, 380 short stories and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. He was a professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He had a triple bypass in 1983 during which got HIV from a blood transfusion which was kept secret 'til 10 years after death

photoalbumguy2 , Phillip Leonian Report

#14

Fact

TIL Jurassic Park was meant to use stop motion instead of CGI, but two artists worked on a CGI T-Rex in secret, and once they finished it, they quietly put a video of it on screen when Kathleen Kennedy visited their office. the video convinced Kennedy, Spielberg, and the rest of the team to use CGI.

TotallyJournalist Report

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von Funnyname
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

except it was/is very well documented that the T-Rex in Jurassic Park is the worlds largest animatronic to date on any production...

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#15

Fact

TIL The prototype of the Rolls Royce Ghost was so quiet inside that it made test drivers sick. The engineers had to remove some of the noise isolating material, and create seats that vibrated at specific frequencies to introduce some noise into the interior.

splityoassintwo , Jakub "Flyz1" Maciejewski Report

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Gavin Johnson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There’s an anechoic chamber (silent room, that absorbs all sound waves) in Minnesota that you can’t stay in for longer than 45 minutes. It’s so quiet that you can only hear your own noises, heartbeat, lung function, and you lose the ability to balance. It’s reputed to send you a little bit mad. Having been in one (at an R.A.F. testing facility) for less than ten minutes I can confirm that it’s VERY unnerving.

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Another way to stimulate your brain is, according to Helen, to commit to exercising that epistemophilic instinct daily. “Having a commitment to learning something new—whether you can manage this daily or once a week—primes your brain and mind to be committed to discovery and learning. “ Turns out, that fidelity to this commitment is absolutely vital to learning since it encourages further learning and keeps us growing.

To conclude, Helen shared this beautiful quote about learning for us all to reflect on:“'The best thing for being sad,' replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, 'is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.'” (T.H. White, The Once and Future King)

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#16

Fact

TIL the nurse,Caroline Hampton, helped popularize surgical gloves. She almost quit her job as a surgical nurse at John Hopkins due to severe hand eczema caused by surgical disinfectant until her boss bought her custom rubber gloves. Other staff members copied this and found they made work easier.

dilettantedebrah , Jernej Furman Report

#17

Fact

TIL if a camel rejects her new-born or there's a need to adopt an orphaned calf, Mongol herders use a chanting ritual accompanied by fiddle or flute to coax her into accepting the calf. The camel mother may act aggressive initially, so the herders will change the melody depending on her behavior

Brutal_Deluxe_ , Bernd Thaller Report

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Mimi La Souris
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For the most part, animals reject their offspring for a good reason. I would also accept any child to make them stop whistling at me :/

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#18

Fact

TIL of Daniel Kish. Blind since the age of 13 months old, he taught himself to navigate by clicking his tongue and listening for echoes, similar to echolocation in bats. Kish and other researchers believe that echolocation produces images similar to sight.

IphtashuFitz , PopTech Report

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rumade
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is on an early episode of NPR's Invisibilia. It's absolutely fascinating. He now teaches others to echolocate, and MRI's have shown that the parts of his brain responsible for sight light up.

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#19

Fact

TIL that nature has evolved different species into crabs at least five separate times - a phenomenon known as Carcinisation

harryrose122 , Nhobgood Report

#20

Fact

TIL Ian Fleming originally wanted Bond to be an extremely dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened. He chose James Bond because it was the dullest name he had ever heard.

puppiadog , www.GlynLowe.com Report

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ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the novels he is quite dull and uninteresting apart from violence. He's also not superhuman in the novels, frequently coming close to death, being severely beaten, etc. He's also much more like connery in the novels - a blatant sexist with little regard for women. As such, he definitely is uninteresting.

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#21

Fact

TIL that in 2002, two airplanes collided in mid-air killing everyone aboard. Two years later, the air traffic controller was murdered as revenge.

hailnaux , Shuttlefly Report

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M M
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The murder was a revenge: the murderer was a relative of one of the victims. And the murder victim was exhausted at work because he was working far to much which caused the accident.

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#22

Fact

TIL in 1986 a Russian commercial pilot made a bet with the first officer that he could land blind with curtains over the cockpit windows. He lost the bet, crashing and killing 70 people

TROLL_CALIBER , Eduard Marmet Report

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#23

Fact

TIL Andromeda galaxy has already started merging with our Milky Way

csbod , Adam Evans Report

#24

Fact

TIL a cancer treatment known as Dynamic Phototherapy has the side effect of giving humans a slight level of night vision. Under this treatment, the retina becomes able to process light at wavelengths higher than the visible light domain.

The_Ry_Ry , Rebecca Swafford Report

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J Baker
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw a movie about this. You can get it done at the Ursa Luna Penal Facility.

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#25

Fact

TIL Boris Mikhailov, captain of the USSR hockey team, was offered a $1 million contract to leave Russia in 1980 after the Miracle on Ice. However, he declined as the KGB was standing next to him when the offer was made.

MarineKingPrime_ , Sports Illustrated Report

#26

Fact

TIL A woman put over a million miles on her Hyundai Elantra and was given a special badge and a brand new car

icemage27 , Nguyenstreak Report

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Grant Barke
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cars that usually last this long with high mileage, are cars that are driven mainly on highways, freeways etc. If you were to drive a car for 100 000 miles on the highway, that would roughly equate to 10 000 miles of wear and tear compared to suburban, stop start city driving.

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#27

Fact

TIL a park ranger sat down in his office on Rinca Island and was attacked by a Komodo dragon hiding under his desk. The cleaner had the left the door open the night before. The smell of blood attracted more dragons outside. The ranger was taken to the hospital and survived but he has nightmares.

AwesomeFrito , Charles J. Sharp Report

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Mimi La Souris
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"but he has nightmares"... Is that all sentence really weird, or is it just me?

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#28

Facts

TIL that the name George has the same root word as Geography and Geology, and means "Earth worker" or farmer.

Thundermijo , British Library Report

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Vicky Z
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Georgia means agriculture in Greek and comes from the word gea which means earth

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#29

Fact

TIL studies show the reason why we "click" with certain people is due to people's brain waves being sync in wavelengths called the alpha–mu band, or what scientists call brain-to-brain coupling, and mirror each other neurologically in terms of what they are focusing on.

operator139 , NeONBRAND Report

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Eric Mesh
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I call BS. Can I see a P2P published study on this in a reputable scientific journal?

Bacony Cakes
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like some third-photocopy negative ion Scientology bullcrap.

Mimi La Souris
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This would explain the almost immediate friendship I felt for my best friend (since 15 years) the first time we met. Never happened before, never since. (or maybe because he farted on me and made a Garfield smile :D)

Albert Hinton
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah. And I call BS on you and the other nonbelievers. My wife and I have been married 57 years. I can absolutely guarantee this is a lot of the reason for this longevity. We have noticed this mental attachment for more than 40 of those years.

ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I seriously doubt this... I bet if you swap the race or religious background of one of the participants AND keep the brain waves in sync, you'll find that probably as much as 60-70% of the time, they do NOT click. "Clicking" with someone has to do with identity similarity and upbringing and humour similarity.

Stephanie Keith
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I disagree. I'm the kind of person that wants to get to know way different people than me. It's boring to be around people with the same thoughts and views as me. I like to learn, accept, and get to know different people and cultures. It's fascinating and interesting to me. I do agree with you in away. That close minded people tend to stick with what they know and like. To me that's a bit selfish and stuck in your ways. Not wanting to see how other humans do things. That's probably why a lot of people don't get along. Because they're to busy focusing on their ways and refuse to see that other peoples ways are alright too.

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Sleepyhead
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This reminds me of an experiment done on a slice of ferret brain. They surrounded it with an electric field, and the brainwaves created a feedback loop that synchronized activity or something. I found the article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brain-electric-field/

Jane Hower
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I believe it might have something to do with past lives!!! Also, it's an interesting statistic that 60% of the time we fall in love/marry people with the same blood type - not hard for O's at 50% of the pop, or A's at 40% of the population, but also for B's at 8% and AB's at 2% - so maybe it's 'chemistry' if not karma!!!!

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#30

Fact

TIL that the violin that was played as the Titanic sunk was rediscovered in an attic and auctioned off for $1.6 million in 2013.

Realistic_Work_5552 , Titanic Belfast Report

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Anapv
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To me this seems strange. If it sank with the Titanic, how was it rediscovered at an attic? And how would anyone know that a violin in an attic was the same that was being played in the Titanic while it sank?

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#31

Fact

TIL that every December 21, the inner chamber of Newgrange a prehistoric Irish monument that predates Stonehenge is illuminated for 18 minutes by the rising sun.

InformalCommunity Report

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Dave P
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We still dont know who made it, all we know is it pre-dates the Celtic migration, and are from a pre-Celtic people. Scholars assume it is related to religious worship because of how it is angled for the Solstice

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#32

Fact

TIL: In 2019, researchers from Tel Aviv University successfully 3D-printed a human heart using a patient's own cells. Biological materials were reportedly used to "completely match the immunological, cellular, biochemical, and anatomical properties of the patient"

FerretNeuron Report

#33

Fact

TIL: During the Great Depression, banker Mark Welch Munroe convinced struggling families in Quincy, Florida to buy Coca-Cola shares that traded at 19 dollars. Later, the town became the single richest town per capita in the US with at least 67 millionaires.

Leoz_13 Report

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ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

now that's a hero, using capitalism to help the oppressed. good for him.

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#34

Fact

TIL that in 1908, Harriet Tubman opened the 'Harriet Tubman Home for the Elderly', a retirement home for indigent and aged African-Americans. Among the residents was Tubman herself, who was admitted in 1911, and would remain there until her death in 1913.

AbathaCrispy Report

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#35

Fact

TIL Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure couldn’t find an Ivory Coast flag so she celebrated her 60m gold with Irish flag given to her by a spectator

Zeehammer Report

#36

Fact

TIL A type of eco burial is a mushroom suit, which digests your body after you die, and Luke Perry was buried in one.

22Bones , TED Report

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Tiger Pearl
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I watched a documentary on this and I hope this becomes more common before it’s my time. It’s very environmentally friendly and way more natural.

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#37

Fact

TIL 4 Spider-Man suits were stolen from Spider-Man back in 2002. The suits cost $50,000 USD to make and Sony offered $25,000 USD for their return. It lead to a 18 month investigation, and the suits were found in Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo. It was stolen by a security guard who worked on set.

ChaseChaserChased Report

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KatHat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

*"led" is the past tense form of the word "lead". "Lead" (when spelled with an "a" but pronounced "led") is always the metal. Ahh, English...

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#38

Fact

TIL that it’s a tradition in Italy to watch the movie Trading Places on Christmas Eve, with millions tuning in every year.

greyblacknavytan Report

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Grant Barke
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here in Australia, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation seems to be the staple on Christmas Day night.

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#39

Fact

TIL that in 2009, French free diver Stéphane Mifsud held his breath underwater for 11 minutes and 35 seconds.

MusicSole Report

#40

Fact

TIL that vanilla beans (like coffee beans) all taste differently based on their country or origin. Some taste like figs, others like cherries, some like licorice and all have a primary flavor of vanilla.

zoinksfreddie Report

#41

Fact

TIl the US strategic petroleum reserves are stored in underground caverns carved out of salt. Salt does not react with the oil and is self-healing. The plastic behavior of salt will cause it to naturally close fractures or gaps and prevent any leakage.

thenewyorkgod Report

#42

Fact

TIL of Margaret Thatcher's 'Britain Awake' speech in 1976 where she stated the USSR was "bent on world domination", had failed in economic & human terms, its only recourse to become a superpower was military means. Soviet newspapers dubbed her the "Iron Lady" which she adopted.

MarineKingPrime_ Report

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ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

True, but how is USA not bent on world domination, failing in economic terms (2008 crash, unaffordability of higher educaiton and healthcare, murder rates in the same league as most south american countries), with a recourse to retaining superpower status only via military means and strangling other economies to death using the Bretton-Woods architecture? Her and Reagan made it so. She was a monster who fought a ridiculous pointless war to retain some tiny islands that belong rightfully to Argentina.

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#43

Fact

TIL that the notion of a "white Christmas" was popularized by the writings of Charles Dickens, whose stories that depicted a snowy Christmas season were based on his childhood, which happened to be the coldest decade in England in over a century

Ben-Stanley Report

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DuchessDegu
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bonus fun fact - in the UK, according to the Met Office, all it's needed it's ONE flake of snow falling on Christmas day for it to be considered as white Christmas

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#44

Fact

TIL Dexter, the U.S. Navy’s very last working horse, was stationed in Philadelphia to haul trash, and upon his passing in 1968, he was buried with full military honors.

The_Ry_Ry Report

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M O'Connell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm surprised the Navy doesn't have any horses. Hell, even Space Force has horses!

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#45

Fact

TIL Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" is the 4th best selling record in all of history, with only Michael Jackson's Thriller, ACDC's Back in Black and Whitney Houston's Bodyguard soundtrack selling more.

SillyCryptographer Report

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Chewie Baron
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the UK, the top two best selling albums of all time are both greatest hit compilations. Queen - Greatest Hits and ABBA: Gold.

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#46

Fact

TIL that Olympians can use the OLY lettering on any official documentation after their name much like when one gets a royal honor or PhD

cestlavie_27 Report

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#47

Fact

TIL about Snap-dragon, a game Victorians played around Christmas. Raisins would be put in a shallow bowl filled with brandy, and the brandy would be lit on fire. Then players had to extract the raisins without burning their hands and then eat the brandy-soaked raisins on fire.

CanadianW Report

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sofacushionfort
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Banished from polite society for not using the proper burning raisin fork.

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#48

Fact

TIL That during WW2 Heinz invented a self heating soup can that would frequently explode.

Ratherlargefeet , worthpoint Report

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J. F.
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Budget cuts required creative thinking, so why not a food can that can also be used as grenade?

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#49

Fact

TIL about Scott Tucker who set up illegal high interest payday loans in states that banned them. After getting caught, he tried to transfer ownership to Indian tribes who are exempt from payday laws. He is now serving 16 years in federal prison

thenewyorkgod Report

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KatHat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Glad he's in jail. Predatory lending is absolutely evil.

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#50

Fact

TIL that the majority of silent era films are irrevocably lost and that at least half of all sound films from 1927 to 1950 are lost

upsidedownboris Report

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#51

Fact

TIL that in the 1950s, most American shoes stores used powerful x-ray machines as a sales gimmick that allowed customers to observe the fit of their feet inside shoes in real time. The machines often lacked adequate shielding and were commonly used to fit children's shoes.

a2soup Report

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catslave6
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I loved this machine! I recognized the machine from this photo, even though it doesn't show where you slide your feet inside. Every time I got new shoes, I got to see the bones in my feet. I still have a serious fascination with seeing my own insides. I'm certain this is where it began. I'm 72 now, so I lived through the radiation overdose - repeatedly. Still no cancer that I know of. Got lucky I guess. ;>)

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#52

Fact

TIL Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 on a typewriter in UCLA Library’s basement that cost 10 cents for 30 minutes. 9 days and $9.80 later he had a short story titled ‘ The Fireman’ that was later expanded into Fahrenheit 451

SickChipmunk Report

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M O'Connell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For reference, in 1950 a 'budget' typewriter was $100, and a professional model could be up to $400.

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#53

Fact

TIL that former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt was a heavy smoker. He was well known for lighting up during TV interviews and talk shows. He was also charged with defying smoking bans. In 1981 he got a pacemaker. Despite these he died as the longest living chancellor at the age of 96.

Lord-AG Report

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F. H.
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

His nickname was "Smokey". The draft for commemorative 2 Euro coin had a portrait of him holding a cigarrette between his index and middle finger. Someone thought that you shouldn't show people smoking in public, so the cigarette was edited out. Now his coin shows him holding his hand up with two fingers streched out, as if he was the pope blessing something.

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#54

Fact

TIL about the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre aka the Amritsar Incident where in 1919 the British Imperial army opened fire, without warning, on a peaceful gathering protesting the inhumanities of the colonialist government leading to thousand of deaths of unarmed men, women and children.

mayank1193 Report

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H Edwards
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not to belittle the massacre, but it was hundreds of deaths, possibly as many as a thousand. It's bad enough without needless exaggeration. I have visited the Jallianwala Bagh and first read about it in the Raj Quartet novels.

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#55

Fact

TIL that two years before he passed away from cancer, George Harrison was stabbed more than 40 times by an intruder who broke into his home and attacked him with a kitchen knife.

Kinibo Report

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Otter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Harrison and his wife Olivia successfully fought the man off.

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#56

Fact

TIL whale vomit is actually used in perfumes to make scents last longer. It's called ambergris, and is a product of whale bile duct juices and undigested squid beaks. The hard waxy solid that's regurgitated floats and if you're lucky to find a piece, it costs tens of thousands per kilogramme.

nasilemak4ever Report

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#57

Fact

TIL about Erich Hartmann, a WW2 German pilot who was the most successful fighter ace of all time. He was tried and convicted by the USSR after WW2 for destroying “expensive” Soviet aircraft and was sentenced to hard labor, which he refused to do. He was later exonerated of all charges by Russia.

iwasomni Report

#58

Fact

TIL in 2014 An ancient virus called Pithovirus has "come back to life" after lying dormant for at least 30,000 years, scientists say. It was found frozen in a deep layer of the Siberian permafrost, but after it thawed it became infectious once again.

Hectrekt Report

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MyOpinionHasBeenServed
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If this becomes a pandemic we know who to blame, and we'll definitely know if it was planned.

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#59

Fact

TIL about Roland the Farter, a medieval jester for King Henry II. Each Christmas he was obligated to perform a special fart for the kings court. He was compensated with a Manor and 30 acres of land.

-Omegamart- Report

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#60

Fact

TIL that Andrzej Sapkowski sold the rights to CD Projekt Red to create the Witcher video games for a lump sum of $9500

StygianUnknown Report

#61

Fact

TIL that hundred thousands of kudzu plants were planted in the US South to fight erosion. The vine can spread over one foot a day and spread through runners, rhizomes and by vines that root at the nodes. It is now overtaking entire areas, outcompeting all other plants including trees

PresidentSpanky Report

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Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's also completely edible, makes a pretty tasty juice too, and livestock will eat it as well. Promote eating it, or using it as animal feed instead of corn?

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#62

Fact

TIL in 1381 over 70,000 peasants from across England revolted against their lords, led by a farmer named Wat Tyler the 'Peasant Army' marched into London, sacking parts of the city and killing any wealthy elites they found

Bloke22 Report

#63

Fact

TIL about Stephane Breitwieser, an art thief who stole 1.4 billion dollars worth of art. He never sold any of the art, he was an avid art fan and hung them in his house

Noah5510 Report

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Mtownmick
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So the question is: Did he steal from private collectors or from public museums?

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#64

Fact

TIL an American ship is a tourist attraction in Pyongyang, North Korea. Captured by NK forces in 1968, visitors to USS Pueblo are allowed to board the ship and see its secret code room and crew artifacts. Pueblo is the only ship of the US Navy on the commissioned roster currently held captive

Brutal_Deluxe_ Report

#65

Fact

TIL a schoolboy allergic to cheese died after a student threw a piece of cheese at him.

iceTreamTruck Report

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Gavin Johnson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was investigated by the coroner in the U.K., he had severe dairy allergies, he had rubbed his eczema so much he drew blood on his neck, that in turn exacerbated things, his epipen was out of date and the adrenalin was likely to be less effective. The paramedics who attended didn’t manage to stabilise him and he went for too long without oxygen. His family had to turn his life support off as he had no brain functions. A truly sad collection of events that lead to his death. Greenford schoolboy's cheese allergy death was 'unprecedented' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-48148697

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#66

Fact

TIL that Jill Dando, presenter for the BBC "unsolved crime" series Crimewatch, was murdered during her time as host for the show. Crimewatch reconstructed her murder and a suspect was convicted. However, the conviction was overturned, he was acquitted upon retrial, and the case remains unsolved.

ez2remembercpl Report

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Dodo
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hers was one of the first murders I was aware of as a child.

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#67

Fact

TIL that, as of 2010, Paul McCartney was making $400,000 to $600,000 a year from "Wonderful Christmastime"

FX114 Report

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#68

Fact

TIL there was a rumor in the 1960s that Japan made products in a town called Usa which were then exported to the US with the label "MADE IN USA" to make them appear as if they were made in the US.

operatingsys2016 Report

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rspanther
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are some products assembled on Guam just for that reason, they say Assembled in USA. They are made in other countries but now they don't have to say it.

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#69

Fact

TIL the 1959 movie Some Like It Hot featured LQBTQ themes, including cross dressing, and as a result was produced without approval from the Hays Code, a popular set of self-censorship guidelines used for decades in Hollywood. The success of the film is one of the reasons behind its abandonment.

photoalbumguy2 Report

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F. H.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry, but dressing up as a woman for laughs wasn't controversial at the time nor does it qualify as LGBTQ nowadays.

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#70

Fact

TIL In 1956 a trader named Vince Kosuga cornered the national onion market, purchasing 30 million lbs. After dumping his stockpile it led to a public outcry, Congress passed the Onion Futures Act. As a result onions are the only commodity where the trading of futures contracts are banned.

UndyingCorn Report

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Mtownmick
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All future trading should be illegal if you do not intend to use the product. If you want to bet - go to a casino. Same with hedge funds.

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#71

Facts

TIL that the Duff Beer logo is censored in French broadcasts of The Simpsons due to France’s strict laws regarding alcohol product placement. A German brewery makes Duff Beer using the logo from The Simpsons, making it retroactive product placement.

Swampyfeet Report

#72

Fact

TIL about En Passant in chess where you can capture a pawn that has moved two squares from its starting square as if it had advanced only one square.

Tactical_Contact Report

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T'Mar of Vulcan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are even videos on YouTube in which people are freaked that the chess program has a "glitch". In fact, it's not a glitch - it's the en passant move!

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#73

Fact

TIL that drinking caffeine-containing beverages doesn't cause fluid loss in excess of the volume ingested.

printflour Report

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Les Izmore
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's correct. A flawed belief was that caffeine is a diuretic but when someone did a proper scientific study they found the increased urination was caused by the water, not the caffeine. No increase in fluid loss when taking caffeine pills because there is no increase in fluid ingestion

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#74

Fact

TIL that smoking dead scorpions to get high is a practice in certain regions of Pakistan, with most users mixing dried dead scorpions with either tobacco or hash, and that the high lasts for almost 10 hours.

meme_stealing_bandit Report

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#75

Fact

TIL - Watergate was not just a break-in but there were 69 people indicted and 48 people—many of them top Nixon administration officials—convicted.

paulfromatlanta Report

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ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine living in a time where a president was held accountable for something as minor as spying on the opposing political party. I mean, imagine what would have happened if Nixon had, oh, I don't know, incited a riot which overthrew the american capitol building?

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#76

Fact

TIL super weaners are elephant seal pups who, in an attempt to slow their weaning, will steal milk from nursing female elephant seals ("milk thieves"), or be adopted by another nursing mother elephant seal ("double mother-sucklers"). Super weaners are usually male, and may weigh up to 600 lbs.

crazy_gnome Report

#77

Fact

TIL pineapples burn your mouth because it contains bromelain, which breaks down the proteins in your mouth

Dodoboomer Report

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ZAPanda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Soviet Russia, You don't eat pineapple. Pineapple eat you.

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#78

Facts

TIL that the Aztecs modeled their capital on the nearby ruins of Teotihuacan, regarding it as “the city of gods”. It was one of the largest cities in pre-Columbian America and in the world at the time, and it was abandoned about a thousand years before the Spanish came to Mexico.

nmxt Report

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#79

Fact

TIL that Die Hard, much debated over whether or not it is a Christmas film, was first released to cinemas in the middle of July 1988. Its distributor, 20th Century Fox, had greenlit the screenplay in June 1987 because they needed a summer blockbuster for the following year.

InmostJoy Report

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Peppermallow
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The movie is based on a book! Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. Excellent book, and it itself is a sequel to a book called The Detective, also made into a movie

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#80

Fact

TIL Dissecting human bodies was taboo in antiquity up to the 16th century. The only people to systematically do it before then were Erasistratus and Herophilus from Alexandria. Their work pioneered medicine and anatomy but was criticized by contemporaries, especially their practice of vivisections

Ainsley-Sorsby Report

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The Scout
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Leonardo da Vinci is said to have dissected bodies regularly for his anatomical studies in the 15th century though. Other than Herophilus, he used dead subjects. Later in the 16th and 17th century dissections became a spectator event, with public "anatomy theaters".

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#81

Fact

TIL That due to falling hamburger sales on Fridays. A McDonalds Franchise owner created the Filet-O-Fish sandwich to meet the demands of Western Christians who observed a "No Meat" Friday.

muadeebpaul Report

#82

Fact

TIL That the North Pole doesn't have any landmasses. It's only ice floating on water.

SuperRuffe Report

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#83

Fact

TIL that putting live birds in a pie was a form of entertainment in the 16th century. An Italian recipe book of 1549 described how to make a pie so that the birds survived and 'flew out' when it was cut open. This practice was also found in 1725 in a cookery book by John Nott.

Caravansaray Report

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Otter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I want to know what happened to the rest of the pie, the bits that presumably had bird poop on them.

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#84

Fact

TIL actress Olivia Wilde, born Olivia Jane Cockburn, chose to change her last name in high school to honor her relatives who were authors who used pen names. She chose Irish author Oscar Wilde and she spent her childhood summers in Ireland and studied acting in college in Ireland as well.

photoalbumguy2 , Cristiano Del Riccio Report

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F. H.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the story she told. I reality, she changed her name for the same reason many other people with that name do.

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#85

Fact

TIL that Disney had planned on making films based on the video games "Mega Man" and "The Sims," but canceled those plans after Assassin's Creed flopped at the box office.

WouldbeWanderer Report

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Buren
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Sims??? What would anyone want to watch unrealistic world?? Wait.

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#86

Fact

TIL The main accusers of The Salem Witch Trials were a group of girls and young women from Salem Village who are often referred to as the “afflicted girls” because they claimed that witches were afflicting them by attacking them and making them ill.

ohdamnyourarat Report

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Jessica Cifelli
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Anyone who has ever read The Crucible would know this. It's pretty much the story of The Salem Witch Trials in play format.

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