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Nowadays, you don't have to take a trip to the local library if you want to go on a fact-finding mission. You don't have to read a whole book, magazine, or even an Encyclopaeda Brittanica to learn something new. The internet is a never-ending treasure trove of trivia. From fascinating bite-size tidbits about science, to celebrities, history, and the plain weird and bizarre. The “Today I Learned” (TIL) page is a go-to corner of the internet, where a whopping 39 million people gather to satisfy their hunger for knowledge.
Bored Panda has picked the top cool and weird facts from the page to create the following captivating listicle. Whether you're wanting to impress your friends, needing something interesting to talk about on your next first date, itching to win trivia night or you just enjoy soaking in new information, you should find something useful here. Keep scrolling and don't forget to upvote your favorites.
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#1
TIL in 2011 a Brazilian man rescued a starving Magellanic penguin that was drenched in oil on the beach near his house. It stayed with him for about 11 months before returning to the sea. Although for at least the next 5 years, the penguin returned to visit the man for a few months each year.
Family's_disappointment 4 weeks ago
Moments like this are the reason we all still believe in humanity even after everything
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#2
TIL Al Capone, America’s most notorious gangster sponsored the charity that served up three hot meals a day to thousands of the unemployed—no questions asked.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 4 weeks ago (edited)
He also helped introduction of the "sell by date" stamps on dairy products when a close relative got sick after drinking spoiled milk.
#3
TIL the 'Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills' or Pretty Boy Floyd was a thief in the 1930's who was touted as a hero for destroying mortgage documents whenever he robbed a bank. His funeral had over 20,000 people attend to pay their respects.
There’s no shortage of mind-blowing bite-size facts on this page, to keep your constant need for knowledge satisfied. Bored Panda decided to delve a bit deeper into one of the more endearing ones, in our own quest to learn more about the amazing world we live in.
The story we found particularly fascinating was about a Brazilian man who rescued a penguin drenched in oil. The bird stayed with João Pereira de Souza for almost a year before returning to sea. But in an act of true unconditional love, the penguin returned to visit Pereira de Souza for the next few years. "He arrives in June and leaves to go home in February, and every year he becomes more affectionate, as he appears even happier to see me," said Pereira de Souza during a 2016 interview.
#4
TIL as the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto mounted, the inhabitants knew they would not survive. A team of historians, writers, rabbis, and social workers created a secret cache of documents to record their way of life. 2/3 of the cache survived the war
#5
TIL of Kurt Gerstein, a Nazi officer who tried to alert the world of the Holocaust while it was happening by sending detailed reports to Swedish, Swiss, Dutch and Catholic officials. These were largely ineffective and he died by taking his own life in 1945
#6
TIL that the Spice Girls co-wrote all their own songs. When they left their original management, they allegedly stole the masters of their recordings from the management office to make sure they retained creative control of their work.
The duo’s unique bond made world headlines and was even turned into a documentary, and later, a children’s book called An Old Man And His Penguin. “Off the coast of Brazil, João rescues a lifeless, oil-covered penguin (Dindim) and nurses him back to health. Dindim adopts João as an honorary penguin, and the steadfast friends do everything together. They swim together, fish together, and stroll the beach together," reads the book's description.
"But there are real penguins somewhere across the sea. So one day, Dindim leaves João. The villagers tell João the penguin will never come back. João cannot say if he will or will not. Are the villagers right? Will Dindim ever patter into his old friend's loving arms again?”
#7
TIL that orcas spend their entire lives with their mothers. Only one whale is known to have survived alone: Luna (or Tsux'iit) was young when separated and ended up in Nootka Sound. He was adored by locals for his interactive and playful demeanor, seeking socialization intensely without his pod.
Roxy222uk 4 weeks ago
The sons in particular need their mothers to protect them and stand up for them all their lives. The daughters are expected to be much more self-sufficient (well, they're going to be mums with their own sons one day). Orcas have a menopause for the same reason humans do, the older females are far too important to the survival of the community to risk losing them to one too many pregnancies in their old age. And these older females are so bright it is genuinely scary. If they decided to hunt and eat you they would come up with a strategy unique to the situation (not rely on instinctive behaviours), explain it to the rest of the pod, and then get everyone working in unison to make it work. Orcas are absolutely amazing.
#8
TIL in South Korea, only blind people can get a masseur's license. This law was established in 1912, to help visually impaired people earn a living. It was upheld by their Constitutional Court in 2008.
#9
TIL Malcolm X, while serving a prison sentence in his early 20s, spent his time reading the dictionary and copying its pages to improve his vocabulary. This practice not only expanded his knowledge but also transformed him into one of the most articulate civil rights leaders.
As it turns out, little Dindim never did return to Pereira de Souza after saying his final goodbyes. The book’s author, Alayne Kay Christian tracked down a friend of Pereira de Souza’s to find out more. "He assured me that Joao Pereira de Souza was fine," wrote Christian, before quoting the friend as saying, "Unfortunately, Dindim has not returned to Ilha Grande... Since no tracking devices have been attached to him, it’s hard to know what happened to him.”
#10
TIL while filming Metropolis (1927) they would often end up with more children in the evening than in the morning. Coming from the poorest areas of Berlin, the children would sneak onto set or climb over the fence to experience the warm rooms, games, toys, cocoa, cake, and regular meals
Beak Hookage 4 weeks ago
I'm trying to figure this one out... I think it means that they had some sort of daycare for cast and crew member's children (or child actors? I haven't seen the film) and that local kids sneaked in to enjoy the benefits.
#11
TIL that after his passing, Fred Rogers’ wife revealed that behind the scenes he had a raunchy sense of humor and one of his favorite and funniest ways to break up monotony during a bland event was to look right at her, lift a butt cheek signaling that he was secretly farting, and give her a smile.
#12
TIL a bear in a state park got into campers’ coolers and used claws & teeth to puncture beer cans; Fish & Wildlife Sgt. Bill Heinck said the bear tried a can of Busch, ignored the rest, then drank about 36 Rainier beers. They caught it a live trap baited with donuts, honey, open cans of Rainier.
Christian revealed in her blog that she also came across two videos online of Pereira de Souza waiting patiently on the beach for his penguin friend to come back. The author managed to get the videos translated from Portuguese, and this is what they said:
"The first video is only him saying he has been waiting for Dindim. He is talking to Dindim and asking him to come, so João can be happy again and play with him. He shows his 3 friends and says they are always at the sea, so Joao asks them to keep on the lookout for Dindim."
#13
TIL that Jordan Rice, a 13-year-old Australian boy, became a symbol of courage during devastating floods when he sacrificed his life to save his younger brother. Despite his fear of water, his selfless act continues to inspire as a story of true heroism.
#14
TIL in 2012, over 2,000 Koreans gathered to watch a single man pitch a tent (a 24-man army tent) after he claimed on an internet forum that he could do it in under two hours. The event grew so large it even attracted corporate sponsers. The man succeeded, taking about an hour to accomplish the task.
Steve Sharpe 4 weeks ago
I've never seen any South Korean kit so couldn't say for sure how much of a challenge this really is. I can tell you as a statement of fact however that a NATO general purpose 9x9 tent - used to make offices or work rooms when we set up "tent city" - trying to put one of those up on your own would be on the same kind of skill level as hanging wallpaper with one hand tied behind your back. Given there's only so many ways a tent can be made, I reckon this guy is pretty impressive!
#15
TIL while on safari, Hemingway survived 2 plane crashes one day apart. The 2nd caught fire & he had to smash open the door with his head, causing extensive burns & skeletal injuries. He was presumed dead until he walked out of the jungle "in high spirits", carrying bananas and a bottle of gin.
"In the second one, he says how much he misses him and how he wishes Dindim would come back. He is calling him and he says that he is always thinking about him. He offers him sardines and that he can come play with his dog and he can pinch his dog as usual. He says, 'I am waiting for you here day and night'.”
Christian believes that Pereira de Souza probably won't give up on his penguin partner in crime. And will continue to call for him from the shore every year. We, at Bored Panda, are incline to agree. "I love the penguin like it's my own child," Pereira de Souza once said in an interview.
"And I believe the penguin loves me..."
#16
TIL Since 1950, the Catholic Church has recognized Darwinian evolution as being compatible with Christian beliefs.
The Big Bad 4 weeks ago
Honestly the Catholic church sometimes surprises me with their thought out stances on a lot of subjects. And sometimes they change it to fit with their own priorities. Like abortion, abortion wasn't always a sin, depended on the times and the need for children. When industrialization became a thing, small children hands were very handy in factories. "Suddenly" abortion was a sin. Children weren't always seen as the precious little angels they are now...
#17
TIL there was a Japanese government review in 2010 which found that 82% of the people aged over 100 in Japan turned out to be dead.
#18
TIL during the filming of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, it became a secret running joke between Tom Holland and Michael Keaton that Keaton would often whisper in a deep voice“I’m Batman” in Tom’s ear on set during a few fight scenes.
Origami Chik3n 4 weeks ago
That's because Keaton is THE Batman. As a 90's kid, this is the hill i will die on.
#19
TIL: The bodies of two women were discovered over a year after the eruption of Mount St. Helens, but they were both actually victims of murder prior to the eruption whose bodies were hidden to the debris and ash.
#20
TIL on November 29th 2001, Mike Myers received the final letter George Harrison ever sent anybody. Being a fan of satire, George hand wrote the letter expressing his admiration for Mike’s Austin Powers movies. Mike received it on the set of Austin Powers 3 on the day George died.
that_gay_snake 4 weeks ago
Mike Myers was loved??? but he wears that creepy mask every Halloween and has a thing for babysitters....
#21
TIL that in Romania in 1999, a man and a woman died of carbon monoxide poisoning while having sex in a car parked in a garage with the engine running and won the 1999 Darwin Award.
Mason Kronol 4 weeks ago
When my grandma was dying in the hospital a woman was hospitalized because the overweight “John” had a heart attack and died on top of her in the backseat of the car and she wasn’t found for several hours. I was around 13 and it was awful but it’s the only thing that kept some of us laughing. IIRC some of the more mature family members had a flower basket sent to her. But still 🤦🏻♀️😂
#22
TIL the US Navy had no idea Cher would be wearing a racy outfit when they agreed to let her film “If I Could Turn Back Time” on the battleship *Missouri*. They didn’t see her now-iconic fishnet bodysuit until filming started. The crew’s crazy reaction is genuine.
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 4 weeks ago
Unpopular opinion but I can't stand Cher or her nasal foghorn voice.
#23
TIL Tommy Cooper was a Welsh magician/comedian whose shtick was "a clumsy magician messes up his tricks". He had a massive heart attack, collapsed and died on stage during a live broadcast, in front of 12 million viewers, with studio audience laughing at what they thought was just one of his acts.
#24
TIL Japan railway platforms saw a 84 percent decrease in s***ides at stations after they installed blue lights.
#25
TIL what we call a 9-to-5 workday, Chinese people have "996," which means they have to work from 9am to 9pm 6 days a week.
#26
TIL Keanu Reeves only says 380 words in the entirety of John Wick: Chapter 4, which has a runtime of 169 minutes.
Simon Chen 4 weeks ago
What else was he supposed to do? Giving a motivational speech before klling a lot of people?
#27
TIL that in 1835, Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson, marking the first such attempt on a sitting U.S. president. Lawrence's two pistols both misfired, allowing Jackson who was 67 at the time to respond by beating him with his cane until he was restrained.
MicrowaveGoddess 4 weeks ago
Oh, I had to act this out in a skit at school..I was Lawrence. My friend got to beat me with a wrappng paper roll.
BookFanatic 4 weeks ago
I love how unambiguous the last line is. "Until he was restrained" could mean either Andrew or his would-be assassin.
ScootyPuffJr 4 weeks ago (edited)
AJ also killed a man in a duel, owned/traded slaves as well as beat his own, and uprooted Native Americans, playing a huge role in that genocide. He was an evil bastard. F*** that guy.
Michael Largey 4 weeks ago
If a guy with two guns is trying to kill me, I am not going to walk closer to him, cane or not.
#28
TIL there is no official "national identity card" in the United States. Most Americans use their driver’s license as a national identification
Uncommon Boston 4 weeks ago
Citizens and legal residents will need a Real ID to board airplanes and visit certain government buildings after May 7, 2025. It is also your driver's license and issued by the same agency. More documentation is needed to get the Real ID, the same information is required to get the ID in every state and territory. They have the same format and look. It is not mandatory, only needed for travel and to access government buildings. It is proof you are a legal resident. Illegal residents are now able to get drivers licenses. It is one step closer to a national idenity card.
#29
TIL Early in his career actor Zero Mostel was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) for suspected communist sympathies. During his testimony, Mostel refused to name names, made jokes, and challenged the committee's assertions.
#30
TIL of 'Joe Martin', a captive orangutan actor that starred in over 50 silent era films, and for years lived essentially as a free human, wearing clothes, having it's own keys to come and go, attending film premieres and trusted to work with many children. Eventually it attacked many people...
BrunoVI 4 weeks ago (edited)
"Eventually it attacked many people" DOH! Way to ruin the coolest story I've read in a long time! UPDATE: Oh, it's even better! "At least three of these cases were apparent defenses of a woman, child, or animal. He staged major zoo escapes at least twice, once releasing the wolves and the elephant on the way out, and, separately, while evading recapture, relieving a police officer of his gun."
#31
TIL about Frederick Valentich, an Australian pilot who disappeared during a flight in 1978 after reporting an unidentified object following him and saying, 'It's not an aircraft.'
#32
TIL researchers studying nominative determinism found that orthopedic surgeons are more likely to have the surname "Limb" than is expected by chance (Limb, Limb, Limb, & Limb, 2015)
#33
TIL: The US developed the chemical compound Cyanogen Chloride for use in WW2 against Japan. It is a highly toxic blood agent that could penetrate gas masks. Truman decided against using it and opted for the atom bomb. It is now listed in the Chemical Weapons Convention and has never been deployed.
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 4 weeks ago
So, what, the atom bomb was considered ''more humane''? Holy hell >.<
#34
TIL that Thalidomide, the drug responsible for thousands of birth defects across Europe in the 1950s/60s, was developed by a doctor who had previously worked for the Nazis, experimenting on concentration camp victims
#35
TIL: There is a figure known as the "unluckiest man in Pompeii". In 2018, archaeologists uncovered his skeleton and a rock where his head should've been, he got struck by the rock and his skull was found in a tunnel a distance away.
Serial pacifist 4 weeks ago
Well, as cruel as it might sound, it just might have saved him the suffering and the horror others felt in their last moments.
#36
TIL until the 1980’s, US television stations would sign off at the end of the broadcasting day, and before they cut to static for the rest of the night, they would often play short clips of American landmarks and US military imagery in a patriotic montage accompanied by the star spangled banner.
#37
TIL that nearly 0% of Indigenous Mexicans develop wisdom teeth, while practically 100% of Tasmanians do.
Andrew Read 4 weeks ago
There are no pure blood indigenous Tasmanians! They died out in the early 20th century. Therefore, this is not able to be properly verified!
#38
TIL Max Planck, the father of quantum theory, considered his quantum hypothesis just a mathematical trick to get the right answer rather than a sizable discovery until Einstein interpreted his hypothesis realistically and used it to explain physical phenomena.
Steve Robert 4 weeks ago
Never take your car to a quantum mechanics for repairs. You'll never know if it will start, or not, until you turn the key.
#39
TIL David Letterman once insulted Quentin Tarantino on his show, which made Tarantino call Letterman on the phone and threaten to come to NY to “kill” him. Letterman responded by offering to pay for his flight and have QT choose the method of battle. Tarantino agreed and chose “bats.”
#40
TIL: The federal government is by far the largest employer of veterans in the United States
#41
TIL Mozart, Lenin and Hitler were all regulars at the very same bar
#42
TIL ecologists once thought Beaver dam-building was an amazing feat of planning, indicative of the high intellect. This was tested when a recording of running water was played in a field near a beaver pond. Although on dry land, the beaver covered the tape player with branches and mud.
#43
TIL Hemingway was three months sober when he took his own life in 1961
#44
TIL a high-ranking dinosaur ant who challenges her queen but fails will be immobilized, publicly chastised for several days, join the working class and lose all hope of ever ruling or reproducing
#45
TIL a film in 1997 with a budget of $15 million only made $309 because it only played in 2 movie theaters before being pulled.
Panda-sized Potato 4 weeks ago (edited)
The movie is "Trojan War," a teen comedy about a guy trying to find a condom. Quite a few well-known actors at the time in it.
#46
TIL certain East Asian physical traits, like thicker hair, more sweat glands, distinct teeth, and smaller breasts, stem from a gene mutation about 35,000 years ago. Africans and Europeans usually carry the ancestral version of the gene, but in most East Asians, one of the DNA units has mutated.
#47
TIL that Graphene is the thinnest two-dimensional material in existence and is 200 times stronger than steel. It is also the most conductive material on Earth, excelling in both electrical and thermal conductivity.
#48
TIL The only known naturally occuring nuclear fission reactor was discovered in Oklo, Gabon and is thought to have been active 1.7 billion years ago. This discovery in 1972 was made after chemists noticed a significant reduction in fissionable U-235 within the ore coming from the Gabonese mine.
#49
TIL economists estimate that only 8 percent of the world's currency exists as physical cash
#50
TIL that 1 out of every 8 Americans has worked at a McDonalds at some point in their life.
What do you think ?
michael reid 4 weeks ago
My favourite fact is that, in the UK at least, the leading cause of death for healthy adult men in their prime is suicide.
Slapdash1 4 weeks ago
You'll sh!t a brick when you realize there is little else it could possibly be for healthy people "in their prime"
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michael reid 4 weeks ago
My favourite fact is that, in the UK at least, the leading cause of death for healthy adult men in their prime is suicide.
Slapdash1 4 weeks ago
You'll sh!t a brick when you realize there is little else it could possibly be for healthy people "in their prime"
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