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29 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School
Article created by: Ilona Baliūnaitė
The internet can be a wonderful treasure trove of knowledge—so long as you’re curious, media-savvy, and know what sources are reputable. The ‘Today I Learned’ (aka TIL) online community is a powerhouse of edutainment and one of the most well-known groups on Reddit.
Its members share interesting facts about the world they learned only recently. It’s honestly the perfect inspiration to get all of our creative juices flowing and our brains (re)energized. We’ve collected some of the freshest and most intriguing TIL insights to share with you, Pandas. Scroll down to check them out.
Bored Panda got in touch with neuroscientist Burcin Ikiz, Ph.D., who shed some light on how getting older impacts our ability to learn new information, as well as how to stay curious about the world even when overwhelmed with grown-up responsibilities. Dr. Ikiz is the founder of the EcoNeuro project and the host of the Connecting Neurons blog on Psychology Today. Read on for her insights.
- Read More: 40 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics)
This post may include affiliate links.
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#2
TIL that JFK didn’t invite Sammy Davis Jr. to his 1961 inauguration as Sammy had married a white woman, and JFK was worried that the presence of an interracial couple would upset Southerners. Dean Martin, who was angered by this news, refused to attend the inauguration in solidarity with Sammy.
#3
TIL about Darius McCollum, a man who was arrested 32 times for impersonating a transit worker. He commandeered hundreds of buses and subway trains over the course of 30 years, staying on route and schedule without being paid. He attended Union meetings, even though he wasn’t a member.
nttw26r4fw 1 week ago
Way better performance than the ones actually getting paid to do it, he should have been rewarded, not arrested 😂
#4
TIL that every Australian is entitled to a portrait of the reigning monarch - paid for by the government. After the Queen died, there was a rush to get the last portraits of her before the Charles stock came in.
#5
TIL that Philip Workman, an inmate on death row, requested that his last meal be a pizza for any homeless person located nearby. Prison officials refused, declaring they don’t donate to charity. The public decided to donate pizzas to homeless shelters themselves, in his name, after his execution.
#6
TIL The first speeding ticket in history was issued to a person caught speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), four times the speed limit of 2 mph (3 km/h). In 1896, Mr. Arnold was pursued for 5 miles by a policeman on a bicycle
Mark (it/urgh) 1 week ago
This could be an exam question. "Using the above information, how much time did the policeman take chasing Mr Arnold? Points for showing your working out."
#7
TIL in 2009, three masked burglars broke into Dolph Lundgren's home, tied up and threatened his wife, but fled after finding a family photo and realizing whose home they'd broken into
#8
TIL Alaska is so large and deserted, it has the equivalent population density of 16 people living in Manhattan.
#9
TIL James Earl Jones was officially replaced as the voice of Darth Vader last year by AI with Jones' consent. The move was made after he told Disney that he "was looking into winding down this particular character." He consented to the future use of his voice with AI to "keep Vader alive."
#10
TIL Quentin Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt, was a pilot who was killed in combat in WW1. For propaganda purposes, Germany made a postcard of the dead pilot and his plane, However, this was met with shock by Germans, who were impressed that a president's son died on active duty.
#11
TIL During a 1972 John Lennon/Chuck Berry jam session that the sound engineers muted yokos mic.
nttw26r4fw 1 week ago
Well, she didn’t sing, she just made awful screeching sounds, so it’s completely understandable. She didn’t even notice and went on, but Chuck Berry’s face said it all 🤣
#12
TIL bleach has a shelf life with the effectiveness decreasing after just 6 months and eventually degrades into salt water
#13
TIL Japan recounted its islands and found 7,000 it didn't know it had. There are now officially 14,125 islands in Japanese territory.
#14
TIL Kate Winslet broke Tom Cruise's underwater filming record while filming Avatar 2. Winslet held her breath during a scene for seven minutes and twelve seconds beating the mark of six minutes Cruise set while filming Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.
#15
TIL that the last person verified to have been born in the 1800's died in 2017
#16
TIL researchers testing the Infinite Monkey theorem: Not only did the monkeys produce nothing but five total pages largely consisting of the letter "S", the lead male began striking the keyboard with a stone, and other monkeys followed by urinating and defecating on the machine
nttw26r4fw 1 week ago
Well, they were monkeys lol, it reminded me of the ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ scene 😂
#17
TIL the song “Fight for Your Right” by the Beastie Boys was written as a parody of frat culture, and the band was upset that people took it at face value.
#18
TIL Shahtoosh, the most expensive fabric on earth is totally illegal to own
#19
TIL an International Chess Master tried to advance his career in 1951 by playing against 30 Russian school children at the same time. In the end, he drew 10 and lost the other 20, setting the record for worst simultaneous chess playing in the world.
#20
TIL soon after the famous D.B. Cooper hijacking, 5 other copycat hijackers employed the same tactics on other flights. All 5 survived their parachute jump which forced the FBI to re-evaluate their initial conclusion that Cooper was likely killed during his attempt
#21
TIL before the invention of ice cream cones, ice cream was served in reusable glass containers called "penny licks" which were notorious for spreading disease because they were reused & never washed between customers.
#22
TIL the nation of Iceland sued a company named Iceland to have all its trademarks invalidated. And won.
#23
TIL that when pitching Bratz dolls for retailers to sell, they were only interested in purchasing the white, blonde, blue eyed doll (Cloe). The CEO of MGA Ent. refused & only accepted if all four were purchased. The dolls grossed $2 billion in sales in their first five years on the market
#24
TIL That prisoners in Japan who are sentenced to death only find out on the morning of their execution. The prisoner's family and legal representatives, and also the general public, are informed only after the execution has taken place.
#25
TIL of "shifting baseline syndrome" which is ‘a gradual change in the accepted norms for the condition of the natural environment due to a lack of experience, memory, and/or knowledge of its past condition'.
#26
TIL in Shanghai every weekend there is a marriage market, parents and grandparents of unmarried adults gather in a park and trade information on their children/grandchildren (height, weight, income, occupation...) with the goal to find them a suitable partner
#27
TIL that to join the EU, Austria had to lift its blanket ban on members of the Habsburg family entering Austria because it was a violation of human rights
#28
TIL that South Koreans can be punished for using cannabis in a county where it's legal upon return to South Korea
#29
TIL that four young people drowned in a narrow passage in an underground cave in Provo Utah 2005. They think one person tried to turn around and the others were unable to pass her. They knew the cave was unsafe.
- You Might Also Like: 55 Single-Panel Comics That Are Humorous And Silly By Jeff Swenson
nttw26r4fw 1 week ago
She may have had a seissure or panick attack and since the passage was so narrow they got trapped 😢
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