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"True education is a kind of never-ending story – a matter of continual beginnings, of habitual fresh starts, of persistent newness," said J.R.R. Tolkien. And it's true: there's no age cutoff for continually learning new things about the world. We can discover something new and interesting every single day.

This process has never been easier thanks to the Internet. We can learn new fun facts or interesting things from any field: history, languages, math – you name it. The Today I Learned subreddit is a wonderful place to share such not-so-common tidbits of knowledge with others. So check out our new selection of fascinating facts, pandas, and upvote those you find the most interesting.

Bored Panda reached out to two podcasts that are about interesting facts. The first creator is Steve Silverman, author of the Useless Information podcast. Steve shares interesting, lesser-known stories from history. The second trio that was kind enough to share their expertise was the creators of the I Should Have Known podcast – Tanner, Andi and Sups. You can find short interviews with them below!

More info: Useless Information Facebook | Useless Information X | I Should Have Known Instagram | I Should Have Known Youtube | I Should Have Known Patreon

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL that instead of using his Make-A-Wish for something for himself, 13-Year-old Abraham Olagbegi used his wish to feed the homeless in his neighborhood for a year.

RealTheAsh , Goodable Report

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

aww. We don't need more people like him, we need to be more like him

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Steve traces back the origins of his podcast to the '90s. "I first became interested in these quirky facts and stories when I started teaching high school science in the early 1990s," he tells Bored Panda. 

"I quickly realized that my students loved this kind of stuff, so I purchased a few books that others had written. This was before the World Wide Web, so online research wasn't an option. I was an early adoptee of the web, and for lack of any better ideas, I decided to take some quirky stories that I knew and place each one on a separate web page."

The I Should Have Known trio first started out as a pub trivia team. "When our local pub quiz shut down, we took up the mantle and started researching our own fun 'did you know' facts," Sups, Andi and Tanner tell us.
#2

TIL a sheepdog named Casper fought for over 30 minutes against 11 coyotes who were threatening his flock, killed 8 of them, and survived with a severe neck wound and a missing tail.

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#3

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL: A woman born with birth defects caused by Chernobyl including 6 toes, webbed fingers, no thumbs, leg 15cm shorter than the other, and missing some organs, won a gold medal in the paralympics for cross-country skiiing.

CapitalManufacturer7 , Yakudza Report

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

Great job she deserves more than just a gold medal. Someone needs to give her a medal for kicking life's butt.

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Their podcast’s premise is particularly interesting. They describe it as a trivia podcast that can't be trusted. Each week, either Sups, Andi or Tanner present their listeners with four big facts on a topic, but one of those facts is a lie. The audience then can try to guess which one is false.

“When we decided to create our show, we knew we wanted to stand out from other podcasts and leave our audiences with something more. So we put our full effort into researching our trivia to make sure it's vetted and as double-checked as possible. Especially because the other two hosts will be grilling us to find the lie among our facts!"

The creators of I Should Have Known reveal the secrets of being professional trivia masters: "Foster creativity to ask weird questions like 'Are birds dinosaurs?' Build diligence in research so you're not just taking Google's or an AI's word as gospel. And develop empathy so you can actually teach your audience something fun and new without boring or stumping them."

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#4

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL in 1963, a 16-year-old sent a 4-question survey to 150 well-known authors (75 of which replied) in order to prove to his English tutor that writers don't intentionally add symbolic content to their books.

Calendar8 , theparisreview Report

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

Author: "He painted his front door blue". Teacher: "The door is blue to signify his descent into depression." Author: "The door is just friggin' blue. -.-"

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#5

TIL During the 1800s, Hawai‘i became one of the most literate nations in the world with over 90% of the population able to read and write. Even King Kamehameha III proudly declared, “He aupuni palapala ko‘u” (“I have a kingdom of education”)

colapepsikinnie Report

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

54% of adults in America have the reading age of a 12-year-old. (source: The Literacy Project)

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#6

TIL that Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum awarded its 10th million visitor with the chance to spend one night in the museum alone. The winner slept underneath Rembrandt's "The Night Watch".

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

That would be an incredible prize! Can you imagine? No crowds, no noise, just you and the art. Ahhh, that's a prize I'd love to win.

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The content of the Useless Information website and podcast has shifted as time went on. Steve admits that the topics he covers are those that he personally finds interesting. "Over the years, I have greatly expanded my research and tend to focus on obscure human interest stories that occurred between 1900 and 1965," he says. "I like to joke that it is simply a hobby that got a bit out of hand."

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#7

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL Aretha Franklin required that she be paid in cash before any performance. The cash went into her handbag and the handbag either stayed with her security team or would rest on the piano during her onstage performance.

trifletruffles , 49metal Report

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#8

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL Michelin started reviewing restaurants so people would travel farther and wear out their tires, increasing their sales.

julyninetyone , Yente Van Eynde Report

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#9

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL A hiker was lost on a mountain for 24 hours and ignored calls, texts, and voicemail messages from rescuer teams because he didn’t recognize the phone number.

Algrinder , Oziel Gómez Report

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Since he's such a veteran, the means of finding content have also changed a great deal. Most of the stories Steve covers come from old newspapers, which he loves to read. "Years ago, the only way to do this was to go to the library and load up reels of microfilm," he adds. "But now all it takes is a few clicks of a mouse button to pull up some old articles."

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#10

TIL Michael Schumacher donated $10 million to the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It was the highest individual donation made in the disaster that killed more than 220,000 people. Schumacher's bodyguard Burkhard Cramer, and Cramer's two sons, were killed in the tsunami.

trifletruffles Report

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#11

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL: In 1956, France banned the serving of alcohol to children under the age of 14 in the school canteens. Prior to that, school children had the right to drink half a litre of wine, cider or beer with their meals. In 1981 France implemented a total alcohol ban in the country’s schools.

diacewrb , Yan Krukau Report

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

This was common practice because the access to drinkable water took a long time. Beverages with alcohol were safer for centuries so it was common to have children drink wine. Even Louis Pasteur, the famous biologist, said that "wine is the safest drink".

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#12

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL Ernie Hudson, who played Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters movies, was rejected from a role in the Ghostbusters cartoons because they thought he didn't sound like Winston Zeddemore.

Cyrus-114 , sonypictures Report

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

This is what Ernie said, "So I went in to read the material, and the guy said, "No, no, no, that’s all wrong! When Ernie Hudson did it in the movie…" And I’m like, "Well, wait a minute, I AM Ernie Hudson!’"

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Andi, Tanner and Sups believe that people are naturally drawn to learning. "There's something about being stuck in school and being forced to memorize facts that don't interest us which dampens our curiosity. But if you can deliver interesting nuggets of knowledge and make them relatable to your audience, you find that people can't get enough."

"And then the added bonus with our show is that listeners want to see if they're right. They love to hear the hosts poke holes in the facts and then guess along with them to check their understanding."
#13

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL that in his final years as US president, Woodrow Wilson was too sick to govern. His wife Edith kept his sickness secret, taking over so many duties she was essentially president. She hid Wilson's paralysis by covering his left side with a blanket.

RollingNightSky , loc Report

Final score:
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Alex
Alex
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Edith Boiling Wilson, only Appalachian first lady. From Wytheville, Virginia. A little museum about her in the building in which she was born in the town

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#14

TIL: Author Roald Dahl helped invent a new brain shunt that saved thousands of children after his own baby son suffered a brain injury.

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

He had his good points and bad point s. Another child of his died of the measles in 1962, just befor the measles vaccine was widely available and Dahl became a big proponent of immunization. Get your vaccines, people!

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#15

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL Rockstar hired real-life gang members and ex-convicts in GTA V to voice some of the characters. They also gave them the freedom to improvise the script and say what they would say in real life, to make the dialogue more realistic and authentic.

Algrinder , rockstargames Report

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Nick (He/Him)
Nick (He/Him)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is THAT why gta6 is taking so long? They have to wait for their VAs to get out of jail?

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In Steve Silverman’s mind, there's nothing really surprising about our hunger for learning podcasts such as his. "People love things that are out of the ordinary," he believes. "We like movies with surprising plot twists, books with unexpected endings, and so on. The same is true of being told interesting facts and stories."

The phrase that is now the name of his website and the podcast came from one of the kids Steve was teaching. "A student had told me that I knew more 'useless information' than anyone else, so I placed that title on the main page and have been using it ever since."
#16

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL Winston Churchill had a doctor's note to drink "unlimited" alcohol in prohibition America (1932).

CheesyDogPizza , BiblioArchives Report

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

The infamous "grumpy" picture again, the look he became famous for. There is a reason that he looks like someone had just taken away his cigar - because that was exactly what had just transpired seconds before.

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#17

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL A breakthrough in kidney stone treatment will allow them to be expelled without invasive surgery, using a handheld device. NASA has been funding the technology for 10 years, and it's one of the last significant issues in greenlighting human travel to Mars.

Influence_X , RDNE Stock project Report

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

Great now when will this be available to all. I'm sick of surgery.

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#18

TIL that an unplugged microwave carries enough residual current to kill you, even if it's been unplugged for months. So never try to repair a broken microwave unless you know how to discharge the capacitor

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It comes as no surprise that Steve is quite a popular pick for a team on a trivia night. Yet he remains humble: "I am the first to admit that there are huge gaps in my knowledge." He says his focus is less on trivia – he's more interested in telling true stories.

"An example of trivia is knowing how many men have walked on the moon (12 men), but I consider myself to be a storyteller. The more unusual and obscure the stories are, the better."

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#19

TIL real doctors from USC Medical Center were recruited to play the doctors who try to save E.T. because Spielberg felt that actors talking about technical medical matters didn’t seem natural.

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

The real-life doctors and other medical personnel were from the emergency room at St. John’s Medical in Santa Monica, CA. I was working at St. John’s at the time.

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#20

TIL that John F. Kennedy's patrol boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. After a 3-mile swim to an island, he and his crew survived on coconuts for 2 days. Rescued by two islanders, their message etched on a coconut shell became a paperweight on JFK's desk.

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#21

TIL a man found a winning lottery ticket worth $24 million in an old shirt just two days before it expires.

Jimmie Smith, a 68-year old New Jersey man who discovered a winning New York Lotto ticket in an old shirt hanging in his closet.

The ticket was purchased on May 25, 2016 and the winner had one year to claim the prize.

Smith checked his tickets in May 2017, after seeing a news story about the unclaimed jackpot.

He claimed his prize just two days before the deadline, on May 23, 2017.

Algrinder Report

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It would be criminal to have four trivia masters at my disposal and not ask them their favorite facts. When asked about his favorite story that he covered, Steve has to dig in deep. He has written about so many that it's hard to choose only one. "A number of people have told me that their favorite of all the podcast episodes that I have ever recorded was one titled 'The Woman with the X-Ray Camera,' Steve tells us.
#22

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL average onset of menstruation for girls in 1840 was age 17. In 2000 it was 12 years old.

u/jumpedoutoftheboat , Sora Shimazaki Report

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#23

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL calories in food are measured by exploding a dehydrated food in an oxygen filled canister surrounded by water. The explosion of the food item gives off energy that heats the surrounding water. The increase in temperature of the water is how we calculate calories.

jellypalmbear , Marta Dzedyshko Report

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

It is called a Bomb Calorimeter. It calculates the chemical energy in food in order to estimate the metabolic energy available - there are gaps in how accurate it is as a result as cannot take into affect digestibility, metabolism etc

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#24

TIL: North Korea shot down a US spy plane in April 1969, an enraged Nixon allegedly ordered a tactical nuclear strike and told the joint chiefs to recommend targets. Henry Kissinger spoke to military commanders on the phone and agreed not to do anything until Nixon sobered up in the morning.

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

Sort of like the "Let's just take the paper from the desk" tactic used with Trump.

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He agrees to share it with us and our readers. "It's about a young woman named Pearl Lusk who is hired in 1946 by a detective to follow a woman suspected of being a jewel thief," Steve begins. "Pearl is told that the thief keeps the jewels hidden under her dress, so the detective hands Pearl a camera that can take X-ray images."

Steve continues the story: "Pearl kneels down to shoot an image, and suddenly a loud bang is heard, and the suspect falls to the ground. What Pearl didn't know was that a shotgun was hidden inside the supposed camera. And there was no detective or jewel thief. It was simply a jealous husband who tricked Pearl into shooting his estranged wife."
#25

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL that women are traditionally prohibited from entering a sumo ring. This tradition is so strictly enforced that in 2018 two women were asked to leave the ring even though they were preforming CPR on a man who collapsed in one.

nickburrows8398 , Jed Scattergood Report

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#26

TIL An otter squeezed through gates into a classical Chinese garden at night in downtown Vancouver and ate 11 prized koi fish. Traps baited with raw chicken and salmon were set up but otter was never caught.

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

They should have used prized koi fish in the traps. Clearly, this otter had a discerning taste palate.

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#27

TIL that 80% of animals found in Madagascar exist nowhere else on earth.

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The I Should Have Known trio loves off-the-wall, kooky trivia. "For our show, the more unbelievable, the better," they claim. "The real fun is when you get listeners to question everything, even things you never thought to question!"

The creators recall a recent in-person trivia night the three of them hosted. "We had a 50:50 question that was just ridiculous. 'Which is heavier: the heaviest recorded capybara or the heaviest player to compete in the 2018 FIFA World Cup?' The teams loved debating how big a capybara could possibly get, employing calculations and getting into heated discussions.

The Guinness World Record for the biggest capybara (which is also the biggest rodent) lists it as 130 lbs. But some sources like the Mammalian Species Journal mention one all the way up to 200 lbs!" However, the answer is still the soccer player Roman Torres – he weighs 218 lbs.
#28

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL in the 1980s, NASA had a 1-900 number which charged $2 for the first minute and $.45 for each additional minute. It allowed callers to listen in on a mission status report and mid-flight press conferences, and thousands of them heard the Challenger explosion in real-time.

Forward-Answer-4407 , Alena Shekhovtcova Report

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#29

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL that Skoda test their car horns 150,000 times for the European car market. For the Indian market the horns are tested 500,000 times due to the increased use of car horns in India. One study carried out at major intersections in Indian cities found that a horn sounds every three seconds.

u/EssexGuyUpNorth , Carcomparing.eu Report

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#30

TIL that, to avoid predators, when the glass frogs are asleep, they remove nearly 90% of their circulating blood cells, storing what is essentially their entire circulatory system in one organ and resulting almost transparent

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Don’t hesitate to check out both podcasts if you’re interested in unusual and captivating facts and stories! If you like the unusual premise of the I Should Have Known podcast, you can support them on Patreon as well as follow them on Instagram.

Steve Silverman also has three books to his name. The Flip Side of History, Lindbergh's Artificial Heart and Einstein's Refrigerator, where you can find stories he covered over the years.

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#31

TIL that when Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes, he was working as a doctor in the NHS. On the day he broke the record, he had already worked a morning shift at St Mary's hospital in London, and then caught the train to Oxford where he ran the race.

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#32

TIL Terry Pratchett had all his unfinished works destroyed by steamroller after his death.

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missal_warrior_0c avatar
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, we already knew the man was a legend… just read literally anything he’s written.

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

It's a good way to prevent cash grabs, but I can't help but be curious what we lost. Screw the embuggerance.

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

Good news! "A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories," was published last month. It's a collection of pre-Discworld short stories that Pratchett originally published in a regional newspaper under a pseudonym.

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Ozymandias73
Ozymandias73
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't understand why people are getting down voted for asking who he was. Just b/c a name is thrown out doesn't mean everybody knows who that person is. I had to Google him myself. Apparently, he was a UK author.

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

I think people downvote it because it's kinda silly to ask who he is when it's so easy to Google it yourself. Also, sometimes people say 'who?' not as an actual question, but more as a way of saying "this person isn't famous enough to be worth talking about" or even as a "look at me, I'm so cool for not knowing this famous person", which other people find very annoying.

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Sheena Leversedge Wood
Sheena Leversedge Wood
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

also, when he was knighted, he learned how to forge a sword and made himself one from meteorite steel. because, of course, every knight needs a magic sword.

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

RIP Sir Terry, I miss getting a new Pratchett book at Christmas time, such a wonderful story creator and teller, very missed, but we have books, hooray

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Sheena Leversedge Wood
Sheena Leversedge Wood
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still miss Terry so much. GNU. Terry. wherever you are, it's some comfort knowing that the furniture is back where it should be.

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

i wonder why.

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

So that people couldn't cobble together a half-finished version in their own words. See how the latter series of Game of Thrones finished when it wasn't being written by its creator.

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okpkpkp
okpkpkp
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is what I am going to do with my wife's gun collection if she dies before me. Most are nonoperational and collector's items but the ones that still shoot will be steamrolled.

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

should have given them to other authors he was friends with.

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#33

TIL you can die eating a diet of rabbits without another source of fat because they are so lean. It's called protein poisoning, aka Rabbit Starvation.

Dongalor Report

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

Saw this on QI (Quite Interesting) some years back. Very funny episode.

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#34

TIL that the majority of men in Germany sit down to urinate.

Poopfinger Report

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118points
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#35

TIL The bronze doors of the Pantheon are the original doors from 2000 years ago.

BOQOR Report

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

Strange that they are ON the Pantheon. Most stuff that kind of age is in The British Museum.

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#36

TIL that the Guinness World Records no longer recognize the fattest animal as a record in order to prevent compulsive overeating.

WyenaTheGirl Report

Final score:
117points
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#37

TIL that philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once took mescaline and imagined himself attacked by sea creatures. For years afterward, he suffered from intrusive thoughts about crabs and persistently thought crabs were following him around.

dancingdivadrink Report

Final score:
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keyboardtek
keyboardtek
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A neighbor of ours heard Jesus talking to her. No drugs involved. Just nuts.

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#38

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL the sun loses over 4 million tons of mass every second as energy.

Travellingjake , Sachin C Nair Report

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

And remember, this thing is supposed to burn for 5 billion more years or so.

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#39

TIL there is a town in Alaska called Whittier where nearly the entire population lives in one building along with all of the town's public facilities.

ComfortableShirt93 Report

Final score:
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Irishwoman abroad
Irishwoman abroad
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, but it's a big, multi-storey building! This makes it sounds like a barn.

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#40

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL one of the co-creators of Keurig machines was diagnosed with caffeine poisoning due to his daily 30 to 40 cup coffee habit.

radarthreat , Joseph Francis Report

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#41

TIL that Cassowary meat is so tough that people were told to cook it with a stone in the pot. "When the stone is ready to eat, so is the Cassowary."

ohnoyoufoundthis Report

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

That's the galah, not the cassowary. You boil the galah with a stone, and when the stone is soft, throw away the galah and eat the stone.

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#42

TIL that 61% of US troops killed in Vietnam were under the age of 21. The overall average age was 23.

[deleted] Report

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#43

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL Tina Fey got her chin scar at age 5 when a stranger randomly entered her yard while she was playing and slashed her face.

SAT0725 , David Shankbone Report

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#44

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL that it is impossible to copy, scan, or Photoshop currency on most modern equipment. Modern copiers and scanners, as well as image processing programs, can identify patterns on the notes and will cease processing the image.

99titan , John Guccione Report

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

I wonder how many people would try this after reading this post.

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#45

TIL in the small town of Norwood Ontario in 1957, some teenagers opened several fire hydrants simultaneously as a prank and caused the towns can-shaped water tower to be crushed inward like a tin can. It remained in use for 35 years and the town became infamous for its crushed water tower.

Dapper_Most3460 Report

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#46

TIL Michael Jackson's pet chimpanzee Bubbles is still alive, and lives in the Center for Great Apes sanctuary in Florida, where his care is paid for by Jackson's estate.

kiljaeden Report

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#47

TIL in WW2, when Germans captured a British bomber tail gunner who claimed that he had jumped out of his plane at 5500m without a parachute, they investigated and confirmed his claim and gave him a certificate to confirm his story.

fwouewei Report

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#48

TIL Louis Braille invented the braille system between ages 12-15 after having been blind 7 years due to an accidental self-inflicted injury at age 5 that resulted in his own blindness.

outoftownMD Report

Final score:
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Luke Terrill
Luke Terrill
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And that they didn't want to implement it because it would affect their revenue of products made by the blind students

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#49

TIL that the man who authored the NIST manual on passwords and recommended password changes every 90 days regrets doing so. Mandatory password changes on a scheduled interval are no longer recommended by NIST.

gixk Report

Final score:
96points
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#50

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL of Natalia Grace, a 9-year-old orphan whose adopted parents claimed she was actually a 22-year-old sociopath.

Sebastianlim , FOX 11 Los Angeles Report

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Hanako-Kun 花子くん
Hanako-Kun 花子くん
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This case really puzzled me i watched "The Mysterious Case of Natalia Grace" and im still confused as who is right👀👀👀

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#51

TIL any person who succesfuly parachutes out of a failing aircraft is eligible to join the caterpillar club. You get a certificate as well as a caterpillar shaped pin and get to join their annual gatherings. People who escaped a failing aircraft with no parachute are denied entry.

Ainsley-Sorsby Report

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

Lol so no, commercial aircraft survives. Guess they have to form there own clubs. Airplane PTSD?

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#52

TIL that when casting Walter White for Breaking Bad, the role was originally offered to John Cusack and Matthew Broderick. It wasn't until after they turned it down that the executives saw Bryan Cranston's X-Files episode and cast him for the role.

LawBobLawLoblaw Report

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#53

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL Queen Elizabeth II and her husband were third cousins, both descended from Queen Victoria.

toafobark , Government of Alberta Report

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#54

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL Walt Disney used shell companies and fake names to acquire the land in Orlando that would become Disney World in 1971.

Proper_Contest_4035 , TheWorldofTrailers Report

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

Surely someone must have twigged when they saw the names on the title deeds: Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful...

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#55

TIL that the famous “I’ll have what she’s having” line from the film "When Harry Met Sally” wasn't in the original script. Billy Crystal suggested it after he and Meg Ryan improvised the entire orgasm scene. The two were originally supposed to discuss "faking it" without an actual demonstration.

waitingforthesun92 Report

Final score:
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Annie Bieber
Annie Bieber
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Woman who said "I'll have what she's having" was Rob Reiners mother...😁

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#56

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL the FBI is recommending adblockers as necessary.

nakakapagpabagabag , Leif Eliasson Report

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75points
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Bob Brooce
Bob Brooce
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The FBI recommendation is to use an adblocker when using search engines, specifically to avoid fake ads that try to scam people. They're not concerned with other sites, presumably because scammers don't think it's sensible to buy ads on other sites, and perhaps because they figure people are less likely to click on ads on other sites. The biggest risk is with searches related to crypto and financial stuff more generally.

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#57

TIL when Rita Hayworth learned the atomic bomb that was scheduled to be tested at Bikini atoll would feature her likeness, she was offended. Her husband Orson Welles later recalled she was the angriest she had ever been thinking it was a publicity stunt orchestrated by the head of Columbia Pictures.

trifletruffles Report

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#58

TIL that in 2009, hundreds of brightly-colored bird specimens were stolen from the Natural History Museum London. It was later found that a student had sold them online to be used for fly-fishing lures.

Hybrid351 Report

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#59

TIL: Crab Rangoons aren't related to Chinese cuisine, and were instead invented in an American Tiki bar by someone trying to give a new appatizer a suitably Asian sounding name, and then re-appropriated by Chinese-American restaurateurs as a staple appetizer.

Rusty_Porksword Report

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

TIL of something called a Crab Rangoon that's served up as a pseudo-Chinese dish in America.

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#60

TIL when Conan O'Brien reached a settlement with NBC over the Tonight Show drama, he was awarded $45 million, $12 million of which was for his staff who had moved with Conan to Los Angeles from New York when he left Late Night.

BoosherCacow Report

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

On top of that he spent the last week doing the most ridiculously expensive bits (on NBC $) you've ever seen they're hilarious not because they're a actually funny. Because Conan takes the stage and basically says, this bit needed a Bugatti, so look we made NBC buy one.

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#61

TIL the USS Kidd is the only US Navy ship permitted to fly the Jolly Roger.

u/bostonian277 Report

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#62

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL that both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro are two of the oldest fathers on record, fathering children at the ages of 83 and 79 respectively.

greatmanyarrows , millennium-media Report

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

I can't imagine why you would want to have a child at that age. There's a large chance they grow up without a father.

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#63

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL the CG director of Silent Hill, Takayoshi Sako, created all the game's cutscenes by himself. He used the office's 150 computers to render the scenes after all the other employees left for the night. He also slept under his desk and lived at the office for the 3 years it took him to finish.

SaltyPeter3434 , Konami Report

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

Though this information might be meant to impress me, I just feel horrified. That is horrible working condition. Maybe he chose to do it himself, but it is still horrible nonetheless.

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#64

TIL Ninjas did not wear black on missions, because they would not blend in with the enviroment.

No_Version2156 Report

Final score:
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Joe Publique
Joe Publique
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ninja. The plural of ninja, is ninja. One ninja. One hundred ninja.

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#65

TIL when Cleopatra and Julius Caesar met and subsequently became lovers, she was 21 and he was 52.

TheHabro Report

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#66

TIL in 2005, Sothebys & Christies had to play Rock-Paper-Scissors over an art collection. Sothebys assumed it was random chance, so had no strategy. But Christies studied the game & asked two 11yo twin girls, who picked scissors: “Rock is way too obvious, and scissors beats paper.” Christies won.

Pfeffer_Prinz Report

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#67

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL that gooning is a form of legal kidnapping in the US where a parent can hire someone to kidnap a kid they think is troubled at night to bring them to boarding school or behavior modification facility.

InterestingPickle , Pixabay Report

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

And the part that will come as a complete surprise to nobody is that it's mostly something done by right wing and/or religious types, because the most important part of the "cure" is jeebus.

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#68

TIL pilot callsigns are assigned to you by your "buddies", inspired from something stupid you did/say, your name, or your physical appearance. e.g. "Rat" for someone short and ugly; "Alphabet" if your name is too long; "Caveman" if you enjoyed survival training too much.

EconomicRegret Report

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66points
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theswallowii
theswallowii
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ewan McGregor has a brother who's a pilot in the army. His callsign being "ObiTwo"!

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#69

TIL Argentina forced Mcdonald's in their country to sell the Big Mac at an artificially low price to improve their country's performance on the Big Mac index; effectively hiding their country's inflation.

DeVolkaan Report

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

And they just voted in a right wing monster. TIL Argentina wants to be trumptown

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#70

TIL When Jimmy Carter left the White House, his secretary had transcribed over 5,000 pages from his personal journal. Carter waited a long time to publish his diary since it contains his unguarded impressions. "White House Diary", released in 2010, contains a quarter of everything he wrote.

ubcstaffer123 Report

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#71

TIL In 2012 Jimmy Zhong uncovered a coding error on the now defunct crypto market Silk Road that allowed him to withdraw more funds than he deposited. He stole 51,680 BTC ($3.4 Billion) and stayed anonymous for ten years before finally getting caught and arrested in '21 and was sentenced to 1 year.

Bluest_waters Report

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#72

TIL the Goodyear Airdock is so large it has its own climate. Temperature fluctuations create clouds and rain inside the structure.

Qonold Report

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#73

TIL in 2011, the Kellogg's brand decided to add Vitamin D to all of its cereals in the UK due to the fact that 1 in 5 people in the UK were deficient in Vitamin D. A study in 2021 showed that 1 in 6 adults in the UK have low levels of vitamin D in their blood

Genesistrd Report

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

In France, GPs routinely prescribe monthly doses of vitamin D during the winter months.

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#74

TIL In 2014, Swiss Air Force could not intercept a hijacked airplane because the incident happened outside their working hours.

010x Report

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#75

TIL In the 1970s, Irish banks went on strike -- so people made their own currency, and the pubs kept the country from falling into ruin.

tomtermite Report

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63points
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Irishwoman abroad
Irishwoman abroad
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What? I never heard this tall tale, then again, I was very young in the 70s!

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#76

TIL that Apple code-named the PowerMac 7100 “Carl Sagan.” Sagan sent a C&D letter, Apple complied, renaming it “BHA” for “Butthead Astronomer.” Settling out of court, the final name became “LAW” for “Lawyers are Wimps.”

Mpm_277 Report

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

Haha funny rich a*****e insults incredibly successful and influential astronomer and loses their defamation case! A riot

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#77

TIL that the last television ever manufactured in the U.S. made its way off the assembly line in July 2005 at the former Magnavox production headquarters in Greeneville, Tennessee. The TV remains on public display in a history museum in the town.

appalachianengineer Report

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#78

TIL that as the USS Franklin was returning to Pearl Harbor for repairs after surviving multiple kamikaze hits, the captain refused to allow the harbor pilot to dock the aircraft carrier, wanting to do it himself. He proceeded to immediately crash the ship into the dock.

CreeperIan02 Report

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59points
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#79

TIL that Starbucks incurred massive losses and failed miserably trying to expand into Australia.

Rd28T Report

Final score:
59points
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Fee
Fee
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's because we Australians like good coffee. This is also why Australian baristas are so popular in London. The history has to do with the influx of Italian migrants post WW2, the development of the coffee culture in Lygon Street in Melbourne and in Leichardt in Sydney. Starbucks just tastes terrible to us.

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#80

TIL that the production team of "Elf" (2003) approached Macy’s to use their store for the film, but Macy’s declined as they didn’t like the idea that there was a fake Santa working in the store. Instead, the department store scenes were shot in the cafeteria of a mental hospital in Vancouver.

waitingforthesun92 Report

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#81

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL in 2018 multiple Virginia towns banned trick or treating for anyone over the age of 12. For example, according to the Chesapeake, Virginia city code in 2018, violators could face a fine and up to 6 months in jail.

Sandstorm400 , Charles Parker Report

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

You're gonna jail a 12 year old for 6 f*****g months because they wore a costume and got candy?

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#82

TIL due to being a Scientologist, Kirstie Alley decided not to reprise her role as Rebecca Howe on the Cheers spinoff Frasier, because Frasier is a psychiatrist.

fap_fap_fap_fapper Report

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#83

TIL Ariana Grande gets less than 10% of the royalties for her 2019 single "7 Rings". Most of it goes to the estate of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the songwriters of "My Favourite Things".

Specialist_Check Report

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Kelly H. Wilder
Kelly H. Wilder
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rodgers and Hammerstein have so much other successful music, too. They were a fabulously talented duo.

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#84

TIL it took 15 years and 5,127 prototypes before James Dyson shipped his first vacuum cleaner.

JOWWLLL Report

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54points
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Adrian
Adrian
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He should have spent another 15 years. I had one. Didn't live up to the marketing hype.

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#85

TIL Roald Dahl wrote "The Twits" because of his profound disgust for beards.

Thomas_Catthew Report

Final score:
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Notme
Notme
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He wrote some brilliant stuff but he was full of loathing (Jewish people, fat people, bearded people…)

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#86

TIL: This year Belgian Customs destroyed 2,352 cans of Miller High Life because it had the word Champagne on them.

jadraxx Report

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53points
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#87

TIL the former CEO of Nissan fled Japan in 2019 by hiding in an audio equipment box.

Specialist_Check Report

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52points
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#88

TIL 4000 luxury cars, including Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley models, are at the bottom of the ocean after the ship Felicity Ace sank

Illbb Report

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

Since the day I heard about it I suspected an insurance scam.

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#89

TIL the exercise paradox: hunter-gatherers who trek miles daily (or climb up trees) burn the same calories as much-less-active office workers and machine operators.

jnpha Report

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

Your body gets used to it, that's why you see over weight mail carriers.

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#90

TIL about the "Rabbit Test," a human pregnancy test developed in 1931, in which urine from a female human would be injected into a female rabbit. The rabbit would be dissected and if its ovaries were enlarged then the human was likely pregnant (~98% certainty). The test was used into the 1970s

nondescriptun Report

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

TIL that the term 'the rabbit died' which was common knowledge when I was younger for pregnancy diagnosis is now considered ancient history...😭

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#91

TIL one of the reasons LBJ didn’t pursue another presidential term 1969-1973 was because an actuarial committee (accurately) predicted he would die at age 64, when he would still be in office. He died 2 days after the 1973 inauguration.

pussibilities Report

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

The main reason was that he was sick of the Vietnam war and the generals lying to him about how well the USA was doing over there.

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#92

TIL the ahead of the U.S. invasion of Grenada 40 years ago, the Pentagon "knew so little about the country, it had to plan the invasion using maps normally sold to tourists."

DavidCarraway Report

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

Primarily it was an invasion to make Reagan look like a macho guy.

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#93

TIL it is virtually impossible to die from sinking to the bottom and suffocating if you get trapped in quicksand.

0nlyinVegas Report

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acey-ace16 avatar
Ace
Ace
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most quicksand is not like it used to be in the movies where it's shown as sucking you down, but they most often occur in coastal waters when the tide is coming in which then liquefies the sand. Even though you may not "sink to the bottom" you can still be trapped on what becomes the bottom as the water rises over you. And then drown, not suffocate.

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#94

TIL that the U.S. Army disposed of banned chemical weapons and munitions through a program called CHASE (Cut Holes And Sink ‘Em) where the chemicals were loaded on a ship that was then purposely sank in the ocean.

hootch42 Report

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#95

TIL that until 1773, Harvard University graduates were ranked not by academic merit but according to their birth status or rank of their parents.

SnarkySheep Report

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#96

TIL there are 80,000 Americans living in Saudi Arabia, housing compounds with luxurious amenities, such as swimming pools and tennis courts. They are walled off and provide "some security and privacy from the country's strict Islamic code on matters of dress and social mixing."

bulovawatch Report

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

Not sure why you'd highlight the Americans in particular - there are many people from all nationalities living there is such compounds - it's been a thing since at least the 1980s that I know of, probably much longer than that.

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#97

TIL the original draft of the film "Being John Malkovich" had nothing to do with the actor himself. Upon being pitched the film, New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye asked "Why the f**k can't it be called 'Being Tom Cruise?", a question that John Malkovich also asked.

dogrio345 Report

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#98

TIL in 2006, Quiznos sent mystery shoppers to franchise stores and sued owners for not putting enough meat in a prime rib sandwich. The owners won a lawsuit against Quiznos, with the judge calling Quizno's meat-weighing exercise a "charade" to bolster its national ad campaign against Subway.

WouldbeWanderer Report

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jacquelinewilliams avatar
Nice Beast Ludo
Nice Beast Ludo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I got a wawa turkey bowl last night. F*****s!! Used to be $4.99 for a giant gravy filled bowl of turkey, stuffing and mashy taters. Now it's $10 for a half-filled bowl that is half the size of the original bowl. Dry as paste. No gravy. I was so disappointed they used to be so good now it looks like prison food.

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#99

TIL, the average thru hiker on the Appalachian Trail spends $10,000 during their 5-month hike.

Hilaria_adderall Report

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

The average "successful" thru hiker I gather. Most thru hikers give up within the first week. And it can take a lot longer than 5 months to complete. Read "a walk in the woods" by Bill Bryson for an extended unsuccessful thru hike.

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#100

TIL, In the movie 300, a Persian emissary is thrown down a well by Leonidas. In reality, Sparta sent two volunteers back to Persia to be executed, in atonement for the deaths of the Persians.

ZealousidealLuck6303 Report

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

This entire article is a wild ride from start to finish

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#101

TIL There are filial laws in the USA (state by state) that require adult children to support sick or indigent parents.

LisaLisa1962 Report

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

Have you heard about the "sandwich generation"? Those people supporting both their dependent children and their aging parents.

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#102

TIL that the largest battle of the American Revolutionary War took place in Europe. America’s Spanish and French allies besieged Gibraltar, at one point attacking with 60,000 men, but were defeated by the 5,000 British defenders.

[deleted] Report

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Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

24th June 1779 to 7th February 1783. Gibraltar is the only battle honour displayed on the Colours of the Royal Marines.

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#103

TIL of the 2020 Nigeria Hostage Rescue, where a 27 year old American was kidnapped. The US responded by sending 30 Navy SEALs, 3 AC-130J Ghostriders, 8 CV-22B Ospreys, 6 C-17A Globemaster IIIs 5 KC-135R Stratotankers 8 MC-130J Commando IIs 1 P-8A Poseidons, and 1 Gulfstream V to rescue him

BeevyD Report

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#104

TIL Although surveys indicate people think running is bad for one's knees, research shows it's not, and is likely good for knees/joints.

somepeoplewait Report

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annethomas522 avatar
Anne35383
Anne35383
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Perhaps it depends on the surface that you are running on?

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#105

TIL Action Comics #1 is so valuable that even a copy graded as low as 1.5/10 by the CGC still sold for $175,000.

godumbledorkk Report

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#106

TIL in 2022, BMW offered subscriptions for customers in the U.K. that would enable them to use their car's heated front seats (£15 per month) or heated steering wheel (£10 per month).

Forward-Answer-4407 Report

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

So there were not many takers for the unlimited indicator use subscription then?

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#107

50 Intriguing “Today I Learned” Facts That You Probably Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics) TIL in the 1950s Temple University and the City of Philadelphia disinterred an entire cemetery to expand Temple's campus and dumped 28,000 headstones into the river.

diatriose , RDNE Stock project Report

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

The bodies were reinterred in another cemetery. The stones were not just "dumped", but used as shoreline protection. So the action was not quite as thoughtless/sacrilegious as the caption implies. The "Approximately 28,000 bodies were reinterred to Lawnview Memorial Park but only 300 with their original tombstones..." - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monument_Cemetery

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#108

TIL that in 2018 Utah became the first state in the Michelin Guides' 118-year history to receive three stars as a tourist destination. It's described as "essential, exceptional, worth a journey in itself."

tyrion2024 Report

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