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“Today I Learned”: People Share 50 Fascinating Things They Didn’t Learn In School (New Pics)
Interview
Ever had that feeling of being overwhelmed by the very digital world we currently live in? Information zooming past you faster than a supersonic jet, gadgets updating quicker than you can say "iPhone 23," and jobs transforming like a chameleon on a rainbow? Well, you're not alone. A lot of this stuff can escalate to overwhelming levels, especially when you're using technology to unearth interesting or, more specifically, educational information. I mean, come on, you open Google and the amount of data on just one topic can quickly snowball into a digital avalanche just by skimming through the first page (we don't talk about page 2 of Google, that's another topic entirely).
So, what if you want to learn something new? You know, bite-sized chunks of intriguing info, tidbits of knowledge to store in your brain and impress your friends during a sleepover when the topic of discussion becomes something random. Well, look no further than the Today I Learned forum on Reddit as it collects all of that into one large space. And today we are here to share with you, Pandas, some of the most interesting and recent facts that have emerged from there.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TIL there was a briefly popular social movement in the early 1930s called the "Technocracy Movement." Technocrats proposed replacing politicians and businessmen with scientists and engineers who had the expertise to manage the economy.
QuirkyKittyGirl 1 year ago
Why didn't this BRILLIANT idea take hold? The fat cats wouldn't have made a profit from it, plus, a lot of businesses would have been OUT of business.
#2
TIL that In 2018, A hacker broke into people’s routers (100,000 of them) and patched their vulnerabilities up so that they couldn’t be abused by other hackers.
#3
TIL that Walmart tried and failed to establish itself in Germany in the early 2000s. One of the speculated reasons for its failure is that Germans found certain team-building activities and the forced greeting and smiling at customers unnerving.
Bored Panda reached out to Pooja Agarwal, a cognitive scientist and assistant professor of psychology, to discuss the cognitive implications of navigating digital information. Agarwal is also the author of the book "Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning," which delves into effective teaching strategies grounded in cognitive science.
When asked about using platforms like Reddit's "Today I Learned" for bite-sized learning, Agarwal stated, "From a cognitive science perspective, platforms like 'Today I Learned' on Reddit can actually be quite beneficial for learning. They align well with established cognitive learning theories, particularly those emphasizing the importance of active recall and spacing, both elements central to my book 'Powerful Teaching'."
#4
TIL the earliest known name for a pet was Nedjem, a cat owned by Puimre high priest of Amun in the 15th Century BC. Nedjem translates to 'the sweet one', meaning the very first named pet was a Sweetie.
#5
TIL that STAR WARS released a Christmas music album in 1980 and the producers wanted a better lead singer for the track "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" so they asked the 17 year old kid who was sweeping floors at the studio, and he nailed it. His name was Jon Bon Jovi.
#6
TIL of Ida & Isidor Straus, a couple aboard the Titanic the night it sank. Isidor had a chance to join his wife on a life boat, but stayed behind to give his place away to a child. Ida, refusing to leave her husband behind, too left the life boat. They died together arm in arm when the ship sank.
The scientist also shared her insights on the immense volume of online information, stating, "The volume of information available online can be both a blessing and a curse... quick and accessible knowledge from platforms like Reddit can be so effective. They provide the opportunity for micro-learning moments that can, cumulatively, contribute to significant cognitive development. Yet, it's crucial to remember that the quality and depth of our interaction with that information matter. We need to actively engage with it and make connections to our existing knowledge if we feel the need to do so in certain cases."
#7
TIL That Historians Believe Cats Domesticated Themselves
Penny Hernandez 1 year ago
And they are only semi-domesticated, as anyone with a cat will attest to.
#8
TIL orcas cultural fads. In the 1980s one such fad was wearing dead salmon as hats. It spread to three separate Pacific pods before suddenly going out of style.
#9
TIL that while filming The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger went into a LA restaurant in battle-damaged Terminator makeup. He asked for a table in character and since no one knew who the Terminator was yet, the host and everyone in the restaurant started freaking out, screaming, and quickly left
Discussing the impact of the high-paced digital environment on cognitive function and information retention, Pooja mentioned that, "The high-paced digital environment is a double-edged sword when it comes to cognitive function and information retention... In my book 'Powerful Teaching,' me and my co-author emphasize strategies like retrieval practice and interleaving, which encourage deeper processing and enhance retention." She shared with Bored Panda before also adding to her statement that, "these strategies can also be effectively applied in online environments."
#10
TIL octopus have nine brains – one mini-brain in each arm and another in the center of their bodies. Each arm can independently taste, touch and perform basic movements, but all arms can work together when prompted by the central brain.
Na Schi 1 year ago (edited)
Octopuses are amazing creatures. They also have a great concept of bodily awareness: when being trapped in a box with an escape hole they immediately will start to explore the hole's size with their arms. When the arm/s deem the hole to be big enough they start to squeeze them trough it. If they deem the hole to be too small they don't even try to escape. Edit: I should add that the octopuses' estimations were always right.
#11
TIL that in 2002, Chumbawamba accepted $100k from General Motors for the rights to use one of their songs in a Pontiac commercial. The band then donated it to a corporate watchdog group that used the money to launch an information campaign against GM.
#12
TIL about John Smeaton, a former baggage handler at Glasgow Airport. He helped thwart the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack by kicking one of the attackers in the groin. He was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his actions.
Tobias Reaper 1 year ago
this failed to mention that the dude punched the terrorist while he was on fire
#13
TIL that playing Tetris after a traumatic event can help prevent post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Addressing the concept of learning something new every day, she emphasized the role of active engagement and 'spacing,' stating, "Learning something new every day is indeed beneficial from a cognitive perspective, provided it involves active engagement and is not simply passive absorption... Spacing out learning over time can greatly enhance long-term retention."
#14
TIL In 2013 a couple walking their dog in California found 8 coffee cans containing over 1,427 gold coins worth over $10 million. The original source of the hoard is still unknown.
#15
TIL of the 1850 shipwreck of the Jenny Lind on a South Pacific coral reef. 28 people survived for 37 days on a tiny patch of sand because a passenger created a water distillation system from salvaged cookware capable of making 25 gallons a day of freshwater.
Florence O'Grady 1 year ago
Does anyone know which kitchen parts he used and how they go together? It would be good information to know?
#16
TIL that the choir in the title sequence of Mr Bean is singing ‘Ecce homo qui est faba’, which translates to ‘Behold the man who is a bean.’ in Latin.
The assistant professor also provided advice to you Pandas, on navigating online forums for learning, suggesting, "To navigate online forums effectively for learning, individuals need to be proactive... They should engage in active learning strategies... engage with the information over time, returning to it after a while with a fresh mindset. We should be critical consumers of information, cross-checking facts from reliable sources to minimize misinformation that we often tend to overlook, especially with the rise of social media when books also became available online or as articles."
#17
TIL In Scotland, two students went to an art exhibition and left a pineapple on a table to see if it would become art. When they returned four days later, the pineapple was still there and had been covered with a glass display case
#18
TIL that 'Nothing' was a Shakespearean nickname for the Vulva... 'Much ado about Nothing' could just as easily have been called 'A lot of fuss about Fannies'
#19
TIL in the original German ending of the fairy tale Snow White, the evil queen is forced to put on red-hot iron shoes and dance until she drops dead.
irissii (she/them) 1 year ago
and in the original ending of red riding hood, the wolf has a rock put in him to replace the people he ate and he goes to the river to drink, falls in, and drowns!
#20
TIL that Austrian actress Eva von Berne was presumed to be dead for 70+ years because a PR consultant at MGM accidentally reported her death in 1930. 96-year-old von Berne said in 2006: "It was fortunate that the world thought that I died. So I did not have to deal with autograph hunters."
#21
TIL of Chaser, a border collie whose tested memory was the highest of any non-human animal. She could identify and retrieve 1022 different toys based on name and category.
Auntriarch 1 year ago
Border collie, not surprised. How many border collies does it take to change a light bulb? One, and then it will check that your wiring is up to spec
#22
TIL that International Shooting Union barred women from shooting with men in 1993, after Zhang Shan won the gold medal in Skeet Shooting in 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
#23
TIL after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS West Virginia battleship was salvaged six months later. During the salvage operation, a calendar was discovered in an airtight room indicating three sailors survived for another 16 days after the event.
#24
TIL about Empires of the Deep, an $130 million mermaid movie from 2011 that's never been released
#25
TIL that in the 17th century, when coffee had made its way to Europe, some people reacted to it with suspicion or fear, calling it the “bitter invention of Satan.” In 1615, the clergy in Venice asked Pope Clement VIII to intervene. He found the drink so satisfying that he gave it papal approval.
#26
TIL that all clownfish are born as males. One female lives with a group of males but only mates with one of them. When she dies her mate will become female. This change is irreversible.
#27
TIL that every employee at the Hanford Engineer Works in Richland, WA donated one day's worth of their pay to purchase a B-17 bomber, as their contribution to the WW2 effort. The plane was christened 'Day's Pay' and flew over 60 missions in Germany
#28
TIL that a set of triplets found each other coincidentally after being separated at adoption for a pyschological experiment, when a college student mistook one of the triplets for his unknown brother. Once the two reunited, the unusual story made the paper catching the attention of the third brother
Penny Hernandez 1 year ago
Why did people think using children as experimental subjects is OK?
#29
TIL that there is a German man named Marc Wubbenhorst who must drink 20 liters of water every day in order to not die from dehydration. He suffers an extreme case of diabetes insipidus.
Lunaofthenest (She/they) 1 year ago
This poor guy. All kidding aside, does he even get to have a life outside of monitoring his water intake & the subsequent trips to the restroom that must follow? I wonder how they discovered his condition, initially?
#30
TIL the world's oldest terrarium / sealed bottle ecosystem has been thriving since 1960. The 10-gallon bottle is like a mini Earth. It has only been opened once in 53 years to add a bit more water (in 1972). Otherwise it has been sealed without fresh water or air.
#31
TIL in 2013, Italian surgeons split new residents into two laparoscopic surgery training groups. They found that the group that was ordered to play the Nintendo Wii for 1 hour a day/5days a week performed better on test surgeries than their non-gaming counterparts.
#32
TIL of socialite Ida Wood: in 1907 she emptied her 1 million dollar bank account(21 million in today's money), declared she was “tired of everything" and shut herself in a hotel room along with her sisters. She stepped out of the room for the first time 24 years later
#33
TIL about Grizzly 399. A female bear from the Grand Tetons that bucks the trend of living into her old age and giving birth to triplets instead of twins. She chooses to live in close proximity to humans for their protection and has become a social media celebrity and tourist attraction.
#34
TIL that there's a species of wasp called the horse guard wasp. It is found in the eastern US and acts as a natural biological control by hanging around horses and killing horse flies. Despite their loud buzzing noises, horses are not disturbed by them.
#35
TIL The Ninja Turtles are a parody of Daredevil (Marvel). Daredevil and the turtles were both created in the same radioactive material accident, and Daredevil fights 'The Hand' while the turtles fight 'The Foot', and Daredevil's sensei is called 'Stick', while the turtles' is called 'Splinter'
#36
TIL that when the submarine ARA San Juan disappeared in 2017, initial search crews picked up a banging noise at the search site, like tools hitting metal. After analyzing the audio, it was determined the sound was not from the submarine and was probably from a biological source.
#37
TIL that orcas have a culture that they pass down to their offspring and they also have variations in vocalizations similar to languages and dialects in humans
#38
TIL that the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City is so long with such tall towers that the top of the towers are 1 5/8 inches farther apart at their tops than at their bases. This is because the distance between the towers made it necessary to compensate for the earth’s curvature.
#39
TIL that they stopped putting missing children on milk cartons because the threat was largely overblown, was mostly ineffective, had no requirements for what missing meant, was emotionally disturbing to families, and was done mostly for the tax credits.
Bernd Herbert 1 year ago
I wonder if this is one of the reasons parents in the US seem to keep their kids on a much tighter leash than here in Europe
#40
TIL Peppers evolved to prefer birds spread their seeds. Capsaicin and pepper colors attract birds. Seeds that pass through the digestive system of a bird germinate at a rate of 370% higher than seeds that pass through mammals who are normally repelled by Capsaicin.
#41
TIL: Antilia is one of the most expensive private residences in the world, costing over $1 billion. The billionaire had his entire family live in the 27 story home which requires 600 servants and has 168 car garage, 9 elevators, a theatre, pool, ballroom, and snow room. It was built on an orphanage.
#42
In 2001, a New York couple got married on the deck of the Titanic, in a submarine. They faced criticism that their stunt was in "bad taste."
QuirkyKittyGirl 1 year ago
That's because it WAS in bad taste. Why not just get married in a cemetery?
#43
TIL that Sigourney Weaver only earned $35,000 for Alien (1979) but got $1,000,000 and a share of the profits for Aliens (1986)
Richard Graham 1 year ago (edited)
Fun facts about Sigourney Weaver. Her real name is Susan. She is the daughter of Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, former President of NBC and creator of the "Today Show". Pat's brother (and Sigorney's uncle) was Winstead Sheffied "Doodles" Weaver, popular movie actor, a singer with the Spike Jones City Slickers, and writer for "Mad Magazine". What a family!!!
#44
TIL that Rüppell's griffon vulture has the highest documented altitude of any bird at 36k feet. Unfortunately this information was discovered after a Boeing 747 took the bird into the engine over western Africa.
#45
TIL - The Onion submitted a 23-page Amicus Curiae brief to the US Supreme Court in 2022 for the case Novak v. City of Parma, Ohio, in support of the protection of parody as free-speech. In the text, The Onion openly parodies the Court and says it is "staffed entirely by total Latin dorks".
#46
TIL game designer Will Wright (creator of The Sims) held the record for the illegal 'Cannonball Run' race to drive across the US in 1980, driving from New York to California in 33 hours 9 minutes
Downunderdude 1 year ago
Couldn't help myself...that is an average of 84 mph or 136kmh! Smokin'!
#47
TIL Paris has more than 44000 restaurants, with an approximate population of 2.14 million residents, that’s 48 people for every restaurant.
#48
TIL that only $2 was budgeted toward safety training for the crew of MV Sewol, the South Korean passenger ferry which sank in 2014 killing 306 people. This was used to pay for a paper certificate.
#49
TIL there are 20 mountains over 23,000 ft in the world that have never been climbed.
Dre Mosley 1 year ago
So those mountains are devoid of all the trash and debris climbers leave behind. Good.
#50
TIL 200,000 to 600,000 pets were estimated to have been left behind in the evacuations from hurricane Katrina, as people were not allowed to take pets with them and pets were not allowed in sheltering places.
What do you think ?
Bec 1 year ago
The post about gendered competitions for shooting reminded me of gendered titles for chess championships, which reminded me of the Polgar sisters. If you don't know about them, basically their dad was an educational psychologist who wanted to prove that anyone could become exceptional with the right training and support. He decided he would prove this when he had kids and chose chess because it would not be subjective. He was right. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3_Polg%C3%A1r
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
Recent TIL that blew my mind was that I always thought the theme to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was created by the BBC Radiophonic workshop. It's actually an Eagles track called Journey of the Sorcerer.
Caroline Driver 1 year ago
I didn't know it when I first heard HHGTTG but I found out soon after. Now I cannot hear it without being whisked back to my first b/f's bedroom where we damn near wet ourselves listening to the radio show.
Load More Replies... Florence O'Grady 1 year ago
If he truly loved Camilla, why didn't he tell his mum I'm marrying her!
Bec 1 year ago
The post about gendered competitions for shooting reminded me of gendered titles for chess championships, which reminded me of the Polgar sisters. If you don't know about them, basically their dad was an educational psychologist who wanted to prove that anyone could become exceptional with the right training and support. He decided he would prove this when he had kids and chose chess because it would not be subjective. He was right. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3_Polg%C3%A1r
Apatheist Account2 1 year ago
Recent TIL that blew my mind was that I always thought the theme to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was created by the BBC Radiophonic workshop. It's actually an Eagles track called Journey of the Sorcerer.
Caroline Driver 1 year ago
I didn't know it when I first heard HHGTTG but I found out soon after. Now I cannot hear it without being whisked back to my first b/f's bedroom where we damn near wet ourselves listening to the radio show.
Load More Replies... Florence O'Grady 1 year ago
If he truly loved Camilla, why didn't he tell his mum I'm marrying her!
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