Today I Learned (TIL)

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You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? Submit interesting and specific facts about something that you just found out here.

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226
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TIL in 1970 Sesame Street was banned in Mississippi for having a racially integrated cast (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/nickelundertone on 2024-12-18 03:41:55.
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TIL about the Ludlow Massacre when a corporation used the National Guard to kill the company's employees for daring to strike (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Idiedin2005 on 2024-12-18 03:37:51.
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TIL that Barry O'Brien who wrote for Filmation's Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night movie went on to write Hannah Montana decades later... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BobsBurgerLove on 2024-12-18 03:34:29.
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TIL an intoxicated Alaska man shot a hole in the Alaska Pipeline with a high powered rifle, spilling 285,000 gallons of oil into the Alaska Wilderness. (www.fbi.gov)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/bawledannephat on 2024-12-18 03:16:10.
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TIL that Susan Finnegan was the first female head of the arachnids section at the Natural History Museum, London, but had to resign from her job to marry. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/thisCantBeBad on 2024-12-18 03:15:59.
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TIL that Los del Rio, the duo responsible for the worldwide 1995 hit “Macarena,” was formed in 1962. The band had released 18 albums prior to their hit single, and the members were in their mid 5... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/GetYerHandOffMyPen15 on 2024-12-18 03:09:44.

Original Title: TIL that Los del Rio, the duo responsible for the worldwide 1995 hit “Macarena,” was formed in 1962. The band had released 18 albums prior to their hit single, and the members were in their mid 50s when it came out.

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TIL that if you lived in the UK between 1980-1996, you weren't able to give blood in the United States until the ban was lifted in May 2022 due to fears of transmitting Mad Cow Disease. (www.aruplab.com)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/sheepish132 on 2024-12-18 02:39:16.
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TIL the lyrics to the song "Winter Wonderland" were written by Richard Bernhard Smith while he was hospitalized for tuberculosis treatment. He would die of the disease a year after the song was fi... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/thefuzzybunny1 on 2024-12-18 02:03:36.

Original Title: TIL the lyrics to the song "Winter Wonderland" were written by Richard Bernhard Smith while he was hospitalized for tuberculosis treatment. He would die of the disease a year after the song was first recorded.

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TIL that in 1770, 14-year-old Mozart attended a Vatican performance of Allegri's Miserere, a choral piece so sacred its sheet music was kept secret under penalty of excommunication. He memorized i... (aleteia.org)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BiggieTwiggy1two3 on 2024-12-18 01:10:14.

Original Title: TIL that in 1770, 14-year-old Mozart attended a Vatican performance of Allegri's Miserere, a choral piece so sacred its sheet music was kept secret under penalty of excommunication. He memorized it in one hearing, transcribed it, and helped bring it to the public.

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TIL After the battle of Sedan, over 100,000 French soldiers were captured, including Emperor Napoleon III himself, but he headed to a "comfortable captivity" while his soldiers were left starving ... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Ainsley-Sorsby on 2024-12-18 01:01:59.

Original Title: TIL After the battle of Sedan, over 100,000 French soldiers were captured, including Emperor Napoleon III himself, but he headed to a "comfortable captivity" while his soldiers were left starving in makeshift POW camps. On hearing the news, Napoleon's wife asked "why didn't he kill himself?"

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TIL That Christmas Tree Tinsel was originally made from Sliver, but because sliver tarnishes quickly, many people decorated their trees with Lead Tinsel. This practice continued into the 1960s. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Super_Goomba64 on 2024-12-18 00:26:11.
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TIL that John Williams' first movie score was 1958's "Daddy-O" of MST3K infamy (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Sensitive_Deal_6363 on 2024-12-18 00:13:28.
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TIL about Pink Panthers, an international jewel thief network, responsible for over 350 robberies totaling over $500 million, with dozens of members breaking out of prisons worldwide. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/cheezburglar on 2024-12-18 00:10:39.
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TIL When the Wii U failed miserably, the Nintendo CEO halved his own salary for half a year, instead of laying off his employees. (www.cnbc.com)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Ratich2 on 2024-12-17 22:51:27.
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TIL that the idea that medieval castles had clockwise spiral staircases to make it hard for attackers is mostly unfounded. Not only did about 30% of medieval castles have counter-clockwise stairs,... (www.thecanadianpressnews.ca)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/MrMojoFomo on 2024-12-17 22:04:25.

Original Title: TIL that the idea that medieval castles had clockwise spiral staircases to make it hard for attackers is mostly unfounded. Not only did about 30% of medieval castles have counter-clockwise stairs, the earliest known reference for this claim comes from a book written in 1903, with no primary sources

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TIL the phrase “growing the beard” describes when a show improves in quality. It comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where Season 2’s stronger storytelling coincided with Riker growing a be... (www.cbr.com)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ObjectiveAd6551 on 2024-12-17 21:28:20.

Original Title: TIL the phrase “growing the beard” describes when a show improves in quality. It comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where Season 2’s stronger storytelling coincided with Riker growing a beard, a look Gene Roddenberry approved and fans embraced as a sign the series had matured.

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TIL Queen's Brian May designed and sold a guitar themed sports bra. (www.clashmusic.com)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/MikeW86 on 2024-12-17 20:50:59.
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TIL that after he walked on the moon and served 21 years in the Air Force retiring as a colonel, Buzz Aldrin sold used cars. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/pgh9fan on 2024-12-17 19:49:45.
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TIL The Spanish were the first European settlers in the Florida Keys, and upon unearthing a burial mound on one of the southernmost keys, they named it Caya Hueso, Bone Island, a name later Anglic... (www.lighthousefriends.com)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/cuspofgreatness on 2024-12-17 19:46:29.

Original Title: TIL The Spanish were the first European settlers in the Florida Keys, and upon unearthing a burial mound on one of the southernmost keys, they named it Caya Hueso, Bone Island, a name later Anglicized into Key West. Spain officially relinquished control of Florida to the United States in 1821.

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(TIL) James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic, Piranha 2) directed a video for a band Bill Paxton was in featuring the cast from Aliens and Near Dark! (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/gogoluke on 2024-12-17 19:35:26.
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TIL the Stockholm subway system is the world's longest art exhibition, stretching over 110 km with more than 150 different artists. (viewstockholm.com)
submitted 1 week ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Nietzsche-F on 2024-12-17 18:39:38.
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TIL the 1966 song "River Deep – Mountain High" which was written by Phil Spector, cost a then unheard of $22,000 ($207,000 in 2023), and required 21 session musicians. It was reported that the Be... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/LesPolsfuss on 2024-12-17 18:15:22.

Original Title: TIL the 1966 song "River Deep – Mountain High" which was written by Phil Spector, cost a then unheard of $22,000 ($207,000 in 2023), and required 21 session musicians. It was reported that the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson attended the session, where he sat "transfixed" and "did not say a word."

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TIL English has 14-21 vowel sounds (depending on dialect), far more than the 5-6 of an average language like Spanish, Hindi, Telugu, Arabic, or Mandarin. This is why foreign speakers often struggl... (www.babbel.com)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/innergamedude on 2024-12-17 16:12:05.

Original Title: TIL English has 14-21 vowel sounds (depending on dialect), far more than the 5-6 of an average language like Spanish, Hindi, Telugu, Arabic, or Mandarin. This is why foreign speakers often struggle with getting English vowels right.

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TIL of the 2013 Cannes heist, in which a solo thief managed to break into a poorly guarded room and snatched a suitcase containing 72 pieces of jewellry worth $136 million from a billionaire about... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2024-12-17 15:23:45.

Original Title: TIL of the 2013 Cannes heist, in which a solo thief managed to break into a poorly guarded room and snatched a suitcase containing 72 pieces of jewellry worth $136 million from a billionaire about to do a private exhibition of his jewel collection.

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TIL the average age of the 9/11 attackers was only 23.95 y/o with only one of the 19 attackers being over 30 and three of the attackers being 20 (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 2 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Double-decker_trams on 2024-12-12 06:58:16.
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