Today I Learned (TIL)

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?"

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Super_Goomba64 on 2024-12-18 00:26:11.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Sensitive_Deal_6363 on 2024-12-18 00:13:28.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/cheezburglar on 2024-12-18 00:10:39.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Ratich2 on 2024-12-17 22:51:27.

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

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.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/MikeW86 on 2024-12-17 20:50:59.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/pgh9fan on 2024-12-17 19:49:45.

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.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/gogoluke on 2024-12-17 19:35:26.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Nietzsche-F on 2024-12-17 18:39:38.

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."

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.

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.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Double-decker_trams on 2024-12-12 06:58:16.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BezugssystemCH1903 on 2024-12-12 06:56:21.

Original Title: TIL Würstelstände (austrian sausage stands) began as mobile stalls in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to support disabled veterans. Stationary stands emerged in the 1960s, thriving near transit hubs and catering to night owls.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/im_joe on 2024-12-12 05:53:32.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/nowlan101 on 2024-12-12 05:34:24.

Original Title: TIL Harry Truman seriously considered running for a third consecutive presidential term in 1952. He was exempt from the 22nd amendment limiting every president to two terms because of a grandfather clause. However, a dismal loss in the New Hampshire primary convinced him not to.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/delano1998 on 2024-12-12 04:46:00.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ConditionTall1719 on 2024-12-12 04:44:39.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/GetYerHandOffMyPen15 on 2024-12-12 04:19:10.

Original Title: TIL that in the United Kingdom, prior to the 1840 introduction of postage stamps, letters were paid for by the recipient. The cost was determined by the distance from sender to recipient, and the number of sheets of paper used.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/astarisaslave on 2024-12-12 02:49:49.

Original Title: TIL that actor Robert Reed hated playing Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch as he saw it as beneath his Shakespearean training. He often clashed with producers over the script. Despite this he got along very well with the rest of the cast and appeared in the show's spinoffs and sequels.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ObjectiveAd6551 on 2024-12-12 02:19:07.

Original Title: TIL Formula 1 cars generate enough downforce at high speeds to theoretically drive upside down. At full speed, they create 2.5x their weight in downforce and pull 3.5g in corners, making drivers feel nearly 45 lbs of force on their heads and struggle to breathe, requiring extreme fitness to endure.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Ozem_son_of_Jesse on 2024-12-12 00:56:11.