Today I Learned (TIL)

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.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/theotherbogart on 2024-12-12 00:45:54.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/simulatislacrimis on 2024-12-12 00:30:44.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/charliewaffles2412 on 2024-12-11 23:38:21.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/GetYerHandOffMyPen15 on 2024-12-11 23:28:58.

Original Title: TIL that during James Cook’s first Pacific voyage, the crew brought a Polynesian navigator on board. He produced a chart of 130 islands he knew across a 2,000 mile radius, including 74 of their names and many of their distances, sizes, chiefs, and foods they produced.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/tyty5869 on 2024-12-11 22:38:50.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/itwas20yearsago2day on 2024-12-11 21:51:38.

Original Title: TIL Paul McCartney’s voice was supposed to appear on Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side Of The Moon” but Roger Waters cut them after he realized McCartney “thought it was necessary to perform” and wasn’t giving him his genuine thoughts.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Texas_Rockets on 2024-12-11 19:16:09.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/TrollingForFunsies on 2024-12-11 18:46:07.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ObjectiveAd6551 on 2024-12-11 18:11:03.

Original Title: TIL psychiatrists often overlook a patient’s caffeine intake habits during evaluations, despite its overuse being linked to worsening anxiety, disrupting sleep, and mimicking many common symptoms of psychosis.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Kintpuash-of-Kush on 2024-12-11 17:20:13.

Original Title: TIL of 'rubber soldiers' - Brazilians conscripted by their government during World War II to harvest rubber in the Amazon for the war effort. Approximately 30,000 died from rough conditions and disease - more than the total number of solders Brazil sent to fight overseas during the war.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/k12nysysadmin on 2024-12-11 15:09:35.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Normal_Macaron1468 on 2024-12-11 15:04:42.