Today I Learned (TIL)

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Elijah-Joyce-Weather on 2024-12-23 21:26:15.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BlamaRama on 2024-12-23 20:23:21.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/guiporto32 on 2024-12-23 19:36:01.

Original Title: TIL the Titanic had an official mascot: a cat named Jenny, which gave birth to kittens one week before the ship began its maiden voyage. She lived in the ship's galley, was fed by the crew and did not survive the sinking.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Chemical_Leopard6588 on 2024-12-23 18:06:09.

Original Title: TIL:Phillip Lenard,a Nobel Prize winner for his work on cathode rays was a fierce German nationalist.Under the Nazi regime,he was made the "Chief of Aryan Physics".Lenard's fervent support for Hitler made him launch malicious attacks directed towards Einstein and Roentgen.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/TunaSaladLover on 2024-12-23 17:30:22.

Original Title: TIL some types of fig require a special breed of wasp to pollinate the females fruits. The female wasp crawls inside through a hole so narrow that she loses her wings in the process and becomes trapped. The fig produces an enzyme that digests this wasp completely, so the crunchy bits are just seeds

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Same_Huckleberry_122 on 2024-12-23 15:22:28.

Original Title: TIL that when the 33-story Book-Cadillac Hotel opened on December 8, 1924, it became both Detroit's and the world's tallest hotel. The hotel was built by brothers J. Burgess, Frank, and Herbert Book, who were on a mission to turn Detroit's Washington Boulevard into the "Fifth Avenue of the West."

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Elven77AI on 2024-12-23 09:01:59.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/CreeperRussS on 2024-12-23 08:44:26.

Original Title: TIL That American actor John Wayne was asked to be the running mate for Democratic Alabama Governor George Wallace, who had been nominated for President by the American Independent Party for the 1968 election, however, he immediately declined.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/playhacker on 2024-12-23 02:09:35.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Festina_lente123 on 2024-12-23 15:34:11.

Original Title: TIL Festivus was a holiday created and celebrated by Seinfeld writer Dan O'Keefe's family as far back as 1966. In the O'Keefe family, there was no Festivus pole, but a Festivus clock that was nailed to a wall. When Dan asked his father, "Why a clock?", his father said "That's not for you to know"

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Dracyl on 2024-12-23 15:02:26.

Original Title: TIL the smallest statue in London of two mice fighting over a piece of cheese might have been created to honor two construction workers who died in the 1860's when they were fighting over a sandwich and fell from the building 🐀🧀

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Parko-is-a-good-boy on 2024-12-23 13:07:19.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/UndyingCorn on 2024-12-23 13:07:02.

Original Title: TIL With the outbreak of the French Revolution, many chefs working for the aristocracy found themselves out of work. Those who escaped the guillotine opened their own restaurants, popularizing them over traditional food establishments like taverns and inns.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ObjectiveAd6551 on 2024-12-23 13:03:15.

Original Title: TIL about La Belle Otero, a 19th-century Spanish courtesan with hypnotic black eyes, famous for her numerous high profile lovers. Six men allegedly committed suicide over her. She inspired hotel architecture with her figure, amassed $25M, lost it all gambling, and died penniless at 96.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/QuietGanache on 2024-12-23 10:22:45.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/muzzledust on 2024-12-23 08:16:58.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BadenBaden1981 on 2024-12-23 07:59:49.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/m3ggyl3ggy on 2024-12-23 07:54:43.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/dauntlingdemon on 2024-12-23 07:43:12.

Original Title: TIL October 1985, a Domino’s driver near Pittsburgh rushed to deliver a pizza 23 minutes after the order. He crashed into Frank and Mary Jean's car. After the accident, Domino’s manager allegedly passed the pizza to another driver with the message, "There's still time," prioritizing pizza over life.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2024-12-23 06:49:39.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/GetYerHandOffMyPen15 on 2024-12-23 04:02:10.

Original Title: TIL that in 1985, video game publisher Firebird released “Don’t Buy This,” a compilation of the five worst games ever submitted to them. Beyond mocking the developers, they also disowned their copyright to the game and encouraged buyers to pirate it.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/NapalmBurns on 2024-12-23 03:55:43.

Original Title: TIL about Torsten Stålnacke - a Swede who, on 1961/09/14, during the Congo Crisis, had his jaw nearly shot off in battle. Forced to clear his windpipe of bone fragments in order to breathe, Torsten used M3-E1 to destroy an enemy APC - all the while holding his almost blown off chin in his free hand!

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/42percentBicycle on 2024-12-23 03:08:16.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Frequent-Outcome8492 on 2024-12-23 01:36:07.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/tyrion2024 on 2024-12-23 01:33:54.

Original Title: TIL an analysis of the judges at the California State Fair wine competition (the oldest in North America) found that they "constantly" contradicted themselves; only about one in ten regularly rated the same wine in a similar manner each time.