Today I Learned (TIL)

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TIL Edmond Albius, a 12 year old Réunionese slave, invented the method of vanilla pollination still in use today. He was never properly rewarded for it and died impoverished in 1880. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ALSX3 on 2025-02-25 12:43:03.

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TIL that it's called "breaking the fourth wall" because TV/stage/movie sets only have three walls so the audience can see in, and the "fourth" wall is imaginary. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Narwahl_Whisperer on 2025-02-25 12:24:01.

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TIL Minecraft was inspired by Infiniminer, a multiplayer block-based sandbox building and digging game that had its source code leaked and was discontinued less than a month after its first release (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/rocklou on 2025-02-25 11:02:08.

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TIL Post Malone got his stage name by inputting his birth name into a rap name generator (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Anontheless on 2025-02-25 09:58:38.

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TIL that a man was shot in the head and didn’t notice for five years because he was too drunk. A Polish man living in Germany went to the doctor for a headache, only to discover he had a bullet lo... (www.reuters.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Simple-Knee-5399 on 2025-02-25 07:20:08.

Original Title: TIL that a man was shot in the head and didn’t notice for five years because he was too drunk. A Polish man living in Germany went to the doctor for a headache, only to discover he had a bullet lodged in his skull from a forgotten New Year’s Eve party.

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TIL a Thai fishing company kept 550 slaves from Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand on a remote island in Indonesia, where the caught fish was exported to United States and Europe. (www.voanews.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2025-02-25 04:37:18.

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TIL that Venus flytraps only close their jaws if two of the “hairs” in their “mouth” are touched within ~20 seconds of each other, and only begin digestion if five hairs are triggered. This helps ... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/FullOGreenPeaness on 2025-02-25 03:25:13.

Original Title: TIL that Venus flytraps only close their jaws if two of the “hairs” in their “mouth” are touched within ~20 seconds of each other, and only begin digestion if five hairs are triggered. This helps to ensure they only expend their energy trying to consume live prey.

483

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TIL: Jesters not only work for Kings and princes, but also Bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope. However, in the 16th century Pius V got rid of the papal jester during his reforms to rid the palace of... (www.ncregister.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Flares117 on 2025-02-25 01:27:23.

Original Title: TIL: Jesters not only work for Kings and princes, but also Bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope. However, in the 16th century Pius V got rid of the papal jester during his reforms to rid the palace of ornate decor, luxuries, and other distractions.

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TIL that the FBI and CIA recruit heavily from the Mormon population because they are usually cheaper to do a security clearance on, they often speak another language from their mission trips, and ... (www.atlasobscura.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/xxxFeralFoxxx on 2025-02-25 06:05:07.

Original Title: TIL that the FBI and CIA recruit heavily from the Mormon population because they are usually cheaper to do a security clearance on, they often speak another language from their mission trips, and they usually have a low-risk lifestyle.

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TIL that Oxford University held a grudge against a man for around 550 years, requiring students to swear an oath to never reconcile with him. They stopped because the university forgot who he was ... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/bros402 on 2025-02-25 06:03:57.

Original Title: TIL that Oxford University held a grudge against a man for around 550 years, requiring students to swear an oath to never reconcile with him. They stopped because the university forgot who he was or what he did.

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TIL Genghis Khan would marry off a daughter to the king of an allied nation. Then he would assign his new son-in-law to military duty in the Mongol wars, while his daughter took over the rule. Mos... (www.adastraadventures.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/xxxFeralFoxxx on 2025-02-25 06:03:54.

Original Title: TIL Genghis Khan would marry off a daughter to the king of an allied nation. Then he would assign his new son-in-law to military duty in the Mongol wars, while his daughter took over the rule. Most sons-in-law died in combat, giving his daughters complete control of these nations

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TIL that a cyanometer is an instrument used to measure the intensity of blue in the sky (www.colourstudies.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ChaseEmDown150 on 2025-02-25 05:49:14.

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TIL a movie was banned in China for 2 decades because it featured serial killer and his dog, which he fed victim's remains to. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BadenBaden1981 on 2025-02-25 05:36:05.

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TIL that Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night while living in an asylum, and the view in the painting is based on what he could see from his window. (www.moma.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/xxxFeralFoxxx on 2025-02-25 05:35:01.

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TIL that in Japan, there’s a train station with only one platform and no exit. It exists purely for passengers to get off, enjoy nature, and get back on the next train. (spoon-tamago.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/xxxFeralFoxxx on 2025-02-25 05:33:10.

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TIL that the Apollo 11 astronauts had to fill out customs forms when they returned from the Moon, listing their departure as "Moon" and cargo as "moon rocks and dust samples." (www.smithsonianmag.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/xxxFeralFoxxx on 2025-02-25 05:31:38.

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TIL that dogs sneeze during playtime to signal that they are just playing and not being aggressive (www.mehs.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/xxxFeralFoxxx on 2025-02-25 05:04:49.

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TIL Marie Curie had an affair with an already married physicist. Letters from the affair leaked causing public outrage. The Nobel Committee pressured her to not attend her 2nd Nobel Prize ceremo... (www.npr.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/HandsomeDim on 2025-02-25 05:04:04.

Original Title: TIL Marie Curie had an affair with an already married physicist. Letters from the affair leaked causing public outrage. The Nobel Committee pressured her to not attend her 2nd Nobel Prize ceremony. Einstein told Marie to ignore the haters, and she attended the ceremony to claim her prize.

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TIL that Pablo Picasso was once accused of stealing the Mona Lisa in 1911 and was brought in for questioning before being cleared of any involvement (www.dannydutch.com)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/xxxFeralFoxxx on 2025-02-25 05:03:45.

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TIL the inventor of first machine gun, Richard Gatling thought machine gun would actually decrease the casualties of war by reducing size of armies and so reduce the number of deaths by combat and... (www.ncpedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/mila_stacy on 2025-02-25 04:00:33.

Original Title: TIL the inventor of first machine gun, Richard Gatling thought machine gun would actually decrease the casualties of war by reducing size of armies and so reduce the number of deaths by combat and disease. Also, that terror of such a weapon would discourage war altogether.

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TIL that all 7,000 corporate employees at Costco's headquarters are assigned cubicles. The CEO's cubicle is slightly larger than the others. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Overall-Register9758 on 2025-02-25 02:59:13.

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TIL that in 1838, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a novel about four shipwreck survivors who, after drawing lots, eat a cabin boy named Richard Parker. Forty-six years later, a real ship sank, and the survi... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/xxxFeralFoxxx on 2025-02-25 02:57:30.

Original Title: TIL that in 1838, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a novel about four shipwreck survivors who, after drawing lots, eat a cabin boy named Richard Parker. Forty-six years later, a real ship sank, and the survivors—after drawing lots—ate a cabin boy named Richard Parker.

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TIL that in 2015, Seal released an official explanation of the lyrics to "Kiss from a Rose." It read: "I have avoided explaining these lyrics for 25 years. I am not going to start doing it now." (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Draco137WasTaken on 2025-02-25 02:42:43.

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TIL The Royal Canadian Mint’s International Minting division produces currency for about 80 countries. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/A-Wise-Cobbler on 2025-02-25 00:09:52.

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TIL Billy Idol got his stage name from a chemistry teacher who described him as "idle" on a school report card. He originally wanted to be called "Billy Idle" but thought it would sound too simila... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Ill_Definition8074 on 2025-02-24 22:39:27.

Original Title: TIL Billy Idol got his stage name from a chemistry teacher who described him as "idle" on a school report card. He originally wanted to be called "Billy Idle" but thought it would sound too similar to Monty Python's Eric Idle.