Today I Learned (TIL)

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TIL: Owls ears are vertically asymmetric, giving them "stereo" hearing vertically as well as horizontally. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/leftcoastbumpkin on 2024-12-19 20:12:02.

577

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TIL: In 2023, an infamous Mafia Hitman who was on the run for 16 years for killing people with a metal bar was discovered working as a pizza chef. His food became famous enough to be featured in t... (www.bbc.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Flares117 on 2024-12-19 19:11:36.

Original Title: TIL: In 2023, an infamous Mafia Hitman who was on the run for 16 years for killing people with a metal bar was discovered working as a pizza chef. His food became famous enough to be featured in the local newspaper which tipped off authorities.

578

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TIL Boston Market was down to just 27 stores at the begining of 2024, down from 300 just a year ago, and way down from the over 1,200 it operated during its heyday. (www.restaurantbusinessonline.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Popepepe on 2024-12-19 18:36:04.

579

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TIL that there are just under twice as many kangaroos as humans in Australia (brilliantmaps.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Ozem_son_of_Jesse on 2024-12-19 18:08:10.

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TIL that in 2012 Slovak Lawmakers made a public poll asking for the name for a new bridge between Slovakia and Austria. 'Chuck Norris Bridge' won overwhelmingly (www.reuters.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Der_genealogist on 2024-12-19 17:47:46.

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TIL that the only place in the world where Japanese is an official language is Angaur, an island in Palau. Japan doesn’t have the de jure official language. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Durmeathor on 2024-12-19 17:29:56.

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TIL about the phenomena of polyandry or “wife-sharing” in Qing Dynasty China. Due to practices such female infanticide and concubinage there was an overall gender imbalance in society that poor hu... (www.ucpress.edu)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/nowlan101 on 2024-12-19 17:22:08.

Original Title: TIL about the phenomena of polyandry or “wife-sharing” in Qing Dynasty China. Due to practices such female infanticide and concubinage there was an overall gender imbalance in society that poor husbands would exploit via renting their wives out to other, unmarried men for a fee.

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TIL about Wang Enlin, a Chinese farmer who self-taught law to sue a chemical company for polluting his village—and won. (yourstory.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Local_Gur9116 on 2024-12-19 17:06:38.

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TIL that pig butchering scammers (the ones sending random texts to "wrong numbers", then befriending you until they take all of your money) are largely trafficked people forced to participate in s... (www.freedomunited.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/permanentburner89 on 2024-12-19 15:42:56.

Original Title: TIL that pig butchering scammers (the ones sending random texts to "wrong numbers", then befriending you until they take all of your money) are largely trafficked people forced to participate in scams.

585

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TIL in 1945, at 59 years old, Albert Stevens was misdiagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, and as a result was secretly injected with 131 kBq (3.55 μCi) of Plutonium as part of a human experiment... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/sithmaster0 on 2024-12-19 16:53:02.

Original Title: TIL in 1945, at 59 years old, Albert Stevens was misdiagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, and as a result was secretly injected with 131 kBq (3.55 μCi) of Plutonium as part of a human experimentation project by Joseph Gilbert Hamilton. It was later discovered the "cancer" was an inflamed ulcer.

586

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TIL: In the United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands, cassette data storage was so popular in the 80s that some radio stations would broadcast computer programs that listeners could re... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/GabbotheClown on 2024-12-19 15:52:59.

Original Title: TIL: In the United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands, cassette data storage was so popular in the 80s that some radio stations would broadcast computer programs that listeners could record onto cassette and then load into their computer.

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TIL that even though he won the Academy Awards for best picture and director for "Gandhi" in 1982, Richard Attenborough was disappointed and openly claimed that Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-... (ew.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ShabtaiBenOron on 2024-12-19 13:39:33.

Original Title: TIL that even though he won the Academy Awards for best picture and director for "Gandhi" in 1982, Richard Attenborough was disappointed and openly claimed that Steven Spielberg's "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" should have won. Spielberg cast him as John Hammond in "Jurassic Park" to thank him.

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TIL about college football player Erik Highsmith, who was accused of plagiarizing an 11-year-old when doing an assignment for Communications class. (www.huffpost.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/TedTheodoreMcfly on 2024-12-19 12:09:17.

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TIL the Sultan of Brunei and his brother bought so many bespoke Bentleys that it saved the entire company from bankruptcy (supercarblondie.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2024-12-19 10:54:51.

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TIL that after alleged Catholic involvement in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the US cut off diplomatic relations with the Holy See (the Pope) and did not restore them until 1984. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ProfessionalGear3020 on 2024-12-19 08:21:29.

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TIL: K2, the world's second highest mountain, has had nearly 1 person die for every 4 successful summits (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/TZ-13 on 2024-12-19 07:59:59.

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TIL that the "Happy Birthday" song was originally titled "Good Morning to All" and was intended to be a simple classroom greeting. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Organic_Situation401 on 2024-12-19 07:06:53.

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TIL Eduard Khil or Edward Hill died only 2 years after reaching internet fame from the Trololo song. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ProudReaction2204 on 2024-12-19 05:19:46.

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TIL the first UPC-marked item ever to be scanned at a retail checkout was a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum, purchased at the Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio, at 8:01 a.m. on June 26,... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/LookAtThatBacon on 2024-12-19 04:22:34.

Original Title: TIL the first UPC-marked item ever to be scanned at a retail checkout was a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum, purchased at the Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio, at 8:01 a.m. on June 26, 1974.

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TIL that the barber pole became the universal symbol for barbers as it resembles the bloody bandages of “barber-surgeons” of the past, who practiced bloodletting. (www.pallmallbarbers.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/armedsnowflake69 on 2024-12-19 03:38:19.

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TIL that when Louis XVI was executed in 1793 during the French Revolution, his severed head was paraded around for the crowd and was met with exclamations of "Vive la Republique!" (www.britannica.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/TAparentadvice on 2024-12-19 02:10:04.

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TIL “Jeopardy!” contestant Dhruv Gaur wrote “What is… We [love] you, Alex!” as his Final Jeopardy response while Alex Trebek was battling cancer. The message left Trebek visibly emotional and was ... (www.usatoday.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ObjectiveAd6551 on 2024-12-19 00:49:45.

Original Title: TIL “Jeopardy!” contestant Dhruv Gaur wrote “What is… We [love] you, Alex!” as his Final Jeopardy response while Alex Trebek was battling cancer. The message left Trebek visibly emotional and was widely shared as an example of fans’ affection for the longtime host.

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TIL during WWI, Allied soldiers used glowworms as trench lamps, storing the bioluminescent insects in bottles for light. Their service was so helpful, they were honored in 2004 when Princess Anne ... (taskandpurpose.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BiggieTwiggy1two3 on 2024-12-18 23:58:13.

Original Title: TIL during WWI, Allied soldiers used glowworms as trench lamps, storing the bioluminescent insects in bottles for light. Their service was so helpful, they were honored in 2004 when Princess Anne unveiled a London memorial for animals and insects that aided the war effort.

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TIL Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote(but never send) a letter to his brother confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for huma... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 weeks 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 23:14:05.

Original Title: TIL Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote(but never send) a letter to his brother confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

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TIL about the oddly-named "Doomsday Rule" which can (with practice) be used to calculate the weekday of a target date based on the fact that certain days (4/4, 5/9, 6/6...) in any given year all f... (davecturner.github.io)

submitted 3 weeks ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster

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The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Kthulu71 on 2024-12-18 22:52:46.

Original Title: TIL about the oddly-named "Doomsday Rule" which can (with practice) be used to calculate the weekday of a target date based on the fact that certain days (4/4, 5/9, 6/6...) in any given year all fall on the same day of the week.