Today I Learned (TIL)

10 readers
1 users here now

You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? Submit interesting and specific facts about something that you just found out here.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
bOt@zerobytes.monster
listing: all - local
726
1
TIL that HMV stands for "His Masters Voice' and is named after a painting of the same name (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/coffee_4_days on 2024-12-08 20:45:51.
727
1
TIL in 1914, 4-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was shipped via parcel post. At 32 cents, her parents found it cheaper than a train ticket. Just under the 50lb limit, May rode in the train's mail... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BiggieTwiggy1two3 on 2024-12-08 20:27:39.

Original Title: TIL in 1914, 4-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was shipped via parcel post. At 32 cents, her parents found it cheaper than a train ticket. Just under the 50lb limit, May rode in the train's mail compartment with a stamp on her jacket and was delivered to her grandmother by the mail clerk on duty.

728
1
TIL instruments found in King Tutankhamun's tomb were played on a BBC radio broadcast in 1939 after a silence of over 3000 years (youtu.be)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/letseatnudels on 2024-12-08 20:24:48.
729
1
TIL tiramisu, the Italian dessert of coffe-soaked ladyfingers, sweetened marscapone, and cocoa powder is only around fifty years old, having been invented somtime in the late 1960s or early 1970s. (www.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Ghosts_of_Bordeaux on 2024-12-08 19:36:49.
730
1
TIL That there was a comic book hero named DareDevil that predates the Marvel hero by almost 25 years. He was originally mute after witnessing his father's murder, and fought villains like Hitler ... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Far-Article-3604 on 2024-12-08 19:00:15.

Original Title: TIL That there was a comic book hero named DareDevil that predates the Marvel hero by almost 25 years. He was originally mute after witnessing his father's murder, and fought villains like Hitler and a wolf with a human brain

731
1
Til about snowing a bridge, the old practice of adding snow to bridges to make a smooth surface for sleighs (unchartedlancaster.com)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/sapphicasexual on 2024-12-08 18:13:57.
732
1
TIL the 1991 Grand Sumo Tournament in London was the first official sumo wrestling tournament ever to be organized outside Japan in the 1500 years of existence of the sport (simple.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/TheMadhopper on 2024-12-08 16:30:39.
733
1
TIL that Edinburgh’s Old Town has underground streets where people used to live (hiddenscotland.com)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Professional-Law-192 on 2024-12-08 16:54:41.
734
1
TIL Heather Mills poured a pitcher of water over Paul McCartney’s lawyer during their divorce trial (www.theage.com.au)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/kirby_krackle_78 on 2024-12-08 16:53:41.
735
1
TIL about Benjamin Hornigold, a pirate whose crew once attacked a ship solely to steal all their hats because the pirates had gotten drunk and thrown theirs overboard. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/m_faustus on 2024-12-08 16:31:42.
736
1
Today I learned How Shopping Malls Are Being Transformed Into Apartments In The U.S. (youtu.be)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BrokenDeity on 2024-12-08 15:44:19.
737
1
TIL female frogs play dead to avoid mating with males (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/thelarkshark on 2024-12-08 15:24:41.
738
1
TIL that Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 was the first comet observed to orbit a planet, Jupiter, and its fragments collided with the planet in 1994, releasing energy equivalent to 600 times the world's nu... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/GDW312 on 2024-12-08 14:29:28.

Original Title: TIL that Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 was the first comet observed to orbit a planet, Jupiter, and its fragments collided with the planet in 1994, releasing energy equivalent to 600 times the world's nuclear arsenal.

739
1
TIL that until 1970, Royal Navy sailors were given daily rum rations - a tradition dating back to the 17th century to make life at sea bearable. On the final day before it was abolished, many unha... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/sharkftw45 on 2024-12-08 14:17:11.

Original Title: TIL that until 1970, Royal Navy sailors were given daily rum rations - a tradition dating back to the 17th century to make life at sea bearable. On the final day before it was abolished, many unhappy sailors held mock funeral processions, drank their final rations and threw the rest overboard.

740
1
TIL Photuris beetles are the femme fatale of lightning bugs, refers to a behavior engaging in aggressive mimicry, imitating the light signals of other firefly species females to attract mates but ... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/measkuanswer on 2024-12-08 08:56:42.

Original Title: TIL Photuris beetles are the femme fatale of lightning bugs, refers to a behavior engaging in aggressive mimicry, imitating the light signals of other firefly species females to attract mates but Photuris beetles use it to attract, kill and eat the unsuspecting males of those other species.

741
1
TIL the 1971 Woody Allen movie "Bananas" was condemned by a US review board for the Catholic church. This was because of a commercial parody in which a priest promoted "New Testament cigarettes" d... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/strangelove4564 on 2024-12-08 08:38:08.

Original Title: TIL the 1971 Woody Allen movie "Bananas" was condemned by a US review board for the Catholic church. This was because of a commercial parody in which a priest promoted "New Testament cigarettes" during Holy Communion.

742
1
TIL the 7.9 magnitude 1906 San Francisco earthquake was not even the strongest or deadliest earthquake that year. Two 8.0+ magnitude earthquakes occured in Alaska and Chile on August 17, 1906 with... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Inquisitive_Platypus on 2024-12-08 07:46:45.

Original Title: TIL the 7.9 magnitude 1906 San Francisco earthquake was not even the strongest or deadliest earthquake that year. Two 8.0+ magnitude earthquakes occured in Alaska and Chile on August 17, 1906 within 30 minutes of each other, the Chile one killing 3,882 people.

743
1
TIL how horrific the 1918 global flu pandemic was, lasting just 15 months but killing 50 to 100 million people worldwide. Many would die within hours. Horrible symptoms, not just aches & cyano... (www.smithsonianmag.com)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/johnnierockit on 2024-12-08 07:27:53.

Original Title: TIL how horrific the 1918 global flu pandemic was, lasting just 15 months but killing 50 to 100 million people worldwide. Many would die within hours. Horrible symptoms, not just aches & cyanosis but also a foamy blood coughed up from the lungs, & bleeding from the nose, ears & even eyes.

744
1
TIL: Due to the “M” on tabbies foreheads, in ancient Egypt cats were called Mau. Cats learned this and began to “meow” in an attempt to mimic their names. (canidae.com)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Educational_Sir3783 on 2024-12-08 06:44:38.
745
1
TIL that Max Schmeling was the only boxer to knock Joe Louis out in his prime, despite the fact that Schmeling was a decade older than Louis, at the time they fought. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/HallowedAndHarrowed on 2024-12-08 06:41:08.
746
1
TIL about cave pearls, naturally formed rolled stones that take hundreds of years to create, made from dripping calcite deposits hitting small pieces of material in stasis, which causes a constant... (caves.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/K3Y-LXME on 2024-12-08 06:07:02.

Original Title: TIL about cave pearls, naturally formed rolled stones that take hundreds of years to create, made from dripping calcite deposits hitting small pieces of material in stasis, which causes a constant, even growth on all sides.

747
1
TIL US Air Traffic Control towers are generally not considered "buildings" because they do not meet the criteria. This is mainly because a significant portion of their height is not occupied space... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/SlothSpeed on 2024-12-08 06:04:03.

Original Title: TIL US Air Traffic Control towers are generally not considered "buildings" because they do not meet the criteria. This is mainly because a significant portion of their height is not occupied space (<50%) and fall under the category of "telecommunications/observation tower."

748
1
TIL The composer of the iconic Italian song "Tarantella Napoletana" fell in love with two identical twin sisters and had a child with each of them (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/disorder_unit on 2024-12-08 05:45:15.
749
1
TIL 'George Washington said before his death "I will never set foot on English soil again" so when they erected a statue of him in London, they put US soil under his statue to honor his claim.' (blackcablondon.net)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/MineMonMan1234 on 2024-12-08 05:42:03.
750
1
TIL the exact animation for the gummi bear song is out there to download for some reason (sketchfab.com)
submitted 1 month ago by bOt@zerobytes.monster to c/todayilearned@zerobytes.monster
0 comments fedilink
 
 
The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Suspicious_Fish_3848 on 2024-12-08 05:40:04.
view more: ‹ prev next ›