Today I Learned (TIL)

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/today_okay on 2024-12-04 14:28:57.

Original Title: TIL: It has been proposed that Eva Perón may have been given a prefrontal lobotomy in the last months of her life "to relieve the pain, agitation and anxiety she suffered in the final months of her illness"

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/TryHardDieHard on 2024-12-04 13:49:37.

Original Title: TIL there is a Japanese island where cats outnumber humans. Historically, residents raised silkworms and kept cats to protect them from mice. Over time, the cat population grew, and locals came to believe that feeding cats brings good fortune. The island even features a cat shrine.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/VegemiteSucks on 2024-12-04 12:44:03.

Original Title: TIL that on the first day of the battle of Gettysburg, Gen. Henry Heth was shot in the head and knocked unconscious. However, he survived without major injuries. This is partly credited to his oversized hat, which was stuffed with papers to make it fit, thereby deflecting the bullet.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/serioussgtstu on 2024-12-04 10:29:05.

Original Title: TIL that in 2009, a campaign succeeded in making Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing in the Name' the Christmas number 1 best-selling single in the UK after the public grew tired of X Factor winners topping the chart every year.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/TinyEyedCrimsonChin on 2024-12-04 09:51:47.

Original Title: TIL actor Stephen Baldwin got ‘HM’ tattooed on his left shoulder for ‘Hannah Montana’. He had made a pact with then-teenage Miley Cyrus that he would be able to appear on the show if he got the tattoo. He did not go on to appear on the show and has since said he regrets getting it.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Longjumping_Result68 on 2024-12-04 06:44:23.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/CherriesSophia on 2024-12-04 06:16:40.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2024-12-04 04:54:01.

Original Title: TIL of the 1998 East Java Ninja killings, in which "ninjas" clad in all-black killed numerous people (many of which were notable religious leaders) suspected of "sorcery" after numerous cattle died mysteriously. In turn, villagers began killing anyone that suspiciously looked like a "ninja".

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/FuriouSherman on 2024-12-04 03:37:43.

Original Title: TIL about Norman Kwong, the first Chinese-Canadian to play in the CFL. During his career he won 4 Grey Cups and set a record for single-season rushing yards by a Canadian player; after he retired he co-owned the Calgary Flames in the NHL and later was appointed lieutenant governor of Alberta.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/EpicBirdy2005 on 2024-12-04 03:18:55.

Original Title: TIL I learned that in 2007 an initiative called the Great Green Wall was started to restore the vegetation of the Sahel and to stop the expansion of the Sahara. The project is funded by the world bank(most of it). The wall goes across the entire part of Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/oversizedvenator on 2024-12-04 03:14:28.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BlueRFR3100 on 2024-12-04 03:01:23.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/litsalmon on 2024-12-04 01:41:43.

Original Title: TIL the German WWII heavy cruiser, Prinz Eugen, that fought alongside the Bismarck survived two atomic bomb tests and is capsized in an atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It was also commissioned into the US Navy.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/rosstedfordkendall on 2024-12-04 01:12:06.

Original Title: TIL Hugo Junkers, the founder of Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works that manufactured many of Germany's WWII bombers, opposed German re-armament. The Nazis seized his patents and company, threatened him with treason, and placed him under house arrest.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ObjectiveAd6551 on 2024-12-04 00:51:18.

Original Title: TIL after 9/11, Fred Rogers recorded a PSA telling children, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Though he doubted its impact, he shared this message of hope, a sentiment he had expressed to children during past crises, offering reassurance in times of fear and loss.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/SleeptGuava on 2024-12-03 23:45:55.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Infamous-Echo-3949 on 2024-12-03 23:41:10.

Original Title: TIL Universal and Disney sued Sony for production of Betamax VCRs which they alleged enabled copyright infringement. Marc Wileage copied 3 Frankenstein movies and 7 other movies by Universal, 6 full/partial episodes of the New Mickey Mouse Club, and 1 episode of The Wonderful World Of Disney.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/oyiyo on 2024-12-03 23:38:29.

Original Title: TIL Over 10,000 babies were born from Flirty Fishing, a form of evangelism by sexual intimacy practiced by the cult Children of God, where female members ("fisherwomen") would apply their sex appeal on "fish", men outside the cult, using the occasion to proselytize and seek donations.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/mrjohnnymac18 on 2024-12-03 23:22:09.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/narwhal_breeder on 2024-12-03 23:03:57.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/pickadamnnameffs on 2024-12-03 22:46:49.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ShadowMosesss on 2024-12-03 22:40:03.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Olshansk on 2024-12-03 21:38:16.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Zezimalives on 2024-12-03 20:38:50.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ralphbernardo on 2024-12-03 19:58:21.

Original Title: TIL about Terra Australis, a hypothetical continent proposed in antiquity and appearing on maps from the 15th to 18th centuries. Based on the idea of balancing northern lands with southern ones, it shrank as explorations occurred. The name "Australia" stems from this centuries-old geographical myth.