Educational reformer John Holt once wrote that, “Children learn from anything and everything they see. They learn wherever they are, not just in special learning places.” But sadly, many of us lose this child-like curiosity as we get older. We finish school or university and seem to forget that there is infinite information out in the world just waiting to be discovered, researched and shared with others!
So today, we hope you’re in the mood to channel your inner child and learn something new. That’s right, pandas, we’ve gathered another list of fascinating facts from the Today I Learned subreddit down below, so once you’re finished reading, you can feel proud of yourself for learning something new. Be sure to upvote the tidbits of information you plan to pass along to a friend or family member later today, and feel free to share any more fun facts that you’ve recently learned in the comments section. Then, if your brain is hungry for even more knowledge, you can check out some of Bored Panda’s previous Today I Learned articles right here, here and here!
#1
TIL cats were a common wedding gift among Vikings due to their association with the goddess of luck, Freyja. Men favored women who loved cats, believing that it increased the likelihood of a happy marriage.
Image source: PianoCharged, travel oriented
#2
TIL Steve Jobs responded to an autograph request with a signed letter stating he doesn’t write autographs.
Image source: DankStarr69, Rr Auction
#3
TIL Ancient Greece wasn’t full of pure white marble everything. The statues and ruins we see today were actually painted in all kinds of vivid colors that were just stripped bare back to their original white marble by time.
Image source: josh_k27, mukankakuna
#4
TIL that the first recorded labour strike took place in Ancient Egypt, in 1170 BCE, by tomb workers. After the grain supply was repeatedly late, workers stopped working and demanded prompt pay. Because it was the first of its kind, management did not know how to react, and largely caved to demands.
Image source: Methisthopheles, Alex Azabache
#5
TIL of Hatuey, a Taíno chieftain who, while tied to the stake by Spaniards and waiting to be burned alive, chose not to convert to Christianity in order to avoid meeting his Spanish oppressors in heaven.
Image source: bchie
#6
TIL that Japan is working on wooden satellites that can cleanly burn up without leaving debris when they re-enter the atmosphere.
Image source: ShabtaiBenOron
#7
TIL that the popular belief in the United States that Daylight Savings Time was enacted FOR the benefit of farmers is wrong; farmers were actually some of the strongest opponents of its implementation.
Image source: plexxer, Greta Hoffman
#8
TIL during his bachelor’s degree, Robert Andrews Millikan was asked to teach elementary physics course although he was studying classics. He accepts the offer, studies a physics book during a summer vacation and after 34 years he wins the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Image source: qasqaldag, en.wikipedia.org
#9
TIL in 1989, many major airlines showed edited versions of the film Rain Man, omitting a scene involving a character’s refusal to fly (while mentioning several prominent airliner crashes). However, the scene was shown intact on Qantas—the only airline mentioned as having planes that “never crashed.”
Image source: Boomtown_Rat
#10
TIL that potato plants are poisonous. The part that we eat is the only edible part of the whole plant. It’s also a member of the nightshade family.
Image source: wingsoverpyrrhia , Eamonn Sullivan
#11
TIL that mushrooms are more closely related to humans than to plants.
Image source: schadenfreudender, Lucas van Oort
#12
TIL that in 1518, in the small French town of Strasbourg, a young woman named Frau Troffea started dancing uncontrollably in the street. Her dancing continued for days & on the 3rd day, her shoes were soaked with blood. She attracted 30+ people to join her, which catalyzed the Dancing Plague of 1518.
Image source: DilankaMcLovin, Pieter Brueghel the Elder
#13
TIL that when a massive star goes supernova, it produces a flash of light so bright that can equal the combined light of every other star in the galaxy. One such event happened in 1054, it was so bright the light was visible during the day for a month and was still visible for 2 years afterwards.
Image source: Sysion, NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll
#14
TIL British Airways Flight 9 flew through a cloud of volcanic ash causing all four engines to stop. Captain Eric Moody told the passengers that, “We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are all doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.”
Image source: Firesondiego, Guilherme Rossi
#15
TIL About 7000 years ago, bananas were not the seedless, fleshy fruits we know today. The flesh was pitted with black seeds and nearly inedible.
Image source: Zem_42, JULIE SARDOS
#16
TIL we’ve had electric cars since the late 1800s. Some early electric cars could go as fast as 25mph and lasted 50 miles without needing a recharge.
Image source: LifeLiterate, commons.wikimedia.org
#17
TIL 27% of Americans 18 and older have cut off contact with a family member.
Image source: SlowShoes , Monstera
#18
TIL about Shizo Kanakuri, a Japanese marathon runner. During the 1912 Olympics, he disappeared during the marathon race (he pulled out midway and silently returned to Japan). In 1967, he was offered the opportunity to complete his run. He accepted and completed it with a time of 54y8m6d5h32’20”.
Image source: SteO153
#19
TIL A 50yr old inmate named James Washington confessed to murdering a Nashville woman 17 yrs ago while on his deathbed, presumably thinking he was about to die. He ended up surviving & was convicted for his confession, which he later tried to recant.
Image source: TheReaIist
#20
TIL that Alan Turing, the mathematician renowned for his contributions to computer science and codebreaking, converted his savings into silver during WW2 and buried it, fearing German invasion. However, he was unable to break his own code describing where it was hidden, and never recovered it.
Image source: Mega_Dunsparce, en.wikipedia.org
#21
TIL a Dunkin’ Donuts marketing campaign in South Korea released coffee aromas while their commercials played on buses and increased sales by 29%.
Image source: outrageouslyoffended , Clay Banks
#22
TIL China has just one timezone (Beijing time) that covers the whole country. In the westernmost provinces, the sun may not rise until 10am or set until midnight. The border with Afghanistan is the greatest border time change in the world.
Image source: bitterdick, Tom Fisk
#23
TIL some triathletes pee while riding their bike to minimize wasted time.
Image source: danielsung2002 , RUN 4 FFWPU
#24
TIL about millionaire Wellington Burt, who died in 1919 and deliberately held back his enormous fortune. His will denied any inheritance until 21 years after the death of his last surviving grandchild. The money sat in a trust for 92 years, until 12 descendants finally shared $110 million in 2011.
#25
TIL when Stalin mispronounced a word while giving a speech, all subsequent speakers felt obliged to repeat the mistaken pronunciation in order to avoid the perception that they were correcting him.
Image source: Keevan, U.S. Signal Corps photo
#26
TIL newborn babies shouldn’t drink plain water because it can lead to brain swelling and even death.
Image source: cynicoolwhale, Sarah Chai
#27
TIL about William Sitgreaves Cox a junior officer aboard the USS Chesapeake who was court martialed for leaving his command when he assisted his wounded captain below decks. Since all other senior officers were wounded, he had become the commanding officer by default, unbeknownst to him.
Image source: ClownfishSoup, en.wikipedia.org
#28
TIL Brad Pitt, while starring as Achilles in the movie Troy, ruptured his Achilles tendon on set.
Image source: get-merked, Glenn Francis
#29
TIL that the state of Massachusetts tried to nullify the Vietnam War by passing a law that its citizens could not be conscripted in an undeclared war. The Supreme Court declined to hear their case.
Image source: TimelyConcern
#30
TIL that 81% of people say that email is still their primary form of communication at work.
Image source: LightMonarchy, Glenn Carstens-Peters
#31
TIL since 1850, more than 5,000 people have gone over Niagara Falls, either intentionally (as stunts or suicide attempts) or accidentally but only 17 are known to have survived.
Image source: jcd1974, Venti Views
#32
TIL no child has been harmed or ki***d by poisoned or dangerous Halloween candy.
Image source: prisonsexx, Nika Benedictova
#33
TIL that in 1996 a 7-year-old Californian girl tried to fly an airplane across the US and crashed in a thunderstorm, killing her. This resulted in a law banning children from flying.
Image source: That-Situation-4262
#34
TIL That the most famous pirate in history: Blackbeard, was only active for 2 years. 1716-1718.
Image source: LightlyStep, James Basire
#35
TIL that after his legendary Motown Awards performance, in which he moonwalked for the first time and launched his career into mega-stardom, Michael Jackson was so disappointed in his performance that he went backstage and cried.
Image source: balaclavaloungeparty
#36
TIL, 14-year-old Caleb Rebh accidentally choked himself to death while working as a scare actor after he had tied a noose around his neck to appear more scarier. While Caleb was struggling to untie the rope from his neck, no one helped him because they thought he was acting.
Image source: longer_than_hallways
#37
TIL that the mortality rate of BBL’s (Brazillian Butt Lifts) is 10 to 20 times higher than the average cosmetic procedure, and it has the highest death rate of any cosmetic procedure.
Image source: Yuvithegod
#38
TIL that most non-human primate infants actively use their hands to help themselves out of the birth canal. Human infants do not, but their grip strength is much higher during the hours immediately after they are born.
Image source: afeeney
#39
TIL A study in the UK found that the number of CEOs of top companies with red hair was four times higher than the percentage of persons with red hair in the general population.
Image source: TuaTurnsdaballova
#40
TIL Eric Clapton grew up thinking his mother was his sister, his grandmother was his mother, and his step-grandfather was his father.
Image source: greenlakejohnny, Raph_PH
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