35 Random Fun Facts From “Today I Learned” Online Community

The internet is a vast ocean of information, but few places capture the essence of learning and sharing like the Today I Learned (TIL) page on Reddit. With over 39 million members, TIL is a beloved hub for the inquisitive, providing fascinating tidbits of knowledge that span history, science, pop culture, and beyond. It’s the ultimate space to indulge your curiosity, spark your imagination, and even gain a few fun facts to dazzle at parties.

#1

Image source: admiralturtleship, Mohammed Abbasi

TIL while filming Metropolis (1927) they would often end up with more children in the evening than in the morning. Coming from the poorest areas of Berlin, the children would sneak onto set or climb over the fence to experience the warm rooms, games, toys, cocoa, cake, and regular meals.

#2

Image source: ObjectiveAd6551, R. G. Checkers

TIL that after his passing, Fred Rogers’ wife revealed that behind the scenes he had a raunchy sense of humor and one of his favorite and funniest ways to break up monotony during a bland event was to look right at her, lift a butt cheek signaling that he was secretly farting, and give her a smile.

#3

TIL a bear in a state park got into campers’ coolers and used claws & teeth to puncture beer cans; Fish & Wildlife Sgt. Bill Heinck said the bear tried a can of Busch, ignored the rest, then drank about 36 Rainier beers. They caught it a live trap baited with donuts, honey, open cans of Rainier.

Image source: LopsidedKnee1227

#4

Image source: Algrinder, Library of Congress

TIL Malcolm X, while serving a prison sentence in his early 20s, spent his time reading the dictionary and copying its pages to improve his vocabulary. This practice not only expanded his knowledge but also transformed him into one of the most articulate civil rights leaders.

#5

Image source: nuttybudd, Mohamed hamdi

TIL in 2012, over 2,000 Koreans gathered to watch a single man pitch a tent (a 24-man army tent) after he claimed on an internet forum that he could do it in under two hours. The event grew so large it even attracted corporate sponsers. The man succeeded, taking about an hour to accomplish the task.

#6

TIL in 2011 a Brazilian man rescued a starving Magellanic penguin that was drenched in oil on the beach near his house. It stayed with him for about 11 months before returning to the sea. Although for at least the next 5 years, the penguin returned to visit the man for a few months each year.

Image source: tyrion2024

#7

Image source: Environmental_Bus507, Federal Bureau of Investigation employee

TIL Al Capone, America’s most notorious gangster sponsored the charity that served up three hot meals a day to thousands of the unemployed—no questions asked.

#8

TIL as the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto mounted, the inhabitants knew they would not survive. A team of historians, writers, rabbis, and social workers created a secret cache of documents to record their way of life. 2/3 of the cache survived the war

Image source: NOISY_SUN

#9

TIL the ‘Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills’ or Pretty Boy Floyd was a thief in the 1930’s who was touted as a hero for destroying mortgage documents whenever he robbed a bank. His funeral had over 20,000 people attend to pay their respects.

Image source: ThoseTwo203

#10

Image source: syntactyx, Holger Wulschlaeger

TIL that orcas spend their entire lives with their mothers. Only one whale is known to have survived alone: Luna (or Tsux’iit) was young when separated and ended up in Nootka Sound. He was adored by locals for his interactive and playful demeanor, seeking socialization intensely without his pod.

#11

TIL of Kurt Gerstein, a Nazi officer who tried to alert the world of the Holocaust while it was happening by sending detailed reports to Swedish, Swiss, Dutch and Catholic officials. These were largely ineffective and he died by taking his own life in 1945

Image source: silverdust29

#12

Image source: astarisaslave, Raph_PH

TIL that the Spice Girls co-wrote all their own songs. When they left their original management, they allegedly stole the masters of their recordings from the management office to make sure they retained creative control of their work.

#13

Image source:  ChupdiChachi, K. K. Yam Amot

TIL Japan railway platforms saw a 84 percent decrease in s***ides at stations after they installed blue lights.

#14

Image source: 11ForeverAlone11, James Lee

TIL of ‘Joe Martin’, a captive orangutan actor that starred in over 50 silent era films, and for years lived essentially as a free human, wearing clothes, having it’s own keys to come and go, attending film premieres and trusted to work with many children. Eventually it attacked many people…

#15

Image source: HappyMonchichi, Casey Horner

TIL what we call a 9-to-5 workday, Chinese people have “996,” which means they have to work from 9am to 9pm 6 days a week.

#16

Image source: Giroshell, National Cancer Institute

TIL researchers studying nominative determinism found that orthopedic surgeons are more likely to have the surname “Limb” than is expected by chance (Limb, Limb, Limb, & Limb, 2015)

#17

Image source: Flares117, Tullius Detritus

TIL: There is a figure known as the “unluckiest man in Pompeii”. In 2018, archaeologists uncovered his skeleton and a rock where his head should’ve been, he got struck by the rock and his skull was found in a tunnel a distance away.

#18

TIL about Frederick Valentich, an Australian pilot who disappeared during a flight in 1978 after reporting an unidentified object following him and saying, ‘It’s not an aircraft.’

Image source: GDW312

#19

Image source: ObjectiveAd6551, Gage

TIL David Letterman once insulted Quentin Tarantino on his show, which made Tarantino call Letterman on the phone and threaten to come to NY to “kill” him. Letterman responded by offering to pay for his flight and have QT choose the method of battle. Tarantino agreed and chose “bats.”

#20

TIL: The US developed the chemical compound Cyanogen Chloride for use in WW2 against Japan. It is a highly toxic blood agent that could penetrate gas masks. Truman decided against using it and opted for the atom bomb. It is now listed in the Chemical Weapons Convention and has never been deployed.

Image source: Flares117

#21

TIL: The federal government is by far the largest employer of veterans in the United States

Image source: BigDaddyCoolDeisel

#22

TIL that Thalidomide, the drug responsible for thousands of birth defects across Europe in the 1950s/60s, was developed by a doctor who had previously worked for the Nazis, experimenting on concentration camp victims

Image source: CarnivoreDaddy

#23

Image source: ObjectiveAd6551, Pablo Merchán Montes

TIL until the 1980’s, US television stations would sign off at the end of the broadcasting day, and before they cut to static for the rest of the night, they would often play short clips of American landmarks and US military imagery in a patriotic montage accompanied by the star spangled banner.

#24

TIL Mozart, Lenin and Hitler were all regulars at the very same bar

Image source:  Gapplesauce37

#25

TIL Max Planck, the father of quantum theory, considered his quantum hypothesis just a mathematical trick to get the right answer rather than a sizable discovery until Einstein interpreted his hypothesis realistically and used it to explain physical phenomena.

Image source: RealisticBarnacle115

#26

Image source: Bitterwits, US National Archives

TIL Hemingway was three months sober when he took his own life in 1961.

#27

TIL in South Korea, only blind people can get a masseur’s license. This law was established in 1912, to help visually impaired people earn a living. It was upheld by their Constitutional Court in 2008.

Image source: Pfeffer_Prinz

#28

TIL while on safari, Hemingway survived 2 plane crashes one day apart. The 2nd caught fire & he had to smash open the door with his head, causing extensive burns & skeletal injuries. He was presumed dead until he walked out of the jungle “in high spirits”, carrying bananas and a bottle of gin.

Image source: Pfeffer_Prinz

#29

TIL that Jordan Rice, a 13-year-old Australian boy, became a symbol of courage during devastating floods when he sacrificed his life to save his younger brother. Despite his fear of water, his selfless act continues to inspire as a story of true heroism.

Image source:  DesireGyal

#30

TIL there was a Japanese government review in 2010 which found that 82% of the people aged over 100 in Japan turned out to be dead.

Image source: tyrion2024

#31

Image source: rickyjones75, David Vives

TIL Since 1950, the Catholic Church has recognized Darwinian evolution as being compatible with Christian beliefs.

#32

TIL during the filming of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, it became a secret running joke between Tom Holland and Michael Keaton that Keaton would often whisper in a deep voice“I’m Batman” in Tom’s ear on set during a few fight scenes.

Image source: ObjectiveAd6551

#33

TIL that in Romania in 1999, a man and a woman died of carbon monoxide poisoning while having sex in a car parked in a garage with the engine running and won the 1999 Darwin Award.

Image source: RealisticBarnacle115

#34

TIL on November 29th 2001, Mike Myers received the final letter George Harrison ever sent anybody. Being a fan of satire, George hand wrote the letter expressing his admiration for Mike’s Austin Powers movies. Mike received it on the set of Austin Powers 3 on the day George died.

Image source: ObjectiveAd6551

#35

Image source: UF1977, Cher

TIL the US Navy had no idea Cher would be wearing a racy outfit when they agreed to let her film “If I Could Turn Back Time” on the battleship *Missouri*. They didn’t see her now-iconic fishnet bodysuit until filming started. The crew’s crazy reaction is genuine.