20 Random Fun Facts From “Today I Learned” Online Community (New Pics)

I think we all agree that learning is a lifelong process. A Reddit community called ‘Today I Learned’ constantly reminds us that there is so much information on this planet that we can learn something new every single day. The vast world of knowledge may be endless, but learning one thing every day can be beneficial as well as fun.

#1

Image source:  The_Critical_Cynic, wikipedia

TIL on the morning of July 26, 1184, Henry VI held court at the Petersberg Citadel. The weight of the assembled nobles caused the second story floor of the building to collapse. Most of the nobles fell into the latrine cesspit below the ground floor, where about 60 of them drowned in liquid s**t.

#2

Image source:  Lagavulin16_neat, Tomasz Olszewski

TIL that somewhere between 3% and 21% of the population have a genetic variation in an olfactory receptor gene (OR6A2) that makes cilantro taste very unpleasant. Those with the variant describe the taste of cilantro as “a combination of soap and vomit” or similar to the odor emitted by stinkbugs.

#3

Image source: cruisingthoughts, Pixabay

TIL, in 1997, a Russian poacher, Vladimir Markov, shot and wounded a tiger, and stole part of a boar it had been eating. 12 hours later, the tiger tracked down the poacher at his cabin and ate him.

#4

Image source: theotherbogart, Giorgio Trovato

TIL: Pac-Man grossed $1 billion in quarters in its first year of release. In the following year, 1982, it earned $6 billion in quarters, which was more than the combined amount of money spent in Vegas casinos and US movie theaters that year.

#5

Image source:  RainManToothpicks, cbsnews

TIL a wanted fugitive performed plastic surgeries on his face using scissors, a box cutter and a needle with thread in order to avoid capture. Some of the surgeries were done in public restrooms. He evaded arrest for over 2 years.

#6

Image source: suzukigun4life, shaq

TIL after being scolded by a woman who felt that his shoes were too expensive for kids, Shaq forwent a $40 million deal with Reebok & signed one with Walmart. He then brought in designers from Reebok so that his Walmart shoes would look costlier than the $20 price. Over 400 million pairs were sold.

#7

Image source: Canes-Venatici, nbcnews

TIL in 2017, a woman named Chau Smith ran seven marathons in seven consecutive days on seven continents in celebration of her 70th birthday.

#8

Image source:  Canes-Venaticii, Monika Grabkowska

TIL nine women, called “The 9 Nanas,” kept a decades-long secret that even their husbands knew nothing about. For 30 years, they gathered at 4 a.m. to bake cakes, send care packages to people, anonymously pay bills and buy clothes for those in need.

#9

Image source:  davetowers646, sesamestreet

TIL Mr. Snuffleupagus from ‘Sesame Street’ was originally a friend of Big Bird’s that everyone else thought was imaginary, and it was decided that he should be seen by other people to encourage children to talk about any abuse they might have suffered.

#10

Image source:  theHAREST , wikipedia

TIL about Tommy Manville, the heir to the Johns-Manville fortune. The terms of his family trust granted him $250,000 “when he married.” As a result he got married 13 times, giving the women a cut of the proceeds before quickly divorcing them.

#11

Image source:  PastPriority-771, wikipedia

TIL of Vitalis of Gaza, a monk who paid prostitutes his daily wages to dissuade them from the profession. The women he served later carried him to his grave, processing him with candles and lanterns. The Catholic Church venerates him as the Patron Saint of Prostitutes and Day Laborers.

#12

Image source:  That-Situation-4262, raildriverpone

TIL about the Asoh defense, a term for just taking the blame when you’re at fault. It’s named after a Japanese pilot named Kohei Asoh, who crash-landed a full-passenger jet in the San Francisco Bay. When asked what happened, he said: “As you Americans say, I f**ked up.”

#13

Image source: sarcasticslab420, Lisa Fotios

Today I learned taking photos instead of actually viewing the scene causes your brain to outsource the memory; this causes you to not retain the information as detailed as you normally would. This is called the photo-taking impairment effect.

#14

Image source:  doesntgetthepicture, cottonbro studio

TIL that all Ashkenazi Jews are at most 30th cousins because of a genetic bottleneck about 700 years ago.

#15

Image source: BrokenEye3, wikipedia

TIL about Henry Cotton, an asylum director who believed that all insanity was caused by sepsis in other parts poisoning the brain, leading to widespread amputation of his patients’ colons, teeth, reproductive organs, and even stomachs in order to “cure” them, with as many as 45% dying as a result.

#16

Image source: Ajthaking31, henrycavill

TIL in a 2005 Empire article, Henry Cavill was dubbed “the unluckiest man in Hollywood” after losing roles in Bond and Harry Potter franchises.

#17

Image source: SaintBiggusDickus, foolfillment

TIL 69 is the only number whose square (4761) and cube (328509) use every decimal digit from 0–9 exactly once.

#18

Image source:  That-Situation-4262, Freddy Irra

#19

Image source: wilymon, Keenan Loo

TIL brussels sprouts used to have a bitter taste until breeders in the 90s started to cross-pollinate different varieties in order to remove the chemicals that caused the bitterness. The result of their work has lead to brussels sprouts’ recent culinary popularity.

#20

Image source: Ok_Letter_9284, Caleb Woods

TIL There are only between 150-300 kidnappings of children by strangers each year in the US. The other 200,000 kidnappings each year are by relatives.