Article created by: Rugilė Žemaitytė
One of the distinguishing features about pandas, one that separates them from other mammals, is their curiosity. Sure, they can get a bit lazy and too preoccupied with bamboo (we can't blame 'em). And yet, they go out and poke things with their fluffy paws, do somersaults until they learn something new about their environment.
And that is one of the reasons why we, dear pandas, can't get enough of the r/todayilearned subreddit which never fails to keep our inner pandas somersaulting from all the new things we learn. Whether it's bits of trivia related to hit TV shows like "Friends" or something new about the always weird, always surprising Weird Al Yankovic, we couldn't help but handpick the tastiest facts for your curious inner pandas.
TIL I learned that the the town of Boring (Oregon, US) established relationship with village of Dull (Scotland, UK) in 2012; the following year they were joined with the Shire of Bland (New South Wales, AU) to form the League of Extraordinary Communities.
TIL during World War II, Papua New Guinean ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ carried 750 wounded up/down the Kokoda Trail. They prioritized feeding patients & built shelter with 4 sleeping on each side at night. No known injured soldier was ever abandoned by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, even during heavy combat.
TIL after the fires that followed the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many insurance companies tried to avoid covering the losses, except for Lloyd's of London: "Pay all of our policyholders in full, irrespective of the terms of their policies." This cemented Lloyd's reputation in the U.S.
TIL of Solomon Islander Jacob C. Vouza. During WW2, he was captured by the Japanese during the Guadalcanal Campaign, tied to a tree, bayoneted, and left for dead. He then chewed through the ropes with his teeth and made his way to American lines warning them about an impending attack. He survived.
TIL that while 'Beat It' by Michael Jackson peaked at #3 in Australia, 'Eat It' by Weird Al Yankovic peaked at #1
TIL the first U.S official coin in circulation, the Fugio Cent, had the motto "Mind Your Business" instead of "In God we Trust".
TIL in the early 1930s, Cadillac's policy was to not sell cars to black people. In 1933, Nicholas Dreystadt, a middle manager at General Motors, crashed a GM executive committee meeting and convinced them to drop the policy and instead market to black people. Sales increased by 70% within a year.
TIL in 2018 a mom put out an ad to borrow an orange cat so her kids could have "a lasagna dinner with Garfield" and succeeded.
TIL that unlike most animals, African wild dogs follow an age-based food sharing system where pups are given immediate access to kills, making older dogs wait before they can eat.
Today I Learned Roman physician Galen would use wine as a disinfectant for all types of wounds, and even soaked exposed bowels before returning them to the body. Only 5 Gladiators died under his watch.
TIL: The consensus is that octopuses are most likely sentient.
TIL that ginkgo trees are a symbol of hope and tenacity in Japan, as they were one of the few living things to survive the nuclear bomb at Hiroshima.
TIL The pika is a small rodent that collects plants and dries them out in the sun to store them for winter.
TIL that everyone wears Crocs in the 2006 movie Idiocracy because the costume designer had a limited shoe budget, and thought the cheap plastic shoes made by the then startup company were futuristic yet too stupid looking to ever become popular in real life.
TIL about the Pizzly Bear, a Polar and Grizzly Bear hybrid. This hybrid species isn't sterile and can actually procreate.
TIL a boy was hit in the head with a foul ball during a televised game, rather than wait for EMTS to arrive, Jim Rice Ran into the stands and took him into the clubhouse, where he was immediately treated by the team's medical staff. He is credited with saving the boy's life.
TIL Christine Maggiore founded the HIV/AIDS denialism group Alive and Well. Maggiore herself then died of aids in 2008.
TIL that Wild European hamsters in Vienna, Austria have learned to survive harsh winters by feasting on the oily, protein-filled candles left by mourners in gravesites.
TIL that the low cost wine brand "Two Buck Chuck" was created by Fred Franzia, who bought the Charles Shaw name from a bankrupt winery for $27k. Once when asked why his wine was cheaper than water, he replied "They're overcharging for the water. Don't you get it?"
TIL Anti-climb paint, a class of non-drying oil paint, was developed in the 1960s. It can take over 3 years to dry, It is used to prevent trespassing and mark trespassers as it is very difficult to remove.
TIL that the deepest scuba dive of all time was 1,090 feet, set by Ahmed Gabr in 2014. It took him nearly a decade to properly prepare for the dive. While the descent took only 15 minutes, the ascent back to the surface took over 13 hours.
TIL about “One Night Cough Syrup” was sold in the late 1800s, and it contained alcohol, cannabis, chloroform, and morphine. This mixture was available over the counter and promised to eliminate your cough in one night so you could sleep.
TIL King Charles & Prince William always travel in separate planes in case there is a crash, one needs to survive.
TIL Mt. Thor on Baffin Island, Canada, has Earth’s greatest sheer vertical drop (4,101 feet).You can take one step off the peak and fall nearly a mile before you hit anything.
TIL of a courtier, Jeffrey Hudson, in the court of King Charles I of England who was only 18 inches tall. He challenged a normal-height man to a duel with pistols over an insult. His opponent came to the duel armed with a water squirt gun. Hudson shot him in the head with a real gun, killing him.
TIL: That scam baiters managed to trick Nigerian scammers into traveling 1400 miles and left them stranded in Darfur in a warzone.
TIL that the famous dish: tikka masala - is British, not Indian and it was invented in the 70’s, not some cultural cuisine that’s been around for ages.
TIL that Madame Tussaud's skill at making wax replicas of people is what saved her from the French Revolution's Guillotine.
TIL in 1656 Boston, a ship's captain was sentenced to sit in the stocks for two hours because he had engaged in "lewd and unseemly behavior" on the Sabbath. Upon arriving home on a Sunday after a three-year voyage at sea, Captain Kemble had kissed his wife
TIL about Troy Hurtubise, a Canadian man who built multiple suits of armor to study grizzly bears up close in nature. He'd test these by having his friends hit him with 2x4s or drive trucks into him.
TIL that the Voynich Manuscript, a a 240-page medieval codex written by an unknown author, in an unknown language, and illustrated with unknown plants, strange creatures, and naked women, was radiocarbon dated to the early 15th century. Despite 600 years of study it has never been deciphered.
TIL Eleanor Roosevelt's maiden name was Roosevelt. Her husband, Franklin, was her fifth cousin once removed.
TIL: 1 in 5 German parents regrets having children and would prefer to live their life without them.
TIL that EU citizen can demand a copy of all personal data that companies hold about them. However, most Android and iPhone apps completely ignore this right, a study has found.
TIL that Kit Kat Bars come in over 200 flavors. Soy Sauce, Matcha, Orange, Blueberry, Lemon Vinegar, Yuzu, Blood Orange, Salt, Banana, Fruit Parfait, Melon, Muscat, Maple Syrup, Red Bean Soup, Cherry Blossom... just to name a few.
TIL that a McDonald's in the Netherlands once fired an employee for selling a coworker a hamburger and then separately giving them a piece of cheese, arguing that she should've charged more for a cheeseburger. Courts ruled in the employee's favor, ordering the rest of her contract paid out in full.
TIL about a painkiller present in human saliva called Opiorphin which is stronger than Morphine.
TIL In 2000, when the cast of "Friends" wouldn't come down from their $1,050,000/episode salary demands, NBC's Garth Ancier produced promos saying "You've loved them for seven years, see how it all ends with the series finale of Friends this Thursday". The cast agreed to lower salaries.
TIL of Irene of Athens (750-803 CE), the first sole-ruling empress in Roman history. Her husband the emperor having died, she had her son's eyes gouged, and him imprisoned, becoming sole ruler for 5 years, when she was exiled to the island of Lesbos and forced to support herself by spinning wool.
