When I studied for school, I used to spend hours re-reading the given material. I thought that the more information I read, listen to or watch, the more things I’ll learn. Interestingly, our brains actuallylearn betterwhen the information is divided into short 3-7 minute chunks.The same goes for short, bite-sized nuggets of info you can find onthe TIL subreddit. Our planet is so big and complex; it’s no wonder that we can never know everything about it and the people who inhabit it. But we might try to get as close as we can, so, here’s a collection of the newestcool and weird factsfrom the internet’s vault of knowledge.More info:RedditThis post may includeaffiliate links.
When I studied for school, I used to spend hours re-reading the given material. I thought that the more information I read, listen to or watch, the more things I’ll learn. Interestingly, our brains actuallylearn betterwhen the information is divided into short 3-7 minute chunks.
The same goes for short, bite-sized nuggets of info you can find onthe TIL subreddit. Our planet is so big and complex; it’s no wonder that we can never know everything about it and the people who inhabit it. But we might try to get as close as we can, so, here’s a collection of the newestcool and weird factsfrom the internet’s vault of knowledge.
More info:Reddit
This post may includeaffiliate links.
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TIL about skeuomorphism, when modern objects, real or digital, retain features of previous designs even when they aren’t functional. Examples include the very tiny handle on maple syrup bottles, faux buckles on shoes, the floppy disk ‘save’ icon, or the sound of a shutter on a cell phone camera.
TIL George Washington decided to step down after two terms because he feared he might die in office and Americans would then view the presidency as a lifetime appointment
Let’s go through some of the most interestingTIL facts, shall we? And let’s start with afun factabout vehicle inspection in the U.S. Apparently, only 10 states have mandatory vehicle inspections. That’s Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and South Carolina.
TIL Charles Darwin created the office chair, he put wheels on the bottom of his chair so he could roll between specimens.
Another interesting fact about the family who couldn’t sleep comes from Redditoru/Potatoe_expert. Science writer and author of the book about said familyThe Family That Couldn’t Sleep: A Medical MysteryD.T. Maxtold NPRthey suffered from fatal familial insomnia. Currently, there are about 200 families in the world that have this disease, he says.Other sourcesguessthat around 50-70 families in the world carry the gene for fatal familial insomnia. This genetic condition is, unfortunately, incurable, and treatment can only slow down its progression. What makes it fatal is the damage to the brain and the nervous system from lack of sleep. Their brains can’t recharge and, therefore, can’t function normally.
Another interesting fact about the family who couldn’t sleep comes from Redditoru/Potatoe_expert. Science writer and author of the book about said familyThe Family That Couldn’t Sleep: A Medical MysteryD.T. Maxtold NPRthey suffered from fatal familial insomnia. Currently, there are about 200 families in the world that have this disease, he says.
Other sourcesguessthat around 50-70 families in the world carry the gene for fatal familial insomnia. This genetic condition is, unfortunately, incurable, and treatment can only slow down its progression. What makes it fatal is the damage to the brain and the nervous system from lack of sleep. Their brains can’t recharge and, therefore, can’t function normally.
TIL that Great White Sharks across the Pacific Ocean consistently congregate at one specific spot in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists call this the White Shark Cafe.
TIL that Elton John never performed the Princess Diana version of Candle in the Wind again after her funeral in 1997, despite receiving numerous requests.
You’d probably think that two siblings would get thesame ancestry results, but Mother Nature has some tricks up her sleeve. We inherit half of our DNA from our father and the other half from our mother. Unless we’re identical twins, we won’t have identical DNA. In fact, siblingscan shareas little as 37% or as much as 65% of their genetic variants.
TIL Siblings can get completely different results (e.g., one 30% Irish and another 50% Irish) from DNA ancestry tests, even though they share the same parents, due to genetic recombination.
TIL life didn’t give us lemons, they are not naturally occurring. They are a hybrid fruit from selective breeding of the citron and the bitter orange
When in 2019, the creators ofSouth Parkairedan episode titled “Band In China,” the whole show was banned in the country. The episodecriticizedthe way US media accommodates Chinese censorship laws, with one character saying: “It’s not worth living in a world where China controls my country’s art.” Theapology from the creatorsonly angered the country further, as they likened Xi Jinping to Winnie The Pooh and wrote: “We too love money more than freedom and democracy.”
TIL South Park aired an episode titled “Band in China”… which resulted in them being banned in China.
TIL Tasmanian Devil’s give birth to between 30 and 40 offsprings but the mother only has four teats. The first four to attach to teats survive, the others perish.
This fun fact should be really interesting for Trekkies. The creator ofStar Trek: The Next GenerationGene Roddenberrydidn’t want to castPatrick Stewart as the iconic Jean-Luc Picard. He wanted Picard to be “a handsome adventurer,” similar to William Shatner’s Captain Kirk, eyeing the actor Patrick Bachau for the role. Today, we probably couldn’t imagine anyone else as Picard, so, kudos to Sir Patrick Stewart!
TIL In 1941, prior to widespread fluoridation of drinking water, almost 10% of US military recruits were rejected because they didn’t have 6 opposing teeth in their upper and lower jaws
TIL in 2013 a woman went to pick up a friend in Brussels (less than 90 miles from her home), however because of a GPS error, she ended up in Croatia after driving 900 miles across five international borders. She realized she took a wrong turn two days after leaving. Her son had reported her missing.
TIL that after George Harrison’s death from lung cancer, his widow sued a doctor at the hospital where he received radiation therapy for allegedly forcing Harrison to listen to his son play guitar and autograph the guitar while lacking his mental faculties.
As a person who knows next to nothing about baseball, I was quite impressed to learn that the ball is thrown at such a speed that theeye can’t track it. Thefastest MLB pitcherin history is Aroldis Chapman. His pitch was recorded at 105.8 mph (that’s 170 km/h!) in 2010. Ben Joyce was the fastest pitcher in 2024 when he threw a 105.5 mph strikeout and currently enjoys third place after Chapman.
TIL - the family that couldn’t sleep, a family in Venice, Italy where for over 200 years many of the family members died suffering from fatal insomnia.
TIL Mihailo Tolotos was a Greek Orthodox monk that died without ever seeing a woman. He lived all his 82 years of life in Mount Athos monastery
TIL the United States Army is the largest single employer of musicians in the country
If you need more motivation to get off the couch and startstrength training, here’s your chance. Not only can you grow bigger muscles, but you can bolster your nervous system as well. A stronger nervous systemenhancesour coordination and balance, increases our muscle strength, and improves our memory, attention, and executive function. Time to hit the weights, huh?
TIL there were just 5 surviving longbows from medieval England known to exist before 137 whole longbows (and 3,500 arrows) were recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose in 1980 (a ship of Henry VIII’s navy that capsized in 1545). The bows were in excellent finished condition & have been preserved.
TIL in 2020 a woman took an online DNA test which showed a 22% match with a man who she’d eventually discover to be her still alive uncle, who was kidnapped in 1951 at the age of six & had been missing for 70 years. After he was abducted in Oakland, he was flown to the east coast & raised there.
TIL Geysers are quite rare, requiring a combination of water, heat, and fortuitous plumbing. Yellowstone National Park is home to half of all the geysers found in the world.
This Redditorwho proclaimedthat life didn’t give us lemons was half right. Lemons are hybrids of sour oranges and citrons, but they aren’t man-made. The hybridizationhappenedthousands of years ago naturally, with bees carrying the pollen between sour oranges to citrons. Humans did, however, eventually start cultivating them and growing them in large amounts.
TIL after Leona Helmsley did not pay her contractors that worked on her Connecticut home, she was investigated for tax evasion, and she received a 16 year sentence. During trial her housekeeper testified that Helmsley said “only the little people pay taxes.” She ended up serving 19 months in prison.
TIL that “court jesters” were often used to give bad news to the monarch that no one else would dare deliver. When the French fleet was destroyed at the Battle of Sluys, Phillip VI’s jester told him that the English sailors “don’t even have the guts to jump into the water like our brave French”
TIL that eminem is first rapper to reach 50 million pure album sales.Physical albums sold, excluding digital downloads and streaming.
Perhaps you’ve heard of theWhite Shark Cafe, the spot in the Pacific Ocean where Great White Sharks like to come together annually. But do you know why they do that? In 2018, a team of researchersfound outthat the sharks flock there to feed on light-sensitive animals like phytoplankton, squid, and small fish. UNESCO’s World Heritage Center also wants to make the White Shark Cafe a World Heritage site, but they still need authorities to demonstrate its biological importance.
TIL Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin is still alive and has been denied parole 17 times
TIL 10 US states have absolutely no vehicle inspection whatsoever (i.e no safety, emissions, or VIN inspections)
TIL that in Major League Baseball the ball is pitched so fast that the eye cannot track it. However, the brain is able to calculate its trajectory via specialized cells, making it possible for the batter to hit it.
TIL that the first laws outlawing food coloring were in regards to bread. White bread was expensive and some bakers added chalk to lighten dark bread. King Edward I (1272-1307) created a law saying anyone caught using whiteners in bread would be put in the public pillory for one hour.
TIL that Gene Roddenberry originally did not want to cast Patrick Stewart as Picard, since he had envisioned an actor who was “masculine, virile, and had a lot of hair”.
TIL in 2023, Zimbabwe signed control over almost 20% of the country’s land to Blue Carbon, an Emirati company, for $1.5 billion. The company seeks to conserve forests that might otherwise be logged.
TIL If you’ve believed in good faith for at least five years that you’re a Swiss citizen and local authorities have treated you as such, you can apply for simplified naturalisation.
TIL About a man named Heshen who was known as the most corrupt official in Chinese history. After his death in 1799, his personal wealth was valued at $270 billion, or 15 years of Qing government revenues
TIL every person who has become a centibillionaire (a net worth of usually $100 billion, €100 billion, or £100 billion), first became one in 2017 or later except for Bill Gates who first reached the threshold in 1999.
TIL the total number of Americans over 7-feet tall is estimated between 85 and 150.
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TIL in 1940, when Paramount asked Fleischer Studios to created a Superman cartoon, Fleischer thought it would be too hard to make. In an attempt to avoid making the cartoon, they quoted four times the cost of an average cartoon for the budget ($100k). To their shock, Paramount agreed to the budget.
TIL in 1993 Donald Wyman amputated his left leg below the knee with a pocket knife after it got stuck under a large tree during a logging accident where he bled profusely for an hour & feared he’d die. However, he was even able to keep his leg after firefighters retrieved it & surgeons reattached it
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TIL that the oldest flood myth is likely the Epic of Gilgamesh. Written on 12 stone tablets, it’s one of the first pieces of literature in recorded history. The old Sumerian king searches for immortality and encounters someone who built a ship - the Preserver of Life - to outlast the Great Flood.
TIL in 1902, one day after being jailed for a fight, a man named Ludger Sylbaris survived for four days while the pyroclastic flow from Mt. Pelée killed 30,000. His jail cell was a former ammunition storehouse with thick walls and no windows apart from one ventilation shaft.
TIL that during WWII the average recruit was 5’8” tall and weighed 144 pounds. During basic training, they gained 5-20 pounds and added an inch to their 33 1/4” chest.
TIL that there is a species of whale that has been living in the oceans for millions of years, but it was only recently discovered due to its isolation in the deep depths.
TIL The US Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million.
TIL the 2006 Robbie Williams album Rudebox underperformed so hard one million unsold copies of the album were sold to a Chinese company to be recycled and used as a road paving material.
TIL that in Japan, you can hire a handsome man to watch sad movies with you and wipe your tears.
TIL that in utero, a third artery temporarily runs down the arm to help with the development of the hand. By 8 weeks after birth, this artery usually disappears. For unknown reasons, people are retaining this artery as adults, and it’s now three times as prevalent as it was 100 years ago
TIL Captain Francesco Schettino caused the Costa Concordia disaster, leading to 32 deaths, because he was distracted trying to impress a woman. Even after the crash, he didn’t tell anyone for over an hour about the massive hole in the ship and was more worried about coming up with an excuse.
TIL: There is a condition called “Polished Anus Syndrome” or ‘Pruritis Ani’. Which is Latin for “itchy anus”, and this condition affects 5% of the population.
TIL people diagnosed with ADHD have an 8.4 year lower life expectancy
TIL that an airgapped laptop was intentionally loaded with 6 famously catastrophic computer viruses, worms, and pieces of Malware for the commissioned art piece titled “The Persistence of Chaos”. Much of the $10,000+ spent to produce the work went toward the creation of an effective firewall.
TIL Beef was rarely eaten in ancient China, as cows & bulls were used mostly for transportation. Only nobility could eat beef- but only if the animal died naturally or from old age.
TIL that giving poop of people that have depression to rats, gives them anxiety and depression
TIL: The Lord of the Rings is presented as a translation of a book originally written in Westron, the common speech of Middle-earth. Therefore, Frodo Baggins' real name in Westron is Maura Labingi.
TIL that the US publishes a quarterly list of names of people who renounced citizenship to “shame or embarrass” them
TIL: In order to combat declining birth rates, the Korean government has numerous programs to match couples. One is “I am Jeolo” named after a reality show. Where they out unmarried people in a temple for 2 days. In addition, they will pay ₩20 million when you get married.
TIL the original definition of “the exception that proves the rule.” Although often misused today, the phrase should apply to things like “Casual Friday,” an exception that proves the existence of a dress code on other days
TIL about Stewart Smith who, over the course of 40 years, breed non-native fish in his garage and covertly released them from his car which was outfitted with oxygenated fish tanks into New Zealand’s north island waterways for sport fishing.
TIL in 1982 a crew of five sailing from Maine to Florida ran into a storm with 30-foot waves which capsized their boat. Over the next five days, two of them became delirious after drinking saltwater and walked off the dinghy into many awaiting sharks. Infection [ended] a third, leaving two survivors.
TIL In 1964 Nikes were being made on a waffle press in a van, while Converse was producing almost 100% of all basketball shoes for the NBA and NCAA. By 2003, Converse was bankrupt and Nike purchased what remained of the company for $138 million.
TIL learned about the Samaritans. It’s a religion and there are less than a 1,000 in the world.
TIL - During the California gold rush of 1849, eggs were $3 each, not adjusted for inflation.
TIL that Gabe Newell owns a marine research company, and now mostly lives at sea on his boats and submarines.
TIL that a blind amateur historian’s attempt to publish a history of the Ming Dynasty in 1660 was received so poorly that over 70 people involved were ex***ted and thousands of people arrested.
TIL that Gaddafi survived a US air strike in 1986 thanks to the italian government warning him before the attack.
TIL the British military once had an idea to put live chickens inside nuclear bomb cases with a week’s worth of food and water. The bombs were meant to be planted into the ground as mines, so they had to be kept warm in the winter to keep working.
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