-
TodayILearned now in Telegram! More channels: @reddit2telegram_bot Chat for ideas: https://telegram.me/r_channels
TIL that Bruce Willis walked away from the Expendables 3 because he wanted 4 million dollars instead of 3 million (for four days of work).
https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/aug/08/bruce-willis-1m-per-day-expendables-3
https://redd.it/1eqrc31
@r_til
TIL In 2020, The North American Scrabble Players Association banned racial slurs and other offensive words from official play, a decision which was controversial among top players.
https://slate.com/culture/2020/07/scrabble-offensive-words-ban-player-reaction.html
https://redd.it/1eqqetb
@r_til
TIL during The Battle of The Bulge, General Patton ordered a chaplain to compose a prayer for good weather that was desperately needed for an advance. The chaplain complied, the weather cleared, and Patton awarded the chaplain a bronze star on the spot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Patton#Battle_of_the_Bulge
https://redd.it/1eqgh7g
@r_til
TIL that In 1969, the first message sent over the ARPANET was supposed to be the word "login." However, the system crashed after only two letters were transmitted, sending just "lo."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARPANET
https://redd.it/1eppi14
@r_til
TIL while most Woolly Mammoth populations died out 14,000 to 10,000 years ago, the last population survived on Wrangell Island up until 4000 years ago, as the Pyramids were being built.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolly_mammoth#Extinction
https://redd.it/1epvdsf
@r_til
TIL A class-action lawsuit claims that people who enjoy the night sky with telescopes have been consistently overcharged. The amateur astronomy market in the US is 80% controlled by two companies and the telescope global market is predicted to grow to $294 million annually by 2025
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/telescope-price-fixing-astronomy-1.5617766
https://redd.it/1epupp7
@r_til
TIL that African naked mole rat do not feel the sting of capsaicin (main component of chilies) and acids
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-020-01414-w#:~:text=Unlike%20most%20mammals%2C%20naked%20mole,nor%20the%20sting%20of%20acid.
https://redd.it/1eppkp0
@r_til
TIL that asthma is the most common chronic illness among Olympians.
https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/news/olympic-athletes-with-asthma/
https://redd.it/1epw08y
@r_til
TIL the first movie about the sinking of the Titanic premiered only 31 days after she sank, and was written by an actress who survived the sinking, who also starred in it. She later had a nervous breakdown and never acted again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saved_from_the_Titanic
https://redd.it/1ep1ez5
@r_til
TIL “Maroons” were descendants of escaped slaves who formed their own communities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maroons#United_States
https://redd.it/1ep23lq
@r_til
TIL of the last Kaua'i 'ō'ō bird, who was recorded singing a mating call to a female that would never come. It died in 1987.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaua%CA%BBi_%CA%BB%C5%8D%CA%BB%C5%8D
https://redd.it/1eosejg
@r_til
TIL In 2014 a Jamaican phone scammer threatened to kill a retired American man named William Webster when he wouldn't fall for the scam. The scammer didn't know Webster was the former director of both the FBI and CIA. He was arrested when he flew to NYC in 2017 and sentenced to 6 years in prison.
https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/webster-scam-final-021919.mp4/view
https://redd.it/1eoyf16
@r_til
TIL that the longest javelin throw was 99.52 meters using a now illegal technique that was considered "out of control". No one has broken this record with modern javelin rules.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javelin_throw#:~:text=On%2024%20October%201956%2C%20Pentti,banned%20through%20these%20rule%20specifications.
https://redd.it/1enp0zu
@r_til
TIL that the 1992 Dream Team, widely considered the best basketball team ever assembled, only practiced together for six days in Monaco before winning the Olympics. Monaco was selected in part because it would be attractive to a team with some notorious gamblers.
https://www.si.com/more-sports/2012/07/24/usa-basketball-game-nobody-saw
https://redd.it/1eo1swe
@r_til
TIL Adenosine is an organic compound that, when injected, stops the heart for a few seconds and is used to treat heartbeats, that are too fast (140-250bpm), in effect turning it off an on again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine
https://redd.it/1eo3cuk
@r_til
TIL the term "Spaghetti Western" refers to Western films made in Europe. It's called such because most of these films were directed by Italians.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_Western
https://redd.it/1eqh7st
@r_til
TIL that on hearing about Kristallnacht, Kaiser Willhelm II said from his exile "For the first time, I am ashamed to be a German".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_II#Life_in_exile
https://redd.it/1eqnpmp
@r_til
TIL the 2nd heaviest person in recorded history (1,340lbs) was ordered by his government to undergo weight loss treatment. He lost over 700lbs in just 6 months, and currently weighs 150lbs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_bin_Mohsen_Shaari
https://redd.it/1eqmuaz
@r_til
TIL that squirrels can't find more than half the nuts they hide
https://www.britannica.com/story/is-it-true-that-squirrels-forget-where-they-bury-about-half-of-their-food
https://redd.it/1eprivc
@r_til
TIL that penguins have an organ behind their eyes that turns sea water in to fresh water
https://animals.mom.com/penguins-drink-3006.html
https://redd.it/1epnm0f
@r_til
TIL that in the work, An Instinct for Dragons, an anthropologist argues that the universality of dragons across human societies is due to evolutionary reasons, with common primate predators being merged into a hybrid monster.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Instinct_for_Dragons
https://redd.it/1epij8a
@r_til
TIL the remains buried in the Vietnam portion of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were later identified as 1st. Lt. Michael Blassie. Today, the tomb sits empty.
https://www.vvmf.org/stories/Michael-Blassie/
https://redd.it/1epm5z9
@r_til
TIL that the 1985 movie "Clue", based on the popular board game, was filmed with three different possible endings. Different cinemas received different reels, so all three endings were showing simultaneously at different venues.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clue_(film)
https://redd.it/1eomeqp
@r_til
TIL Olympians live 5 years longer on average than the general population
https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101696
https://redd.it/1ep3xxr
@r_til
TIL that upon his death, the Catholic priest Jean Meslier (1664-1729) was discovered to have written a book-length philosophical essay promoting atheism and materialism and criticizing and denouncing all religions, calling Jesus a "madman" and a "fanatic".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Meslier
https://redd.it/1eoqbyf
@r_til
TIL that once, in 1910, the Ottoman Empire sent 80,000 stray dogs to a desert island, where they quickly became feral and ended up cannibalizing each other. This event is known as the "Hayırsızada Incident"
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2021/11/the-hayirsizada-dog-massacre.html
https://redd.it/1eovq6t
@r_til
TIL Kurt Lee, the first Chinese-American US Marine Corps officer, yelled out orders in Mandarin Chinese to confuse opposing Chinese troops during the Battle of Inchon in the Korean War.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Chew-Een_Lee#Battle_of_Inchon
https://redd.it/1ep2qul
@r_til
TIL It took 51 years and 3 amateurs to solve a particular cypher sent by the Zodiac Killer
https://coffeeordie.com/zodiac-killer-cipher
https://redd.it/1enq7cr
@r_til
TIL a B-17 gunner named Maynard Harrison Smith put out an ammunition fire during a battle by urinating on it. He later earned a Medal of Honor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maynard_Harrison_Smith
https://redd.it/1enwx8e
@r_til
TIL that Eminem was offered the lead role in the film "Elysium" but reportedly turned it down, leading director to instead cast Matt Damon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminem#Acting_career
https://redd.it/1eo6hdz
@r_til