Today I Learned 🎓

29 Oct 2024 01:49

TIL that in 2014, the Copenhagen Zoo euthanized a healthy giraffe because they wanted to prevent him from breeding. The animal was killed, skinned, and fed to the zoos lions, all in full view of children [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 23:49

TIL that while filming Barry Lyndon in Ireland in 1974, director Stanley Kubrick received a phone call alleging that the IRA had him on a hit list and gave him 24 hours to leave the country. He left within 12 hours, with the film being only one-third completed. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 20:49

TIL legendary session bassist Leland Sklar put a switch on his bass that does nothing. He calls it the "producer switch" — when a producer asks for a different sound, he flips the switch (making sure the producer can see), and carries on. He says this placebo has saved him a lot of grief. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 18:49

TIL that Oscar nominee, Robert Forster, who played "The Disappearer" in both Breaking Bad and the Breaking Bad movie, "El Camino," died on the release date of El Camino. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 17:49

TIL that the de facto main language between Singaporeans is Singaporean Colloquial English, AKA broken English/Singlish [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 14:49

TIL the gourd was one of the world's first cultivated plants grown not primarily for food, but for use as containers. It is also used as a resonator on many stringed instruments, including the sitar [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 10:49

TIL one of the longest writings preserved in Pompeii is the poem of a woman yearning for another woman [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 08:49

TIL The exercise paradox, also known as the workout paradox, refers to the finding that physical activity, while essential for maintaining overall health, does not necessarily lead to significant weight loss or increased calorie expenditure. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 04:49

TIL in World War I, German and French soldiers would sometimes display "live and let live" behavior. Sometimes soldiers would refuse to target the other side and at other times they would fire weapons ceremoniously and with no intent to harm the enemy [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 01:49

TIL: Oreo was created in 1912 as an imitation of Hydrox. Oreo eventually surpassed Hydrox in popularity, which resulted in the Hydrox cookies being perceived by many as an imitation of Oreo, despite the opposite being the case [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 23:49

TIL Jamie Lee Curtis was given $200 to create Laurie Strode's wardrobe for Halloween (1978). She got her entire outfit from JCPenney. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 20:49

TIL that from 1170 to 1512, "The Neck Verse" could save one from punishment for almost any crime in England. Literate accusees, or criminals who had simply memorised Psalm 51:3, would recite it to claim the "Benefit of Clergy", meaning they would be tried by the much more lenient church courts. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 19:49

TIL that Keanu Reeves gave away most of his The Matrix earnings to the film's special effects and costume teams. He reportedly forfeited up to $75 million of his earnings because he felt they were the true heroes behind the groundbreaking film. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 18:49

TIL - that Larry Silverstein owner of the twin towers received $4.6 billion insurance money following the 9/11 attacks. Settlement was reached in 2007 after a long legal battle whether there was 1 or 2 separate attacks. It was ruled as 2 attacks significantly increasing the insurance payout. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 14:49

TIL: William S. Burroughs killed his wife while playing William Tell. She stood 3 meters away from him with a drinking glass on her head. Meaning to shoot the glass, Burroughs shot her in the head. He dismissed the killing as being performed by an external force that wanted to control him. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

29 Oct 2024 00:49

TIL The stability–instability paradox states that when two countries each have nuclear weapons, the probability of a direct war between them greatly decreases, but the probability of minor or indirect conflicts between them increases. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 22:49

TIL that the 400m world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk is the one and only sprinter in history to have run sub-10, sub-20, sub-31 and sub-44 at 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m respectively. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 19:49

TIL during 1904 Olympics men's marathon winner was disqualified as he rode in a car for part of the race. The actual winner was near collapse and hallucinating, an effect of being fed brandy, raw eggs, and strychnine by his trainers. The fourth-place finisher took a nap after eating spoiled apples. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 17:49

TIL a French occultist built a device to test the hypothesis that snails create a permanent telepathic link when they mate. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 16:50

TIL About Extreme (Haunted) Houses Which Go So Far As To Torture Contestants After Signing A Waiver [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 13:50

TIL Americans over the age of 60 are entitled to one kilogram of free cheese every month [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 09:49

TIL Professionals in psychology and related fields have long looked upon sarcasm negatively, particularly noting that sarcasm tends to be a 'Maladaptive coping mechanism' for those with 'unresolved anger' or 'frustration'. One psychologist has even described it as 'hostility disguised as humour' [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 05:50

TIL 99% of what the British Museum owns isn’t on display. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 03:49

TIL that food companies can mark a product as zero calories if a single serving contains less than 5 calories [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

28 Oct 2024 00:49

TIL in 1692 an 80 year old from Livonia was called to court as a witness to a theft. Unprompted, he revealed that he was a werewolf who fought witches in hell, including his neighbour, who broke his nose with his broomstick. The judges initialy laughed but evidence forced them to take it seriously [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 22:49

TIL about kabaddi, an ancient contact sport where each turn is one breath. Players chant “kabaddi” continuously to prove they aren’t inhaling on their turn [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 20:49

TIL that the Ganges river receives around 19 billion gallons (72 billion liters) of sewage a day, most of which is untreated. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 18:49

TIL: upon selling the ‘Lord Of The Rings’ movie rights to United Artists in 1968, J.R.R. Tolkien strictly forbade that Disney would ever become involved. When referring to Disney’s pictures he said“some have given me nausea.” [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 16:49

TIL of the egg fried rice protests, a form of anti government protest In China where internet users post recipes for fried rice on October 24th, and November 25th. This is in reference to the birth and death of the son of Mao Zedong, who died from a bomb whilst cooking outside during the Korean war [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

27 Oct 2024 14:49

TIL 'Dr. Death' Harold Shipman, a GP in the UK, was convicted of murdering 15 patients and is suspected of killing over 250. [Source]