Today I Learned (TIL)

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You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? Submit interesting and specific facts about something that you just found out here.

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26
1
TIL that in the Middle Ages, scholars and alchemists were alleged to be assisted by a Brazen Head, an automaton that could answer any question asked of it. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 10 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/9tailNate on 2025-06-24 12:33:05+00:00.

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TIL: Tom Lehrer (he of The Elements Song and Poisoning Pigeons In The Park) has placed all his songs in the public domain. (tomlehrersongs.com)
submitted 13 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/cj_winters on 2025-06-24 11:37:07+00:00.

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TIL of Bill Morgan, who survived clinical death, won the lottery, and then won again while reenacting it on camera. (www.news.com.au)
submitted 11 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Particular_Cut_198 on 2025-06-24 13:28:21+00:00.

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TIL comedian Redd Foxx would often pretend to have a heart attack and pratfall for laughs. Years later, Foxx would have a heart attack for real, with many people thinking it was a bit as he fell t... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 11 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/PerfectUpstairs4842 on 2025-06-24 13:18:44+00:00.

Original Title: TIL comedian Redd Foxx would often pretend to have a heart attack and pratfall for laughs. Years later, Foxx would have a heart attack for real, with many people thinking it was a bit as he fell to the ground. He died from the heart attack.

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TIL the world’s first 3D computer animation — a rotating hand and face made of polygons — was created in 1972 by two students at the University of Utah. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 13 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/a_splintered_mind on 2025-06-24 10:31:10+00:00.

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TIL that Harold Ray Presley - cousin of Elvis and a Mississippi sheriff in the 90s - was mortally wounded in a shootout in 2001, and that an 8,000 pound monument was erected in his honor. In 2008,... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 15 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/unamazing on 2025-06-24 09:17:08+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Harold Ray Presley - cousin of Elvis and a Mississippi sheriff in the 90s - was mortally wounded in a shootout in 2001, and that an 8,000 pound monument was erected in his honor. In 2008, the monument disappeared under suspicious circumstances, and its whereabouts are still unknown.

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TIL the first words ever spoken in a feature film were, “Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!” — delivered by Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927). (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 13 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/a_splintered_mind on 2025-06-24 10:42:24+00:00.

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TIL In 1918, with his life on the line, chess master Ossip Bernstein avoided execution by winning a game against a Bolshevik secret police officer (www.chess.com)
submitted 13 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Myopic_Visionary_ on 2025-06-24 09:30:26+00:00.

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TIL Ant eggs are eaten and farmed in Southeast Asia. They're used in dishes in various countries and is even sold canned. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 13 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Tough_Wallaby_2989 on 2025-06-24 07:14:21+00:00.

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TIL that Kabang, a stray dog Aspin from Philippines, became a national hero in 2011 after she deliberately leapt in front of a speeding motorcycle to save her owner’s daughter and niece, resulting... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 17 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/SheilaSchlatt on 2025-06-24 08:08:00+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Kabang, a stray dog Aspin from Philippines, became a national hero in 2011 after she deliberately leapt in front of a speeding motorcycle to save her owner’s daughter and niece, resulting to losing her upper snout in the process. She passed away in 2021 at age 13.

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TIL an African Grey Parrot named Alex was the first non-human animal to ever ask a question when he looked in a mirror and asked “What color?” learning the word “grey” (wikipedia.org)
submitted 17 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Harry-Twotter on 2025-06-24 07:16:47+00:00.

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TIL about Catatumbo Lightning, an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs over and around Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. This leads the lake to have the highest density of lightning in the world, sometim... (www.wikipedia.org)
submitted 17 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/sgrams04 on 2025-06-24 03:36:39+00:00.

Original Title: TIL about Catatumbo Lightning, an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs over and around Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. This leads the lake to have the highest density of lightning in the world, sometimes with 16 to 40 flashes per minute.

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TIL that the founder of Lipton Tea, Sir Thomas Lipton, was a lifelong bachelor who had a secret relationship with his shop assistant, William Love (www.glasgowworld.com)
submitted 21 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/greenknight884 on 2025-06-24 04:13:31+00:00.

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TIL that in its original run, The Jetsons only aired 24 episodes across a span of six months from 1962-1963, before being cancelled due to low ratings. Reruns got such high viewership over the yea... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 21 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/WavesAndSaves on 2025-06-24 02:41:18+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in its original run, The Jetsons only aired 24 episodes across a span of six months from 1962-1963, before being cancelled due to low ratings. Reruns got such high viewership over the years that in 1985, 51 more episodes were produced.

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TIL the antechinus is a small, mouse-like marsupial from Australia. During mating season, the male engages in frenzied 12-hour mating marathons with multiple females, pushing his body to the brink... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 19 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/carboncopy95437 on 2025-06-24 03:54:47+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the antechinus is a small, mouse-like marsupial from Australia. During mating season, the male engages in frenzied 12-hour mating marathons with multiple females, pushing his body to the brink. The stress is so extreme that it often leads to organ failure and death shortly afterward.

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TIL Studies show patients suffering from kidney stones often passed the stones while riding the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 21 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/bryson1995 on 2025-06-24 03:07:34+00:00.

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TIL that many U.S. states secretly obtain the drugs used in lethal injections from small compounding pharmacies whose identities are hidden by state secrecy laws. These drugs are produced under le... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 21 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/WheatTrampler on 2025-06-24 02:25:33+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that many U.S. states secretly obtain the drugs used in lethal injections from small compounding pharmacies whose identities are hidden by state secrecy laws. These drugs are produced under less federal oversight, resulting in variable quality, and sometimes leading to botched executions.

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TIL Comet Hale-Bopp was independently discovered in 1995 by two people: astronomer Alan Hale and amateur stargazer Thomas Bopp. Both immediately alerted the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegra... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/NateNate60 on 2025-06-23 23:13:48+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Comet Hale-Bopp was independently discovered in 1995 by two people: astronomer Alan Hale and amateur stargazer Thomas Bopp. Both immediately alerted the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams to report their discovery. Hale sent an e-mail, while Bopp sent a Western Union telegram.

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TIL that after WWII, Japan faced a massive meth crisis when surplus military methamphetamine, originally given to kamikaze pilots and soldiers, flooded the black market leading to the world’s firs... (www.youtube.com)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/thePHEnomIShere on 2025-06-23 19:41:38+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that after WWII, Japan faced a massive meth crisis when surplus military methamphetamine, originally given to kamikaze pilots and soldiers, flooded the black market leading to the world’s first major stimulant epidemic.

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TIL 2055 brown recluse spiders were removed from a house in Kansas. The spiders had four human roommates who had lived in their house for many years and were never bitten, despite frequent encount... (academic.oup.com)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Gecko99 on 2025-06-24 00:11:43+00:00.

Original Title: TIL 2055 brown recluse spiders were removed from a house in Kansas. The spiders had four human roommates who had lived in their house for many years and were never bitten, despite frequent encounters with the spiders.

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TIL Amazon Alexa recordings were successfully used as evidence in the conviction of a murder suspect in 2023. "Detectives discovered voice commands made by White and his wife at the time of the mu... (www.bbc.com)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/TylerFortier_Photo on 2025-06-23 23:51:23+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Amazon Alexa recordings were successfully used as evidence in the conviction of a murder suspect in 2023. "Detectives discovered voice commands made by White and his wife at the time of the murder had been saved."

47
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TIL there's 88 cities/towns named Washington in the US (www.worldatlas.com)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Double-decker_trams on 2025-06-23 21:57:09+00:00.

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TIL Late Empire of China banned Mining because of the traditional cosmological beliefs which regarded the land as a sacred legacy. This ban was lifted in 19th century in order to oppose European a... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Songrot on 2025-06-23 21:42:38+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Late Empire of China banned Mining because of the traditional cosmological beliefs which regarded the land as a sacred legacy. This ban was lifted in 19th century in order to oppose European and American colonial imperialism and invasion

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TIL Spanish entomologist Luis Méndez de Torres was the first to realize, in the late 1500s, the "king" bee was, in fact, a female. But he didn't call it "queen," but "mistress of the swarm." (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/adiplotti on 2025-06-23 21:35:40+00:00.

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TIL in Sept 2023 MGM Resorts International & Caesars Entertainment were both hit by ransomware attacks from the same group. Caesars paid a $15m ransom instead of the $30m the attackers had dem... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/tyrion2024 on 2025-06-23 17:39:49+00:00.

Original Title: TIL in Sept 2023 MGM Resorts International & Caesars Entertainment were both hit by ransomware attacks from the same group. Caesars paid a $15m ransom instead of the $30m the attackers had demanded, however MGM refused to pay & had its operations shut down for several days which led to a $100m loss.

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