86 Surprising Facts That Make You Realize How Much There Still Is To Learn (New Pics)

TIL that Ferrari has a set of rules that its cars' owners must follow like criticism of the brand is discouraged, no modifications through unofficial channels, and no resale during the first year of ownership. Those that fail to follow faced lawsuits and bans.

TIL The first diplomatic contacts between The Tsar and the Chinese emperor in the 17th century was marred with miscommunication due to the language barrier. It took 3 diplomatic trips for the Chinese to realise that the diplomats represented the same people who were raiding them at the Amur river.

TIL that garlic bread was invented by Italian immigrants in the US in the 20th century. It stems from bruschetta but olive oil was hard to find back then, so butter was used instead.

TIL the Koh-i-Noor, one of the world's most famous and priceless diamonds, is the subject of a centuries-old legend claiming it brings doom and misfortune to its owners and the downfall of kingdoms and empires. Today, it's part of the British Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.

TIL the robber Jeffrey "Roofman" Manchester who evaded custody by living inside stores, left a single fingerprint in his secret living quarters: A DVD of "Catch Me If You Can".

TIL that the Body Mass Index (BMI) classifications aren't the same worldwide. In the US, a BMI of 30 or above is considered obese. In Japan, obesity begins at a BMI of 25 (Obesity Class 1), while in Singapore, the cutoff is 27.5.

TIL researchers won the 2025 Ig Nobel Chemistry Prize for proposing eating Teflon as a zero calorie food. They cited 1960s DuPont studies where rats fed a 25% Teflon diet lost weight with no signs of toxicity, and patented it as a meal additive, but gave up after the FDA would not approve it.

TIL that by 1797, the United States was paying nearly a fifth of the entire federal budget in tribute to Barbary pirates.

TIL that in 1695, English pirate Henry Every captured the Mughal treasure ship Ganj-i-Sawai, looting wealth worth about £108 million today. The raid nearly sparked a diplomatic crisis between England and the Mughal Empire. A £500 bounty was offered for Every, but he vanished without a trace.

TIL The United States tried year-round daylight saving time twice before, in 1942-45 and again in 1974, but repealed it after it became unpopular.

TIL Tuvalu is the least visited country in the world.

TIL Michael Jackson’s high pitched wasn’t his natural voice, his natural voice was deeper than the one he presented in public.

TIL: President Nixon worked for months to learn to use chopsticks, in preparation for the dinner banquets on his opening visit to the People's Republic of China in February 1972.

TIL that a small swimming pool in Exmouth UK, uses a data centre to heat it.

TIL the greatest number of passengers ever carried by a commercial airliner is 1,088. This figure includes two babies born on the flight.

TIL that in 2018, a 14-year-old girl named Cindy Redmond had an air horn blasted into her ear by her friend's stepfather after she wouldn't get off her phone. This caused her to develop hyperacusis, a rare hearing disorder which makes any small noise cause her immense pain.

TIL one of the most popular actors in China is Mark Rowswell (stage name: Dashan), a Canadian comedian. He is often considered the most famous foreigner in the country. He is largely unknown in North America.

TIL that Mississippi has no open container law, allowing the driver of a motor vehicle to drink and drive as long as they stay sober.

TIL A US survey of 500 licensed drivers over the age of 18 found that 44 percent of them would fail a written driving test if they had to take it today.

TIL the Telugu letter "Gna" (జ్ఞా) forced Apple into an emergency global update in 2018 because simply displaying it would fatally crash the iOS user interface.