50 Fascinating “Today I Learned” Posts That Might Leave You Questioning Reality (June Edition)

TIL that during the filming of "The African Queen" (1951) on location in Uganda, many of the cast and crew became ill. During the filming of a scene where Katharine Hepburn played an organ, the crew kept a bucket off camera so she could vomit into it between takes

TIL in about 50% of the cases studied, Coca-Cola alone was found to be effective at removing a type of bowel obstruction called phytobezoars (which consist of indigestible plant fibers). And when treatment with Coca-Cola is combined with additional endoscopic methods, the success rate approaches 90%

TIL a Croatian woman died of unknown natural causes alone in her apartment; her body remained undisturbed for 42 years until it was discovered sitting in front of her TV in 2008. It's thought that the isolated position of the place allowed the decomposition to go unnoticed until mummification set in

TIL the world’s largest fast food chain isn’t McDonald’s — it’s a Chinese ice cream and boba tea shop called Mixue, with more locations globally than any other brand.

TIL that Richard Norris Williams survived the Titanic disaster, was told his legs should be amputated due to severe frostbite, but refused—and went on to win the U.S. National Tennis Championships.

TIL Over 80% of the world has never taken a flight.

TIL that Louis Joseph Xavier, a French prince, died after developing an injury from a fall that turned fatal. Louis said that he developed his injury after being pushed by a playmate, but he refused to say who pushed him so they would not be punished. He was only 9 years old.

TIL In 1995, a boy was discovered with blood containing no trace of his father’s DNA due to an extremely rare case of partial human parthenogenesis, where the mother’s egg cell divided just prior to fertilization, making parts of his body genetically fatherless.

TIL that the Y chromosome can disappear with age. About 35% of men aged 70 years old are missing a Y chromosome in some of their cells, with the degree of loss ranging between 4% and 70%.

TIL Italy used to be the 4th largest economy on Earth in 1991, behind only the USA, Japan and Germany, however unsustainable budget deficits and massive public debt eventually caught up to them, flatlining their economic growth

TIL that the Six Chinese survivors of the Titanic disaster were expelled from the United States within 24 hours of their arrival, due to the Chinese Exclusion Act which was in force between 1882 and 1943

TIL For centuries, Borzoi dogs could not be purchased but only given as gifts from the Tsar. The breed was almost rendered extinct after the Russian Revolution, as the communists associated the breed with the upper classes and k***ed Borzoi dogs in large numbers.

TIL supermarkets put fruits and veggies right at the entrance so you feel like you’ve made a healthy choice — giving you permission to grab junk food later without guilt. Meanwhile, essentials like milk are way at the back, forcing you to walk past all the snacks.

TIL that lobsters don’t die of old age. They just keep growing and reproducing until something k**lls them.

TIL that Roman emperor Nero participated in the Olympics in AD 67. He had bribed organizers to postpone the games for a year so he could participate and won every contest in which he was a competitor. After he died a year later, his name was removed from the list of winners

TIL that in 1978, a man mailed himself from Australia to the UK in a wooden crate as cargo, and survived the 63-hour journey.

TIL con artist Anthony Gignac once convinced American Express to issue him a platinum card with a $200 million credit limit under the name of an actual Saudi prince by claiming that failing to supply him with new card would anger his supposed dad, the king.

TIL astronauts aboard the ISS do not wash or dry their clothes. They wear them until they're too dirty or stinky to wear, then they put them in a capsule and drop them into the atmosphere, where they burn up during re-entry.

TIL that with a net worth of $500 million, German Shepherd, Gunther IV is the world's richest dog. He inherited his fortune from his father, Gunther III, the previous richest dog in the world.

TIL about the Barkley Marathon. It's a 100 mile long ultra marathon through the state of Tennessee with a 60h time limit. You can only apply by sending an essay on why you deserve to take part in it in addition with a 1.60$ entrance fee.