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35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
CuriositiesJAN 20, 2022

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New

Denis Tymulis
Liucija Adomaite
Denis Tymulis and Liucija Adomaite
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With New Year’s resolutions up and rolling, many of us are bringing on gym memberships, improving language skills, taking up new hobbies, getting into self-care and mindfulness, spending more time with family members, and basically, trying hard to be a better version of ourselves.
Meanwhile, our mental muscle is often forgotten and just as we give our bodies nutrients, so do we need to feed our brains with good stuff. So please, dear readers, stop whatever you’re doing. This is an invitation to a workout for your brain cells.
Today, we have a heavyweight treat for them, a brand new collection of incredible Today I Learned facts that range from miscellaneous ones perfect for trivia and mind-bending ones that may totally change your perspective of things. Scroll down below, upvote your favorite facts and be sure to check out our previous posts with Today I Learned goodness here, here and here.

#1

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL about Mary Ellen Pleasant, a black woman in the 1800s who amassed a fortune by eavesdropping on investors while working as a domestic
ap0110
Report
355points

#2

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL a bridge in Ireland that was designed to swing open for ships couldn't be opened for four years because someone lost the remote control
Wrexis, thejournal
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353points

#3

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL outraged Egyptians had once lynched a Roman for killing a cat.
Salsal_Azar
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348points

#4

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL that Betty White holds the Guinness World Record for longest TV career by an entertainer, with credits spanning 80 years (1939 to 2019)
--TheForce--
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333points

#5

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL: Carrie, Stephen King's first novel that launched his career, was rescued from the trash can after his wife Tabatha removed the crumpled up pages, read them and told her husband she wanted to know the rest of the story
LimeSugar, groovyhistory
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319points

#6

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL In 1993 a French man driving a Citroen car in a remote area of the Moroccan desert had a breakdown and became stranded. To survive he tore down the car, built a motorcycle from the parts, and rode it back to civilization. When he arrived he was ticketed for operating an illegal vehicle.
WhenTardigradesFly, jebiga
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313points

#7

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL Queen Elizabeth II has reigned longer than her father, uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather combined
soratoumiga
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302points

#8

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL the British Hedgehog Preservation Society won a campaign in 2006 to force McDonalds to redesign their McFlurry cups due to hedgehogs repeatedly getting stuck in them and dying.
fatboyslick
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296points

#9

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL that owls cannot move their eyes. This is because their eyes are not balls, but cylinders that are held in place by bones called sclerotic rings. This is also the reason that owls have evolved to be able to rotate their head 270 degrees left and right, and 90 degrees up and down.
Cowzilla94
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296points

#10

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL that in 1945, General George S Patton, upon the liberation of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany, forced 1,000 local citizens to tour the camp to witness firsthand the atrocities that had taken place within.
ALFateyourcat
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293points

#11

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL that in Churchill, Canada, locals keep their car doors unlocked in order to provide other residents a quick escape, should they encounter a polar bear
NorthNorthSalt
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277points

#12

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL in the mid 1890s, Mary Whiton Caulkins completed all requirements towards a PhD in Psychology, but Harvard University refused to award her that degree because she was a woman.
67demigod
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268points

#13

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL that according to the U.S. Department of Education, 54% of U.S. adults lack proficiency in literacy, reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.
USPO-222
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250points

#14

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL: The inventor of shopping carts, Sylvan Goldman, had to hire "decoy shoppers" to wheel the carts around stores and demonstrate their convenience, due to not catching on initially.
guinneakeets
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250points

#15

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL that octopuses have copper-based blood rather than iron-based blood…which makes their blood blue in color. (Incidentally, they also have three hearts to pump that blood.)
Willie_Everlearn
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250points

#16

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL dolphins sleep with one eye open. Because they have to periodically go up for air and also be aware of predators, they are able to rest only half of their brain at a time and stay always somewhat conscious.
DesignersUniverse
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240points

#17

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL About the "murder bottle". Many Victorian mothers would use a self feeding bottle to give their babies milk instead of breastfeeding. These bottles were made of earthenware & glass & were incredibly hard to clean which caused severe bacteria build up & caused the deaths of thousands of babies.
BambiKittens666
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218points

#18

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL of the Lodz Ghetto, where at one point 20000 'useless eaters', mainly children under 10, were rounded up and taken away from their families to be exterminated. Many parents committed suicide.
Silicon-Based
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210points

#19

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL of Titanic survivor Frankie Goldsmith. His father died during the sinking, and when he and his mother arrived in America they settled in Detroit near Navin Field (Tiger Stadium). He never attended a game due to the cheers of the crowd reminding him of the cries of the dying people in the water.
derstherower
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206points

#20

35 New ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Prove It’s Never Too Late To Learn Something New
TIL about Ismail al-jazari wrote the “Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices” where he described 50 mechanical devices along with instructions on creating them. He has been described as the father of robotics and modern day engineering.
Humble_Award_4873
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200points
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