Interesting FactsDEC 23, 2024

30 Interesting And Intriguing Facts From The “Today I Learned” Community (New Facts)

Evelina Šiukšterytė, Kornelija Viečaitė and Viktorija Ošikaitė

Many people might develop an aversion to learning while they're in school. But exercising our mind can actually improve our memory, attention span, people skills, and might stave off the onset of dementia. We just have to find a fun and engaging way to do it!

And Bored Panda is all about learning random interesting facts. If you're curious to know what really caused the international liquid ban on planes (it wasn't 9/11) and why the Swiss decided to abolish tipping, scroll down and see our newest collection of interesting facts from the TIL community!

#21

Aerial view of river deltas flowing through lush green forest, illustrating intriguing facts from the Today I Learned community.

TIL the Amazon river dumps so much fresh water into the Atlantic that it is possible to drink from the surface for about 200 mile offshore.

Longjumping_Result68, European Space Agency

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42points

Astronaut Anne McClane's space crime might sound like a funny TIL fact, but, in reality, it was a real pain because of its jurisdictional challenges. Since she committed the crime aboard the ISS, it wasn't clear where she should be prosecuted. The 1998 ISS Intergovernmental Agreement states that astronauts should be prosecuted in the countries of their nationality.

#22

Animated characters hugging with a smiling elderly figure, depicting intriguing facts from the TIL community.

TIL that Nickelodeon almost cancelled Hey Arnold’s Christmas episode because they thought kids wouldn't care about its portrayal of the Vietnam War. An executive revoked the decision when her nine-year-old son saw a rough cut of the episode and asked 'Mom, is that what Vietnam was all about?'.

Toipu, Nickelodeon Animation Studio

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40points

#23

Person in traditional attire with feathered hair accessory, standing outdoors.

TIL that up to half of the current Cherokee nation can trace their lineage to a single Scottish fur trader who married into the tribe in the early 1700's.

Wyrdeone, sonjachnyj / freepik

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40points

#24

Man working at a dual-monitor setup in a modern office, focusing on coding, representing intriguing facts and learning.

TIL in 2016, a man deleted his open-source Javascript package, which consisted of only 11 lines of code. Because this packaged turned out to be a dependency on major software projects, the deletion caused service disruptions across the internet.

nuttybudd, DC Studio / freepik

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38points

Legendary British physicist Stephen Hawking used a voice computer to communicate with the world, but his voice computer spoke with an American accent. The speech synthesizer Hawking used was called Speech Plus CallText 5010, and its male voice was that of Dennis H. Klatt's. Klatt recorded himself for 'Perfect Paul,' a program that Hawking used until the very end. Klatt himself lost his voice to thyroid cancer, but it lived on in 'Perfect Paul' as the iconic Stephen Hawking voice.

#25

Clear glass bottle with a rolled paper inside, held by a hand, illustrating intriguing facts.

TIL a team of student volunteers on an archaeological dig at a site in northern France discovered a 200-year-old note left by an archaeologist who had performed an excavation of the site in 1825.

tyrion2024, Guillaume Blondel / BBC

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38points

#26

Historical painting depicting ancient figures exchanging gestures, showcasing intriguing cultural interactions.

TIL Alexander the Great had a Hindu Guru who accompanied his army on their return to Persia. After he died via self immolation the army held a drinking contest in his honor, resulting in 42 people dying from alcohol poisoning, including the winner, who drank 13 litres of unmixed wine.

Ainsley-Sorsby, Musée du Prado

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35points

#27

Man in a white shirt with a red bow tie sitting at a bar, appearing contemplative, representing intriguing facts discussed.

TIL that in 1907 French waiters went on strike for better pay, more time off - and the right to grow mustaches. At the time, lower-class workers were forbidden to have facial hair.

coolranch36, freepik

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34points

Crows are the subject of many creations in the horror genre, but there is a morbid fact about how the birds conduct themselves after one of them passes away. When a crow comes upon a deceased one, they call all other crows in the area with an alarm call. Scientists call this behavior "funerals," and it's a way for the birds to learn about dangerous places, people, and even predators.

#28

People in a business meeting discussing intriguing facts at a modern office table.

TIL a bank clerk dozed off with his finger on the keyboard and accidentally transferred 222,222,222.22 euros instead of 64.20 euros. His supervisor did not notice the error, approved the transaction, and was fired. The next year, a German labour court ruled the supervisor was unfairly dismissed.

Forward-Answer-4407, javi_indy / freepik

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28points

#29

Man smiling in office setting with vintage computer, related to intriguing facts and learning community.

TIL Stephen Hawking’s speech-generating device used a default American accent because he preferred it over a British one. Even when offered a modernized voice, he stuck with it, calling it his “trademark” and joking it made him sound more authoritative.

ObjectiveAd6551, NASA

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25points

#30

Person in striped shirt holding a staff, showcasing intriguing skill in a video setting.

TIL Ghyslain Raza (the Star Wars Kid) began getting tutored at home because the school staff asked him not to return the following year after students started to tease or mock him which they saw as bad publicity. Although, he was able to move past it and now has a law degree & is working on his PHD.

tyrion2024, Ghyslain Raza

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17points

So, Pandas, what did you think of this collection from the TIL community? Did you find the entries informative, entertaining, or, perhaps, both? Let us know in the comments which ones piqued your interest the most. Don't forget to upvote your favorites! And if you want to learn more interesting cool facts, check out our previous articles here, here, and here!

Poll Question

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Evelina ŠiukšterytėAuthor

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