Interesting FactsFEB 11, 2024

50 People Share “Today I Learned” Facts They Never Learned At School (New Facts)

Evelina Šiukšterytė, Adelaide May Ross and Gabija Palšytė

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What’s on the agenda today, pandas? Perhaps you’re working, doing some laundry, going for a run and calling your parents to check in on them. And while you’re being so productive, you might as well squeeze in some time for learning too!

Below, we’ve gathered a list of fun facts that have recently been shared on the Today I Learned subreddit. 5 minutes from now, you’ll have plenty more information to share with friends and family members, and you’ll know even more about the world. Keep reading to also find a conversation with Jake Olefsky, CEO of Braingle.com, and be sure to upvote the facts you’re glad to have learned today!

#1

50 People Share “Today I Learned” Facts They Never Learned At School (New Facts)

That Wimbledon umpires learn a vast array of swear words in many different languages in order to flag, and subsequently fine, any athlete to break the no swearing rule.

Username_Is_TakenF

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318points

#2

Of Alice Kober, who helped decipher an ancient script known as Linear B. Over 20 years, she meticulously recorded her research in a collection of 180,000 index cards. The script was deciphered in 1952, shortly after her death. It remains the only Bronze Age Aegean script that is readable now.

EtOHMartini

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315points

#3

Irish Supreme Court doesn't classify Subway bread as bread, but instead as cake because of its sugar content.

Traditional_Wheel_43

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300points

To learn more about the wonderful world of fun facts, we reached out to the CEO of Braingle.com, Jake Olefsky, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. "Sharing fun facts is amazing because you can surprise someone and teach them something new at the same time," he shared. "They are good conversation starters!"

We were also curious about Jake's favorite fun facts. "My favorite is the one that I have most recently learned, so it changes constantly," he revealed. "Today, I learned that a stadium-sized comet is going to whizz past the earth this week! Hopefully it won't hit us."

#4

About Deborah Sampson. She disguised herself as a man so she could join the Continental Army and fight in the Revolutionary war. She was shot twice but fearing someone would find out her secret she removed one of the balls with a penknife and carried the other bullet in her leg her whole life.

Stag328

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296points

#5

The name of Ishi, known as the 'last wild indian' is an adopted name. In the Yahi culture, he one cannot speak his own name until introduced by another Yahi. When asked his name, he said: "I have none, because there were no people to name me".

foobadoop

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290points

#6

William Wrigley initially offered free baking powder as a gift for his soap but the powder turned out to be more popular. He switched to selling the powder and added sticks of gum as a gift. The gum became incredibly popular thus forcing him to switch and became the world's leading gum company.

EqualPenalty5969, IamMunkk

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264points

As for the trivia and fun facts you'll find on Braingle, Jake says it's supplied by the site's users. "Anyone can create their own trivia quiz on any topic that they are interested in," he told Bored Panda.

"Of course, we have a review process where editors fact-check each question and proofread it for errors," Jake added. "If you are an expert in some subject, please come and make a quiz on it to share with the world."

#7

A 2013 survey, involving 1,081 doctors regarding advance end-of-life directives, found that 88.3% said they would choose do-not-resuscitate or "no code" orders for themselves.

yrion2024

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245points

#8

That the "dumb" in dumbbells originally meant "mute". A "dumb" bell was a contraption used to train church bell ringers in the fine art of bell ringing without annoying the entire neighborhood. Later, because of the similarities in shape, the name was applied to certain exercise equipment.

smudge_47

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235points

#9

About 100,000 people died each year in India due to the collapse of vulture populations. Vultures were crucial to the ecosystem & their near extinction due to accidental poisoning extended the presence of animal carcasses in the local environment, increasing rabies & reducing water quality.

econlmics

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232points

Jake also says it's important to be a lifelong learner "because it keeps your brain in shape, so you can stay sharp as you age."

"It also makes you a more interesting person to be around, so you'll make more friends. Just remain curious and try to learn something new every day," he added. "Come to Braingle.com to take a trivia quiz on a wide range of topics, or create your own quiz on anything that you are interested in."

#10

There is a excerpt from John Adam's diary where he describes the time he had to share a tiny bed with Benjamin Franklin and, instead of sleeping, they had an argument about whether to keep the windows open or closed. Franklin eventually won the argument when Adams got too tired and fell asleep.

Sayyid_Karim, wikipedia.org

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216points

#11

That 55% of YA readers are actually adults.

laterdude, cottonbro studio

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213points

#12

Many people hear voices and music in white noise. This is known as auditory pareidolia or “musical ear syndrome.”

HarryBallsbald

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201points

#13

The USA federal witness protection program has a 100% success rate for those who follow their guidelines.

UltimateOreo

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183points

#14

That birds can get divorced. Over 90% of avian species form socially monogamous pair bonds, but they may end the bonds by 're-mating' with a different partner after so-called 'divorce'. Divorce rate increases with male promiscuity and migration distance.

SteO153

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178points

#15

Horses went extinct in North America about 10,000 years ago. They were then reintroduced to the continent by the Spanish as early as the 1550s.

MrMojoFomo

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176points

#16

The first and last fatalities of building the Hoover Dam were a father and his son. They died on the same day, 14 years apart.

Rasterized1

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174points

#17

Of the 5 known assassination attempts on Queen Elizabeth II, the one that came closest to succeeding was attempted by a 17-year-old New Zealander, who shot at her with a .22 calibre rifle, but missed so badly that nobody even realised shots were fired.

georgeoj

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171points

#18

That due to very poor consumer reviews and negative media attention in 2014, Haribo discontinued sugar free gummy bears. The gummy bears contained maltitol, a sugar alcohol that is not fully digestible and that ferments in the gut. It can cause increased flatulence, loose stools, and diarrhea.

Sandstorm400

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164points

#19

North American porcupines love salt and are known to eat backpackers’ road salt-covered boots left outside tents.

callitredfrisbee

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159points

#20

Over 98% of Korean households have a special kimchi fridge

admiralturtleship, wikipedia.org

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157points

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