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45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
Interesting FactsAUG 19, 2024

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)

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The ‘Today I Learned’ subreddit, otherwise known as TIL, brings together millions of curious people who enjoy sharing things they’ve recently discovered. From surprising historical tidbits to fascinating facts about science and nature, this community is a space where learning something new is part of the daily routine.
If you’re a regular at Bored Panda, you know how much we love bringing you these fun pieces of trivia. Keep scrolling to see what caught people’s attention this time, and don’t forget to upvote anything that piques your interest.

#1

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
Princess Liu Chuyu of the song dynasty complained to her brother that it wasn’t fair that he had concubines while she only had a husband. He agreed and gave her a harem of 30 men.
300points

#2

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
Disney once sued three day care centers in Florida for unauthorized use of their characters (5 foot high likenesses on murals on the buildings) who had to remove them. Universal in turn let the centers use Scooby Doo, Flintstones & other of their Hanna-Barbera characters.
264points

#3

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
In an early version of his dictionary, Noah Webster defined "cat" with the entry: "The domestic cat needs no description. It is a deceitful animal, and when enraged, extremely spiteful."
263points

#4

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
In the 1980s Alyssa Milano befriended Ryan White(A Boy Ostracized For Having Aids) who was a fan of her works.She went on to appear on The Phil Donahue Show alongside Milano to kiss him on the cheek to show that she could not contract the disease.
242points

#5

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
In 2015, a Louisiana man was arrested for drunkenly riding a horse on a highway. When detained, he said, "The horse knows the way home" and the sheriff concluded it did not constitute DUI.
204points

#6

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
In 2005, a guy named Doug Heckman read the EULA before he installed some PC software. The agreement included a clause offering 'financial compensation' to licensees who actually read the license agreement. He emailed the company, referred to the clause and the company sent him a check for $1,000.
198points

#7

Because of her mental illness history & how she presented early on, a woman catatonic for 20 yrs wasn't tested for an autoimmune disease until a doctor who was there when she was first admitted in 2000, came across her again in 2020. This led to her lupus diagnosis & treatment which woke her up.
191points

#8

Turtles and tortoises have nerve endings in the shells. They can feel you touch their shells as well as pain when something hurts their shell.
163points

#9

In 2008 an Australian special forces dog named Sarbi spent almost 14 months missing in action after disappearing during an ambush. Eventually an American soldier noticed her with a local man & confirmed she was a trained military dog by using voice commands. She was then reunited w/ her handlers.
161points

#10

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
While Michelangelo was painting the Last Judgement, Papal MC Biagio de Cesana spied on his work. And complained that it was not worthy of the Sistine Chapel. In response Michelangelo painted Biagio into the fresco, as the depiction of Minos being dragged to Hell with a snake biting his p*nis.
158points

#11

In a family with twelve children, six of the boys were diagnosed with schizophrenia and were later found to possess a genetic mutation that is so vital to brain function that it could help researchers understand how schizophrenia works.
152points

#12

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
In 2010, a 16-year-old Canadian discovered that his two parents were actually not Canadian, but KGB spies living under fake names Donald and Tracey.
140points

#13

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
Hugh Laurie shot his audition tape for House from a bathroom in Namibia because that was the only room with enough light.
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138points

#14

Finnish babies’ first bed is often a cardboard box. The government sends all expectant mothers a box with baby supplies, and the box includes a small mattress at the bottom meant to stay in the box.
138points

#15

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
The human body can naturally settle into a sleep-wake cycle of up to 50 hours, when there's no day/night cycle to observe. In 1962 geologist Michel Siffre entered a darkened cave, where he planned to remain for two months tracking time assuming 1 sleep equals one day, but he was off by 2 weeks.
128points

#16

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
The CIA used songs like Hit Me Baby One More time and Bye Bye Bye as part of their torture methods.
127points

#17

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
In 2018, an American half-pipe skier qualified for the Olympics despite minimal experience. Olympic requirements stated that an athlete needed to place in the top 30 at multiple events. She simply sought out events with fewer than 30 participants, showed up, and skied down without falling.
126points

#18

Eva Peron (Evita), wife of Argentina's president Juan Peron, died of cervical cancer at the age of 33. He never told her that she had cancer and was dying. Ironically, his first wife also died of cervical cancer at 28 yrs old. Doctors felt that he passed the HPV virus on to his wives.
126points

#19

45 ‘Today I Learned’ Facts That Could Change The Way You Think About Things (New Pics)
Isaac Newton was named warden of the British Royal Mint, an honorary title with no actual duties. However, Newton took it seriously and would visit sketchy bars in disguise to investigate criminals. This resulted in 28 counterfeiting convictions!
125points

#20

To keep up with Robin Williams' improvisation on 'Mrs. Doubtfire', director Chris Columbus had to shoot the entire movie with extra cameras to get the other actors' reactions. Two million feet of film were used. Columbus has 972 boxes full of outtakes.
125points
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