Do you know how Napoleon’s bitter childhood classmate took his sweet revenge after 15 long years? Or what the Celtic custom of “handfasting” meant for couples back in the day?
If you want the answers — and plenty more fascinating trivia along the way — keep reading. We’ve collected some of the most surprising and interesting facts that people recently shared on r/todayilearned.
Whether you love history, science, or pop culture, this list has something to spark everyone’s curiosity. Who knows, you may just find a new favorite conversation starter to impress your friends.
#21
TIL that despite their name, it is biologically impossible for a centipede to be born with exactly 100 legs because a genetic quirk dictates they always have an odd number of leg pairs.
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11points
Because our knowledge is so limited, we should treat even a little bit of information with caution. A small amount of knowledge on a topic often creates false confidence, causing people to mistake a tiny fraction of data for complete mastery.
So, instead of assuming you know everything about a subject, the best approach is to keep digging deeper. Once you gain a bit more context, you will quickly recognize how much there is left to explore.
That is why reading a quick fun fact is only the first step — if a piece of trivia piques your interest enough to pass it along, take a moment to dig into the whole story first.
#22
TIL a guy called Frank built a wall along the Alpine Fault in the South Island of New Zealand to test if the earthquakes are small and often or big and rare. It hasn't moved a millimeter in 64 years.
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10points
#23
TIL a man with no heirs left more than €10 million to a Normandy village of 1,800 people that he's not thought to have ever visited. The only connection anyone could find was that it shared his surname: Thiberville.
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10points
#24
TIL about the indigenous Khasi people of Northeast India. They practice a strict matrilineal system where children take their mother’s surname, husbands move into their wife’s family home (the mother-in-law's home), and the youngest daughter inherits all family wealth and ancestral property.
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10points
#25
TIL that in 1963 several cows were carried into the air by a tornado in Illinois. They survived but "acted strangely for several days".
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10points
#26
TIL that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix became the first English-language book to be on top of France’s bestseller list because impatient fans bought it in English while waiting months for the French translation.
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10points
#27
TIL that the population of Detroit, Michigan has grown for 3 straight years since 2023, reversing a trend of 65 consecutive years of population loss from 1957 to 2022. It currently sits at America’s 26th largest city with 650,000 residents.
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10points
#28
TIL Napoleon III escaped from a fortress where he was serving a life sentence by disguising himself as a laborer and walking through the main gates carrying a large plank over his shoulder to hide his face. Six years later, he became Emperor of France.
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9points
#29
TIL an ancient lake is a lake that has consistently carried water for more than one million years. There are only 20 ancient lakes in the world and 12 of them have existed for more than 2.6 million years.
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9points
#30
TIL that the "zombie-ant" fungus (Ophiocordyceps) does not control ants by invading their brains. Instead, it leaves the brain completely intact while directly encircling and seizing control of their muscle fibers like a biological puppet.
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9points
#31
TIL that Joseph Laroche, the Titanic’s only documented Black passenger, gave up first-class passage on another liner for second class on the Titanic because the other ship wouldn’t let children dine with their parents. His wife and daughters survived the sinking. He did not.
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9points
#32
TIL that in a landmark 1988 study proving aspirin saves lives in heart attacks, the frustrated authors included patients' star signs in their subgroup analysis to protest reviewers who demanded endless data slicing. The results suggested aspirin was ineffective in Libras and Geminis.
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9points
#33
TIL Tobey Maguire never told the producers of Spider-Man (2002) about his claustrophobia. He nearly blacked out during a plaster body cast, forcing the costume makers to alert the producers themselves. Maguire then took a prototype suit home to train himself to perform in it.
8points
#34
TIL about 2-Nonenal, the natural chemical found on skin that is responsible for the distinct “old person smell.” It typically appears once humans turn 40 and is described as musty, greasy, or grassy. It is not hygiene related, as it cannot be washed away with standard soap and water.
8points
#35
TIL that in 2016, a Chinese artist spent 3 days building a $15,000 LEGO statue or Nick Wilde from Zootopia. Shortly after it was put on display, a 4-year-old boy accidentally knocked it over, destroying it. The artist refused an offer of compensation from the parents.
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8points
#36
TIL A 2016 NIH study found that most “Biggest Loser” contestants studied quickly regained their lost weight, while their metabolisms remained slowed even six years later and their bodies burned hundreds fewer calories daily than expected.
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7points
#37
TIL: The prefrontal cortex being fully developed at age 25 is a myth.
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7points
#38
TIL that in 1872, two conmen planted $20,000 worth of gemstones in Wyoming and fooled wealthy investors into believing they’d discovered a massive diamond field.
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7points
#39
TIL that no fatal accidents have ever occurred with Australian passenger jets; including all flights to/from Australia, as well as all Australian-run companies.
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7points
#40
TIL that Dutch employers must keep paying sick employees for up to 2 years, at least 70% of their salary, often topped up to 100% for the first year by collective agreements.
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7points