They say it’s never too late to learn. After all, life-long curiosity is something we all strive for, although it’s sometimes hard to keep the inner fire going. We get lazy, turn into passive observers, and sometimes forget how fun that feeling of discovering something new, both big and small, really is.
But thanks to our beloved corner of the internet known as the ‘Today I Learned’ subreddit, which boasts 25.1 million members, the internet has a perfect source of things to learn available for anyone, anywhere, and anytime.
#21
TIL in Cuba, picking up hitchhikers is mandatory for government vehicles, if passenger space is available.
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251points
#22
TIL a 75-year Harvard study found close relationships are the key to a person's success. Having someone to lean on keeps brain function high and reduces emotional, and physical, pain. People who feel lonely are more likely to experience health declines earlier in life.
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246points
#23
TIL that Meerkats are the most murderous animals on earth. 20% of all meerkats die at the hands of another meerkat.
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239points
#24
TIL country singer Loretta Lynn had more songs banned from radio than every other male country artist combined in the 20th century.
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236points
#25
TIL that the famous Japanese painting of a giant wave is actually from a series of 36 paintings of Mt. Fuji from different views
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233points
#26
TIL A casino's database was hacked through a smart fish tank thermometer
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229points
#27
TIL a goat that was sold to be slaughtered for an Indian restaurant in Alaska escaped from the owners and a goat chase ensued around town. The goat became famously known by the name Curry and people would post photos anytime they spotted him. He was eventually caught and became a mascot.
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225points
#28
TIL Jim Henson originally wanted the Muppets to be for adults and didn't see his characters as a vehicle for children's education and family entertainment. Indeed, he first envisioned something closer to South Park rather than Sesame Street and in the 1950s they did dark comedy in commercials.
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216points
#29
TIL The lack of an Oxford comma in the wording of a state law laying out what activities qualify a worker for overtime pay, more than 120 drivers for the Oakhurst Dairy became eligible for a multi-million settlement for unpaid overtime.
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205points
#30
TIL In 2014 a three-year-old was rescued after 11 days in the Siberian wilderness thanks to her puppy, which she held onto for warmth. She was found less than 100 feet from her search party.
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205points
#31
TIL that there's a 43,000-square-foot basement underneath the Lincoln Memorial that was forgotten about until 1974. It has its own plant life and ecosystem and graffiti from the original workers.
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196points
#32
TIL the vocal effect used in the song Zombie by the Cranberries is known as 'keening'. This is a wailing sound used in Ireland to mourn the dead at funerals.
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187points
#33
TIL that in 585 B.C., a solar eclipse occurred in the middle of a battle between the Lydians and the Medes. The darkening sky was interpreted as a sign by the soldiers, so they stopped fighting. As a result, a six-year war was ended.
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179points
#34
TIL the blue planet used to be purple. 250 million years ago, the oceans lost all their oxygen and one of the only things to survive was a purple alga/bacteria which would have given the seas an irridescent violet hue. Geologists have found remnants of this purple bacteria embedded in ancient rock.
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177points
#35
TIL hockey player Stan Mikita went from being one of the most penalized players to winning the Lady Byng Trophy twice for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with excellence all because his daughter asked, "Mommy, why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down [in the penalty box]?"
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176points
#36
TIL about Bill Millin, a Scottish soldier who walked up and down the beaches of Normandy on D-Day playing the bagpipes. Two captured German snipers would reveal why the piper at the front hadn’t been shot at. They said it was because they thought he was ‘dummkopf’, a foolhardy idiot.
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175points
#37
TIL that the 'leaf sheep,' a sea slug native to Japan, is an animal that can photosynthesize. It eats algae and retains the chloroplasts that plants use for photosynthesis and can live for months on photosynthesis alone.
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157points
#38
TIL 'Saturn devouring his son' and the 13 other Black Paintings were never ment for public display. In 1819 Francisco Goya went into near isolation and painted the works directly onto the walls of his house. The haunting pictures reflect Goya's internal demons and civil strife occuring in Spain
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156points
#39
TIL that for centuries the city of Troy was considered a myth until it was re-discovered in 1871 in present day Turkey. The area had been excavated before but the ruins of Troy were beneath newer excavations and had gone untouched for millennia even though the site had people living on top of it.
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149points
#40
TIL that prior to establishing an acting career, Harrison Ford worked as a roadie for The Doors. He stated that after the job was done he was "was one step away from joining a Jesuit monastery" and that he "couldn't keep up with those guys. It was too much."
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146points