Like Bored Panda showed in its previous article, the subreddit Today I Learned is the place to go to get your daily dose of "Oh, I didn't know that, how cool!" There, people are constantly sharing random but interesting facts they have just discovered, often including relevant pictures too. From a guy who rode his bicycle to Nepal, climbed Mount Everest alone without Sherpas or bottled oxygen, and then cycled back to Sweden again, to research that analyzed the birthdays of 20 million husbands and wives in England and Wales and failed to reveal any evidence of attraction or compatibility between people of particular star signs—they might not be included in textbooks, but they certainly can broaden your understanding of the world. Continue scrolling and check out some of the most popular recent posts on the subreddit.
#1
TIL that In 2018, A hacker broke into people’s routers (100,000 of them) and patched their vulnerabilities up so that they couldn’t be abused by other hackers.
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319points
Although reading these facts once or twice and then remembering them for life so you could drop them at precisely the right time would be ideal, the reality is that much of what we learn goes in one ear and out the other. In fact, research shows that within just one hour, if we don't do anything with new information, we will forget about 50% of what we learned. After 24 hours, this number will rise to 70%, and if a week passes without that information being used, up to 90% of it could be lost.
#2
TIL after losing her position in her university's anatomy department in 1938, Rita Levi-Montalcini set up a laboratory in her bedroom and studied the growth of nerve fibers in chicken embryos. This work led to her discovery of nerve growth factor, for which she was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1986.
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311points
If we want our learning to stick in our memory, we need to do more than just scrolling and reading. Luckily, Marianne Stenger, a London-based freelance writer, and journalist with extensive experience covering all things learning and development, says we can use a variety of techniques to cement new information in our minds.
Using visual aids, seeking out demonstrations, participating in group discussions (that means leaving comments under the entries you like!), putting new knowledge into practice, looking for opportunities to teach others, relating new material to what you already know, making an effort to retrieve information from memory, reading out loud, as well as writing—doing all of this means you are far more likely to retain what you learn in the long-term.
With this in mind, here are 30 Surprising Facts That Are Actually True. Happy learning!
#3
TIL about the symbiotic relationship of wolves and ravens. Ravens will lead wolves to prey so that they can take a portion of the leftovers, play games of tail chasing with each other, and develop individual friendships.
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300points
#4
TIL:In January 1960, white jazz pianist Dave Brubeck canceled a twenty-five-date tour of colleges and universities across the American South after twenty-two schools had refused to allow his black bassist, Eugene Wright, to perform. He also canceled a tv show where they didn't want to show him.
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293points
#5
TIL that when filming the TV series "The Mandalorian" in 2019, the crew ran out of Stormtrooper costumes, so they reached out to the local branch of a Star Wars fan organisation, whose members came to join the filming in their own home-made Stormtrooper costumes
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291points
#6
TIL that paper books still outsells e-books by a huge margin, even among young people.
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268points
#7
TIL Honeybee venom rapidly kills aggressive breast cancer cells and when the venom's main component is combined with existing chemotherapy drugs, it is extremely efficient at reducing tumour growth in mice.
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260points
#8
TIL after Marcelo Bielsa became manager of Leeds United FC, he found out that the average fan had to work 3 hours to pay for a match ticket. He called his players together and made them pick up litter from around the training ground for 3 hours, to appreciate how the fans laboured for their passion
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244points
#9
TIL that in September 1945 Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett defied US restrictions and snuck into Hiroshima by train. Burchett was the first to tell the world about the effects of radiation on the victims of the bombing, which the US denied both before and after his story was published.
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234points
#10
TIL: there are otter gangs in Singapore who fight for territories. It is well followed by the locals and the press. Each gangs has names and reputations.
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233points
#11
TIL that A man named Göran Kropp from Sweden rode his bicycle to Nepal, climbed Mount Everest alone without Sherpas or bottled oxygen, then cycled back to Sweden again.
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232points
#12
TIL, That since domestication, dogs' eyes have changed. Dogs now have eye muscles that make them more expressive and infant-like. These same muscles are absent in wolves, their closest relative.
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220points
#13
TIL African elephants often bury dead or sleeping humans or aid them when they are hurt. One woman fell asleep under a tree and woke to find an elephant standing over her gently touching her. As other elephants arrived they buried her under branches. She was found the next morning unharmed.
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219points
#14
TIL a Guatemalan boy saw soldiers come into his village and murder his parents along with the rest of the village, was adopted and raised in an abusive household by one of the men who massacred the villagers, and later gave testimony that sent the killer to prison with a 6,000 year sentence
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209points
#15
TIL a study from Yale found that kids who watched 'Mr. Rogers Neighborhood' retained more information than children who watched 'Sesame Street.' They also had a higher 'tolerance of delay', meaning they were more patient
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197points
#16
TIL Rome has major struggles with expanding the subway system in the city because diggers keep running into major archaeological finds. The Metro C expansion has been in the works for the past 40 years and has unearthed Hadrian's Athenaeum, a military complex, and an amphitheater.
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196points
#17
TIL firefighters that responded to last year's fire at Notre Dame knew which works of art to rescue and in which order following a protocol developed for such a disaster.
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196points
#18
TIL in 1896, a bubоnіc plаgue epіdеmic struck Bombay, and the government asked Waldemar Haffkine, developer of the first chоlera vаccіne, to help. After 3 months of persistent work (1 assistant had a nervous breakdown and 2 others quit), a vаccіne was ready, with Haffkine tеsting it on himself first
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192points
#19
TIL that Suzanne Somers was fired from 'Three’s Company' for asking for equal pay with her male co-star, John Ritter, who was earning five times her salary.
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184points
#20
TIL the Make-a-Wish Foundation granted a child to visit the set of Thor: Ragnarok. When Thor sees Hulk enter the arena on Sakaar, the child said Thor should say "He's a friend from work!"
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182points