CuriositiesMAR 17, 2024

40 “Today I Learned” Facts To Keep Your Brain Active (New Pics)

Evelina Šiukšterytė, Nikita Manot and Kotryna Br

148

Remember when kids used to flip through encyclopedias to learn fun facts? Well, in today's digital age you don’t need a thick book to gain knowledge. Everything is accessible with a simple scroll. From scientific discoveries to Hollywood trivia, all the information is just a click away.

Thankfully, with one such click, we reached the 'Today I Learned' subreddit: a place where over 34 million people gather to share facts about the world. So, Pandas, scroll down to explore a collection of interesting tidbits. You never know, they might just come in handy at your next social gathering!

#1

40 “Today I Learned” Facts To Keep Your Brain Active (New Pics)

During the Apache Wars in the American Southwest, the Apache would cut the Army's telegraph lines but reconnect the ends together with a strip of leather to make the break in the circuit nearly impossible to find.

mr_noun, wikimedia / public domain

Report

209points

#2

After Salvador Dali expressed support for Spanish dictator Franco's regime, Pablo Picasso refused to mention Dali's name or acknowledge his existence for the rest of his life.

CGWLP, Library of Congress / Public Domain

Report

195points

The popularity of this subreddit highlights the shift from traditional to online learning. This change has made learning more flexible and tailored to our modern lifestyle. It shows how technology is reshaping our approach to acquiring knowledge.

Surprisingly, employees are only able to allocate a mere 24 minutes per week to engage in learning and development activities. As a result, there's a growing demand for instant access to training and learning resources. In today's fast-paced world, people are busier than ever before.

#3

Children in ancient China learned to write from "Thousand Character Text", a 1000-word poem where the characters do not repeat and cover everything from philisophy to astrology.

loneranger_26, Public Domain / wikipedia

Report

187points

#4

Ice-T made up a gang to keep real gang members off his back in high school. “We actually created a fake gang. We told people we were part of the Hillside Crips. We had them thinking there was hundreds of us. I never had any trouble.”

oregonoxalis, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)

Report

187points

#5

Phil Collins spontaneously sang the lyrics to "In the Air Tonight". They were completely improvised and he didn't write them down until after singing them for the first time, on a piece of paper (which he still has) from his decorator.

pixel_ate_it, wikimedia / public domain

Report

179points

With online learning, people are able to access community-driven knowledge exactly when it's needed. Devices like smartphones and tabs allow people to explore diverse content at their own pace. In fact, 9-in-10 millennials own a mobile phone, making learning via technology a necessity.

Staying curious and engaging in continuous learning offers numerous benefits too. Research suggests that lifelong learning can improve cognitive function and enhance problem-solving skills. Moreover, it promotes personal and professional development.

#6

Laurence Fishburne was only 14 when filming Apocalypse Now, as he had lied about his age to get the role. Production took so long, he was 18 by the time of its release.

borderbox, Omni Zoetrope

Report

174points

#7

"Dune" was rejected by at least 20 publishers before being published by Chilton, the auto-manual company.

SpringerNachE5, Ayden_Linden

Report

152points

#8

Shakers, a christian sect that believed sexuality to be the root of all evil and original sin. All members went far enough in chastity to avoid shaking the opposite sex's hands. Their membership declined from a peak of 5000 in 1840 to 3 members in 2019 due to lack of births.

AthenOwl, Mizuno K / pexels (not the actual photo)

Report

146points

According to studies, continuous learning helps individuals to be more active socially. Learning new things is like collecting conversation starters for your next gathering! Imagine sharing a fact about life on Mars during a dinner party. It adds a whole new level of excitement to social interactions.

In the digital age, the global learning community serves as a bridge, connecting people from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds. Through this vast online network, individuals have the opportunity to learn new things about the world every day.

#9

In 2021 a new species of fish was identified that has the smallest adult brain size of all known vertebrates. It's also the loudest of all known fish relative to its size.

WhenTardigradesFly, AngryBurmese / wikipedia

Report

141points

#10

Research suggests that working irregular shifts for a decade ages the brain an extra six and a half years.

hb20007, Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo)

Report

136points

#11

Hair will sometimes grow back differently after chemotherapy. People who have straight hair may find that they now have curly hair or vice versa. It can even grow back a different colour.

LordSparks, Thirdman / pexels (not the actual photo)

Report

131points

Joining the millions of people on the 'Today I Learned' subreddit might boost your confidence and improve your social skills. The next time you meet your friends, don't hesitate to share these intriguing facts and enjoy those impressive reactions.

Did any facts catch your attention? Feel free to share your discoveries, thoughts, and stories in the comments section below! And remember, the learning journey doesn't end here. Keep exploring more "Today I Learned" facts on Bored Panda to satisfy your curiosity!

#12

Alexander Graham Bell believed people should say “Ahoy” when they pick up the phone. Edison proposed “hello,” putting that word into common usage.

aresef, Vladison Alves / pexels (not the actual photo)

Report

122points

#13

A young man pinched his nose and clamped his mouth shut to hold in a forceful sneeze and ended up barely able to speak or swallow, with considerable pain. Air bubbles reached into the deep tissue and muscles of his chest and it took seven days for him to recover in hospital.

ubcstaffer123, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)

Report

116points

#14

There are 17.3 million American digital nomads or people that travel freely while working remotely using technology and the internet.

jlin8293, Austin Distel / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Report

103points

#15

Japanese death row inmates are executed by hanging. Three prison officers simultaneously press buttons to open the trap door so it is not clear which one is responsible.

RJtrip

Report

100points

#16

In 1909 the entire town of Ulysses, Kansas was relocated 3 miles west to escape their debts.

Eskitz, Public Domain

Report

93points

#17

Bruce Springsteen did not pay his taxes until he was put on the cover of Time Magazine in 1975. He then spent the next few years paying off his taxes, leaving him with only $20,000 on his 30th birthday despite multiple best-selling records and tours.

greatmanyarrows, time

Report

84points

#18

The most expensive medication in the world is Hemgenix. Cost is $3,500,000 for one treatment. It is used to treat hemophilia B, a genetic bleeding disorder.

PACShrinkSWFL, Louis Reed / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Report

84points

#19

Garden path sentences which is a grammatically correct sentence that starts in such a way that a reader's most likely interpretation will be incorrect.

A few examples include

“The complex houses married and single soldiers and their families”

“The prime number few.”

“The man who hunts ducks out on weekends”

“Fat people eat accumulates”

“The old man the boat.”

dawitfikadu3, Blaz Photo / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Report

83points

#20

After Hurricane Katrina, the number of babies named Katrina dropped sharply. After 10 years the name Katrina was 83 percent less common.

uninhabited, NASA / unspalsh (not the actual photo)

Report

79points

Poll Question

Which type of newly discovered facts interests you most?

148