20 Times The 'Today I Learned' Community Shared Incredible Facts

Today I Learned, also known as TIL, is a popular subreddit that shares fascinating and obscure facts from a wide range of topics. The subreddit has gained a massive following, with millions of subscribers sharing new facts daily. DeMilked regularly features the TIL community to entertain our readers, you can read our previous posts here, here, and here. In this article, we'll explore 20 of the most intriguing and recent facts that have been shared on the Today I Learned subreddit. More info: Reddit

#1

Image source: Blutarg, David Kingham "TIL The pika is a small rodent that collects plants and dries them out in the sun to store them for winter."

#2

Image source: FingerFlikenBoy "TIL Christine Maggiore founded the HIV/AIDS denialism group Alive and Well. Maggiore herself then died of aids in 2008."

#3

Image source: lev_lafayette "TIL I learned that the the town of Boring (Oregon, US) established relationship with village of Dull (Scotland, UK) in 2012; the following year they were joined with the Shire of Bland (New South Wales, AU) to form the League of Extraordinary Communities."

#4

Image source: A-dab "TIL after the fires that followed the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many insurance companies tried to avoid covering the losses, except for Lloyd's of London: "Pay all of our policyholders in full, irrespective of the terms of their policies." This cemented Lloyd's reputation in the U.S."

#5

Image source: qualityhealth101 "TIL In 2000, when the cast of "Friends" wouldn't come down from their $1,050,000/episode salary demands, NBC's Garth Ancier produced promos saying "You've loved them for seven years, see how it all ends with the series finale of Friends this Thursday". The cast agreed to lower salaries."

#6

Image source: tronephotoworks, SHVETS production "TIL about a painkiller present in human saliva called Opiorphin which is stronger than Morphine."

#7

Image source: Shwifty_Plumbus, wikipedia "TIL about the Pizzly Bear, a Polar and Grizzly Bear hybrid. This hybrid species isn't sterile and can actually procreate."

#8

Image source: Imbiberr "TIL King Charles & Prince William always travel in separate planes in case there is a crash, one needs to survive."

#9

Image source: melancholic_inertia "TIL during World War II, Papua New Guinean ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ carried 750 wounded up/down the Kokoda Trail. They prioritized feeding patients & built shelter with 4 sleeping on each side at night. No known injured soldier was ever abandoned by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, even during heavy combat."

#10

Image source: HeartachetoHouston "TIL of Solomon Islander Jacob C. Vouza. During WW2, he was captured by the Japanese during the Guadalcanal Campaign, tied to a tree, bayoneted, and left for dead. He then chewed through the ropes with his teeth and made his way to American lines warning them about an impending attack. He survived."

#11

Image source: Nvjds "TIL that while 'Beat It' by Michael Jackson peaked at #3 in Australia, 'Eat It' by Weird Al Yankovic peaked at #1"

#12

Image source: SAT0725, lauren_jade44 "TIL in 2018 a mom put out an ad to borrow an orange cat so her kids could have "a lasagna dinner with Garfield" and succeeded."

#13

Image source: c1570911 "TIL in the early 1930s, Cadillac's policy was to not sell cars to black people. In 1933, Nicholas Dreystadt, a middle manager at General Motors, crashed a GM executive committee meeting and convinced them to drop the policy and instead market to black people. Sales increased by 70% within a year."

#14

Image source: Underworld_Denizen "TIL that ginkgo trees are a symbol of hope and tenacity in Japan, as they were one of the few living things to survive the nuclear bomb at Hiroshima."

#15

Image source: Neither_Parking3581 "TIL that Wild European hamsters in Vienna, Austria have learned to survive harsh winters by feasting on the oily, protein-filled candles left by mourners in gravesites."

#16

Image source: derstherower "TIL that the deepest scuba dive of all time was 1,090 feet, set by Ahmed Gabr in 2014. It took him nearly a decade to properly prepare for the dive. While the descent took only 15 minutes, the ascent back to the surface took over 13 hours."

#17

Image source: Brutal_Deluxe_ "TIL in 1656 Boston, a ship's captain was sentenced to sit in the stocks for two hours because he had engaged in "lewd and unseemly behavior" on the Sabbath. Upon arriving home on a Sunday after a three-year voyage at sea, Captain Kemble had kissed his wife."

#18

Image source: Federal_Radish_1421 "TIL that the Voynich Manuscript, a a 240-page medieval codex written by an unknown author, in an unknown language, and illustrated with unknown plants, strange creatures, and naked women, was radiocarbon dated to the early 15th century. Despite 600 years of study it has never been deciphered."

#19

Image source: ReallyPissedGuy "TIL Anti-climb paint, a class of non-drying oil paint, was developed in the 1960s. It can take over 3 years to dry, It is used to prevent trespassing and mark trespassers as it is very difficult to remove."

#20

Image source: SuperMcG "TIL the first U.S official coin in circulation, the Fugio Cent, had the motto "Mind Your Business" instead of "In God we Trust"."