25 Entertaining And Educational Facts Shared By “Today I Learned” Online Group (New Facts)

The “Today I Learned” TIL community is a treasure trove of fascinating facts, showcasing tidbits of knowledge that make you pause and say, “Wow, I never knew that!” Here are some of the most intriguing TIL entries that will expand your mind and maybe even spark a few conversations.

#1

TIL tipping was abolished in Switzerland in 1974 after a dispute over taxes on tips. Service is now included in prices, with higher wages replacing tips.

Image source: BezugssystemCH1903, freepik

#2

TIL When the Wii U failed miserably, the Nintendo CEO halved his own salary for half a year, instead of laying off his employees.

Image source: Ratich2

#3

TIL that during the filming of the 2014 film Muppets Most Wanted Danny Trejo’s mom passed away. Danny managed to keep it all together when people on set gave him their condolences, until Kermit offered his own, which caused him to run to the bathroom to bawl his eyes out.

Image source: -Appleaday-, Walt Disney Pictures

#4

TIL Quebec’s ban on toy and fast food ads directed at children under 13 has contributed to a reduction in childhood obesity rates.

Image source: MineMonMan1234, gnusik13 / freepik

#5

TIL when a crow die, other crows gather to investigate about what has happened and why the crow died.

Image source: Johannes_P

#6

TIL that in 2009, a campaign succeeded in making Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’ the Christmas number 1 best-selling single in the UK after the public grew tired of X Factor winners topping the chart every year.

Image source: serioussgtstu

#7

TIL that the picture “The Scream” by Edvard Munch does not depict a person screaming, but rather someone reacting to hearing a scream.

Image source:  JackThaBongRipper, Edvard_Munch

#8

TIL that although the location of the former base of MI6 from 1964 to 1994 was meant to be classified, The Daily Telegraph called it “London’s worst-kept secret, known only to every taxi driver, tourist guide and KGB agent”.

Image source: S5A-0043, Richard Cooke / Wikipedia

#9

TIL Steven Spielberg beat James Cameron to the film rights of Jurassic Park by just a few hours. However after Cameron saw Spielberg’s film, he realized that Spielberg was the right person for it because dinosaurs are for kids and he would’ve made “Aliens with dinosaurs.”

Image source: tyrion2024

#10

TIL an off-duty nurse saved a boy’s life by giving him CPR when his heart stopped after he was hit in the chest with a baseball bat during a Little League game. Seven years later that same boy saved the nurse’s life by giving her the Heimlich maneuver after she started choking in a restaurant.

Image source: tyrion2024, freepik

#11

TIL in 1914, 4-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was shipped via parcel post. At 32 cents, her parents found it cheaper than a train ticket. Just under the 50lb limit, May rode in the train’s mail compartment with a stamp on her jacket and was delivered to her grandmother by the mail clerk on duty.

Image source: BiggieTwiggy1two3

#12

TIL in Icelandic folklore there’s a cat called Jólaköttur or Yule Cat. It lurks in the snowy countryside during the Christmas season and eats people who do not receive new clothing before Christmas Eve.

Image source: nejicanspin, LeksaArt

#13

TIL there is no official Calvin and Hobbes merchandise besides the compilation books. Bill Watterson was vehemently against merchandising his characters and even went as far as to say, “Only thieves and vandals have made money on Calvin and Hobbes merchandise.”

Image source:  WeightLossGinger

#14

TIL: In 2009, two college students were jailed for refusing to pay a $16.35 mandatory tip at a Pennsylvania restaurant, citing poor service. After national attention, charges were dropped, and the case sparked widespread debate over tipping and whether it should depend on service quality.

Image source: ObjectiveAd6551, freepik

#15

TIL about the oldest barrel of drinkable wine, made in 1472. It’s only been tasted 3 times – in 1576 to celebrate an alliance; in 1716 after a fire; and finally in 1944 when Strasbourg was liberated during World War II.

Image source:  thebigchil73

#16

TIL about Philippine Airlines Flight 812. A passenger hijacked the plane and robbed the other passengers. He tried escaping using a homemade parachute, but he couldn’t jump and needed a flight attendant to give him a push. He was killed after his parachute failed to open. Everyone else was unharmed.

Image source: Ill_Definition8074, Toshi Aoki – JP Spotters / Wikipedia

#17

TIL in 1984, 13-year-old Andy Smith wrote to President Reagan asking for funds to clean his bedroom after his mom called it a “disaster area”. Raegan sent a tongue-in-cheek reply saying his funds were “dangerously low” and suggested he practice volunteerism instead to solve local problems.

Image source: cuspofgreatness

#18

Today I learned that sound can be minus decibels. The quietest place on Earth is Microsoft’s anechoic chamber in Redmond, WA, USA, at -20.6 decibels. These anechoic chambers are built out of heavy concrete and brick and are mounted on springs to stop vibrations from getting in through the floor.

Image source: Few_Loquat_4217

#19

TIL the liquid ban on planes wasn’t caused by 9/11 but by British MI5, who foiled a 2006 terror plot involving liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks.

Image source: hl3official, wavebreakmedia_micro / freepik

#20

TIL: Astronaut Anne McClain was the first person to be investigated for space crime in 2019, when her estranged wife accused her of accessing her bank account while in space. Fortunately, investigators found the accusations were false and her now ex was charged with making false statements.

Image source: Flares117, NASA

#21

TIL in 2016, a man deleted his open-source Javascript package, which consisted of only 11 lines of code. Because this packaged turned out to be a dependency on major software projects, the deletion caused service disruptions across the internet.

Image source: nuttybudd, DC Studio / freepik

#22

TIL that up to half of the current Cherokee nation can trace their lineage to a single Scottish fur trader who married into the tribe in the early 1700’s.

Image source: Wyrdeone

#23

TIL the Amazon river dumps so much fresh water into the Atlantic that it is possible to drink from the surface for about 200 mile offshore.

Image source: Longjumping_Result68

#24

TIL Alexander the Great had a Hindu Guru who accompanied his army on their return to Persia. After he died via self immolation the army held a drinking contest in his honor, resulting in 42 people dying from alcohol poisoning, including the winner, who drank 13 litres of unmixed wine.

Image source: Ainsley-Sorsby, Musée du Prado

#25

TIL that in 1907 French waiters went on strike for better pay, more time off – and the right to grow mustaches. At the time, lower-class workers were forbidden to have facial hair.

Image source: coolranch36