Today I Learned (TIL)

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You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? Submit interesting and specific facts about something that you just found out here.

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51
1
TIL of "Father Yod", a WW2 veteran turned martial arts expert turned Hollywood restaurant owner who became a spiritual leader with 13 wives and eventually died in a freak hang gliding accident (www.news.com.au)
submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/iloveuranus on 2025-05-08 18:24:25+00:00.

52
1
TIL that at the time of Pope Sisinnius' election, he was so weakened by gout that he was unable to feed himself with his hands. His papacy lasted just 20 days, from January 15 until his death on F... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Blackraven2007 on 2025-05-08 18:01:06+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that at the time of Pope Sisinnius' election, he was so weakened by gout that he was unable to feed himself with his hands. His papacy lasted just 20 days, from January 15 until his death on February 4 of 708.

53
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TIL that in 16th to 18th century Scotland, horses got to help with the execution of horse thieves. The pin holding the guillotine blade in place above the condemned horse thief was tied to a horse... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/1gear0probs on 2025-05-08 17:10:41+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 16th to 18th century Scotland, horses got to help with the execution of horse thieves. The pin holding the guillotine blade in place above the condemned horse thief was tied to a horse with a cord, so the blade would fall when the horse took off running.

54
1
TIL in 2010 the US Army marched through Red Square in Moscow at the Victory Day Parade. (www.army.mil)
submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/strangelove4564 on 2025-05-08 16:27:10+00:00.

55
2
TIL How scientists taught monkeys the concept of money. Not long after, the first prostitute monkey appeared (www.zmescience.com)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Bigearl020 on 2025-05-08 07:16:08+00:00.

56
4
TIL that a medical study has shown that surgeons who play video games at least three hours a week perform, on average, 27% faster, while making 37% fewer errors. (www.reuters.com)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/nepios83 on 2025-05-07 16:13:51+00:00.

57
2
TIL Anne Rice's birth name was Howard Allen. She became 'Anne' on her first day of school, when a nun asked her what her name was. She told the nun 'Anne' because she considered it a pretty name. ... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/tyrion2024 on 2025-05-08 04:05:29+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Anne Rice's birth name was Howard Allen. She became 'Anne' on her first day of school, when a nun asked her what her name was. She told the nun 'Anne' because she considered it a pretty name. Her mother, who was with her, let it go without correcting her and then legally changed her name in 1947

58
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TIL that en route to Nagasaki to deliver Fat Man, on August 9, 1945, St Elmo's Fire appeared around the B-29 aircraft...the Bockscar experienced an uncanny luminous blue plasma form around the spi... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/HeavyMetalOverbite on 2025-05-08 03:42:31+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that en route to Nagasaki to deliver Fat Man, on August 9, 1945, St Elmo's Fire appeared around the B-29 aircraft...the Bockscar experienced an uncanny luminous blue plasma form around the spinning propellers, "as though we were riding the whirlwind through space on a chariot of blue fire."

59
1
TIL Missy Elliott wrote and performed on Raven-Symone’s 1993 debut rap song, “That’s What Little Girls are Made Of.” Missy was left off the music video for not being physically attractive enough. (www.factmag.com)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/GotMoFans on 2025-05-08 15:43:14+00:00.

60
1
TIL that in 1828 a "Tariff of Abominations" bill created with the intention of never passing congress was passed anyway and nearly led to President Jackson declaring war on South Carolina (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/chronasaurusrex on 2025-05-08 15:16:28+00:00.

61
1
TIL that Navajo language was used to carry top-secret messages during the Pacific campaign, WW2. Navajo, a native american language, is incredibly complex and obscure, it was thought to be impossi... (www.history.co.uk)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Dystopics_IT on 2025-05-08 14:47:26+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Navajo language was used to carry top-secret messages during the Pacific campaign, WW2. Navajo, a native american language, is incredibly complex and obscure, it was thought to be impossible to decipher by the Japanese Army

62
1
TIL of Ford Think, a "neighborhood electric vehicle" that Ford sold in the early 2000s, that were prone to an instrument cluster failure which would also brick the entire vehicle. (hackaday.com)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2025-05-08 13:59:50+00:00.

63
1
TIL that one of Edward VII's mistresses, Alice Keppel, was the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles. Camilla was the mistress and later wife of Prince (now King) Charles, Edward’s great-grea... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Upstairs_Drive_5602 on 2025-05-08 09:54:02+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that one of Edward VII's mistresses, Alice Keppel, was the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles. Camilla was the mistress and later wife of Prince (now King) Charles, Edward’s great-great-grandson.

64
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TIL British accents noticeable change within the UK every 25 miles (news.bbc.co.uk)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/jc201946 on 2025-05-08 09:35:58+00:00.

65
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TIL: 12th century Vikings broke into a Stone Age tomb in Orkney and left runic graffiti, 30 in total, including one inscription saying: 'Tholfir Kolbeinsson carved these runes high up' (www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2025-05-08 07:26:02+00:00.

66
3
TIL Wearing a tie can reduce blood flow to the brain by 7.5 per cent (theconversation.com)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/jc201946 on 2025-05-07 15:34:50+00:00.

67
2
TIL of the role of Groom of the Stool, which was initially responsible for supplying their king with a toilet stool, bowl, water, towels, and physically cleaning their anus (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/shotsfordays on 2025-05-07 23:32:33+00:00.

68
2
TIL that ants are much more closely related to bees than wasps are (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/zerofunhero on 2025-05-07 18:40:22+00:00.

69
3
TIL that Pro Wrestler Kevin Sullivan once wrote a storyline, or "Kayfabe", about his wife Nancy (ring name "Woman") leaving him for fellow wrestler Chris Benoit. The storyline would lead to a real... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Nocturnal_Pages on 2025-05-07 12:45:55+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Pro Wrestler Kevin Sullivan once wrote a storyline, or "Kayfabe", about his wife Nancy (ring name "Woman") leaving him for fellow wrestler Chris Benoit. The storyline would lead to a real-life affair between Chris and Nancy. The resulting marriage tragically ended in murder-suicide in 2007.

70
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TIL that King Louis XVI built a temple at Rambouillet for the sole purpose of tasting milk and cheese, as a surprise present to Marie Antoinette. It was equipped with water jets just to keep the m... (culturezvous.com)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2025-05-07 11:38:13+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that King Louis XVI built a temple at Rambouillet for the sole purpose of tasting milk and cheese, as a surprise present to Marie Antoinette. It was equipped with water jets just to keep the milk cool during tasting sessions.

71
2
TIL about Giuseppe Siri, an Italian cardinal who was the subject of a conspiracy theory claiming he won the 1958 conclave but was forced to decline after being threatened that either he and his fa... (wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Capital_Tailor_7348 on 2025-05-07 18:37:59+00:00.

Original Title: TIL about Giuseppe Siri, an Italian cardinal who was the subject of a conspiracy theory claiming he won the 1958 conclave but was forced to decline after being threatened that either he and his family would be killed, the Vatican nuked or an assassination campaign launched against the church.

72
1
TIL that Auschwitz had a brothel (Block 24) where female prisoners were forced to have sex with selected male inmates as part of a reward system. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/SPXQuantAlgo on 2025-05-08 06:43:57+00:00.

73
2
TIL that while filming the iconic “Gonna Fly Now,” Sequence in Rocky (1975) the moment where Rocky is encouragingly thrown a piece of fruit by a passerby was completely improvised because they fil... (runlovers.it)
submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/No_Material3111 on 2025-05-07 18:35:19+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that while filming the iconic “Gonna Fly Now,” Sequence in Rocky (1975) the moment where Rocky is encouragingly thrown a piece of fruit by a passerby was completely improvised because they filmed this without permission and so the people in the market are not actors.

74
4
TIL of Xingtian, the God of Not Giving up. In Ancient Chinese Myth he fought vs. Huangdi for the title of Supreme God, lost, and got beheaded. However he turned his nipples & navel into eyes &... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/analoggi_d0ggi on 2025-05-07 03:07:36+00:00.

Original Title: TIL of Xingtian, the God of Not Giving up. In Ancient Chinese Myth he fought vs. Huangdi for the title of Supreme God, lost, and got beheaded. However he turned his nipples & navel into eyes & a mouth and resumed battling for the top spot again

75
3
TIL that in 1912, a boy named Bobby Dunbar went missing. Eight months later, he was found with another family who claimed that he was their son, Bruce Anderson. The Andersons didn't have the money... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/ShaunAHAHAHA on 2025-05-07 07:36:54+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 1912, a boy named Bobby Dunbar went missing. Eight months later, he was found with another family who claimed that he was their son, Bruce Anderson. The Andersons didn't have the money to fight in court, so they lost custody. In 2004, DNA testing confirmed that the boy wasn’t Bobby.

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