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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76
2
TIL - Trebuchets are actually just a classification of catapult and no definition of catapult specifies how any particular design is meant to store or release potential energy, meaning it's never ... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/celticdude234 on 2025-05-08 16:20:01+00:00.

Original Title: TIL - Trebuchets are actually just a classification of catapult and no definition of catapult specifies how any particular design is meant to store or release potential energy, meaning it's never wrong to call a trebuchet a catapult.

77
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TIL there's a town named Monowi , Nebraska with a population of only one person. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/between3and20spaces on 2025-05-09 02:53:52+00:00.

78
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TIL that Zeno of Elea, a Greek philosopher famous for the paradoxes he established, was killed when even after being tortured he refused to divulge the names of his co-conspirators in a plot to ov... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/NapalmBurns on 2025-05-09 02:52:18+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Zeno of Elea, a Greek philosopher famous for the paradoxes he established, was killed when even after being tortured he refused to divulge the names of his co-conspirators in a plot to overthrow a vicious tyrant

79
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TIL more than 40 camels were disqualified from a Saudi beauty contest after being found to have received Botox injections to enhance their looks in 2021 (www.abc.net.au)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/jacknunn on 2025-05-08 13:02:09+00:00.

80
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TIL Adidas acquired its signature 3-stripe logo from the Finnish athletic footwear brand Karhu Sports, for two bottles of whiskey and the equivalent of €1600 ($1805) in 1952 (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/Double-decker_trams on 2025-05-08 09:58:20+00:00.

81
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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.

82
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TIL As secretary for the chancellery in 1503, Machiavelli was dispatched to Rome to gather intel and report on the new conclave after Pius III died 26 days into his papacy. He reported the % Giuli... (oll.libertyfund.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Ainsley-Sorsby on 2025-05-08 19:46:38+00:00.

Original Title: TIL As secretary for the chancellery in 1503, Machiavelli was dispatched to Rome to gather intel and report on the new conclave after Pius III died 26 days into his papacy. He reported the % Giuliano Della Rovere was expecting to get and had the news of his election hours before it was announced

83
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TIL the Amur Falcon coordinates his migration with the migration of the Globe Skimmer Dragonfly so as to feed on the wing over the Indian ocean. (www.worldmigratorybirdday.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/ThrownAwayGuineaPig on 2025-05-08 16:38:00+00:00.

84
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TIL How scientists taught monkeys the concept of money. Not long after, the first prostitute monkey appeared (www.zmescience.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/Bigearl020 on 2025-05-08 07:16:08+00:00.

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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)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/iloveuranus on 2025-05-08 18:24:25+00:00.

86
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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 4 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

87
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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 4 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."

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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)
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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.

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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)
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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.

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TIL in 2010 the US Army marched through Red Square in Moscow at the Victory Day Parade. (www.army.mil)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/strangelove4564 on 2025-05-08 16:27:10+00:00.

91
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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)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/GotMoFans on 2025-05-08 15:43:14+00:00.

92
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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)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/chronasaurusrex on 2025-05-08 15:16:28+00:00.

93
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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)
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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

94
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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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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/jc201946 on 2025-05-07 15:34:50+00:00.

95
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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)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2025-05-08 13:59:50+00:00.

96
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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)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/shotsfordays on 2025-05-07 23:32:33+00:00.

97
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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 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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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.

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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)
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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.

99
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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 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/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.

100
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TIL British accents noticeable change within the UK every 25 miles (news.bbc.co.uk)
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 2025-05-08 09:35:58+00:00.

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