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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126
1
TIL In Tug of War, there are at least two mechanisms of injury that can result in amputation (www.researchgate.net)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Hrtzy on 2025-05-07 19:33:02+00:00.

127
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TIL that in Australia, the phrase "doing a Bradbury" means achieving an unexpected or unusual success. The phrase references Steven Bradbury, a short-track speed skater, that won a gold medal in t... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/ModenaR on 2025-05-07 20:30:08+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in Australia, the phrase "doing a Bradbury" means achieving an unexpected or unusual success. The phrase references Steven Bradbury, a short-track speed skater, that won a gold medal in the Winter Olympics from last place, after the entire field ahead of him crashed out on the final corner

128
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TIL the song "Losing my Religion" isn't about faith and instead uses a Southern expression for losing your temper (religion.columbia.edu)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/solojones1138 on 2025-05-07 20:09:21+00:00.

129
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TIL that the CIA considered making a fake Saddam Hussein sex tape. (theweek.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/pengweather on 2025-05-07 03:27:42+00:00.

130
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TIL that the first recorded example of gambling on the papal elections is from the 1503 conclave (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/SteO153 on 2025-05-07 19:05:10+00:00.

131
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TIL that "Manitoba flour" is prized in Italy for its high protein content, ideal for making pizza and bread and named named after a Canadian province because of the origins of the wheat. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/akchahal on 2025-05-07 18:31:01+00:00.

132
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TIL Portugal fought a 13-year Colonial War to keep its African colonies long after the rest of Europe had given up theirs. Eventually the military got sick of dying in a pointless war, overthrew t... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/MysteryBagIdeals on 2025-05-07 02:06:09+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Portugal fought a 13-year Colonial War to keep its African colonies long after the rest of Europe had given up theirs. Eventually the military got sick of dying in a pointless war, overthrew the dictatorship and installed a democracy

133
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TIL the Great Wall of China is not actually visible from space, its just a myth. (www.nasa.gov)
submitted 6 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Guilty_Writer3165 on 2025-05-06 13:00:10+00:00.

134
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TIL the Nine-banded armadillos, the only armadillo species found in America always gives birth to identical quadruplets. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/aschephnx on 2025-05-06 11:45:09+00:00.

135
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TIL that Italian futurist, Filippo Marinetti, once tried to ban pasta and wrote an entire manifesto over it. The ban did not materialize and Italians continued to eat pasta. (greatbigstory.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2025-05-06 11:13:51+00:00.

136
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TIL that the last Queen Consort of Sikkim, a country that ceased to exist in 1975, was an American who was born in San Francisco (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/DangerNoodle1993 on 2025-05-06 23:21:16+00:00.

137
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TIL Titanic passenger Edgar Samuel Andrew was so angry he had to board Titanic, he wrote in a letter on April 8, 1912: "... right now I wish the 'Titanic' were lying at the bottom of the ocean." W... (www.encyclopedia-titanica.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/TheCrimsonWand on 2025-05-07 17:22:02+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Titanic passenger Edgar Samuel Andrew was so angry he had to board Titanic, he wrote in a letter on April 8, 1912: "... right now I wish the 'Titanic' were lying at the bottom of the ocean." Week later, his wish came true.

138
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TIL of An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997). Due in part to negative attention for this film (which grossed under $60K on a $10M budget), the DGA retired the Alan Smithee pseudonym fro... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/whoadwoadie on 2025-05-07 12:52:44+00:00.

Original Title: TIL of An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997). Due in part to negative attention for this film (which grossed under $60K on a $10M budget), the DGA retired the Alan Smithee pseudonym from regular use.

139
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TIL acid reflux, or GERD, can cause chest pains so severe they are often mistaken for a heart attack. Of the 8 million emergency room visits for chest pain each year, severe heartburn accounts for... (www.health.harvard.edu)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/ssAskcuSzepS on 2025-05-07 14:18:52+00:00.

Original Title: TIL acid reflux, or GERD, can cause chest pains so severe they are often mistaken for a heart attack. Of the 8 million emergency room visits for chest pain each year, severe heartburn accounts for over half the cases in which actual heart problems are ruled out.

140
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TIL there’s a sea creature called the Skeleton Panda Sea Squirt that looks like a tiny floating panda with a skeleton inside. It was discovered near Japan and officially named Clavelina ossipandae... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/therealstotes on 2025-05-07 13:32:02+00:00.

Original Title: TIL there’s a sea creature called the Skeleton Panda Sea Squirt that looks like a tiny floating panda with a skeleton inside. It was discovered near Japan and officially named Clavelina ossipandae, which means “little bottle of panda bones.”

141
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TIL that a pillbug does not urinate. It expelled ammonia through its exoskeleton. It’s classified as a crustacean and not an insect. It turns purple or blue when fighting infections. It can feed o... (www.columbiatribune.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Born-Agency-3922 on 2025-05-07 13:17:46+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that a pillbug does not urinate. It expelled ammonia through its exoskeleton. It’s classified as a crustacean and not an insect. It turns purple or blue when fighting infections. It can feed on heavy metals with zero consequences.

142
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TIL the English Royal Mint (c. 886) precedes England as a single unified state, by about 41 years (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/AnonymousTimewaster on 2025-05-07 12:17:07+00:00.

143
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TIL That Sarah Bishop an American Woman of affluence in the 18th century, was kidnapped, became a pirate and eventually died a hermit living in a cave near Salem. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Flubadubadubadub on 2025-05-06 19:13:14+00:00.

144
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TIL that there were thousands of indigenous peoples who allied with and fought alongside the conquistadors during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/ConcentrateOptimal18 on 2025-05-06 18:59:15+00:00.

145
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TIL Underworld's "Born Slippy .NUXX" from the Trainspotting soundtrack had vocals recorded in one take after a night of drinking: Karl Hyde meant it as a "cry for help" from alcoholism, and repeat... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Torley_ on 2025-05-06 18:38:16+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Underworld's "Born Slippy .NUXX" from the Trainspotting soundtrack had vocals recorded in one take after a night of drinking: Karl Hyde meant it as a "cry for help" from alcoholism, and repeated lines when he lost his place, resulting in the iconic "lager, lager, lager, lager".

146
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TIL that in 2013, a noodle shop owner in China protested a court fine by paying 10,000 yuan in 0.1 yuan coins, delivered in 8 giant bags 18 bank staff spent a whole day counting and only got throu... (uk.news.yahoo.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Frostiq9 on 2025-05-07 12:35:39+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 2013, a noodle shop owner in China protested a court fine by paying 10,000 yuan in 0.1 yuan coins, delivered in 8 giant bags 18 bank staff spent a whole day counting and only got through half.

147
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TIL about Sarah Wells, a black Wisconsin woman who earned her High School Diploma at 92 years old. "I want to take a course in Botany... I do not know where else I can go, but I am sure there is s... (madisoncollege.edu)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Montag_Reader on 2025-05-06 16:42:25+00:00.

Original Title: TIL about Sarah Wells, a black Wisconsin woman who earned her High School Diploma at 92 years old. "I want to take a course in Botany... I do not know where else I can go, but I am sure there is something else I can do."

148
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TiL taking less photographs help you remember the places you been to (www.npr.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/jc201946 on 2025-05-06 16:12:15+00:00.

149
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TIL that in February 2025 a group of 8 beavers constructed a dam in the exact location that the Czech government had planned to build one. The initial project had been in the planning stage since ... (www.theguardian.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/HYPERHERPADERP_ on 2025-05-06 16:08:15+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in February 2025 a group of 8 beavers constructed a dam in the exact location that the Czech government had planned to build one. The initial project had been in the planning stage since 2018 and would have cost over $1.2 million.

150
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TIL that the Salisbury Cathedral clock, dating from around 1386, is considered to be the oldest working mechanical clock in the world. Built without a dial, it uses a verge and foliot mechanism an... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Upstairs_Drive_5602 on 2025-05-07 10:15:51+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that the Salisbury Cathedral clock, dating from around 1386, is considered to be the oldest working mechanical clock in the world. Built without a dial, it uses a verge and foliot mechanism and was restored in 1956 after centuries of service in the now-demolished bell tower.

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