r/todayilearned 8h ago

TIL that slot machines run by the U.S. military earn $100 million a year from service members overseas

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npr.org
7.2k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 7h ago

TIL that to join the EU, Austria had to lift its blanket ban on members of the Habsburg family entering Austria because it was a violation of human rights

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4.4k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 6h ago

TIL about The Sweatbox, a documentary about the making of The Emperor’s New Groove. Produced by Sting’s wife, it was never released by Disney due to the unprecedented access to their creative process, which was uncharacteristically rushed and improvised for this project.

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vulture.com
2.8k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 6h ago

TIL the man who discovered the LED died of starvation.

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en.wikipedia.org
2.6k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 5h ago

TIL that before the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, a B29 weather reconnaissance plane called Straight Flush flew over the city to determine if conditions were favourable. Its pilot, Claude Eatherly later expressed remorse, received psychiatric hospitalisation, and engaged in anti-nuclear activism.

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en.wikipedia.org
1.5k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 8h ago

TIL: The weird robot in Rocky IV is named Sico in real life and was a therapy tool for Sylvester Stallone‘s autistic son. Stallone included Sico in the movie to stay close to his son. After the movie, Sico went on tour with James Brown.

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cbr.com
2.1k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 5h ago

TIL Volkswagen offered 5 years of free connected emergency services on certain car models after law enforcement contacted VW's Car-Net service to ask for the GPS location of a carjacked vehicle with a child inside and the representative refused to help until a $150 subscription fee was paid.

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theverge.com
986 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 10h ago

TIL that Tom Brady was the last player drafted by the Montreal Expos to retire from his playing career

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cbssports.com
2.4k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 4h ago

TIL when Mongols defeated the Poles at the battle of Legnica, they beheaded king Henry II and paraded his head. His wife recognized his mutilated body by his eleventh toe.

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en.wikipedia.org
551 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 7h ago

TIL that Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Bourbon claimant of the French throne from 1975-1989, was beheaded in a skiing accident in Beaver Creek, Colorado

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en.wikipedia.org
921 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 13h ago

TIL six marine biologists scientifically analyzed 202 episodes of Shark Week based on 15+ variables. They concluded the episodes were "full of incorrect information," were "wildly misleading" about the field of shark research, and only 6 of them provided any actionable tips regarding conservation.

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smithsonianmag.com
2.7k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 20h ago

TIL Shahtoosh, the most expensive fabric on earth is totally illegal to own

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elledecor.com
13.4k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 4h ago

TIL the church in Rome began formally celebrating Christmas on December 25 in 336, during the reign of the emperor Constantine. However, Christmas did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century

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britannica.com
431 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 19h ago

TIL there are 57 universities around the world with no tuition for all international students, providing free education regardless of a student's country of origin.

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globaladmissions.com
7.3k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 3h ago

TIL that California black acorns were used by California native Americans as a staple food.

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en.wikipedia.org
286 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 3h ago

TIL one of the most widely used procedures to reliably induce psychological stress in a laboratory setting is designed to simulate a job interview

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en.wikipedia.org
206 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 9h ago

TIL "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is the longest continuously running Christmas TV special in the United States, having aired yearly since 1964.

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en.wikipedia.org
456 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 1d ago

TIL The Babushka Lady is an unidentified woman present during the 1963 assassination of JFK, who appeared to be taking photos as other witnesses took cover. Her identity, along with her photos, remain unknown.

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9.8k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 9h ago

TIL Twinkies have a shelf-life of 45 days (it used to be 26), contrary to popular urban legends

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npr.org
361 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 23h ago

TIL as part of its foreign policy the Nixon administration actively portrayed the president as an out of control madman to try and convince hostile nations that he was capable of anything at anytime. Including nuclear war. Nixon dubbed this strategy "Madman Theory".

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en.wikipedia.org
4.7k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 1d ago

TIL all 658 employees at Cantor Fitzgerald who had offices in the World Trade Center were killed representing the single largest loss among any single organization in the attacks

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en.wikipedia.org
7.9k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 3h ago

TIL the Buddhas of Bamiyan were built in 570 and 618 CE and were a holy site for buddhas along the Silk Road. They were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

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en.wikipedia.org
123 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 1d ago

TIL in 1938, Chiang Kai-Shek caused the deadliest manmade flood in history when he intentionally broke the Yellow River dam. While he did succeed in his goal of slowing down the Japanese advance, it ended up killing 400,000-893,303 people in the process.

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en.wikipedia.org
15.1k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 18h ago

TIL Mama Cass and Keith Moon died in the same bedroom at the same age.

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en.wikipedia.org
1.5k Upvotes