TIL that during World War II, Japan floated over 9,300 Fu-Go balloon bombs towards the United States mainland. While the bombs were largely ineffective, they were the first intercontinental weapons, with one reaching as far as Michigan.

submitted by NorfolkTerrier from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL expensive placebo pills are proven to be more effective than cheap ones

submitted by Saturday from (thefactsource.com)

Kenjataimu

submitted by ElifromtheBook from (urbandictionary.com)

TIL that the US's original nuclear war plan included bombing China. When asked if there was an option to spare China if it wasn't part of the war, Strategic Air Command leader Thomas Power said he hoped no one would think of that, "because it would really screw up the plan."

submitted by NorfolkTerrier from (nsarchive2.gwu.edu)

TIL a seven year old boy became heavyweight champion of the world for one day. ♥️

submitted by hfxB0oyA from (imgur.com)

TIL Medieval Eltz Castle has remained with the same family for 860 years (33 generations)

submitted by Saturday from (thefactsource.com)

TIL that the Madagascar Sign Language is derived from the Norwegian Sign Language, since the education for deaf in the country was established by Norwegian missionaries.

submitted by Jashfior from (repository.tufs.ac.jp)

TIL that at a library in Anchorage, Alaska you can borrow taxidermy animals.

submitted by Jashfior from (atlasobscura.com)

TIL bone conduction was used to diagnose the source of deafness in patients as early as the sixteenth century (no, Beethoven did NOT invent bone conduction)

submitted by liz_ from (blog.sentienhq.com)

TIL that the rarest naturally occuring element is Astatine (atomic number 85). It is so rare because it has a half-life of 8.1 hours. Less than one ounce (28 grams) exists in the Earth's crust.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that all mammals of order Carnivora are divided into two groups: cat-like (Feliformia) and dog-like (Caniformia).

submitted by NorfolkTerrier from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that there was an Indian con-man called Natwarlal who repeatedly "sold" Taj Mahal, the Red Fort in Delhi, the Indian presidential palace and parliament house.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that two airplanes collided in Switzerland in 2002 due to bad air traffic control. A Russian man who lost his family in the accident murdered the air traffic controller who handled the traffic that night. After his release he became deputy minister of construction in North Ossetia-Alania.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that the library Biblioteca_Joanina in Coimbra, Portugal is home to a swarm of bats that feed on book-eating insects.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that Francisco Macías Nguema, dictator of Equatorial Guinea 1968-1979, gave himself the title "Unique Miracle", changed the national motto to "There is no other God than Macías Nguema", banned western medicine and had 150 opponents executed on Christmas Eve by soldiers dressed as Santa Claus.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that in 1968, Liechtenstein held a referendum on women's suffrage where both men and women were allowed to vote. Despite this, the No-side won with 56.3% and 49.5% of the women voting against voting rights for women. Women's suffrage would not be introduced until 1984.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that the last sword duel in France took place in 1967, between the mayor of Marseille and the presidential candidate of the Socialist Party.

submitted by Jashfior from (rarehistoricalphotos.com)

TIL that the Paraguayan war 1864-1870 led to the death of up to 69% of the population in Paraguay. After the war there were only 28,746 adult men left in the country.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL What It Was Like to Witness the Guillotine - Weird History

submitted by EndlessSunflowers from (youtube.com)

TIL that Ninja as portrayed in Modern Media aren't Real and all Ninja Masters today are Fake

submitted by scrubking from (youtu.be)

TIL that the first rocket launched by the Indian space program in 1963 was transported to the launch site by bicycle. The space center from which the launch was performed was set up in a church.

submitted by Jashfior from (indiatoday.in)

TIL about the dancing plague of 1518 in Strasbourg where hundreds started to dance maniacally without any known reason, some even dancing to their death.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that the great mathematician and logician Kurt Gödel, famous for his incompleteness theorems, refused to eat anything not cooked by his wife out of fear of poisoning and died of starvation when she was hospitalized and unable to cook for him.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that the national anthem of Estonia is the same as that of Finland, but with different lyrics.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that a small islet called South Talpatti was disputed between India and Bangladesh until 2010, when it was submerged due to rising sea levels caused by global warming, settling the dispute.

submitted by Jashfior from (smh.com.au)

TIL that there exist many villages in France that "died for France" in WWI. They were never rebuilt and the land not incorporated in other administrative divisions. Instead the villages officially remain with zero inhabitants to commemorate their sacrifice.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that an Indian man married a dog to atone for having killed two other dogs, something that had brought a "curse" upon him.

submitted by Jashfior from (news.bbc.co.uk)

TIL That Humans have a limited ability to care about people outside their social circle, and this is why there will always be what some consider social injustice.

submitted by NaughtyUnicorn from (lundtan.lundaekonomerna.se)

TIL on the Papuan Bougainville Island 41% of the men admitted to having coerced a non-partner into sex, and 59% to having sex with their partner when she was unwilling. 14.1% admitted having commited gang rape.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that in 532, half of Constantinople was destroyed and tens of thousand died in riots between supporters of different chariot racing factions.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that there are three islands in lakes on islands in lakes on islands, all in Canada. There used to be four, until the Taal Volcano Main Crater Lake in the Philippines was emptied after an eruption on January 12, 2020.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL about Flettner rotors that use the Magnus effect, the same effect that makes spinning balls follow a curved path. They can be used for rotor sails on ships consisting of large cylinders, or as cylindrical wings on rotor airplanes to create lift.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that in 1800 Alexander von Humboldt found a pet parrot in Amazonas that spoke an extinct language. He documented what it said, and his notes are the only trace of this language.

submitted by Jashfior from (mentalfloss.com)

TIL that "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is one of the most profitable films of all time with a 6150% return on investment

submitted by skunkwerx from (cnbc.com)

TIL that "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective", "The Mask", and "Dumb and Dumber" were all released in 1994.

submitted by skunkwerx from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL about a murderer that couldn't be executed due to the innocence of his parasitic, conjoined twin

submitted by skunkwerx from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that Madagascar was not inhabited from nearby Africa, but from Indonesia some time between 200 and 500 AD.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL the founder of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong, was responsible for the deaths of over 65 million people, making him the most prolific killer of the 20th century.

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (heritage.org)

TIL that on the isolated Pacific Pitcairn Island, six men, out of a total population of just 47, were in 2004 found guilty of rape and sexual assault against children, including the mayor.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL Iraq 1971 poison grain disaster has left 459 dead and 100,000 brain damaged. Farmers consumed grain treated with mercury fungicide, because they didn't understand English/Spanish warnings or skull/crossbones sign

submitted by Saturday from (thefactsource.com)

TIL that in 2010 the stock market experienced a flash crash, when over a trillion dollars were lost and mostly regained, all in 36 minutes. The crash was caused by automatic trading, although the exact causes are not definitely determined.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL Zionist Jews orchestrated 9/11

submitted by Jesus from (takeourworldback.com)

TIL that in English, swear words tend to have Germanic origins (fuck, shit, etc.) while euphemisms tend to have Latin origins (copulate, defecate, etc.)

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (grin.com)

TIL Cleopatra was ethnically Greek, not Egyptian. Her ancestor Ptolomy served in Alexander the Great's army. After Alexander's, death Ptolemy stole the body & used it to claim legitimacy as ruler of Egypt. His dynasty lasted 292 years until Augustus Cesar defeated Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium.

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL about the Vela incident, an unidentified double flash occurring in the south Atlantic on September 22, 1979. It is believed to be a secret nuclear test carried out by South Africa and Israel.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL There is an inverse correlation between the amount of money spent on a wedding, and how long the marriage lasts. The more people spend on the ceremony, the more likely the couple will get divorced.

submitted by theFriendlyDoomer from (insider.com)

TIL about the sweating sickness in England (1485-1551)

submitted by theFriendlyDoomer from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL there are more payday loan stores in the US than there are Starbucks or McDonald’s.

submitted by theFriendlyDoomer from (research.stlouisfed.org)

TIL Jeff Bezos founded a spaceflight company called Blue Origin. It even has a coat of arms.

submitted by Cindy from (en.wikipedia.org)

Primonumerophobia and disparnumerophobia

submitted by infocom6502 from (phobia.wikia.org)

TIL since it is forbidden for Jews to carry certain objects in public during Shabbat, many cities have installed lines in the air, enclosing the city, making the entire city count as private domain and thus making it allowed to carry among other things, house keys, tissues, medication, and babies.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that retirement is strongly correlated with death. The earlier you retire, the more likely you are to die.

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (webmd.com)

TIL that research on reversible vasectomies (RISUG) has been delayed for nearly a decade because Indians don't want needles getting near their dicks.

submitted by Adallindis from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that the longest known sniper kill occurred in 2017. A member of the Canadian special forces smoked an ISIS fighter at 3,871 yards, which is over 2 miles.

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (nationalinterest.org)

TIL that on pre-colonial Easter Island there existed a undeciphered system of writing or proto-writing, called Rongorongo, which would be one of few independent inventions of writing.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that all Native American dog breeds were wiped out by Eurasian dogs after the arrival of European settlers. Despite thriving on the continent for thousands of years, no pre-contact breeds survive today.

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (smithsonianmag.com)

TIL American chickens can be processed in China, shipped back, and legally sold in the U.S. as American products

submitted by Saturday from (thefactsource.com)

TIL in 1980 a dingo ate the infant Azaria Chamberlain. Authorities thought the story was false and charged her parents with murder. The mother was demonized by several media outlets who spread false information pointing to her guilt. Yet, after years of legal battles both parents were acquitted.

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL about the Falkland Islands wolf. It was the only native land mammal living on the islands, and it is not quite clear how it was able to get there from the mainland, 480 km away. It was hunted to extinction by sheep farmers in the 19th century.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL most men’s right testicle is slightly larger than the left, and tends to hang a little higher.

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (healthline.com)

TIL of Brandolini's Law, aka the "Bullshit Asymmetry Principle" which states, "The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it"

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL That, in addition to head-coverings, followers of Sikhism must always carry a Kirpan (ceremonial dagger) as a symbol of their "spirituality and the constant struggle of good and morality over the forces of evil and injustice."

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (sikhs.org)

TIL that you can't be denied access to any public business in California for lack of a face mask

submitted by discountmeat from (youtube.com)

TIL that the small Pacific island nation of Nauru was once the richest country in the world thanks to phosphate mines, but as the phosphate was depleted it descended into poverty, reaching 90% unemployment.

submitted by Jashfior from (telegraph.co.uk)

TIL of Transnistria - a European country that doesn't officially exist. Internationally, it's recognized as part of Moldova, but is largely self-governing and considers itself independent.

submitted by aThievingStableboy from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that after the invention of lightning rods in the 18th century, it became popular in France to wear lightning rods e.g. in your hat or umbrella.

submitted by Jashfior from (en.wikipedia.org)

All Dutch PMs since 1982 have attended the Bilderberg.

submitted by Robin from (wikispooks.com)

Windshield phenomenon. Are insects disappearing?

submitted by Canbot from (en.wikipedia.org)

Copper's Surprising Reaction to Strong Magnets | Force Field Motion Dampening (7:45) ~ NightHawkInLight, 2018-01-26 [Did any of you know about this?]

submitted by JasonCarswell from (youtube.com)

What the heck Electrostatic Cleaning is

submitted by rubberbiscuit from (cleanlink.com)

Helicopter Tree Sawing In The MD 500 (7:26) ~ Helicopter Online Ground School, 2015-08-17

submitted by JasonCarswell from (youtube.com)

TIL that aspirin might have increased mortality during the spanish flu

submitted by [deleted] from (youtu.be)

TIL In 1933 Asbestos companies settled claims about the damage of asbestos, they then funded the research so they could control it.

submitted by [deleted] from (youtu.be)

Today I learned about New Rave.

submitted by JasonCarswell from (self.TIL)

TIL about the "Davy Crockett" M-29 portable nuclear warhead mortar gun, made in the 1950s

submitted by magnora7 from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL Scholars now think that human writing independently developed in at least five ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia/Sumer (between 3400 and 3100 BC), Egypt (around 3250 BC), China (2000 BC), Mesoamerica (by 650 BC), and Peru (by 200 CE)

submitted by magnora7 from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL: Dogs dont want to be alone when they die, they're just scared and confused

submitted by Tiwaking from (wagwalking.com)

An Alabama store sells your unclaimed luggage

submitted by mikipika from (unclaimedbaggage.com)

TIL: The 4 richest banks in the world are all based in the same country, which surprised me.

submitted by Robin from (en.wikipedia.org)

Patented in 1857, the phonautograph was the earliest known device to record sound, but had no means of playback. The recordings were first converted back into sound in 2008.

submitted by Robin from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL: At least two IMF directors have been convicted of financial crimes

submitted by Robin from (self.TIL)

Exclusive: Pentagon spent nearly $8 million to treat 1,500 transgender troops since 2016

submitted by Tom_Bombadil from (usatoday.com)

TIL an AI that tracks "hate speech" finds minorities to be the worst offenders.

submitted by Chipit from (youtube.com)

TIL: Sophia the AI robot was developed as a result of funding by Jeff Epstein. Wonder if he trained her?

submitted by Squizzel from (twitter.com)

TIL about the inspiration for "The green mile".

submitted by Mnemonic from (imgur.com)

TIL of the Great Male Renunciation

submitted by [deleted] from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that the late Philip Marshall has _two_ amazon author pages:

submitted by Robin from (self.TIL)

TIL about the Soucouyant, or Loogaroo. (I'm pretty sure that HRC is a loogaroo)

submitted by Tom_Bombadil from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that JFK Jr. died in a small plane crash in 1999.

submitted by Robin from (self.TIL)

TIL about the usage of the 'word' Texas.

submitted by Mnemonic from (i.imgur.com)

In February this year Wikipedia voted on whether to delete its entire article on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

submitted by Robin from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL that Donald Rumsfeld was the 3rd Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. This office was created to fight the "War on Poverty". Obviously, he didn't win the war.

submitted by Tom_Bombadil from (en.m.wikipedia.org)

TIL about the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act. This April the UK Govt. claimed the right to jail its citizens for up to for 10 years if they enter a "designated area" abroad.

submitted by Robin from (independent.co.uk)

TIL that the WHO declared Ebola a PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern) 2 Weeks ago.

submitted by Robin from (who.int)

TIL about Child beauty pageants in France

submitted by Mnemonic from (i.imgur.com)

TIL about the World's littlest skyscraper

submitted by Mnemonic from (en.m.wikipedia.org)

TIL: that Scatman John had a stutter

submitted by Mnemonic from (youtube.com)

TIL about the Pfeilstorch (German for "arrow stork")

submitted by Mnemonic from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL about Van Eck phreaking

submitted by Mnemonic from (en.wikipedia.org)

TIL about: the Petroleum Warfare Department

submitted by Mnemonic from (en.wikipedia.org)

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