Today I Learned (TIL)

Original Title: TIL before becoming the first Xiongnu emperor, to be sure of his men's loyalty, Modu Chanyu commanded them first to shoot his favourite horse and one of his favourite wives. Any who refused were summarily executed. He became emperor by ordering his men to murder his father with arrows while hunting.

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TIL that 'pigeons' are domesticated rock doves (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/acrowsmurder on 2025-07-08 02:52:11+00:00.

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TIL that the abandoned Central State Hospital, formerly known as the Georgia State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum, is surrounded by 25,000 unmarked graves (www.atlasobscura.com)

submitted 5 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/tinycole2971 on 2025-07-08 02:17:59+00:00.

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TIL that Holland has had consistent GDP growth from 1350 onwards (lawliberty.org)

submitted 5 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/aprettyp on 2025-07-08 01:58:39+00:00.

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TIL the most effective pollinators of common ivy are yellow jackets. Yellow jackets scored the highest on the ‘Pollination potential PP index’ (a measure of pollinator effectiveness) out of all th... (link.springer.com)

submitted 5 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Little-Cucumber-8907 on 2025-07-07 22:19:24+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the most effective pollinators of common ivy are yellow jackets. Yellow jackets scored the highest on the ‘Pollination potential PP index’ (a measure of pollinator effectiveness) out of all the insects examined (which included bees and flies).

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TIL in 1967, Singapore experienced a mass panic over shrinking genitals; hundreds of men ran to hospitals convinced their penises were retracting into their bodies due to “genital retraction syndr... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 7 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/DeScepter on 2025-07-08 00:44:47+00:00.

Original Title: TIL in 1967, Singapore experienced a mass panic over shrinking genitals; hundreds of men ran to hospitals convinced their penises were retracting into their bodies due to “genital retraction syndrome”

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TIL a French serial killer (Henri D. Landru) was exposed because he always bought round-trip train tickets for himself but only one-way tickets for the women he murdered (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 7 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Sarke1 on 2025-07-08 00:29:29+00:00.

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TIL about Terry Wallis, who spent 19 years in a minimally conscious state following a 1984 car accident, suddenly spoke “Mom” on June 11, 2003, making him the longest documented coma‑like recovery... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 7 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Scarfaceswap on 2025-07-07 23:43:21+00:00.

Original Title: TIL about Terry Wallis, who spent 19 years in a minimally conscious state following a 1984 car accident, suddenly spoke “Mom” on June 11, 2003, making him the longest documented coma‑like recovery with regained consciousness

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TIL that Catholic communion wafers (the Eucharist) are not permitted to come in gluten free varieties via decree from Pope Francis (www.archivioradiovaticana.va)

submitted 7 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Festina_lente123 on 2025-07-07 23:37:08+00:00.

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TIL that in 2010 McDonald's recalled 12 million radioactive Shrek drinking glasses that were painted with dangerous levels of Cadmium. (www.cbsnews.com)

submitted 9 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/radioactivetampon21 on 2025-07-07 22:07:26+00:00.

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TIL when the Barilla pasta company introduced a spring-form pasta in the 1970s, it was named “cellentani” in honour of Italian singer Adriano Celentano, whose nickname is “the springy one.” As Bar... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 9 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/waitingforthesun92 on 2025-07-07 22:07:12+00:00.

Original Title: TIL when the Barilla pasta company introduced a spring-form pasta in the 1970s, it was named “cellentani” in honour of Italian singer Adriano Celentano, whose nickname is “the springy one.” As Barilla trademarked the name, other companies called the shape “cavatappi”

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TIL the difference between Putt-Putt and mini golf: Putt-Putt courses have basic, minimalist designs with a strict par 2 on each hole. Mini golf courses are more tricky and elaborate, so the holes... (miniaturegolfplans.com)

submitted 9 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/IanGecko on 2025-07-07 21:33:10+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the difference between Putt-Putt and mini golf: Putt-Putt courses have basic, minimalist designs with a strict par 2 on each hole. Mini golf courses are more tricky and elaborate, so the holes have pars up to 6.

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TIL The Espionage Act of 1917 allows the U.S government to forbid a whistleblower to state his motives to a jury - including when the motives serve the public. (fas.org)

submitted 11 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/schwenger on 2025-07-07 20:32:27+00:00.

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TIL that according to Welsh legend, Corgis are fairie pets gifted to humans. (www.fairyhomesandgardens.com)

submitted 11 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/PixelWitch12 on 2025-07-07 19:57:46+00:00.

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TIL that Ryan Gosling was fired from The Lovely Bones after gaining 60 pounds for the role by drinking melted Häagen-Dazs ice cream. He had envisioned the character as overweight, but the director... (www.hollywoodreporter.com)

submitted 11 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/DangerNoodle1993 on 2025-07-07 19:36:10+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Ryan Gosling was fired from The Lovely Bones after gaining 60 pounds for the role by drinking melted Häagen-Dazs ice cream. He had envisioned the character as overweight, but the director disagreed, leading to his dismissal.

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TIL that Airbus used to be multiple aerospace companies from France, Germany, the UK, and Spain. The companies merged in 1970 to compete against US aerospace companies. (www.airbus.com)

submitted 11 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Physical_Hamster_118 on 2025-07-07 19:12:10+00:00.

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TIL the owner of the WTC argued that the 9-11 attacks were 2 separate occurrences, and so therefore based on the contract terms, he deserved twice the insurance payout - the courts partially agree... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 14 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/MichiganCarNut on 2025-07-07 17:37:12+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the owner of the WTC argued that the 9-11 attacks were 2 separate occurrences, and so therefore based on the contract terms, he deserved twice the insurance payout - the courts partially agreed and 9 of the 20 insurers had to pay double

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TIL that natural gas is actually odorless, and the smell we associate with it was invented in the 1970s by British engineer Peter Hansen. He was asked to create the "nastiest smell" possible so pe... (www.bbc.co.uk)

submitted 17 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/SignalHD18 on 2025-07-07 15:16:10+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that natural gas is actually odorless, and the smell we associate with it was invented in the 1970s by British engineer Peter Hansen. He was asked to create the "nastiest smell" possible so people could detect gas leaks.

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TIL Céline Dion, along with her husband, filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against the Quebec tabloid Allô Vedettes, which claimed that the couple paid $5,001 to rent the swimming pool of Caes... (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 16 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/backrowejoe on 2025-07-07 16:33:33+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Céline Dion, along with her husband, filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against the Quebec tabloid Allô Vedettes, which claimed that the couple paid $5,001 to rent the swimming pool of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas so that Dion could sunbathe topless and Angélil could go skinny dipping.

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TIL about Arthur MacArthur, Sr., who served as interim governor of Wisconsin for five days in 1855 after his predecessor resigned when he was caught trying to brazenly steal the 1855 gubernatorial... (www.channel3000.com)

submitted 16 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/GoCartMozart1980 on 2025-07-07 15:41:18+00:00.

Original Title: TIL about Arthur MacArthur, Sr., who served as interim governor of Wisconsin for five days in 1855 after his predecessor resigned when he was caught trying to brazenly steal the 1855 gubernatorial election.

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TIL this year 17 y.o. Hannah Cairo disproved a major mathematical conjecture proposed 40 years ago (english.elpais.com)

submitted 23 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/garrthes on 2025-07-07 09:04:25+00:00.

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TIL that the first journalist to report the outbreak of the Second World War was a rookie British reporter on her very first week on the job. While travelling along the German–Polish border, she s... (www.bbc.com)

submitted 16 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/DangerNoodle1993 on 2025-07-07 15:55:08+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that the first journalist to report the outbreak of the Second World War was a rookie British reporter on her very first week on the job. While travelling along the German–Polish border, she spotted thousands of troops, tanks, and artillery massed for invasion.