Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL people can get stones in your scrotum, just like they can get bladder and kidney stones. They are called "scrotal pearls" or "scrotoliths" and are benign calfications within the scrotal sac.

Radiopaedia

Scrotolith | Radiology Reference Article | Radiopaedia.org

Scrotoliths, also known as scrotal pearls, are benign incidental extratesticular macrocalcifications within the scrotum. They frequently occupy the...

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL On March 3, 1876, residents of Olympian Springs, Kentucky, experienced a strange event known as the "Kentucky Meat Shower," where pieces of raw meat fell from the sky over an area of about 100 by 50 yards for a few minutes.

Real Appalachia

The Kentucky Meat Shower: A Bizarre Mystery in Appalachian History - Real Appalachia

The Kentucky Meat Shower: A Bizarre Mystery in Appalachian History On March 3, 1876, a truly strange and still-unexplained event took place in Bath...

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that Tooth Fairy payments to children tripled on a per tooth basis between 2011 and 2021.

the original poll

The Tooth Fairy Index continues to track with market trends.

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that Malaysia's prime minister participated in the largest embezzling scheme in history, sending billions of the country's sovereign wealth fund to him and his chronies. Among them was his son in law, Rita Aziz, who used the money to produce "The Wolf of Wallstreet" and "Dumb and Dumber"

1MDB scandal - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL Gliese 710 is a star that is projected to flyby the solar system in 1.2 million years, at a distance of "only" 2 light-months. The closest star to us is currently 4.25 light-years away.

Gliese 710 - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that in 1838, Edgar Allan Poe wrote a novel about four shipwreck survivors who, after drawing lots, eat a cabin boy named Richard Parker. Forty-six years later, a real ship sank, and the survivors—after drawing lots—ate a cabin boy named Richard Parker.

Edgar Allan Poe - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that Henry Knox, namesake of Fort Knox where much of the US’ gold reserves are stored, ran a number of failed business ventures and accumulated large amounts of debt. When he died after swallowing a chicken bone, he left an estate that was bankrupt.

Henry Knox - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL The Second Law of Thermodynamics says hot always move toward cold until thermal equilibrium is reached. So when it feels like "cold" is moving toward you (like when you open a freezer), what’s actually happening is the heat from your body is leaving you for the cold in the freezer.

Second law of thermodynamics - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL in 1878, the Loretto Chapel was constructed with a wooden spiral staircase of unusually masterful craftsmanship. No builder was officially credited for the staircase, but legends say that a mysterious carpenter arrived and built it overnight, then left without collecting pay.

Loretto Chapel - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, a small songbird from Hawaii, went extinct in 1987. The last male was recorded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, singing a mating call and waiting for a mate that would never come. He died alone, and his voice is all that remains. #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1iv4hs7/til_that_the_kauaʻi_ʻōʻō_a_small_songbird_from/

Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL in 2013, a U.K. inventor developed glow-in-the-dark ice cream made with the help of a protein extracted from jellyfish.

Lick it and it lights up! The jellyfish ice cream that... | 2013/12/02

Refrigeration sector news

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL all public transport has been free in Luxemborg for nearly 5 years now

BBC News

Free transport in Luxembourg, but what's the cost?

One aim is to get cars off the road and ease traffic congestion but critics see it as a PR stunt.

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL when the city of Munich chose to migrate their administration to Linux 10 years ago, Bill Gates personally paid a visit to ask for their reasons. The mayor replied "Freedom from you, Mr. Gates."

Linux-Magazin

Auf den Punkt 10 Jahre: Limux "ist fertig"

10 Jahre Linux und freie Software bei der Stadtverwaltung München – und der Projektleiter erklärt: “Limux ist fertig”. Mikmak, Wollmux, Deb...

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL about Air Indiana Flight 216 that crashed on December 13, 1977. Plane was carrying the University of Evansville basketball team, the Evansville Purple Aces. The only member of the Purple Aces who survived the crash was David Furr. Two weeks after the crash, Furr was killed in a car accident.

Air Indiana Flight 216 - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL Ants can end up following each other in a cercle (called an ant mill or a death spiral), until they die of exhaustion. Similar phenomena have been noted in processionary caterpillars and fish.

Ant mill - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that AI systems have developed their own languages to communicate with each other, a phenomenon known as emergent language, which researchers are still striving to fully understand.

Recursive self-improvement - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL "Jet Ski" is a trademarked brand name belonging to Kawasaki. A neutral name for this type of vehicle is for example personal watercraft (PWC) or water scooter.

Jet Ski - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that, according to his daughter, in 1996 Reuben Mattus sat at his kitchen table for hours saying nonsensical Danish-sounding words until he came up with his brand name, Häagen-Dazs

HuffPost

Häagen-Dazs Comes From Where?!

The ice cream company that makes your favorite pints has a secret that

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL some tropical species of cone snails have a "harpoon" sting which can be fatal, and has killed at least 27 people. One species is nicknamed the "cigarette snail" as the victim will have only enough time to smoke a cigarette before dying

Cone snail - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1iofjo6/til_some_tropical_species_of_cone_snails_have_a/

Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that Nicholas Hoult was given Count Orlok’s prosthetic penis as a gift after Nosferatu https://ew.com/nicholas-hoult-says-robert-eggers-sent-bill-skarsgards-prosthetic-penis-nosferatu-8766051 #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1insn1o/til_that_nicholas_hoult_was_given_count_orloks/