Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that the gulf war inadvertently saved 200000 people in Bangladesh after US navy and Marine assets present around iraq were quickly sent to Bangladesh to conduct relief operations following a cyclone.

DVIDS

Government of Bangladesh, US commemorate operation

Members of the Government of Bangladesh, the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka and Marines with the III Marine Expeditionary Force, participated in the 20th an...

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kau29a/til_that_the_gulf_war_inadvertently_saved_200000/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that every year an estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide, making them the most littered item on the planet.

The Hub

No ifs, ands, or butts

Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet. Two new studies from the Institute for Global Tobacco Control point to possible solutions.

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k9z6nh/til_that_every_year_an_estimated_45_trillion/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL planned obsolescence is illegal in France; it is a crime to intentionally shorten the lifespan of a product with the aim of making customers replace it. In early 2018, French authorities used this law to investigate reports that Apple deliberately slowed down older iPhones via software updates.

Apple investigated by France for 'planned obsolescence'

Prosecutors will look into claims of "planned obsolescence" in iPhones, which is illegal in France.

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k9lkef/til_planned_obsolescence_is_illegal_in_france_it/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that raisins can rehydrate into full-sized grapes in your digestive tract if you (or your toddler) don't chew them

HuffPost UK

The Gross Reason Some Children Poop Out

Maybe don

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL Earth’s North and South Magnetic Poles Flip in a Geomagnetic Reversal Every Few Hundred Thousand Years

Geomagnetic reversal - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that the 1954 animated adaptation of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” was funded in part by American intelligence agencies as an anti-communist hit piece

Animal Farm (1954 film) - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL a Welsh woman died two weeks after eating a sharp piece of toast that tore her esophagus and caused bleeding into her intestines.

North Wales Live

Rhyl woman was killed by piece of toast

Vera Williams died after "three in a million-chance" injury caused by sharp piece of toast tearing her gullet

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL Jazz musician, Fats Waller, was kidnapped by 4 men and “given” to Al Capone as a birthday gift. He performed for 3 days and was found drunk with thousands of dollars in cash stuffed in his pockets.

The Story is Told - Al Capone and Fats Waller

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL Napoleon had planned an invasion of the UK but it was never carried out. Preparations were financed by the sale of the Louisiana territory to the US which the US financed with a loan from a British bank, so Britain was indirectly funding an invasion of itself.

Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that since 2018 Morocco has a high-speed rail line connecting Tangier and Casablanca with a train that travels up to 320 km/h (199 mph).

Al Boraq - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL about Fish Doorbell, a Dutch livestream of a dam that allows viewers to click a bell to notify fish are ready to pass through

Fish doorbell - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k5j2co/til_about_fish_doorbell_a_dutch_livestream_of_a/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that Bangkok is only a shortening of Thailand's capital city's real name. It's full ceremonial name is "Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit".

Bangkok - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL The South African colonial government used to issue licenses for people to hunt The hunter-gatherer San people, with the last one being reportedly issued in Namibia in 1936

San people - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k5ext8/til_the_south_african_colonial_government_used_to/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that Aruna Shanbaug, an Indian nurse spent 42 years in a vegetative state after a brutal assault in 1973. Shanbaug died of pneumonia on 18 May 2015, after being in a persistent vegetative state for nearly 42 years.

Aruna Shanbaug case - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL about "Better than sex cake", a type of cake originating from the United States and is known by similar names such as "better than Robert Redford cake" and "next best thing to Robert Redford".

Better than sex cake - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k0m2pg/til_about_better_than_sex_cake_a_type_of_cake/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that in 1878, US Supreme Court Justice Ward Hunt suffered a stroke which thereafter left him unable to either attend court sessions or to render opinions. Yet he refused to resign for another 4 years, his sole reason being to stay long enough to claim his pension.

Ward Hunt - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1jxvkjh/til_that_in_1878_us_supreme_court_justice_ward/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that Toyota made a Hummer inspired SUV for both military and civilian markets. While popular with Police forces, Japanese tax and safety regulations doomed it from the start.

MotorTrend

Toyota Mega Cruiser: Did You Know Toyota Made a Hummer H1 Lookalike?

It’s hard to say if the Mega Cruiser’s resemblance to a certain High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle is coincidence or copy.

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1jxip9h/til_that_toyota_made_a_hummer_inspired_suv_for/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that Euler was functionally blind. In 1738, he became nearly blind in his right eye, earning the nickname "Cyclops" from Frederick II; by 1766, he lost vision in his left eye as well. Despite this, his productivity actually surged: in 1775, he wrote on average one mathematical paper per week

Leonhard Euler - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that whales used to walk on land, and dogs can smell time #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1ju2dvd/til_that_whales_used_to_walk_on_land_and_dogs_can/

Today I learned 8 months ago

TIL that with approximately 38 trillion microbial cells compared to 30 trillion human cells, our bodies are more microbial than human.

The Hindu

Hidden dangers of irrational use of antibiotics on microbiome

Antibiotics are miracle drugs, but overuse disrupts the microbiome, leading to severe health consequences and antimicrobial resistance.

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1jtlerh/til_that_with_approximately_38_trillion_microbial/