Today I learned 9 months ago

TIL that the Basilica, a cannon used to besiege Constantinople, was so powerful that its recoil killed its own operators

Basilic (cannon) - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1ky6wk4/til_that_the_basilica_a_cannon_used_to_besiege/

Today I learned 9 months ago

TIL that Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua were briefly united in the 1800s as the Federal Republic of Central America

Federal Republic of Central America - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kxy1pz/til_that_honduras_costa_rica_el_salvador/

Today I learned 9 months ago

TIL That Astronauts cannot burp in space as the lack of gravity prevents foods and gasses separating in the stomach as they do on Earth.

| How Things Fly

Actually, it is true!

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kxj2kr/til_that_astronauts_cannot_burp_in_space_as_the/

Today I learned 9 months ago

TIL the King of England once offered to convert England to Islam.

Muhammad al-Nasir - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kwcs6o/til_the_king_of_england_once_offered_to_convert/

Today I learned 9 months ago

TIL that Alan Moore, the creator of 'Watchmen', considers modern superhero movies a "blight" to cinema and "also to culture to a degree", and that the popularization of the genre on the part of adults is an "infantilization"

Alan Moore - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kksdi3/til_that_alan_moore_the_creator_of_watchmen/

Today I learned 9 months ago

Today I learned that you can eat packing peanuts. (And I did)

Biodegradable Packing Peanuts: Eco-Friendly Facts and Things to Know | U-Haul

Biodegradable packing peanuts aren’t just a useful tool for shipping or moving. Learn more about the benefits of using biodegradable packing...

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kjshjh/today_i_learned_that_you_can_eat_packing_peanuts/

Today I learned 10 months ago

TIL goldfish memories last months, not seconds – they can learn tricks and navigate mazes. Experiments show goldfish remember training for up to 5 months, recognize owners, and even associate sounds with feeding times. The "3-second memory" myth comes from their quick movement. https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/young-naturalist-awards/goldfish-as-a-mo… #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kiycnd/til_goldfish_memories_last_months_not_seconds/

Today I learned 10 months ago

TIL that men and women have similar rates of loneliness, with women generally reporting slightly higher rates than men, despite high media coverage of "male loneliness epidemic".

Gender and Age Differences in Loneliness: Evidence for People without and with Disabilities - PMC

This study examines the relationships between loneliness, gender, and age for people without and with disabilities (moderate versus severe) in Germ...

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kbsst6/til_that_men_and_women_have_similar_rates_of/

Today I learned 10 months ago

TIL nobody really knows where the $ came from

Southern Living

You'll Never Guess Why the Dollar Sign is an S

Ever wonder about the history of the U.S. dollar sign ($)? Continue reading to learn all about the theories as to how the iconic symbol of currency...

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1kb1z9v/til_nobody_really_knows_where_the_came_from/

Today I learned 10 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 10 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 10 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 10 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

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k98ecn/til_that_raisins_can_rehydrate_into_fullsized/

Today I learned 10 months ago

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

Geomagnetic reversal - Wikipedia

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k8655r/til_earths_north_and_south_magnetic_poles_flip_in/

Today I learned 10 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

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k83d4a/til_that_the_1954_animated_adaptation_of_george/

Today I learned 10 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

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k7k08g/til_a_welsh_woman_died_two_weeks_after_eating_a/

Today I learned 10 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

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k7ah8t/til_jazz_musician_fats_waller_was_kidnapped_by_4/

Today I learned 10 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

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k79jws/til_napoleon_had_planned_an_invasion_of_the_uk/

Today I learned 10 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

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k5zy9o/til_that_since_2018_morocco_has_a_highspeed_rail/

Today I learned 10 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

#til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1k3ijf8/til_that_aruna_shanbaug_an_indian_nurse_spent_42/