Today I Learned (TIL)

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You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? Submit interesting and specific facts about something that you just found out here.

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3226
1
TIL badminton was originally called "Poona" after the Indian city where British officers modified ancient battledore in the 1860s, but was renamed after the Duke of Beaufort's Badminton House in G... (en.wikipedia.org)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/lyf-ftw on 2025-06-13 04:10:51+00:00.

Original Title: TIL badminton was originally called "Poona" after the Indian city where British officers modified ancient battledore in the 1860s, but was renamed after the Duke of Beaufort's Badminton House in Gloucestershire

3227
1
TIL that Les Miserables is one of the longest novels in literature. In the original French, it consists of 655,478 words spanning 365 chapters (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 months ago by bot@lemmit.online to c/todayilearned@lemmit.online
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Overall-Register9758 on 2025-06-13 02:57:27+00:00.

3228
1
TIL the 3.5% rule: 3.5% of a national population peacefully protesting on the streets at once will ALWAYS topple a Dictatorship or democratic government. Moreover peaceful movements succeed twice ... (www.bbc.com)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/AntiFascistButterfly on 2025-06-13 02:19:48+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the 3.5% rule: 3.5% of a national population peacefully protesting on the streets at once will ALWAYS topple a Dictatorship or democratic government. Moreover peaceful movements succeed twice as often as violent ones. This surprised even the Harvard political scientist who discovered it.

3229
2
TIL That despite the huge impact Jerry Stiller had on Seinfeld playing George’s father, he actually doesn’t even join the show until the 2nd episode of the 5th season. (screenrant.com)
submitted 3 months ago by bot@lemmit.online to c/todayilearned@lemmit.online
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/harlsey on 2025-06-13 01:22:18+00:00.

3230
2
TIL that in 1862, German orientalist Martin Haug proposed a radical reinterpretation of what he believed to be the original teachings of the Zoroastrian religion. When actual Zoroastrians read his... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 months ago by bot@lemmit.online to c/todayilearned@lemmit.online
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Vegetable-Orange-965 on 2025-06-13 01:19:52+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 1862, German orientalist Martin Haug proposed a radical reinterpretation of what he believed to be the original teachings of the Zoroastrian religion. When actual Zoroastrians read his arguments, they were convinced, and adjusted their own doctrines in response.

3231
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TIL of the only person ever to return a Pulitzer Prize, journalist Janet Cooke, due to her fabricating a story of an 8-year-old heroin addict which triggered a city-wide search (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/tipoftheiceberg1234 on 2025-06-13 00:42:00+00:00.

3232
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TIL that the threat from Algeria was the reason the U.S. Navy was founded. In 1794, the U.S. Congress passed the Naval Act, authorizing the construction of six frigates, including the USS George W... (ussconstitutionmuseum.org)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Acrobatic_Sorbet3851 on 2025-06-12 23:41:03+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that the threat from Algeria was the reason the U.S. Navy was founded. In 1794, the U.S. Congress passed the Naval Act, authorizing the construction of six frigates, including the USS George Washington. This decision was largely driven by the need to protect American merchant ships from Algiers.

3233
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TIL four rivers named Mat, Ta, Po, and Ni merge to form the Mattaponi river. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/PatrickMorris on 2025-06-12 23:36:55+00:00.

3234
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TIL the Lakers name comes from their originally city, Minneapolis, Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/bbrodsky on 2025-06-12 23:13:51+00:00.

3235
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TIL: In the 2000s, Microsoft internally parodied their own box design and created a video clip showing how the iPod box would look if they designed it (youtu.be)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/ForsakenState8343 on 2025-06-12 21:46:29+00:00.

3236
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TIL that King Henry VIII was so paranoid about being poisoned, that he had one of his members of staff kiss every inch of of his bedding before he got into bed every night. (daily.jstor.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/DangerNoodle1993 on 2025-06-12 21:46:26+00:00.

3237
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TIL that Brazil was the only independent South American country to send combat troops overseas during the Second World War where they inflicted disproportionately high losses on enemy munitions, s... (en.wikipedia.org)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/DangerNoodle1993 on 2025-06-12 21:34:25+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Brazil was the only independent South American country to send combat troops overseas during the Second World War where they inflicted disproportionately high losses on enemy munitions, supplies, and infrastructure.

3238
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TIL that all the royalties for The Animals's version of The House of The Rising Sun went only to one person in the band because there was insufficient room to name all five band members on the rec... (www.uncut.co.uk)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/DangerNoodle1993 on 2025-06-12 21:16:31+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that all the royalties for The Animals's version of The House of The Rising Sun went only to one person in the band because there was insufficient room to name all five band members on the record label.

3239
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TIL Tobey Maguire's father was convicted of robbing a bank (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/rocklou on 2025-06-12 21:07:58+00:00.

3240
1
TIL that North Korea has a holiday called Tree Planting Day during which people across the country plant trees (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Forsaken_Potential16 on 2025-06-12 19:03:55+00:00.

3241
2
TIL that Robert De Niro originally auditioned for the role of Sonny in The Godfather, but lost the part to James Caan. De Niro later went on to win an Oscar for playing young Vito Corleone in The ... (www.indiewire.com)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Romulus_the_5th on 2025-06-12 19:17:37+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Robert De Niro originally auditioned for the role of Sonny in The Godfather, but lost the part to James Caan. De Niro later went on to win an Oscar for playing young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II.

3242
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TIL cats love our feet and footwear so much mainly because of pheromone communication. Even when your feet is squeaky clean, they can still smell the pheromones (cats.com)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/princezornofzorna on 2025-06-12 17:01:53+00:00.

3243
2
TIL that King Augustus II of Poland was a voracious womanizer. He had only one legitimate son—the future King Augustus III—but some contemporary sources claim that he had as many as 365 or 382 chi... (en.wikipedia.org)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/InmostJoy on 2025-06-12 16:02:33+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that King Augustus II of Poland was a voracious womanizer. He had only one legitimate son—the future King Augustus III—but some contemporary sources claim that he had as many as 365 or 382 children.

3244
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TIL Colonel Sanders moved to Canada, settling in Mississauga, ON after selling his U.S. KFC rights in 1965 — and apparently left such a mark they named a hospital wing 🍗 after him. (www.barrietoday.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 on 2025-06-12 16:08:43+00:00.

3245
1
TIL Ulysses Grant wrote his memoir while he was bankrupt and terminally ill. Mark Twain developed marketing strategy including Union veterans selling books in uniform. Eventually it became one of ... (en.wikipedia.org)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/BadenBaden1981 on 2025-06-12 15:48:56+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Ulysses Grant wrote his memoir while he was bankrupt and terminally ill. Mark Twain developed marketing strategy including Union veterans selling books in uniform. Eventually it became one of the bestselling books of the century.

3246
1
TIL The lowest-scoring NBA game in history occurred in 1950 with a 19-18 victory for the Fort Wayne Pistons over the Minneapolis Lakers. Whenever the Pistons led, they held or passed the ball arou... (www.espn.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/NoxiousQueef on 2025-06-12 15:11:55+00:00.

Original Title: TIL The lowest-scoring NBA game in history occurred in 1950 with a 19-18 victory for the Fort Wayne Pistons over the Minneapolis Lakers. Whenever the Pistons led, they held or passed the ball around as long as possible, eliciting boos from their own fans. The shot clock was introduced 4 years later.

3247
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TIL NASCAR driver, J. D. McDuffie raced 653 times over 27 years in the NASCAR Cup Series. He never once finished on the lead lap. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/backrowejoe on 2025-06-12 14:50:28+00:00.

3248
1
TIL that the premiere of Gioachino Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville ended in complete disaster. One of the singers tripped over a trapdoor and had to sing with a bloody nose. During the Final... (interlude.hk)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/VegemiteSucks on 2025-06-12 14:35:15+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that the premiere of Gioachino Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville ended in complete disaster. One of the singers tripped over a trapdoor and had to sing with a bloody nose. During the Finale to Act 1, a cat wandered onstage and declined to leave, and so was forcibly flung to the wings.

3249
1
TIL that art depicting living beings is generally prohibited in Islam. As a result Islamic art generally consists of calligraphic, geometric and abstract floral patterns (wikipedia.org)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Capital_Tailor_7348 on 2025-06-12 14:10:08+00:00.

3250
1
TIL Humans are not the only species that has discovered agriculture. Ants have been practicing agriculture for at least 50 million years. The domestication of plant, fungus, and animal species by ... (en.wikipedia.org)
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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/lnfinity on 2025-06-12 12:34:35+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Humans are not the only species that has discovered agriculture. Ants have been practicing agriculture for at least 50 million years. The domestication of plant, fungus, and animal species by ants is well documented.

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