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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3401
5
TIL that Margaret Atwood based The Handmaid’s Tale entirely on real historical events with every element of oppression in the book having already happened somewhere (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/k4td4ddy on 2025-06-08 15:32:39+00:00.

3402
1
TIL The world’s fastest rodent can reach the speed of 37mph (www.discoverwildlife.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/rsplatpc on 2025-06-08 14:49:39+00:00.

3403
1
TIL After the brutal sack of Rome by the imperial mercenaries in 1527, Pope Clement VII was forced to pay 400,000 ducats in exchange for his life. Despite the ransom, he was imprisoned in Castel S... (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/Ainsley-Sorsby on 2025-06-08 14:48:43+00:00.

Original Title: TIL After the brutal sack of Rome by the imperial mercenaries in 1527, Pope Clement VII was forced to pay 400,000 ducats in exchange for his life. Despite the ransom, he was imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo, where he remained for 6 months before he managed to escape the prison dressed as a peddler

3404
2
TIL that in Japanese folklore, household items like old umbrellas and teacups can become alive after 100 years and watch you with tiny spirit-eyes (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/k4td4ddy on 2025-06-08 14:14:02+00:00.

3405
1
TIL that the Apollo 11 moon‑landing spacesuits were made by Playtex, the bra and girdle manufacturer, using couture‑level sewing for 21 layers of high-tech fabric. (www.smithsonianmag.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/No-Pomelo-5452 on 2025-06-08 14:11:40+00:00.

3406
2
TIL a 9-yr-old boy lived alone for 2 years after he was abandoned by his mom who lived with her partner 5 km away & only visited from "time to time". He survived on cake & canned goods and... (www.cnn.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/tyrion2024 on 2025-06-08 14:09:25+00:00.

Original Title: TIL a 9-yr-old boy lived alone for 2 years after he was abandoned by his mom who lived with her partner 5 km away & only visited from "time to time". He survived on cake & canned goods and didn't have hot water or heating. However, during this time he continued to attend school & was a good student.

3407
3
TIL Danny DeVito directed, produced, starred in, and narrated the 1996 film Matilda. The film was considered a box office failure initially but went on to gross $47 million via home video release. (www.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/EscapeFromMichhigan on 2025-06-08 14:05:26+00:00.

3408
2
TIL about the Barkley Marathon. It's a 100 mile long ultra marathon through the state of Tennessee with a 60h time limit. You can only apply by sending an essay on why you deserve to take part in ... (www.runnersworld.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/Asendra01 on 2025-06-08 13:07:47+00:00.

Original Title: TIL about the Barkley Marathon. It's a 100 mile long ultra marathon through the state of Tennessee with a 60h time limit. You can only apply by sending an essay on why you deserve to take part in it in addition with a 1.60$ entrance fee.

3409
1
TIL that a ghost army was one of the ingredients that made D-Day a success (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/leloupduvillage on 2025-06-08 11:26:22+00:00.

3410
1
TIL that in 1972, a military bagpipe version of Amazing Grace based on an arrangement by Judy Collins spent 5 weeks at number 1 in the UK, and resulted in the piper being chastised for demeaning t... (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/huseddit on 2025-06-08 11:09:14+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 1972, a military bagpipe version of Amazing Grace based on an arrangement by Judy Collins spent 5 weeks at number 1 in the UK, and resulted in the piper being chastised for demeaning the bagpipes

3411
5
TIL A village in India decided that they would not switch on the street lights at night for 35 days since an Oriental Magpie Robin had made the switch box her home. The villagers decided to not di... (www.newindianexpress.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/SuvenPan on 2025-06-08 10:40:05+00:00.

Original Title: TIL A village in India decided that they would not switch on the street lights at night for 35 days since an Oriental Magpie Robin had made the switch box her home. The villagers decided to not disturb the bird as long as she was there. She laid three tiny eggs, two of which hatched.

3412
3
TIL crocodilians have an extra left aorta on the side of their hearts, which scientists believe is used to shunt gas-rich blood from their lungs to their stomachs so they can digest large meals be... (www.abc.net.au)
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/CatPooedInMyShoe on 2025-06-08 09:58:42+00:00.

Original Title: TIL crocodilians have an extra left aorta on the side of their hearts, which scientists believe is used to shunt gas-rich blood from their lungs to their stomachs so they can digest large meals before the meat rots. The carbon dioxide in their blood is converted into gastric acid.

3413
3
TIL in 1904 when Richmond, Virginia passed a law enforcing racial segregation on their trolleys, John Mitchell, Jr. organized a boycott of the system that resulted in white people being arrested f... (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/1000LiveEels on 2025-06-08 07:56:27+00:00.

Original Title: TIL in 1904 when Richmond, Virginia passed a law enforcing racial segregation on their trolleys, John Mitchell, Jr. organized a boycott of the system that resulted in white people being arrested for sitting in the new black areas, as there were no black people on the trolleys.

3414
4
TIL that around 500,000 finger puppets depicting the Busytown characters, Lowly Worm and Huckle Cat, were recalled by Taco Bell because the puppets were getting stuck to children’s tongues. (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 2025-06-08 06:46:56+00:00.

3415
1
TIL former UFC Champion Jon Jones once hid under a practice cage to avoid being drug tested by the USADA. (www.espn.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/USDXBS on 2025-06-08 04:16:59+00:00.

3416
1
TIL that Jean Jaurès, a leading French socialist who tried to prevent World War I, was assassinated in Paris just three days before France entered the war. His killer was acquitted in 1919. (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/GDW312 on 2025-06-08 03:58:51+00:00.

3417
1
TIL the composer Erik Satie worked on a ballet Parade, in 1917, with sets and costumes by Pablo Picasso. Instrumentation included parts for typewriter, steamship whistle and siren, and it caused a... (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/jacknunn on 2025-06-08 03:22:36+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the composer Erik Satie worked on a ballet Parade, in 1917, with sets and costumes by Pablo Picasso. Instrumentation included parts for typewriter, steamship whistle and siren, and it caused a scandal

3418
1
TIL Arsenio Hall was the voice of Winston Zeddemore on The Real Ghostbusters seasons 1-3 (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/here4dambivalence on 2025-06-08 03:06:15+00:00.

3419
2
TIL that a millipede was discovered in 2021 which has up to 1306 legs, making it the first true millipede. (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/Craig3141 on 2025-06-08 02:55:15+00:00.

3420
2
TIL that the portrait of Carlotta Valdez featured in an iconic scene of Vertigo has gone missing and has not been seen since 1957. (www.sfgate.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/Minimum_Somewhere521 on 2025-06-08 01:20:43+00:00.

3421
3
TIL about Dr. Mike Bingham, a conservationist who was fired for reporting an 80% penguin decline. He was harassed by the government, sued them for human rights abuses, and won in the Supreme Court. (www.falklands.net)
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/wackaflcka on 2025-06-08 01:21:19+00:00.

3422
2
TIL a Russian WWII survivor jumped ship in San Francisco, fled immigration, and lived for nearly 20 years in a Northern California redwood forest, where he built bark shelters that still stand today. (www.sfgate.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/Immediate-Mind-7692 on 2025-06-08 01:03:54+00:00.

3423
2
TIL that the original Street Fighter (1987) arcade cabinet had analog rubber pads as inputs for punch and kick; the strength with which the players punched them would determine the strength and sp... (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/SamsonFox2 on 2025-06-08 00:59:42+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that the original Street Fighter (1987) arcade cabinet had analog rubber pads as inputs for punch and kick; the strength with which the players punched them would determine the strength and speed of their attacks.

3424
2
TIL the M6D Pistol in the game Halo: Combat Evolved was unusually powerful due to Bungie co-founder Jason Jones secretly adding code shortly before release to "change a single number on the pistol... (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/nuttybudd on 2025-06-08 00:43:17+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the M6D Pistol in the game Halo: Combat Evolved was unusually powerful due to Bungie co-founder Jason Jones secretly adding code shortly before release to "change a single number on the pistol" when each game map was loaded.

3425
1
TIL initial news reporting the morning after Hurricane Katrina hit claimed the city had “dodged a bullet”, as Katrina veered away from a direct hit at the last minute and shrunk from a Category 5 ... (www.britannica.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/Sailor_Rout on 2025-06-08 00:21:17+00:00.

Original Title: TIL initial news reporting the morning after Hurricane Katrina hit claimed the city had “dodged a bullet”, as Katrina veered away from a direct hit at the last minute and shrunk from a Category 5 to Category 3.

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