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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3426
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.

3427
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.

3428
1
TIL the greatest loss of life in the history of helicopter aviation, was during the Second Chechen War in 2002, when a Russian Mi-26 transport helicopter was shot down and crash landed in a minefi... (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/Gordon_frumann on 2025-06-07 15:23:53+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the greatest loss of life in the history of helicopter aviation, was during the Second Chechen War in 2002, when a Russian Mi-26 transport helicopter was shot down and crash landed in a minefield, ultimately killing 127 of the 142 soldiers onboard.

3429
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 2025-06-07 23:56:59+00:00.

3430
2
TIL that Novak Djokovic is the first man ever to complete the career “Big Titles sweep,” winning all four Slams, all nine ATP Masters 1000s, the year-end Finals and an Olympic gold medal (www.olympics.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/Regular_Eggplant_248 on 2025-06-07 22:52:29+00:00.

3431
3
TIL that ‘left-wing’ and ‘right-wing’ in politics come from the politics of the people sitting on the left and right hand sides of the president during the French Revolution in the 1790s (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/xavierhaz on 2025-06-07 22:05:08+00:00.

3432
2
TIL - An alloy of Gold, Silver, and Copper can look white, yellow, red, or even greenish yellow (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/edfitz83 on 2025-06-07 19:52:06+00:00.

3433
2
TIL Mantis Shrimp have the most complex visual system ever discovered. (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/syizm on 2025-06-07 21:00:03+00:00.

3434
2
TIL Egyptian blue, also known as calcium copper silicate (CaCuSi4O10 or CaOCuO(SiO2)4 (calcium copper tetrasilicate)) or cuprorivaite, is considered to be the first synthetic pigment. (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/EconomyPrompt2004 on 2025-06-07 16:10:06+00:00.

3435
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TIL that after Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle's eponymous Doolittle Raid on Japan lost all of its aircraft (although with few personnel lost), he believed he would be court-martialed; instead ... (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/314159265358979326 on 2025-06-07 19:49:40+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that after Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle's eponymous Doolittle Raid on Japan lost all of its aircraft (although with few personnel lost), he believed he would be court-martialed; instead he was given the Medal of Honor and promoted two ranks to brigadier general.

3436
2
TIL that censoring video games would be a first amendment violation, according to a 2011 verdict (teachingamericanhistory.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/TacosAndBourbon on 2025-06-07 19:37:10+00:00.

3437
1
TIL that firefighting was an event at the 1900 Paris summer olympics. Both professional and volunteer firefighters were allowed to participate. Porto Portugal won the gold in the volunteer categor... (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/MrMojoFomo on 2025-06-07 18:26:00+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that firefighting was an event at the 1900 Paris summer olympics. Both professional and volunteer firefighters were allowed to participate. Porto Portugal won the gold in the volunteer category, while Kansas City, USA won in the professional category

3438
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TIL that Sean Connery turned down an offer to portray Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movies claiming he couldn’t understand the novels and wasn’t keen on filming in New Zealand for 18 months. (www.scotsman.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/Dystopics_IT on 2025-06-07 19:42:21+00:00.

3439
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TIL of Maria Restituta Kafka, an Austrian nun who was beheaded by the Germans in WW2. She refused to remove her crucifixes from her hospital and spoke out against the ruling party's oppression. Sh... (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/Wise-Practice9832 on 2025-06-07 18:23:02+00:00.

Original Title: TIL of Maria Restituta Kafka, an Austrian nun who was beheaded by the Germans in WW2. She refused to remove her crucifixes from her hospital and spoke out against the ruling party's oppression. She was offered freedom if she left her convent, but she refused and was killed in 1943.

3440
1
TIL that the inventor of the toilet paper roll, Seth Wheeler, illustrated the patent with the roll in the “over” position, fueling the ongoing debate about the correct way to hang toilet paper. (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 2025-06-07 17:07:57+00:00.

3441
1
TIL that in 1875, a whiskey warehouse fire in Dublin led to 13 deaths—not from the flames, but from alcohol poisoning, as people drank the whiskey flowing through the streets. (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 2025-06-07 17:01:05+00:00.

3442
1
TIL that when the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, more people visited the Louvre to see the empty space where the painting used to be than visitors when the painting was actually there (www.noiser.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/aerostotle on 2025-06-07 16:25:17+00:00.

3443
1
TIL that George Orwell, the writer of "1984" and "Animal Farm", was born in India in the present state of Bihar. (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/RanchoddasChanchad69 on 2025-06-07 15:59:26+00:00.

3444
1
TIL that the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability because they lack the self-awareness to recognize their own incompetence. (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/Old-Worldliness11 on 2025-06-07 15:11:39+00:00.

3445
1
TIL that when Alexander met Celtic envoys, but really Celtic people for the first time, he asked them in their meeting what they feared most, they replied "only that the sky might fall on our heads." (www-leland.stanford.edu)
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/captivatedsummer on 2025-06-07 14:04:56+00:00.

3446
1
TIL That our brains can randomly project vivid scenes, like video game maps or childhood places, without any reason, thanks to a brain network that activates when we’re doing nothing. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
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/OkAccess6128 on 2025-06-07 13:38:47+00:00.

3447
1
TIL that Lionel Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at age 10, and FC Barcelona agreed to pay for his treatment, even writing his first contract on a napkin. (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/Old-Worldliness11 on 2025-06-07 13:05:38+00:00.

3448
1
TIL in about 50% of the cases studied, Coca-Cola alone was found to be effective at removing a type of bowel obstruction called phytobezoars (which consist of indigestible plant fibers). And when ... (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/tyrion2024 on 2025-06-07 13:02:23+00:00.

Original Title: TIL in about 50% of the cases studied, Coca-Cola alone was found to be effective at removing a type of bowel obstruction called phytobezoars (which consist of indigestible plant fibers). And when treatment with Coca-Cola is combined with additional endoscopic methods, the success rate approaches 90%

3449
2
TIL gamblers lose $6 billion a year at Las Vegas casinos (www.pbs.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/SappyGilmore on 2025-06-07 12:38:59+00:00.

3450
2
TIL Louis XIV, the longest-reigning monarch in European history, was a devoted ballet dancer who performed 80 roles in 40 court ballets, often playing majestic parts like Apollo or the Sun. He cle... (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/Upstairs_Drive_5602 on 2025-06-07 12:03:59+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Louis XIV, the longest-reigning monarch in European history, was a devoted ballet dancer who performed 80 roles in 40 court ballets, often playing majestic parts like Apollo or the Sun. He cleverly used ballet both to entertain and to distract his court from political affairs.

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