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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1176
2
TIL that bananas are naturally radioactive due to potassium-40, and the small radiation they emit is so well-known that scientists use the "banana equivalent dose" as unit to explain everyday radi... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/summitseeker91 on 2025-07-30 03:12:47+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that bananas are naturally radioactive due to potassium-40, and the small radiation they emit is so well-known that scientists use the "banana equivalent dose" as unit to explain everyday radiation exposure. Looks like bananas are used for scale in more than one way!

1177
4
TIL that "bile" bears are kept continuously in "crush cages" for years so bile can be surgically harvested. Some are caught as cubs and remain caged, without being able to stand, sit up or turn ar... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/SibyllaAzarica on 2025-07-30 02:54:24+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that "bile" bears are kept continuously in "crush cages" for years so bile can be surgically harvested. Some are caught as cubs and remain caged, without being able to stand, sit up or turn around, for 30 years. A significant proportion die due to stress, unskilled surgery or infection.

1178
2
TIL, only one of the Hawaiian Islands has freeways. They’re on Oahu. (hidot.hawaii.gov)
submitted 1 month 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/Alternative-Neck-705 on 2025-07-30 01:46:38+00:00.

1179
2
TIL of the ill-fated Zambian space programme in the 60's. It was led by Sergeant Edward Nkoloso. Afronauts would be rolled down a hill in a oil drum to simulate space. The goal was to have Zambia ... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/Arstotzkanmoose on 2025-07-30 01:41:47+00:00.

Original Title: TIL of the ill-fated Zambian space programme in the 60's. It was led by Sergeant Edward Nkoloso. Afronauts would be rolled down a hill in a oil drum to simulate space. The goal was to have Zambia land on the Moon and Mars, convert Martians to Christianity and have Zambia become a interstellar power

1180
3
TIL a filmmaker made a 10-hour movie of paint drying, forcing the British ratings board to sit through it to give it a classification in protest of film censorship. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/absentmindedjwc on 2025-07-30 01:29:27+00:00.

1181
1
TIL about Logistics. At 51,420 minutes (857 hours or 35 days and 17 hours), it is the longest film ever made. The trailer is a mere 7 hours and 20 minutes. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bot@lemmit.online to c/todayilearned@lemmit.online
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/johnsmithoncemore on 2025-07-29 22:44:20+00:00.

1182
2
TIL that Manuel Noriega the Panamanian dictator the U.S. invaded to capture, was a CIA asset who received $100,000-$200,000 per year from the U.S. while simultaneously working with drug dealers (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month ago by bot@lemmit.online to c/todayilearned@lemmit.online
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/cololz1 on 2025-07-29 23:07:21+00:00.

1183
5
TIL The Beatles, as we know them today, were only together for 8 years (1962 to 1970). In this time they released a staggering 13 studio albums, totaling 213 songs, with over 100 more being releas... (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/SuperFlik on 2025-07-29 22:32:18+00:00.

Original Title: TIL The Beatles, as we know them today, were only together for 8 years (1962 to 1970). In this time they released a staggering 13 studio albums, totaling 213 songs, with over 100 more being released since their break up

1184
1
TIL, to dispel suspicions his product was low quality, Nathan Handwerker (of Nathan's Famous) hired white-jacketed college students to stand in front of his stand munching hot dogs to make custome... (www.smithsonianmag.com)
submitted 1 month 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/Mulliganasty on 2025-07-29 22:14:47+00:00.

Original Title: TIL, to dispel suspicions his product was low quality, Nathan Handwerker (of Nathan's Famous) hired white-jacketed college students to stand in front of his stand munching hot dogs to make customers think the dogs must be healthy if doctors are eating them.

1185
1
TIL about James Pratt and John Smith, two British men who, in November 1835, became the last people to be executed for homosexuality in England. (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/johnsmithoncemore on 2025-07-29 21:52:46+00:00.

1186
3
TIL that in 1950 the actor Peter Butterworth, after being a POW during WWII, was rejected from playing a part in the film "The Wooden Horse" about the real escape he helped take place because: "he... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/johnsmithoncemore on 2025-07-29 22:08:34+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 1950 the actor Peter Butterworth, after being a POW during WWII, was rejected from playing a part in the film "The Wooden Horse" about the real escape he helped take place because: "he didn't look convincingly heroic or athletic enough".

1187
1
TIL that U.S. flamethrower units had up to a 92% casualty rate on Iwo Jima, leaving few troops trained to use the weapon (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/JoeyZasaa on 2025-07-29 21:53:15+00:00.

1188
2
TIL of Olga Hepnarová (1951–1975) who was a Czech mass murderer who killed 8 people by driving a truck into a crowd in Prague. She was executed in 1975, the last woman to be executed in Czechoslov... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/Morella1989 on 2025-07-29 20:51:48+00:00.

Original Title: TIL of Olga Hepnarová (1951–1975) who was a Czech mass murderer who killed 8 people by driving a truck into a crowd in Prague. She was executed in 1975, the last woman to be executed in Czechoslovakia.

1189
1
TIL that there is a fish that if you eat too much of it, it will give you a type of diarrhea called keriorrhea (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/NuggetsReef on 2025-07-29 20:53:05+00:00.

1190
1
TIL that Tetsuya Ishida (1973–2005) was a Japanese painter known for surreal works showing boys and men fused with machines and urban life. His art explores isolation, consumerism, work stress, an... (www.artnet.com)
submitted 1 month 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/Morella1989 on 2025-07-29 20:41:01+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Tetsuya Ishida (1973–2005) was a Japanese painter known for surreal works showing boys and men fused with machines and urban life. His art explores isolation, consumerism, work stress, and the monotony of modern city living.

1191
2
TIL that in Japan, it is common practice among married couples for the woman to fully control the couple's finances. The husbands' hand over their monthly pay and receive an allowance from their w... (www.bbc.com)
submitted 1 month 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/Overall-Register9758 on 2025-07-29 20:40:20+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in Japan, it is common practice among married couples for the woman to fully control the couple's finances. The husbands' hand over their monthly pay and receive an allowance from their wives.

1192
1
TIL that Tetsuya Ishida (1973–2005) was a Japanese painter known for surreal, hyperrealistic works showing boys and men fused with machines and urban life. His art explores isolation, consumerism,... (www.artnet.com)
submitted 1 month 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/Morella1989 on 2025-07-29 19:09:46+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Tetsuya Ishida (1973–2005) was a Japanese painter known for surreal, hyperrealistic works showing boys and men fused with machines and urban life. His art explores isolation, consumerism, work stress, and the monotony of modern city living.

1193
1
TIL that news of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's successful ascent of Everest in 1953 was one of the last major news events delivered to the world by runner. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/TelescopiumHerscheli on 2025-07-29 19:01:51+00:00.

1194
1
TIL most US drinkers underestimate the minimum DUI fine and jail time penalty in their state, which may make them more likely to drive under the influence (www.tandfonline.com)
submitted 1 month 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/Inquiring_minds42 on 2025-07-29 18:58:18+00:00.

1195
1
TIL the lowest temperature ever directly recorded on Earth is -89.2°C (-128.6°F), measured at the then-Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983 (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/DarwinTW on 2025-07-29 18:46:22+00:00.

1196
1
TIL when Depeche Mode’s frontman Dave Gahan was 6 months old, his Malaysian father, Len, abandoned his family. 9 years later, Len returned home and would often visit the Gahan family home for a ye... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/waitingforthesun92 on 2025-07-29 17:45:30+00:00.

Original Title: TIL when Depeche Mode’s frontman Dave Gahan was 6 months old, his Malaysian father, Len, abandoned his family. 9 years later, Len returned home and would often visit the Gahan family home for a year before suddenly abandoning his family once again - this time, forever.

1197
1
TIL Jim Morrison originally wrote The End about his breakup with his girlfriend, it evolved through months of performance into the much longer 12-minute version we know today. (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/haddock420 on 2025-07-29 17:25:12+00:00.

1198
1
TIL that in 1941, a 73 year old Nepali activist named Yogmaya Neupane led 67 of her followers—including women and children—in a mass suicide by jumping into a river to protest Nepal’s brutal dicta... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/primal_cortex on 2025-07-29 16:48:05+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 1941, a 73 year old Nepali activist named Yogmaya Neupane led 67 of her followers—including women and children—in a mass suicide by jumping into a river to protest Nepal’s brutal dictatorship. None of their bodies were ever found.

1199
1
TIL The Poh Teck Tung Foundation is a rescue foundation founded in Thailand famously known for rescuing road accident victims and managing unclaimed corpses with proper burials. (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/whitecerealbox on 2025-07-29 15:23:42+00:00.

1200
1
TIL Anthony Borges, the Parkland shooting hero who shielded his classmates with his body, legally owns the rights to the shooter's name preventing the shooter from granting interviews or make any ... (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 1 month 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/PowershellAddict on 2025-07-29 15:47:47+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Anthony Borges, the Parkland shooting hero who shielded his classmates with his body, legally owns the rights to the shooter's name preventing the shooter from granting interviews or make any agreements with film producers or authors without Borges' permission.

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