Every once in a while, it can be nice to feed your brain some new information, just as a snack. Whether for your own satisfaction or just some fun trivia to have on hand, it never hurts to learn more about the world that you live in.
So here are some not-so-well-known facts from the “Today I Learned” internet group to tickle your brain. Make sure you are comfortable, perhaps get a pen and some paper to jot down the ones that seem most interesting, and be sure to upvote your favorite facts as you scroll through. And when you are done, share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
#1
TIL of Triboulet: a Royal jester for King Francis of France who was sentenced to death for mocking the King and Queen. King Francis allowed him to choose his method of death, to which Triboulet responded “… I ask to die from old age.” He was spared and instead banished.
Json1134 , Sarah Bernhardt Report
Final score: 418points 
Mrs. Ginger McSarcasm Mrs. Ginger McSarcasm Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Genius
144 144points reply View More Replies… #2
TIL that the loudness of a howler monkey is relative to the size of its testicles. Researchers found that the smaller the testicles, the louder the monkey.
ParadoxicalState , Costa Rica Wildlife Report
Final score: 278points 
YakFactory YakFactory Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Sounds like some men you meet. Compensation for something.
337 337points reply View More Replies…
One of the best fonts for interesting new facts about the world comes from insects, which tend to be a bit hard to study, as they are pretty small and interact with the world in a very different sort of manner. Ants, bees, and other hive insects are of particular interest since they approach life in a way that seems so alien to most humans.
For example, you might wonder why they are capable of such complex behavior without seemingly any language. Well, the answer lies in pheromones, which can convey a massive amount of information very quickly. Unfortunately, these insects tend to “overvalue” a pheromone over any other information, leading to comic and sometimes tragic situations.
#3
TIL fairy dust was added to Peter Pan so that children wouldn’t hurt themselves trying to fly when they got home from seeing the play.
FLEXXMAN33 , Francis Donkin Bedford Report
Final score: 270points rullyman rullyman Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Profits from anything to do with Peter Pan go to fund Great Ormond Street Hospital. They don’t need more patients!
102 102points reply View More Replies… #4
TIL Spock was originally supposed to be a Martian, but Gene Roddenberry changed his home to the fictional Vulcan because he feared humans will already land on Mars during the show’s runtime and make it look outdated
Final score: 239points 
Zephyr Zephyr Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
The only mars we will land on in the foreseeable future is the Mars chocolate factory
78 78points reply View More Replies… #5
TIL elephant trunks are strong enough to lift and hold 770lbs yet precise enough to crack peanut shells without breaking the seeds
FewGuide5 , Venkat Ragavan Report
Final score: 239points Dahamada Jamawas Dahamada Jamawas Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago
This comment has been deleted.
24 24points reply View More Replies…
You may have seen clips of ants running in a circle, one after another. This isn’t some strange ritual or defense mechanism, this is what is sometimes called the ring of death or “ant mill,” where the ants simply go in a circle, following the ant in front of it. Often, it leads to the death of most ants involved, as they exhaust themselves.
#6
TIL that in France, bars can’t have a Happy Hour without also making non-alcoholic drinks cheaper
IB_zerbasteln , Ana Benet Report
Final score: 226points 
Stinky Stinky Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Why wouldn’t they? Not everyone drinks alcohol.
86 86points reply View More Replies… #7
TIL in 2005, a sheep jumped off a cliff in Turkey and 1500 sheep followed one by one. 450 sheep died and the rest survived by landing on the soft big pile of sheep.
Final score: 223points Zephyr Zephyr Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Soft big pile of DEAD SHEEP
170 170points reply View More Replies… #8
TIL that the British sitcom Mr. Bean only consists of 15 episodes over a span of 6 years
Final score: 214points 
Sum Guy Sum Guy Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
I knew that one and every time I say it to someone, they don’t believe it. (yes, mr. bean comes up a lot in my life, sort of like the roman empire)
98 98points reply View More Replies…
While it may seem like a silly issue to have, the benefits of pheromones still outweigh the downsides. After all, ants are quite small, which seriously impedes their ability to perceive things. A few blades of grass and their perception of space is completely blocked. Pheromones can spread over a larger area and ignore many obstacles.
#9
TIL Jaws directly contributed to a surge in shark hunting, and consequently a drop in shark populations. Peter Benchley regretted writing Jaws, “Knowing what I know now, I could never write that book today. Sharks don’t target human beings, and they certainly don’t hold grudges.”
godumbledorkk , Universal Pictures Report
Final score: 199points lily jones lily jones Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Humans pose a much greater danger to sharks than vice versa
150 150points reply View More Replies… #10
TIL that the makers of Donkey Kong Country wanted the Kongs to be voiced by actual gorillas and spent hours recording some at a zoo, only to realize that gorillas are actually very quiet. Finding themselves without sounds to work with, they had a programmer do gorilla impressions instead.
ShabtaiBenOron , unknown Report
Final score: 190points Zephyr Zephyr Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Wow embarrassing for us humans
64 64points reply View More Replies… #11
TIL that the Japanese have a word “Busshu-suru” which translates as “To do the Bush thing” meaning “to vomit” referring to the time when George H.W. Bush’ vomited in Japan’s prime minister’s lap.
AerotyneInternationa , CNN Report
Final score: 187points 
Emma Goransdottir Emma Goransdottir Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 4 weeks ago Report
Omg😂! Imagine being Bush, thinking “f**k this is embarrassing, but in a few years nobody will think about it”. And now the Japanese have a new word for vomiting 😄
127 127points reply View More Replies…
Once you realize that nearly every facet of life has this sort of potential to surprise and amuse, it can be both daunting and exciting to learn more. The real problem in the 21st century is the overwhelming amount of data and information out there. Where does one even start on any given topic? A Google search won’t work, as you might end up being bludgeoned by multiple encyclopedias worth of data.
#12
TIL that it took Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubiks Cube, one month to solve his own invention.
External-Zebra-3250 , Rosana Prada Report
Final score: 187points 
PeeledPotato PeeledPotato Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
and i still havent solved it and i have had it for 3 years
64 64points reply View More Replies… #13
TIL ant corpses release a chemical when they die. A scientist once recreated this chemical and put it on a live ant. Its ant friends kept bringing it to the graveyard no matter how much it struggled to return.
ParadoxicalState , Egor Kamelev Report
Final score: 184points 
Angela B Angela B Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
“Bring out your dead”. “But…. I’m not dead yet”! “Don’t worry, you will be soon”.
230 230points reply View More Replies… #14
TIL: A comedian formed the Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements in Denmark as a joke, but he was unexpected elected with 23k votes and won a seat. His promises were better Christmas presents, the right to impotency, more renaissance furniture at IKEA, more bread for ducks, and better weather.
Flares117 , Simon Wedege Report
Final score: 179points 
Pernille. Pernille. Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
His name is Jacob Haugaard, and he promised us that we would always have the wind in our backs on the bicycle lanes, and free sausages at sausage carts.
119 119points reply View More Replies…
So if you do enjoy these sorts of bite-sized bits of information, look no further, as We has got you covered. Check out our other articles with more facts from “Today I Learned” from this summer to learn more about people from history we should all know more about and interesting animal facts.
#15
TIL: We domesticated the silk moth 5000 years ago for sericulture. They lost their ability to fly, lack fear of predators, & have lost native color pigments since camouflage is not useful as they only live in captivity. They’re entirely dependent on humans for survival, including finding a mate.
Final score: 172points 
Hakunamawhatnow Hakunamawhatnow Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
This is sad.
148 148points reply View More Replies… #16
TIL that the reason you get chills from a fever isn’t because you’re physically cold. It’s the brain setting your body temp higher to fight the infection and tricking your body into thinking the temperature is wrong so the chills can help increase heat.
tropicalrainforest , Polina Tankilevitch Report
Final score: 148points 
Mr. Nurse Man Mr. Nurse Man Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
To combat some potential misinformation, a fever is one of multiple ways that your body attempts to fight off infection and injury. The heat itself isn’t the healing component but somewhat of a residual result of your body’s immune system fighting off whatever is going on. Some other defense mechanisms are swelling and redness, like when your throat swells and you have redness in your cheeks or forehead when you have a cold or the flu. Also, use this comment as a friendly reminder to consider getting your flu shots! 🙂
83 83points reply View More Replies… #17
TIL that for centuries, numerous African populations were purported to be illiterate by European academics. In fact, they’d been using Ajami for literature and communication. Ajami adapts the Arabic script for many African languages, like Roman script is used for European ones…
TheAfternoonStandard , Fallou Ngom Report
Final score: 144points censorshipsucks censorshipsucks Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
not just ajami. There are many african scripts. See e.g. g’eez / amharic.
51 51points reply View More Replies… #18
TIL the smoot is a unit of measure named for Oliver R. Smoot, an MIT student who as a fraternity pledge was forced to measure the Harvard Bridge using himself as a ruler. A smoot is equal to five feet, seven inches.
Final score: 142points Donkeywheel Donkeywheel Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
So who are these other people, Feet and Inches?
67 67points reply View More Replies… #19
TIL that in the 2022 World Cup, Qatar became the first host nation to lose its opening match, the first host nation to lose all three of its matches, the first host nation to be eliminated from the tournament in two matches and the first host nation to have 0 points at the end of the group stage
Final score: 141points Zephyr Zephyr Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Shows that wealth and talent do not correlate
111 111points reply View More Replies… #20
TIL: In 2019, a lawyer and a software developer brute force copyrighted every possible melody and entered them into public domain to insulate musicians from ‘stolen melody’ lawsuits.
windingtime , TEDx Talks Report
Final score: 141points 
John Carr John Carr Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Didn’t work cos if you so much as fart on YouTube, you get a copyright strike
89 89points reply View More Replies… #21
TIL a sheep farmer in France became a national hero, wrote a best seller book and ran for president after he took his tractor and drove it through a mcdonalds as a protest because he hated what the fast food restaurant was doing to farmers.
Berisha11 , Claude Truong-Ngoc / Wikimedia Commons Report
Final score: 141points Mrs. Ginger McSarcasm Mrs. Ginger McSarcasm Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
I had a guy drive his forklift through the drive thru (with permission from us) because the lobby was closed and his semi wouldn’t fit. At a Taco Bell
58 58points reply View More Replies… #22
TIL people didn’t know TNT was explosive for 28 years and used it as yellow dye instead
frituurgarnituur , Wremmerswaal Report
Final score: 136points 
arthbach arthbach Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
TNT is a very stable explosive. It needs a pressure wave to detonate it. Unless it is banged around with excessive force, it doesn’t explode. However, if it is stored incorrectly it can ‘sweat’. When this happens less force is required for detonation.
68 68points reply View More Replies… #23
TIL about the Coastline Paradox which explains that’s its impossible to accurately measure the length of a country’s coastline and the more precise the measurement the greater the length becomes – to the point of infinity
Final score: 134points 
Moë Moë Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
What if someone walked with that wheel thing they measure your lawn with?
118 118points reply View More Replies… #24
TIL that with an estimated pay of $156,000,000 , Keanu Reeves is the highest paid actor in history for a single production since Matrix 2&3 were filmed back-to-back
cartstanza , Governo do Estado de São Paulo Report
Final score: 127points lily jones lily jones Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Way too much if you ask me. But knowing Keanu, he probably donated half of it to charity anyways
144 144points reply View More Replies… #25
TIL that the myth of carrots improving your eyesight and helping you see in the dark was WWII propaganda
Jake52212 , mali maeder Report
Final score: 126points Manic Mama Manic Mama Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Was designed to hide the invention of radar.
79 79points reply View More Replies… #26
TIL Hawaii is considered the bird extinction capital of the world – Since humans arrived, 95 of 142 bird species found nowhere else in the world have become extinct in Hawaii
iamayeshaerotica , Roberto Nickson Report
Final score: 125points rullyman rullyman Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
For anyone wondering why, it’s a cocktail of reasons, all related to humans. Water used as ballast on ships was released, and it contained mosquito larvae infected with avian diseases. Rats hopped from ships to the island and eat eggs and chicks. On Big Island, they then introduced mongoose to try and stop the rats, but the two animals have different living and sleeping patterns so they just tag team and kill the birds. James Cook brought over pigs, which have now established a feral population. They eat the ground nesting bird eggs and chicks, as well as destroying native plant life and making muddy hollows where the mosquitos thrive.
113 113points reply View More Replies… #27
TIL that when Andre the giant passed away there was no crematorium large enough in France so his body had to be flown to America
Kneenaw , https://www.flickr.com/photos/noticeofmeowery/86288815/in/set-72057594047839391 Report
Final score: 120points 
Mimi La Souris Mimi La Souris Community Member • points posts comments upvotes 4 weeks ago Report
i love him in Princess Bride
106 106points reply View More Replies… #28
TIL that court dwarfs were strategically positioned next to the king or queen during public appearances and ceremonies, which, due to their small stature, had the effect of visually enhancing the monarch’s presence. They were owned, traded, and delivered as gifts to kings and queens.
el_chupa_nibra , Giovanni Jean Brindesi Report
Final score: 119points 
Juan Something(downvotevictim) Juan Something(downvotevictim) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
That’s pretty f****d up.
116 116points reply View More Replies… #29
TIL that, over the course of their lifetime, 1 in 10 Icelanders will publish a book.
Rafaeliki , Sumit Mathur Report
Final score: 118points Frank Frank Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
in a country with no trees, so all paper is imported. Maybe someone could write a book about that.
33 33points reply View More Replies… #30
TIL that in 1947 Canada raised the price of chocolate bars from 5¢ to 8¢ without much notice. Children protested against this 62.5% increase throughout the country, and approximately 200 stormed the legislature building of British Columbia.
–throwaway , Mx. Granger Report
Final score: 118points General Anaesthesia General Anaesthesia Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Nitpick: Canada didn’t raise the price (implying the government, taxes or so) but Canadian manufacturers raised the price. That sounds like cartels, but that’s another investigation.
74 74points reply #31
TIL, female elephants in Mozambique are rapidly evolving to not have tusks due to poachers.
Final score: 113points 
XenoMurph XenoMurph Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
They are not evolving. There is no genetic change. Humans are simply eliminating the ones with tusks. It’s not gaining elephants without tusks, those genes must already exist, or they couldn’t be born, it’s LOSING elephants with larger tusks. We are making the gene pool smaller.
89 89points reply View More Replies… #32
TIL: After an IVF mix up, 2 mothers gave birth to each other’s babies. Four months after giving birth, the California families swapped babies to return the children to their rightful parents.
Final score: 111points rullyman rullyman Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Yikes. What an ethical dilemma. Which child is yours- your DNA or the flesh and blood that you carried for 9 months, birthed, fed, and loved. I hope that the families are close because they are practical family now.
94 94points reply View More Replies… #33
TIL that when U.S. General George S. Patton died in late 1945, the French government offered to bury him beside Napoleon in Paris out of gratitude for his role in the liberation of France and western Europe.
Final score: 109points 
ADHORTATOR ADHORTATOR Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
There are some generals buried next to Napoleon: Foch, Turenne, Vauban….
22 22points reply View More Replies… #34
TIL there is an IQ floor (80 points) to serve in the US Armed Forces and this requirement was relaxed during the Vietnam war. These people died at 5 times the rate of other Americans in the war.
Final score: 108points 
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) Michael P (Perthaussieguy) Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Wow. There’s an IQ floor to serve in the forces but not to serve in Congress. Perhaps there should be? Precedent has been set!!
238 238points reply View More Replies… #35
TIL that Scotland has over 30,000 lochs but only 1 lake.
EssexGuyUpNorth , Callam Barnes Report
Final score: 101points Sum Guy Sum Guy Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
Loch is the Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Scots word for a lake or sea inlet
60 60points reply View More Replies… #36
TIL a territorial loophole created a de facto lawless piece of land between the Dutch and Belgian border. This area became known for hosting illegal raves, drug deals and prostitution. The loophole was closed in 2018 after a headless corpse was found there.
Final score: 100points rullyman rullyman Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
There’s always someone who ruins it for everyone 🙄
203 203points reply View More Replies… #37
TIL that the oxygen for emergency masks on planes does not come from tanks, but instead from a chemical reaction
Final score: 100points Roger9er Roger9er Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
The oxygen is generated by a simple chemical reaction that occurs when you pull on the mask. There is a so-called oxygen candle above your head. When you pull on your mask, a firing pin releases. Then, sodium chlorate and potassium perchlorate are combined in the candle to create oxygen.
72 72points reply View More Replies… #38
TIL There existed a Roman Emperor whose face appears on just 2 ancient coins and we otherwise know absolutely nothing about
Final score: 96points rullyman rullyman Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
The Liz Truss of Rome
124 124points reply View More Replies… #39
Today I learned that President Glover Cleveland had a secret surgery removing a tumor in his mouth on a yacht because he worried that news of him having cancer would effect the stock market.
EntrepreneurOk1856 , U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Report
Final score: 95points Donkeywheel Donkeywheel Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
*affect
87 87points reply View More Replies… #40
TIL that Jim Carrey was paid $7 million for ”Dumb and Dumber”, while his co-star Jeff Daniels made just $50,000
cartstanza , New Line Cinema Report
Final score: 89points 
MetaMom MetaMom Community Member • points posts comments upvotes FollowUnfollow 4 weeks ago Report
That’s just dumb.
113 113points reply View More Replies…
Note: this post originally had 62 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.