r/todayilearned • u/thebelsnickle1991 • 2h ago
TIL that during the First World War, search and rescue dogs would venture out into no man's land to locate wounded men. They carried water and medical supplies to men out of the reach of ambulances, and could lead stretcher parties to wounded soldiers stranded in no man's land.
r/todayilearned • u/DariusMDeV • 7h ago
TIL Baby horses are born with "feathers", AKA faery fingers or golden slippers (real name eponychium). They protect the mother's uterus during gestation and birth canal during parturition from damage from the otherwise sharp and dangerous hoof kicks. They harden and fall off very soon after birth.
r/todayilearned • u/wrldms14 • 13h ago
TIL Poland sent the US a birthday card with 5.5 million signatures to mark the 150th anniversary of the US in 1926.
r/todayilearned • u/kj450 • 14h ago
TIL that a crocodile from Burundi named Gustave has killed as many as 300 people. He has evaded numerous capture and kill attempts, and has obtained near-mythical status in the region.
r/todayilearned • u/justastudent21 • 1h ago
TIL a Border Collie named Chaser had the largest vocabulary of any animal in history. Being able to identify over 1000 toys by name.
r/todayilearned • u/opulent321 • 5h ago
TIL that the rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool began during the industrial revolution when Manchester built a canal to circumvent Liverpool to avoid paying fees for importing/exporting goods through their port.
r/todayilearned • u/Salsal_Azar • 2h ago
TIL how fish get into isolated lakes and other bodies of water. When ducks move around or from fish-infested waters to fish-free isolated lakes, they bring the fish eggs with them, and that’s how isolated bodies of water can become stocked with fish.
r/todayilearned • u/DookieDemon • 19h ago
TIL that contrary to popular belief, sweating does not remove toxins from the body. Dehydration from excessive sweating can actually make it harder for your body to remove toxins.
r/todayilearned • u/kevlarbuns • 16h ago
TIL in the 80’s and 90’s, the LAPD set up a task force to look into the possibility of an active serial killer they dubbed the “Southside Slayer”. In reality, they had 4 or 5 active serial killers.
r/todayilearned • u/meme_stealing_bandit • 3h ago
TIL of Jack Ryan, who worked on designing medium range missiles for the Pentagon before joining Mattel and working on designing the initial Barbie doll and Hot Wheels cars
r/todayilearned • u/Squaragus_Asparagus • 12h ago
TIL that the Moai (Easter Island Heads) were originally intricately carved before being weathered by wind. Some had holes for eyes made of coral and obsidian designed to awaken their power, and others had tophats for ceremonies. Island legend says a shaman awoke the first Moai and made them walk.
r/todayilearned • u/Skarmunkel • 1d ago
TIL that in 1986 an astronomer trying to trace a 75 cent computer time discrepancy for 10 months eventually found a German hacker selling defense secrets to the KGB
r/todayilearned • u/Pontus_Pilates • 2h ago
TIL during WWII, Switzerland was suffering from a coal shortage, so they electrified some of their steam locomotives, heating water with electricity
r/todayilearned • u/meme_me_pls • 4h ago
TIL Hyperinflation in Germany started exactly 100 years ago this month. June 1921. German currency went from 90 marks per dollar to 330 marks per dollar in June. Then in December 1922 it went from 320 marks per dollar to 7400 marks per dollar.
r/todayilearned • u/vaish7848 • 1h ago
TIL, in 1937, nearly 172,000 Koreans in the Soviet Far East were forcibily deported to unpopulated areas of Central Asia on the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. It marked the precedent of the first Soviet ethnic deportation of an entire nationality.
r/todayilearned • u/sysmimas • 1h ago
TIL Astronaut John Young was the only astronaut until now to command four different types of spacecraft: Gemini capsule, Apollo Module, Lunar Landing Module and Space Shuttle
r/todayilearned • u/Maimailai • 1h ago
Til about sack of protestant city of Magdeburg in 1631, the worst massacre of Thirty Years War. After fall of the city Imperial (Habsburg) troops slaughtered more than 20 000 inhabitants. After the battle Pope sent his congratulations, "You have washed your victorious hands in the blood of sinners."
r/todayilearned • u/Punkrokgirl • 17h ago
TIL that Thomas Edison didn't invent the light bulb. The first electric light was made in 1800 by Humphry Davy.
r/todayilearned • u/KimCureAll • 12h ago
TIL the seeds of the American persimmon, native primarily to the southeastern US, were used as buttons by the Confederate Army during the American civil war for their clothing, and they can also be ground into a coffee substitute. Naturally, the ripened fruit can be eaten fresh or used in baking.
r/todayilearned • u/MusicSole • 9h ago
TIL a year after receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, actress Winona Ryder was arrested for shoplifting over 5,000 dollars worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue. Los Angeles D.A. Stephen Cooley assembled a team of eight prosecutors for the case.
r/todayilearned • u/dooodaaad • 14h ago
TIL the first short film Ben Affleck directed was called "I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney". It received negative reviews and was disowned by the director in 2010.
r/todayilearned • u/SnapCrackleMom • 13h ago
TIL I learned the enterobacteria Salmonella was named in honor of veterinarian Daniel Elmer Salmon, who spent his career studying animal diseases and how they impact public health.
r/todayilearned • u/ZanyDelaney • 8h ago
TIL 1979 Doctor Who serial City of Death was one of two televised Doctor Who serials scripted by Douglas Adams. It features film actor Julian Glover, a cameo by John Cleese, was the first shot on location outside the United Kingdom and was the highest rating Doctor Who serial in the UK to date
r/todayilearned • u/Longboarding-Is-Life • 5h ago
TIL Most trilobites had complex compound eyes with lenses made of calcite crystal, as pure calcite is transparent.
r/todayilearned • u/Basque_Pirate • 45m ago
TIL that the first day of the week is Sunday in (most of) the Americas and big parts of Asia, but its Monday in europe and most of Africa.
