TIL prion disease, which is 100% fatal and has no cure, can survive in soil for years, spread to growing plants or wildlife, and can be reliably destroyed through sustained heat of at least 900°F for
TIL mathematician Leonhard Euler's right eye started going blind in 1738, and his left eye went blind as well in 1766. His blindness did not seem to have a major impact on his productivity, and in 177
TIL that a tiny mummy found with the ancient Egyptian high priestess Maatkare Mutemhat was long thought to be her baby, until X-rays revealed it was a mummified monkey.
TIL about The Battle of Evarts, a gunfight between striking coal miners and anti-union gunmen in 1931 during the Harlan County Coal Wars in southeastern Kentucky, which left four dead. The coal wars i
TIL Blue Peter is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958.The "Blue Peter" is used as a maritime signal, indicating that a vessel flying it is abo
TIL that in 1900, a physician named Jesse William Lazear wanted to prove that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes. He allowed an infected mosquito to bite him, and he became infected with yello
TIL that in parts of Afghanistan, the number 39 is looked down upon due the number's association with prostitution. People who had car plates with the number had difficulty selling them.
TIL that around 40% of Yemen’s total renewable water resources are used to grow khat, a mildly amphetamine-like drug widely consumed across the country and of major importance to its economy, despite
TIL about Pablo’s Group. Mountain gorillas usually have 5-10 in a group, but Pablo’s Group consisted of a historic 65 gorillas in 2006, partly due to the dominant silverback leaders forming an allianc
TIL that a British Royal Marine and Liverpool FC fan had the club's motto 'You'll Never Walk Alone' tattooed on his leg. After standing on a mine, his leg was amputated and lost the word 'alone' in th
TIL that after 300 years of Spanish colonial rule, only 35% of Mexicans spoke Spanish. Mexico gained it's Independence in 1821, and by 1895, that figure had skyrocketed to 83% following Mexico's indep
TIL that at 22, Oprah was removed from the evening news and reassigned to a 7:25 a.m. local news segment. A year later, she was given a talk show that changed her career.
TIL the gene Zbtb7 was temporarily named Pokemon. It was renamed due to The Pokémon Company's threats of legal action, who did not wish to be associated with the cancer-related gene.
TIL that the first person ever to use an ATM cash machine was British actor Reg Varney, who was photographed making the first ever withdrawal on 27th June 1967, at Enfield in London.
TIL that the train crash at the start of The Fugitive was filmed for real in a single take and cost about $1M. The filmmakers spent ten weeks planning the 60-second sequence, knowing they would only g
TIL that in the 1950s, Ella Fitzgerald was not allowed to play Hollywood's most popular nightclub, Mocambo, because of her race. Marilyn Monroe, a big fan, called the owner & told him that if he booke
TIL that since the “miracle on the Hudson” water landing by Captain Sullenberger 70,000+ geese have been killed in the NYC area to prevent future bird strikes.
TIL in 1993, the US forced Chinese container ship Yinhe to be stranded at sea by denying it from docking and disabling its GPS service. The suspicion was false, and the incident triggered the creation
TIL Seth MacFarlane, creator and voice of “Family Guy,” inherited part of Frank Sinatra’s music archive from Sinatra’s daughter Tina after Frank Sinatra Jr.’s death in 2016. The collection contains ro
TIL about GG Alin, an American extravagant musician. His live performances often included onstage defecation, fighting with audience, self-harm and nudity. He recorded 12 albums and was invited to som
TIL that Hollywood producer Don Simpson attempted to overcome his drug problem with the aid of doctor Stephen Ammerman, who prescribed various drugs to help with withdrawal from the ones Simpson was t
TIL that in Italy, Friday the 17th is a day of misfortune and airlines omit row 17, because in Roman numerals XVII is an anagram of vixi, meaning I am dead.
TIL that a wooden hunting bow found in a lake in Alaska was radiocarbon dated to approximately 460 years old, despite having been exposed to the elements for an unknown amount of time
TIL a hoard of 2,584 silver coins buried during the 1066 Norman Conquest was found in England. Value at $5.6 million, it has become the highest-value treasure find in English history.
TIL that there are so few Imax 70mm screens because many of the parts needed to build them no longer exist, along with the plans being lost. Between Oppenheimer and the Odyssey, Imax attempted to repa
TIL the researchers who coined the "backfire effect" in 2010 later championed a study that failed to find it. Across 8,100 subjects and 36 issues, corrections backfired on exactly one. The rest of the
TIL Toby Fox considered pitching to Shigesato Itoi that he could help him make a fourth game in the Mother franchise. He changed his mind after Itoi encouraged Fox to make a sequel to Undertale.
TIL the Nazi Wilhelm Kube was assassinated in his Minsk bedroom by his housemaid, Yelena Mazanik, who hid a bomb under his mattress. Mazanik and two co-conspirators were awarded the title “Hero of the
TIL the Ancient Romans had a Spring festival honoring their fertility goddess, Flora, featuring nude dancers, circus performers, and prostitutes parading throughout the streets.
TIL that the Green River Formation in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah has estimated oil shale reserves of 3 Trillion barrels. It is the largest oil shale deposit in the world. The oil is difficult to reco
TIL of A.K. Mozumdar, the first South Asian American who was granted citizenship, who obtained his citizenship by arguing as a “high Caste Hindu” he had pure “Aryan” blood and that those racial origin
TIL when Kesha lost her case vs Dr Luke and had to keep making albums under his label, Sony refused to promote her and she could only play small theaters. Macklemore invited her on a joint tour where
TIL in 2009 Australian scientists discovered that a specie of octopus collects discarded coconut shell halves, carries them across the seafloor by "stilt-walking", then assembles them into a shelter w
