We, humans, never stop learning. Whether you’re aware of it or not, you would absorb new information every now and then. What might seem obvious to you now seemed unfamiliar years before.
Today, we’ll be heading to Reddit’s Today I Learned community, the place where people post factual tidbits that they were unknowingly ignoring for years. Below, you’ll find 20 interesting trivia that sound like new knowledge but should have actually been common knowledge. Scroll down to see our collection, and perhaps you’ll learn something new today!
We covered the TIL community before, check out their best posts from last time here!
More info: Reddit
#1
Image source: sav4nt, George Pagan III
TIL of “Target Fixation”: a phenomenon where an individual becomes so focused on an observed object (be it a target, or hazard to be avoided) that they inadvertently increase their risk of colliding with the object.
#2
Image source: ChronosBlitz, nieznany/unknown
TIL Pope John Paul II forgave his attempted assassin Mehmet Ali Ağca who shot him four times in 1981. At the Pope’s request, the Italian President pardoned Ağca of the crime and he was deported back to Turkey. Ağca requested to meet Pope Francis in 2014 but Francis chose to decline.
#3
TIL: According to Guinness World Records, PATH, a mostly underground pedestrian walkway network in downtown Toronto, is the largest underground shopping complex in the world. PATH spans more than 30 kilometres of restaurants, shopping, services and entertainment.
Source: 248_RPA
#4
Image source: Geek_Nan, John Gould
TIL Charles Darwin spent 6 months in South America looking for a lesser rhea (an ostrich-like bird) only to have one served to him for dinner. Halfway through the meal, Darwin realized what he was eating, gathered the parts and sent them to England for taxidermy and formal classification.
#5
TIL the US Navy has a ‘Fleet Admiral’ rank which only four people have ever achieved. It includes the unique benefit of active duty pay for life.
Source: SuicidalGuidedog
#6
Image source: kstinfo, Ethantrott
TIL A 2017 study found that the introduction of iodized salt in 1924 raised the IQ for the one-quarter of the population most deficient in iodine.
#7
Image source: 1_GOLD_PLEASE, Adam Rhodes
TIL that nearly all mammals, from mice to giraffes, have exactly 7 cervical vertebrae in their necks; the only exceptions are sloths and manatees.
#8
TIL: Prior to the D-Day landings, men were covertly sent ashore from submarines to collect samples of the sand to see whether it could support the weight of the tanks, trucks and other vehicles.
Source: AaliyahK12
#9
Image source: drfranksurrey, Diliff
TIL Norway sends The UK a christmas tree every year to thank UK for saving Norway in WW2
#10
TIL one of the moons of Mars (Phobos) orbits Mars much faster than Mars rotates, and completes an orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes. From the surface of Mars it appears to rise in the west, move across the sky in 4 hours and 15 minutes, and set in the east, twice each Martian day.
Source: Doll_Tow_Jet-ski
#11
Image source: AsianInvasian93, Henri de Montpezat – Koninklijk Huis (Nationaal Archief)
TIL Queen Sophie of the Netherlands’ marriage with King William was so turbulent that when she died, she was buried in her wedding dress because she viewed her life ended on the day she got married.
#12
Image source: kliuedin, Whoisjohngalt
TIL that the Magic Eraser has no chemical solvents in it. Instead it is a special foam with super sharp microscopic edges that basically scrapes off dirt.
#13
Image source: barnegatsailor, Frederick James Smyth
TIL that in 1845 79 people died in a bridge collapse that happened because a large crowd had gathered to watch a clown in a bathtub be pulled up a river by four geese.
#14
Image source: barrycl, Josh Applegate
TIL that breast cancer used to be known as “Nun’s disease” due to the higher prevalence amongst nuns, who were at increased risk due to their celibate lifestyle. An association between reproductive history and cancer risk wasn’t proven for about 250 years after it was associated with nuns.
#15
Image source: types_in_airplane, Franny Wentzel
TIL The founder of Sony hired an outspoken critic of their products so they could make better products. 20 years later, he became the president of Sony.
#16
Image source: Lagavulin16_neat, Elf
TIL that Supai, AZ is the most remote community in the contiguous US. It is 8 miles from the nearest road and is only accessible by foot, mule, or helicopter. It is the only place in the United States where mail is still carried in and out by mules.
#17
Image source: Quantum_II, Pixabay
TIL Flowers exposed to the playback sound of a flying bee produce sweeter nectar within 3 minutes, with sugar concentration averaging 20% higher.
#18
TIL that the “Perfect Aryan” poster child that was widely used in Nazi propaganda was actually Jewish. The photo was selected from a Nazi-held contest, where the photographer of the baby had submitted the photo as an ironic joke.
Source: eStuffeBay
#19
Image source: I_am_eating_a_mango, Michael Dziedzic
TIL there’s an unexplained global effect called “The Hum” only heard by about 2-4% of the world’s population. The phenomenon was recorded as early as the 1970s, and its possible causes range from industrial environments, to neurological reasons, to tinnitus, to fish.
#20
Image source: The_Ry_Ry, Ingo Joseph
TIL a Berlin-based artist tricked Google Maps into thinking that a completely empty street was bursting with traffic by filling a wagon with 99 smartphones, opening Maps navigation on all of them, and then slowly pulling the wagon along Berlin streets.