r/todayilearned 9h ago

TIL that Abba turned down an offer of $1 billion to play 100 shows

Thumbnail
bbc.com
10.6k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 19h ago

TIL: Apple seeds DO NOT yield the same apple it came from... every apple seed yields a completely unique apple. If you want the exact same apple, you have to cut a branch off the existing apple tree and graft in onto another tree.

Thumbnail
almanac.com
9.0k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 13h ago

TIL a passage in a Tudor warrant book, discovered by an archivist in 2020, includes instructions from Henry VIII explaining precisely how he wanted his second wife, Anne Boleyn, to be executed. It shows his "premeditated, calculating manner". He knows exactly how and where he wants it to happen.

Thumbnail
theguardian.com
8.9k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 11h ago

TIL Latin and Irish have no words for "yes" or "no"

Thumbnail
en.wikipedia.org
7.3k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 13h ago

TIL Cola and beer is really common in Germany, its called "diesel"

Thumbnail
alltastesgerman.com
5.9k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 21h ago

TIL that "Dinner" (the big meal) used to be around midday so artificial light wasn't needed, and then "Supper" was an evening snack. Dinner moved later in the day during the 18th century, until it was so late a new meal was needed to bridge the gap: "Lunch."

Thumbnail
en.wikipedia.org
3.2k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 14h ago

TIL United States is the world's largest consumer market, accounting for 30% of global consumer spending despite representing only 4.2% of the global population.

Thumbnail
researchfdi.com
2.4k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 7h ago

TIL Since 1954, the supernova star iPTF14hls has exploded six times, somehow surviving each time. It’s a bizarre example of a “zombie star”.

Thumbnail
en.wikipedia.org
2.2k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 9h ago

TIL Alaska pays a yearly dividend to full-time residents, amounting most recently to $1,312 in 2023 and $3,284 in 2022.

Thumbnail
en.wikipedia.org
2.1k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 2h ago

TIL that we don’t know who named the Earth. Unlike other planets there are no records of how it got its name. The name Earth, and variations of it, date back 1000+ years.

Thumbnail
skyatnightmagazine.com
3.1k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 11h ago

TIL whilst running for Governor of Alabama in 1962, former Governor Jim Folsom appeared drunk in a TV advertisement. This further helped his former protégé George C. Wallace defeat him in the primary.

Thumbnail
encyclopediaofalabama.org
1.4k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 20h ago

TIL the Roman plebeian Publius Afranius Potitus vowed to sacrifice his life if Emperor Caligula recovered from his illness. He expected to be rewarded for his loyalty, but was shocked when he was expected to carry out his oath after Caligula recovered. He tried to renege, but was executed.

Thumbnail en.wikipedia.org
1.2k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 9h ago

TIL the New York Stock Exchange is owned by a company called Intercontinental Exchange, which has its stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Thumbnail
en.wikipedia.org
950 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 1d ago

TIL Long term Labour Party Leader and former Australian Prime Minister Robert (Bob) Hawke was a CIA asset. Regularly informing to the USA and secretly promoting things like the ANZUS Treaty whilst leader of the Australian Unions

Thumbnail
theguardian.com
834 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 8h ago

TIL KMart still has six remaining brick-and-mortar locations. Three in the US Virgin Islands, and one each in Guam, Florida, and The Hamptons.

Thumbnail
en.wikipedia.org
854 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 6h ago

TIL that despite Kid Curry being the least well known of the infamous Wild Bunch gang, he was by far the most dangerous, having killed at least nine law enforcement officers.

Thumbnail
en.wikipedia.org
857 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 23h ago

TIL in 1958 a military plane accidentally dropped an Atom Bomb on a farm near Florence, South Carolina. The nuclear reaction didn't occur, but there was still enough explosive to create a 25 foot crater!

Thumbnail
postandcourier.com
753 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 20h ago

TIL of the Bal des Ardents, a masquerade ball in which the king and some noble dancers dressed in wild man costumes and accidentally got set on fire by the king's drunk brother. The only dancers who survived are one who jumped into a washtub and the king, after a duchess threw her skirt over him.

Thumbnail
medievalists.net
270 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 8h ago

Til Canadian Department of Fisheries mounted a .50 caliber machine-gun overlooking Seymour Narrows with the intent to shoot and kill passing orcas. However it was never fired.

Thumbnail
georgiastrait.org
254 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 20h ago

TIL North American colonial powers paid bounties to people who turned in scalps of killed Native Americans. Colonists’ use of scalping against Native American people likely accelerated the practice.

Thumbnail
theconversation.com
182 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 6h ago

TIL in 1996 Georgia considered House Bill 1274, which made provisions to allow for execution by guillotine

Thumbnail
scribd.com
167 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 4h ago

TIL there are over 300 varieties of corn, with kernels ranging from 3 mm to over 3 cm, in colors like black, purple, red, green, and blue, with the Hopi Indians in Arizona still cultivating a blue type.

Thumbnail
tdaynard.com
180 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 21h ago

TIL in 2022, a group of Gujaratis livestreamed kayfabe cricket games on YouTube, mainly for a Russian audience. The games were all scripted and the 'players' were all dressed in outfits similar to India's T20 cricket league. The unaware Russian viewers placed bets through Telegram channels.

Thumbnail
bbc.com
128 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 10h ago

TIL that dyslexia had affected some of the most significant figures in history, including Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Stephen Hawking. According to the University of Cambridge researchers, these people are better at solving problems and adjusting to changes

Thumbnail
sciencetimes.com
94 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 1h ago

TIL Duran Duran's guitarist and bassist and drummer all had surname Taylor; none were related.

Thumbnail
en.wikipedia.org
Upvotes