Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 15:49

TIL during WW1, the German Navy built a ship and painted it to look like a British ship called the RMS Carmania in order to infiltrate and destroy British convoys. On the ships first outing, the first enemy it encountered was the real RMS Carmania, which promptly sunk it. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 13:49

TIL Adolf Hitler's parents Alois and Klara continued to address each other as "uncle" and "niece" during their marriage, consistent with Alois's father perhaps being the same person as Klara’s maternal grandfather. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 12:49

TIL that Saddam Hussein considered himself to be Nebuchadnezzar, reincarnated. He spent a lot of money trying to restore Babylon and lived in a gigantic replica Babylonian palace, complete with Babylonian esque carvings depicting himself. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 09:49

TIL one of the leading candidates to be the next Pope is named Pierbattista Pizzaballa [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 05:49

TIL about the Iron Ring Ceremony, where Canadian engineers are given a ring worn on the pinkie to remind them of their professional responsibility for safety. It began after two bridges collapsed in 1907 and 1912. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 03:49

TIL that Simpsons character Troy McClure’s surname was derived from IRL actor Doug McClure, whose daughters nicknamed him “Troy McClure” behind his back; he reportedly found the parody to be funny. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 23:49

TIL Craig Mazin is now known for co-creating dramas like "The Last of Us" and "Chernobyl" and comedies like "Scary Movie 4", but he also wrote for "Dune: Part Two" and "Wicked", only being credited after the WGA revised their policy. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 23:49

TIL that Dirk Willems, a 16th-century Dutch Anabaptist, escaped prison but turned back to save the guard chasing him who fell through ice—an act of mercy that led to his recapture and execution. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 22:49

TIL that all of the shots of the little island above Bikini Bottom in Spongebob Squarepants were filmed in Genndy Tartakovsky's pool [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 21:49

TIL that popes cannot be organ donors because their body becomes property of the church upon their death. This rule invalidated Pope Benedict’s organ donor card, which he had held since the 1970s. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 19:49

TIL that when Terry Fox's famous Marathon of Hope for cancer research entered Quebec he was hampered by locals continuously running him off the road. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 18:49

TIL that, in 1967, Joseph Stalin's daughter briefly lived in East Berlin, Pennsylvania after defecting to the United States [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 15:49

TIL In Sri Lanka, divorce in any age group is statistically very rare. The primary reason for this is the challenge of establishing divorce grounds in court. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 13:49

TIL that “keming” is a joke term for bad kerning - the spacing between letters - where poor kerning makes the “r” and “n” in “kerning” blend together, turning it into “keming.” Coined by designer David Friedman in 2008, it’s a favourite inside joke among designers. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 08:49

TIL Richard Garfield, creator of Magic The Gathering, is the Great-Great Grandson of 20th U.S President James A. Garfield [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 14:49

TIL The Exorcist was so popular with black audiences that they were travelling to theatres in mainly-white neighborhoods as their local cinemas refused to do so. The film is credited as being a death blow for Blaxploitation as a result. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 13:49

TIL in 2022, a dispute between Pantone and Adobe resulted in the removal of Pantone color coordinates from Photoshop and Adobe's other design software, causing colors in graphic artists' digital documents to be replaced with black unless artists paid Pantone a separate $15 monthly subscription fee. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 10:49

TIL prior to Pope Francis in 2013, the last pope to choose a unique name without a regnal number was Pope Lando, who was pope from September 913 to March 914. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 07:49

TIL that betting on the outcome of a papal conclave has been documented since the 16th century [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 04:49

TIL that any baptized male is eligible to be Pope. In 236 AD, a spectator had a dove land on his head and he was immediately declared Pope (Pope Fabian) [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

23 April 2025 03:49

TIL that in 1844, Professor H. Booth claimed “from inhaling the odour of beef the butcher's wife obtains her obesity.” This was part of the 19th-century miasma theory, which linked diseases and weight gain to inhaling “bad air” from rotting matter, influencing public health during cholera outbreaks. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 23:49

TIL that Frida Kahlo had an affair with Leon Trotsky and painted a self-portrait for him, which she almost destroyed after his assassination [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 22:49

TIL only female mosquitoes are the ones that suck blood for egg production. Males just sip on plant juices [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 21:49

TIL pilot error is a leading cause of airplane crashes. In 2004, it was cited as the primary reason for 78.6% of disastrous general aviation accidents. Some causes are fatigue, faulty memory, and poor interpersonal communication. Using checklists has reduced risks over time. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 20:49

TIL Eminem wrote 'Brain Damage' about his actual childhood bully, DeAngelo Bailey. Bailey boasted in an interview that he gave Eminem a concussion so bad, his ears bled and he lost his vision. He had also attempted to sue Eminem for slander in 2001. A judge dismissed the claim in the form of a rap. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 18:49

TIL Plants can sense light, touch, gravity, smell, sound, and even vibrations. They react using hormones and electrical signals—bending, blooming, defending, and adapting. Though brainless, they behave intelligently, responding to their environment in complex ways. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 16:49

TIL Abraham Lincoln won the presidency in 1860 with just 39.7% of the popular vote - less than two out of five Americans voted for him. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 14:49

TIL Alarmed by the spread of Christianity, Roman Emperor Domitian sought and brought for questioning Jesus' grandnephews, the grandson's of his brother "by flesh". They claimed to own just one piece of land, which they worked by themselves, so Domitian let them go, deeming them insignificant [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 11:49

TIL The Godfather almost didn’t get made because Paramount didn’t believe in it, and the director nearly got fired before the studio saw the rough cut. It went on to become one of the most iconic films of all time. [Source]

Today I Learned 🎓

22 April 2025 08:49

TIL a man legally changed his name to "Znoneofthe, Above" to provide a None of the Above option for elections (the Silent Z was to have his name appear last on the ballot). But when he contested the election, given names were listed first, rendering it as Above Znoneofthe. [Source]