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#todayilearned

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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · 4d ago
TIL that Allen Funt, host of the hidden-camera show Candid Camera, was on a flight hijacked to Cuba, but the other passengers assumed they were on the TV show after noticing Funk. He desperately tried to convince them it was real. The passengers even cheered. They were released from Cuba quickly. https://www.radiolab.org/podcast/smile-my-ass #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1vk6vfe/til_that_allen_funt_host_of_the_hiddencamera_show/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Aug 04, 2026
TIL about Unsinkable Sam, a ship's cat who purportedly served during World War II with both the Kriegsmarine and the Royal Navy and survived the sinking of three ships. The Sinking of the Bismark, the Sinking of the HMS Cossack, and the sinking of the HMS Ark Royal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsinkable_Sam #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1vfc3r3/til_about_unsinkable_sam_a_ships_cat_who/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 30, 2026
TIL between 1904 and 1908, Germany committed the Herero and Nama genocide in present day Namibia, killing an estimated 80% of the Herero people and half of the Nama people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herero_and_Nama_genocide #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1vb3aqz/til_between_1904_and_1908_germany_committed_the/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 30, 2026
TIL that in 1995, a man robbed two banks after rubbing lemon juice on his face, believing it would make him invisible to security cameras because lemon juice is used as invisible ink https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Greater_Pittsburgh_bank_robberies #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1vaypc0/til_that_in_1995_a_man_robbed_two_banks_after/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 29, 2026
TIL the 2011 Japan earthquake was so powerful it moved the main island of Honshu 8 feet eastward, shifted the Earth's axis by up to 10 inches, and shortened the length of a day by 1.8 microseconds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T%C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1va4m3i/til_the_2011_japan_earthquake_was_so_powerful_it/
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Gaolaitch
jody hughes @Gaolaitch@cupoftea.social · Jul 29, 2026
an insight into my frankly distressingly poor understanding of popular culture: #todayilearned the meaning of 'bucket list'. i don't think that even i can spin this as a person focused on more rarefied and important matters.
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 29, 2026
TIL in 1998 in the Congo lightning struck a football match and killed all 11 players on one team but left the other team completely unharmed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bena_Tshadi_football_lightning_strike #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9ki73/til_in_1998_in_the_congo_lightning_struck_a/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 28, 2026
TIL in 1763, King George III issued a proclamation disallowing settlement of Native land in the west of the Appalachians. This angered the colonists. King George III felt it "just and reasonable" that Native American tribes under his protection should not be "molested or disturbed.” https://www.jyfmuseums.org/learn/research-and-collections/essays/what-was-the-proclamation-of-1763 #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v8v6ls/til_in_1763_king_george_iii_issued_a_proclamation/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 28, 2026
TIL as of 2021, nearly half of the fire engines and pumpers operated by U.S. fire departments were at least 15 years old, the age at which NFPA guidance recommends moving them from frontline to reserve service. About 9% were at least 30 years old. https://content.nfpa.org/-/media/Project/Storefront/Catalog/Files/Research/NFPA-Research/Emergency-responders/Needs-Assessment/osfifthneedsassessmentFacilitiesApparatus.pdf?hash=0A8452FC36E5640E802A7FAD5C22BC97&rev=287fc2f2fbf845c1b277ceff187ffcae&utm_source=chatgpt.com #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v8kdd8/til_as_of_2021_nearly_half_of_the_fire_engines/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 27, 2026
TIL there is a copper mine in Romania extracting 9 million tonnes of ore per year, but only 0.38% is usable copper. The tailings (the residue sludge) are pumped into a nearby valley, creating a massive toxic lake that destroyed the village of Geamăna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ro%C8%99ia_Poieni_copper_mine #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v8dfxp/til_there_is_a_copper_mine_in_romania_extracting/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 27, 2026
TIL that on Ulysses S. Grant's post-presidential world tour, he warned the Japanese emperor not to take foreign loans lest it fall "into the abyss into which Egypt has fallen". Grant's warning made a "forceful impression" on the emperor and led to the rejection of various loan proposals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_tour_of_Ulysses_S._Grant #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v8ckff/til_that_on_ulysses_s_grants_postpresidential/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 27, 2026
TIL that in the 1770s, the colony of Virginia voted multiple times to curtail the slave trade only for the bills to be vetoed by Lord Dunmore on behalf of King George III who had massive investments in the slave trade. https://cardinalnews.org/2024/06/11/dispatch-from-1772-britain-vetoes-virginias-vote-to-abolish-slave-trade/ #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v8ge7i/til_that_in_the_1770s_the_colony_of_virginia/
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todayilearned
Today I learned @todayilearned@noc.social · Jul 21, 2026
TIL that the story of the Trojan Horse is not mentioned in the Illiad and is only briefly mentioned in the Odyssey. The account of the Fall of Troy that is known today was written by the Roman poet Virgil in 1st century BC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Horse#Literary_accounts #til #todayilearned https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v2e1uo/til_that_the_story_of_the_trojan_horse_is_not/
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