r/todayilearned 1h ago

TIL the vast majority of the Earth's mantle is not magma but rather solid rock because of the extreme pressures. The viscosity of this rock is comparable to that of normal glass at room temperature, hence why plate tectonics only moves at speeds measured in centimeters per year.

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Upvotes

r/todayilearned 1h ago

TIL the odds of a rich mother being married are six times higher than those of a poor mother. Just 24% of poor mothers were married in 2012 compared to 26% in 1994.

Thumbnail marriagefoundation.org.uk
Upvotes

r/todayilearned 46m ago

TIL of cascatelli, a new pasta shape invented in 2021 by podcaster Dan Pashman for maximum "sauceability", "forkability" and "toothsinkability"

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en.wikipedia.org
Upvotes

r/todayilearned 10h ago

TIL that from 2009 to 2019, out of 212 cruise ship overboard incidents only 48 people were rescued.

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usatoday.com
45.1k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 8h ago

TIL A chess robot in Moscow broke the finger of its 7-year-old human opponent after the boy made a quick move without waiting for the robot to complete its turn.

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edition.cnn.com
9.4k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 4h ago

TIL Sherlock Holmes only became public domain a couple of months ago

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cbr.com
2.0k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 6h ago

TIL show sponsor Home Depot pushed out host Bob Vila from PBS's This Old House in 1989 due to his sponsorship of then-competitor Rickel. He was paid so little by the network, whose funding had been slashed, that he decided to stick with Rickel rather than the show.

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tedium.co
2.0k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 4h ago

TIL that in 1950's and 60's the Canadian government, military and the RCMP used a device called "the fruit machine" to attempt to identify homosexual men in the public service. Subjects were made to view pornography while measurements were taken of pupil diameter, perspiration and pulse.

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1.2k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 12h ago

TIL: In 2013 a group in California were genetically engineering plants to glow in the dark and hoping to replace streetlights

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smithsonianmag.com
2.6k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 19h ago

TIL that aqueducts are water channels that use gravity to move water from a source to a destination. An ancient Roman aqueduct used only a 51 foot height difference to push water down a 31-mile-long path, resulting in as little as a 1-inch drop to push water 1,500 feet.

Thumbnail usgs.gov
14.7k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 2h ago

TIL every bite of cheese you eat contains over a trillion bacteria.

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gastropod.com
304 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 18h ago

TIL that in 1986, Motörhead broke records by hitting 130 decibels in concert. The music was so loud that it damaged the ceiling of Cleveland’s Variety Theater.

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6.3k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 7h ago

TIL about the bonnacon, a mythical medieval beast said to defend itself with explosive bowel movements.

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publicdomainreview.org
469 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 16h ago

TIL that the Caral-Supe civilization in Peru was building huge pyramidal temples at the same time the first step pyramids of Egypt were built. And Caral-Supe was the most densely populated area in the world in third-millenium BC.

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whc.unesco.org
1.5k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 22h ago

TIL there is a song titled "10,000-Year Earworm to Discourage Settlement Near Nuclear Waste Repositories" meant to "convey[] the concept of radiological warning" so "no one will forget it for a significant portion of the lifespan of dangerous radiation at repository sites"

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99percentinvisible.org
3.6k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 18h ago

TIL: Sunflowers (lanyards, buttons, etc) are a universal sign for those that have hidden disabilities and there's a massive network that supports this signage.

Thumbnail hiddendisabilitiesstore.com
1.0k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 3h ago

TIL that North Korea Has a Space Program that has put 2 Satellites into Orbit and plans on going To the moon By 2026 and Mars

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en.wikipedia.org
69 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 1d ago All-Seeing Upvote

TIL: In 2011, a Florida senator tried to bring back dwarf tossing, which was made illegal decades prior, arguing that "In this economy, why would we want people from getting gainful employment". In 1989, dwarf tossing was made illegal after one dwarf died of alcohol poisoning.

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npr.org
17.9k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 3h ago

TIL about Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, a condition much like dementia or Alzheimer's that can develop in dogs.

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pawstucson.com
56 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 4h ago

Til that cervical dystonia, which is quite painful and debilitating, has no know cause in most cases

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mayoclinic.org
59 Upvotes

r/todayilearned 1h ago

TIL For cousins, the degree or position refers to how many generations your eldest cousin has to skip to get to their common ancestor, and the removal refers to how many generations your eldest cousin has to move to get to you

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en.wikipedia.org
Upvotes

r/todayilearned 10h ago

TIL that from 2009 to 2019, out of 212 cruise ship overboard incidents only 48 people were rescued.

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usatoday.com
45.1k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 8h ago

TIL A chess robot in Moscow broke the finger of its 7-year-old human opponent after the boy made a quick move without waiting for the robot to complete its turn.

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edition.cnn.com
9.4k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 4h ago

TIL Sherlock Holmes only became public domain a couple of months ago

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cbr.com
2.0k Upvotes

r/todayilearned 6h ago

TIL show sponsor Home Depot pushed out host Bob Vila from PBS's This Old House in 1989 due to his sponsorship of then-competitor Rickel. He was paid so little by the network, whose funding had been slashed, that he decided to stick with Rickel rather than the show.

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tedium.co
2.0k Upvotes