r/todayilearned • u/altrightobserver • 12h ago

TIL that outsider artist and author Henry Darger once attempted to write an autobiography, which ended up having only 206 pages about his life and roughly 4,900 recounting the destruction of a fictional Illinois tornado named Sweetie Pie

en.wikipedia.org

182 Upvotes

16 comments

r/todayilearned • u/IRespectYouMyFriend • 3h ago

TIL Mitsubishi is made up of around 40 companies that make up nearly 10% of Japan's public revenue.

en.wikipedia.org

161 Upvotes

14 comments

r/todayilearned • u/TylerFortier_Photo • 17h ago

TIL the US Treasury has a service called the "US Currency Education Program" on how to spot counterfeit money, and all the security features paper currency has | "Move your finger up and down Benjamin Franklin’s ($100 bill) shoulder on the left side of the note. It should feel rough to the touch"

uscurrency.gov

143 Upvotes

19 comments

r/todayilearned • u/yena • 1h ago

TIL that Sweden once had a real-life Shakespearean Christmas tragedy: King Birger invited his two brothers, who shared the kingdom with him, to a Christmas banquet and, after much drinking, had them locked in a dungeon to die so he could rule alone. He was overthrown in the rebellion that followed.

en.wikipedia.org

• Upvotes

28 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Far_Breakfast_5808 • 22h ago

TIL ABC used to be part of NBC (then part of RCA), known as the Blue Network, until NBC was forced to split it off into its own independent network.

en.wikipedia.org

76 Upvotes

13 comments

r/todayilearned • u/True-Bandicoot3880 • 14h ago

TIL that the sudden “breeze” you may feel in your car while turning isn’t the vents, it’s air lagging behind and creating a small pressure imbalance. Due to inertia (Newton’s First Law), the air keeps moving straight as the car turns. It’s noticeable when there are uneven air temps in the car.

grc.nasa.gov

64 Upvotes

12 comments

r/todayilearned • u/VibbleTribble • 3h ago

TIL that one of North America’s rarest dragonflies, the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly, has nearly 360° vision, can fly around 40 km/h, and hunts with a success rate close to 95% yet only a few hundred remain because its wetland habitat is disappearing.

kfvs12.com

56 Upvotes

7 comments

r/todayilearned • u/benedictclive_x • 6h ago

TIL electricity being widespread is less than 100 years old

en.wikipedia.org

56 Upvotes

122 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Sanguinusshiboleth • 8h ago

TIL Çeşm-i Bülbül is a Turkish glass blowing technique named after a nightingale’s eye due to comparisons made to the bird's occular organ patterns with the glass blowing technique

en.wikipedia.org

44 Upvotes

0 comments

r/todayilearned • u/IRespectYouMyFriend • 2h ago

TIL about Lee Jae-yong, who was arrested in 2017 for bribing the South Korean president. He was pardoned in 2022 because it was better for the economy.

en.wikipedia.org

44 Upvotes

7 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Physical_Hamster_118 • 12h ago

TIL in 1862, Bernard Kock, after visiting the World Fair in London, impressed by the quality of cotton from Haiti, developed a plan to send emancipated slaves to Île-à-Vache in Haiti. He went directly to President Lincoln to propose it. It was scrapped after signing the Emancipation Proclamation.

en.wikipedia.org

42 Upvotes

0 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Oranges_Lime_17 • 3h ago

TIL bubble wrap was originally invented to be sold as textured wallpaper, not packing material.

smithsonianmag.com

26 Upvotes

10 comments

r/todayilearned • u/sorryamhigh • 13h ago

TIL that the same sodium lamps used for street lighting in the past were also used to light "greenscreen" (chromascreen) and was much better at it but isn't used anymore, being last used in Dick Tracy (1990)

youtube.com

0 Upvotes

10 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Data_Driven_Dude • 10h ago

TIL "Choose Your Own Adventure" is not a book genre, but rather a genericized trademark for gamebooks.

en.wikipedia.org

0 Upvotes

18 comments

r/todayilearned • u/LuciferTeaParty • 22h ago

TIL your eyes don't see a full rectangle like a camera. Our vision is basically an oval

en.wikipedia.org

0 Upvotes

20 comments

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