TIL that after WWI, while much of the Ottoman Empire was carved up by the Allies, Turkey fought back and resisted efforts to partition Anatolia, leading to the modern Turkish Republic [Source]

TIL that with a score of 0.230 Middle Juba in Somalia is the subnational region with the lowest Human Development Index in the world [Source]

TIL that ties are possible at the Academy Awards. It has happened 6 times in history, most recently in 2012. [Source]

TIL Chronic Radiation Syndrome/Sickness (CRS) is caused by exposure to elevated levels of radiation(but not enough to cause Acute Sickness) for a period of weeks or months, resulting in wasting and scurvy-like symptoms. It is heavily documented in Eastern literature, yet rarely in Western sources [Source]

TIL in a 1995 Barbara Walters interview, Jim Carrey revealed that he turned down a $10 million offer to star in 'The Mask II' because his experiences on Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls convinced him that reprising a character he had previously played offered him no challenges as an actor. [Source]

TIL Taylor Swift sends flowers to Kelly Clarkson after every "Taylor's Version" album re-release to thank her for suggesting that Taylor "go in & re-record all the songs that U don't own the masters on". At the time, Taylor was upset that the masters of her first 6 albums were sold to a third party. [Source]

TIL the sole cure for late stage African sleeping sickness, arsenic, was suggested first due to an anecdote of a man who survived a snake bite using arsenic. Although arsenic has no effect on snake bites or most diseases, by pure chance it happened to be the cure to African sleeping sickness. [Source]

TIL that economist and philosopher Adam Smith was kidnapped by vagrants when he was 4 years old. He was later found unharmed [Source]

TIL the federal courts publish the outcome of every bankruptcy case in a free public database. The government's own data shows 48% of Chapter 13 cases get dismissed, and in some districts it's over 90%. [Source]

TIL a fisherman was federally prosecuted for throwing undersized fish back into the sea under a law meant to stop Enron-style document destruction because prosecutors argued a fish counted as a "tangible object." [Source]

TIL Medieval peasants likely got more rest and more days off than we do today (despite being far less wealthier than us) [Source]

TIL Basque is considered a language isolate, meaning it has no relatives in the whole world. The only such language in Europe. [Source]

TIL The capital of the Mongol Empire was captured and destroyed twice by Chinese troops in the 14th century, and it wasn't until 2023 that preparations were made to formally rebuild the city. [Source]

TIL that in 1441, a mapmaking error created a tiny independent Republic in Italy that lasted for 385 years. [Source]

TIL that mandatory handwashing was not incorporated into common health practice until as late as the 1980s [Source]

TIL that the Hollies, a British rock band responsible for hits such as “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” and “ I’m Alive”, are among the few bands from the early 1960’s who have never disbanded. [Source]

TIL that Sony created a music format called SACD (Super Audio CD) in 1999 that is still around and offers 5.1 surround sound on some albums and much higher sound quality then normal CDs. [Source]

TIL Kelly Clarkson lost “hundreds of thousands of dollars” when she declined a co-writing credit on her 2009 number-one single "My Life Would Suck Without You" because she refused to have her name associated with Dr. Luke, the producer and primary writer of the song. [Source]

TIL in 1994 Venus Williams, at the age of 14, turned down a $3 million endorsement deal from Nike because she felt she would be able to land a better offer after she proved herself on the court. She was proven correct when she signed a $12 million, 5-year deal with Reebok the following year. [Source]

TIL a study estimated that humans have altered over 75% of Earth’s land surface through agriculture, cities, and infrastructure [Source]

TIL that in 1786 a woman named Margaret Nicholson attempted to assassinate King George III. The attempt failed because she used a dessert knife. [Source]