TIL that C.S. Lewis nominated J.R.R. Tolkien for the 1961 Nobel Prize for Literature. He was rejected on the grounds that his writing "has not in any way measured up to storytelling of the highest quality."
https://ift.tt/33rXJCV
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 07:02PM by Rob-With-One-B
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ORoJI7
https://ift.tt/33rXJCV
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 07:02PM by Rob-With-One-B
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ORoJI7
BBC News
JRR Tolkien snubbed by 1961 Nobel jury, papers reveal
JRR Tolkien was passed over for the 1961 Nobel Prize in Literature after his storytelling in The Lord of the Rings was described as second rate, papers reveal.
TIL that blind people may detect and respond to light if it is a kind of skyblue light at 481nm. "There is more to the eye than rods and cones — the discovery of a third photoreceptor is rewriting the visual rulebook."
https://ift.tt/2B3NAjC
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 05:31PM by whatatwit
via reddit https://ift.tt/2IKI2Pr
https://ift.tt/2B3NAjC
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 05:31PM by whatatwit
via reddit https://ift.tt/2IKI2Pr
Nature
Vision science: Seeing without seeing : Nature News
Nature - the world's best science and medicine on your desktop
TIL that more people die in the desert due to drowning than due to the heat. This is because people do not prepare for flash floods, which can be very extreme in the desert.
https://ift.tt/32bQ2jZ
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 01:17PM by GerardWayNoWay
via reddit https://ift.tt/32aTaN9
https://ift.tt/32bQ2jZ
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 01:17PM by GerardWayNoWay
via reddit https://ift.tt/32aTaN9
HowStuffWorks
How Desert Survival Works
Sandstorms can arise in the blink of an eye, and they're violent and blinding. Learn what to do to survive sandstorms and another desert danger -- flash floods.
TIL that women’s shirt buttons were on the left because they were meant to be buttoned by others (maids for wealthy women back then).
https://ift.tt/35lT8ns
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 02:49PM by busybearbrand
via reddit https://ift.tt/2OQTEUX
https://ift.tt/35lT8ns
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 02:49PM by busybearbrand
via reddit https://ift.tt/2OQTEUX
TIL that the first SMS text message ever sent was on December 3, 1992. It was sent by a 22 year old test engineer from his computer to a phone. The message simply read "Merry Christmas".
https://ift.tt/2zO0u3a
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 08:18PM by annieesquad
via reddit https://ift.tt/33koFEu
https://ift.tt/2zO0u3a
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 08:18PM by annieesquad
via reddit https://ift.tt/33koFEu
reddit
TIL that the first SMS text message ever sent was on December 3,...
Posted in r/todayilearned by u/annieesquad • 12,594 points and 279 comments
TIL the Spartan Pausanias was accused of treason for conspiring with the Persians, but seeked refuge in a temple so he couldn't be tried and executed while inside. His mother went to the temple to lay the first brick at the door, which was sealed until he died of starvation
https://ift.tt/2IJzsQU
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 07:20PM by Ainsley-Sorsby
via reddit https://ift.tt/2pht78c
https://ift.tt/2IJzsQU
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 07:20PM by Ainsley-Sorsby
via reddit https://ift.tt/2pht78c
Wikipedia
Pausanias (general)
ancient Spartan general
TIL that on the first night of Jerry Sandusky's prison sentence, inmates taunted him all night singing the Pink Floyd lyrics, "Hey, teacher! Leave those kids alone!"
https://ift.tt/318gfP5
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 10:27PM by TheDharmaFarmer
via reddit https://ift.tt/2M7oiay
https://ift.tt/318gfP5
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 10:27PM by TheDharmaFarmer
via reddit https://ift.tt/2M7oiay
TIL the slogan "Don't Mess with Texas" began as an anti-littering campaign in 1985 targeted at "bubbas in pickup trucks" who littered beer cans out of their vehicles and ordinary Texans who believed that littering was a "God-given right".
https://ift.tt/2pjO9mB
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 11:19PM by DanBrewer
via reddit https://ift.tt/33soyXD
https://ift.tt/2pjO9mB
Submitted October 12, 2019 at 11:19PM by DanBrewer
via reddit https://ift.tt/33soyXD
Cnn
Why there's no messing with Texas
What does it mean to be a Texan?
TIL that even though the Myers-Briggs personality test as been debunked, it is still used by thousands of companies, schools and institutions around the world to help make decisions about personnel recruitment and promotion.
https://ift.tt/2pj1LPm
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 12:12AM by DanBrewer
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Mz4Lip
https://ift.tt/2pj1LPm
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 12:12AM by DanBrewer
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Mz4Lip
www.noted.co.nz
Why the long-debunked Myers-Briggs personality test is still being used
The credibility of the world’s most popular personality test has long been debunked yet it is still used by career consultants and HR departments.
TIL The African continent is being split in two due to the birth of a new ocean. In 2005, an eight-meter-wide and 60-kilometer-long stretch of the Earth opened up over a period of just ten days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RDqFdSMTGE
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 02:03AM by duckyoumate
via reddit https://ift.tt/2OH0zzH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RDqFdSMTGE
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 02:03AM by duckyoumate
via reddit https://ift.tt/2OH0zzH
YouTube
12 Incredible Facts About the Ocean
1. More than half of Earth's oxygen comes from the ocean and not from trees. It comes from marine photosynthesizers like phytoplankton and seaweed. https://o...
TIL China was one of the only places in the world that did not release Elvis Presley's music at the time of its initial release. The few Elvis fans who managed to get their hands on his records often saw the material set ablaze by Red Guards and the government denounced his music as pornography
https://ift.tt/33r4c0K
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 12:51AM by vannybros
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Ma9kR5
https://ift.tt/33r4c0K
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 12:51AM by vannybros
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Ma9kR5
Cgtn
Does China remember Elvis Presley, the ‘King of Rock and Roll’?
In the 1950s and ‘60s, Elvis Presley was at his peak, as millions of fans from the United States fell in love with his iconic pelvic thrusts and groovy tunes.
TIL that there was a blind bisexual goose who fell in love with two swans and helped raise 60+ of their babies
https://ift.tt/33ne9MT
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 12:10AM by pavTheory
via reddit https://ift.tt/35wGfqD
https://ift.tt/33ne9MT
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 12:10AM by pavTheory
via reddit https://ift.tt/35wGfqD
BBC News
New Zealand goose: How one blind bisexual bird became an icon
Henry the goose spent many years in a love triangle with two swans, helping raise their children.
TIL that 300 million years ago, trees didn't rot because the microbes to do so didn't exist yet.
https://ift.tt/2OIuh7m
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 03:11AM by Xglossygern
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VDojpK
https://ift.tt/2OIuh7m
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 03:11AM by Xglossygern
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VDojpK
Ars Technica
Why was most of the Earth’s coal made all at once?
It wasn’t because fungi couldn’t break down early trees, study argues.
TIL Julius Caesar would personally conduct espionage on his enemies. Once, he even dressed up as a Gaul and snuck behind enemy lines. When his soldiers failed to sneak him back, he boarded a Gaul ship blockading the Romans and sailed back into Roman territory without anyone noticing.
https://ift.tt/1cJmJdg
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 03:43AM by N-A-M-R-O-G
via reddit https://ift.tt/2OOs1vk
https://ift.tt/1cJmJdg
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 03:43AM by N-A-M-R-O-G
via reddit https://ift.tt/2OOs1vk
penelope.uchicago.edu
Suetonius • Life of Julius Caesar
An English translation, linked to the original Latin text. Part of a very large site on classical Antiquity, with many other ancient works.
TIL The name "orangutan" is derived from the Malay and Indonesian words orang, meaning "person", and hutan, meaning "forest", thus "person of the forest".
https://ift.tt/OEokqa
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 05:00AM by floatjoy
via reddit https://ift.tt/2qaY1zN
https://ift.tt/OEokqa
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 05:00AM by floatjoy
via reddit https://ift.tt/2qaY1zN
Wikipedia
Orangutan
The orangutans (also spelled orang-utan, orangutang, or orang-utang) are three extant species of great apes native to Indonesia and Malaysia. Orangutans are currently only found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans…
TIL during the Punic Wars, the Romans realized they had no clue how to build ships. They decided to rent row boats, run aground a Carthaginian ship, and plagiarize the designs. The entire first fleet of their new Navy was based off this ship, but learning to row proved more challenging.
https://ift.tt/33s4LHL
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 06:42AM by N-A-M-R-O-G
via reddit https://ift.tt/2M99RD2
https://ift.tt/33s4LHL
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 06:42AM by N-A-M-R-O-G
via reddit https://ift.tt/2M99RD2
penelope.uchicago.edu
Polybius • Histories — Book 1
Part of a complete English translation of Polybius. Site contains many Greek and Latin texts, translations and related material.
TIL Industry, California is a city in California with only 219 residents, but over 3,000 businesses and 67,000 workers.
https://ift.tt/2f0FPOE
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 07:41AM by Switchoroo
via reddit https://ift.tt/2qbdwb3
https://ift.tt/2f0FPOE
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 07:41AM by Switchoroo
via reddit https://ift.tt/2qbdwb3
Wikipedia
City of Industry, California
City of Industry, often referred to simply as Industry, is an industrial suburb of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Home to over 3,000 businesses and 67,000 jobs, but only 219 residents according…
TIL a woman in France accidentally received a phone bill of €11,721,000,000,000,000 (million billion). This was 5000x the GDP of France at the time. It took several days of wrangling before the phone company finally admitted it was a mistake and she owed just €117.21. They let her off.
https://ift.tt/2VD70oU
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 01:48PM by Tokyono
via reddit https://ift.tt/31cRK3o
https://ift.tt/2VD70oU
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 01:48PM by Tokyono
via reddit https://ift.tt/31cRK3o
the Guardian
French phone company rings up a bill of €11,721,000,000,000,000
Jobless customer 'nearly had a heart attack' after receiving demand for 5,000 times gross domestic product of France
TIL babies don't have object permanence, meaning the concept of something existing without them perceiving it is foreign to them. Anything they can't see, doesn't exist.
https://ift.tt/2INU1LX
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 01:02PM by yeet_thebloomingbeet
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VCUi9A
https://ift.tt/2INU1LX
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 01:02PM by yeet_thebloomingbeet
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VCUi9A
Healthline
What Is Object Permanence and At What Age Do Babies Develop It?
Object permanence is when your baby understands that things (and people) that are out of sight still exist. We'll tell you when it happens and some fun games you can play when it does.
TIL Ikea is the largest charity in the world, and being a non-profit means they pay just 3.5% in tax instead of the 18% rate they should be paying.
https://ift.tt/2pbNhk5
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 11:48AM by queen-doppelpopolis
via reddit https://ift.tt/2nCUAAO
https://ift.tt/2pbNhk5
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 11:48AM by queen-doppelpopolis
via reddit https://ift.tt/2nCUAAO
Fast Company
Ikea Is A Nonprofit, And Yes, That’s Every Bit As Fishy As It Sounds
Ikea makes billions tax-free by operating the world’s largest “charity.” Here’s how.
TIL of Jack Unterweger, an Austrian serial killer. After murdering an 18-year-old girl, he got a life sentence, but became an author and campaigned to get himself released after just 15 years. He then became a reporter, reporting on his own crimes as he proceeded to kill at least 9 more people.
https://ift.tt/1eYfvDO
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 02:16PM by _FUCK_THE_GIANTS_
via reddit https://ift.tt/33vk3f1
https://ift.tt/1eYfvDO
Submitted October 13, 2019 at 02:16PM by _FUCK_THE_GIANTS_
via reddit https://ift.tt/33vk3f1
Wikipedia
Jack Unterweger
Austrian serial killer