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The 'Today I Learned' or TIL channel, forwards hot posts from /r/todayIlearned. This channel doesn't add advertisements to the source url.
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TIL that during World War II in Australia, there was a dog whose hearing was so acute that it could warn airforce personnel of incoming Japanese planes 20 minutes before they arrived, and before they showed up on radar. "Gunner" could also differentiate the sounds of allied and enemy aircraft.
https://ift.tt/1HihuOB

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 12:02AM by blihk
via reddit https://ift.tt/2M3Dubk
TIL the main cause of "soft errors" in computer memory is cosmic rays. Systems buried in caves have a negligible rate of cosmic-ray induced soft errors; computers on mountains have a far higher error rate than at sea level; and the rate of errors in aircraft can be over 300 times the sea level rate
https://ift.tt/1njzzjt

Submitted December 23, 2020 at 09:00PM by malalatargaryen
via reddit https://ift.tt/3hqm705
TIL of Cymburga, a 15th Century Polish princess who became the female ancestor of all later Habsburgs. She was "renowned both for her beauty and for her ability to drive nails into oak planks with her bare fists."
https://ift.tt/3mKAY6k

Submitted December 23, 2020 at 10:25PM by 1945BestYear
via reddit https://ift.tt/2KP1MFi
TIL: Tim Burton did not direct "Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas." Henry Selick, director of "James and the Giant Peach" and "Coraline," carried out the task, due to Burton having prior commitments to "Batman Returns."
https://ift.tt/1TpWqrP

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 01:43AM by kingsizeslim420
via reddit https://ift.tt/38xYhve
TIL of Coca-Cola's failed "Magican" campaign. They sold cans that contained spring loaded tabs to dispense cash prizes. Prize cans contained a foul smelling liquid instead of cola to prevent drinking. Though harmless, one child drank it and Coca-Cola ended the campaign 3 weeks later due to backlash.
https://ift.tt/1ULwvQz

Submitted December 23, 2020 at 06:59PM by ImMikePossibly
via reddit https://ift.tt/2WEBQia
TIL that the early 19th-century American interpretation of Santa Claus was part of a movement to tone down the wild Christmas celebrations of the era, which included aggressive home invasions under the guise of wassailing (caroling), substantial premarital sex, and public displays of sexual deviancy
https://ift.tt/1PBgM1y

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 02:55AM by malalatargaryen
via reddit https://ift.tt/3hr4Q6Z
TIL I learned the first American soldier to land on the beach durning the invasion of Normandy was shot twice and not only survived, but lived to be 90 years old.
https://ift.tt/2KnHfYJ

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 03:22AM by Durty_Rick_Sanchez
via reddit https://ift.tt/3aDD71j
TIL that Festivus (Dec. 23rd) from "Seinfeld" was a real thing created in 1966 and not invented by the show. Daniel O'Keefe created it to celebrate his first date with his wife 3 years before. His son Dan introduced Festivus to the rest of us when he wrote the episode "The Strike."
https://ift.tt/37IIaMa

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 05:13AM by Cinemaphreak
via reddit https://ift.tt/3aG5pIG
TIL the entrance of the Lascaux cave in southwestern France, famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings, was discovered in 1940 by 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat and his dog, Robot. Robot fell into a hole, and Ravidat explored it with his friends, finding walls covered with depictions of animals.
https://ift.tt/3piRhci

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 08:06AM by who_died_of_ennui
via reddit https://ift.tt/3pi2MRe
TIL that Lions don't eat hyenas after killing them. Some biologists believe that lions do not like the taste of hyena meat while some say it is because hyenas aren’t a nutritious diet for them.
https://ift.tt/3aGN1zg

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 09:12AM by SawOnGam
via reddit https://ift.tt/3aBwOvj
TIL The universal edibility test is a 7-step, 24-hour process to identify plants that are safe to eat: Separate, Contact, Cook, Taste, Chew, Swallow, and Chow.
https://ift.tt/38yxEGn

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 10:26AM by RuinedSplendour
via reddit https://ift.tt/2WGpbLE
TIL: For a period of time, many old Hollywood movies used asbestos to replicate the look and feel of snow. Most famously, The Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life, and White Christmas.
https://ift.tt/2xU4hzG

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 12:37PM by sour_creme
via reddit https://ift.tt/2WGLK39
TIL the Parental Advisory label was created in part because a mom caught her 11 year old daughter singing the sexually explicit lyrics to “Darling Nikki" by Prince. The Recording Industry Association of America responded by introducing a content warning label.
https://ift.tt/2Ji8VO5

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 02:47PM by The_Ry_Ry
via reddit https://ift.tt/34GtkUw
TIL after the 2011 earthquake in Japan, members of the yakuza gathered supplies and gave food to the victims. Some even opened their offices to people who couldn't return home. Some people felt like their response was much quicker and efficient than that of the government.
https://ift.tt/3pnazxb

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 04:05PM by JHopeHoe
via reddit https://ift.tt/3nMQYpZ
TIL that the use of mistletoe as a Christmas decoration derives from a Norse myth. Norse god, Balder's only weakness was the mistletoe plant. On learning this Loki, the god of mischief carved arrows from the branches of plant which were used to kill Odin's son.
https://ift.tt/3nHTHkl

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 02:54PM by InformalCommunity
via reddit https://ift.tt/3mKfR3Z
TIL "Sardines" aren't a specific fish. The word is used for multiple species of small, oily fish. The definition for what constitutes a sardine varies by government and region with the UN citing 21 different species classified as sardines.
https://ift.tt/2WIHLmy

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 04:29PM by ImMikePossibly
via reddit https://ift.tt/2WI8505
TIL of the "copper" scroll found with the Dead Sea Scrolls. Besides being metal, this scroll is different from the others in that it is not a religious work. It claims to list the locations of where various items of gold and silver were buried or hidden. Attempts to find it have been unsuccessful.
https://ift.tt/2rylJnz

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 05:14PM by ImMikePossibly
via reddit https://ift.tt/2JgOlgU
TIL out of all the countries that were required to pay reparations from World War II, Finland is the only one known to have paid its bill in full when it sent $300 million to the Soviet Union in 1952.
https://ift.tt/2GEIn2m

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 07:04PM by rivingtonbisland
via reddit https://ift.tt/37K1kRE
TIL that the Great Wall of China, stretching over 20,000 km (13,000 miles) and built over centuries, never effectively prevented invaders from entering China.
https://ift.tt/2D1IOb2

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 08:33PM by PikesPique
via reddit https://ift.tt/37LejT3
TIL writing Xmas is not meant to remove Christ, but that the "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Christós (Greek: Χριστός), which became Christ in English.
https://ift.tt/1s8JyPz

Submitted December 24, 2020 at 09:43PM by SuperMcG
via reddit https://ift.tt/3aFUvSZ