TIL a recent study has found that LLMs ("Large Language Models," the models behind generative AI like ChatGPT) are worse at giving accurate, truthful answers to people who have lower English proficiency and less formal education, rendering them more unreliable towards the most vulnerable users. [Source]

TIL Although the original Order of Assassins typically used assassination as a means of political survival, they also did it for pay, using sleeper cells who could spend years undercover before the execution. They wrote down their kills in a roll of honor kept at their base in Alamut castle [Source]

TIL of the Mariko Aoki phenomenon, which is used to describe a sudden urge to defecate that is felt upon entering bookstores. [Source]

TIL that Billboard, Rolling Stone, Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Golden Globes and the American Music Awards are all owned by the same company: Penske Media Corporation [Source]

TIL that PayPal's User Agreement legally allows them to hold your funds for up to 180 days if your account is flagged for review - with no obligation to explain why [Source]

TIL about the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. A religious order of the Catholic Church that possesses no national territory but is considered a sovereign entity under international law. It maintains diplomatic relations with 115 states, enters into treaties, and issues its own passports. [Source]

TIL James Naismith – the INVENTOR of basketball – was the college coach of Phog Allen, who was the college coach of Dean Smith, who was the college coach of Michael Jordan and Vince Carter, who retired in 2020 [Source]

TIL about BIRGing. Basking in reflected glory (BIRGing) is a self-serving cognition whereby an individual associates themselves with known successful others such that the winner's success becomes the individual's own accomplishment. [Source]

TIL that in the 2004 tsunami, an oral tradition called "smong" on Simeulue Island told residents to run to the hills if the sea receded after an earthquake. 7 of 78,000 people died. On the mainland 60km away, where the tradition had been lost, over 170,000 were killed. [Source]

TIL that when Ringo Starr became ill prior to the Beatles' 1964 tour, session drummer Jimmie Nicol was quickly hired as a replacement. From getting the call to performing in front of 4500 fans it was 27 hours. He played 8 shows total and was gifted $500 ($14,638 in 2026) and an engraved gold watch. [Source]

TIL $150,000 worth of Star Trek TNG outfits were stolen off the Paramount lot in 1990. The thief was found attempting to trade the outfits for a replica K.I.T.T car. [Source]

TIL that Japan is roughly the size of California (Japan is slightly smaller), but Japan holds thrice the population of California. Japan hold about 122 million people, while California holds 39 million people. [Source]

TIL Yoko Ono's 7-year old daughter Kyoko was kidnapped by her father Tony Cox (Ono's ex-husband) in 1971. Yoko wouldn't see her daughter again until 1994 when Kyoko was 31 years old. [Source]

TIL men in the US are required to register for the military draft selection service within 30 days of turning 18 unless they are continuously home bound between the ages of 18-26. [Source]

TIL One third of American Adults have some sort of criminal record. [Source]

TIL it’s been illegal in Alabama to impersonate a priest since 1965, when out of state priests and nuns joined civil rights marches that shamed Alabama segregation [Source]

TIL George Lucas originally planned for Darth Maul to return as the primary antagonist in his Star Wars Episodes VII-IX. After the fall of the Empire, Maul was to become the "godfather of crime" in the galaxy, leading the united criminal syndicates while Luke Skywalker rebuilt the Jedi Order [Source]

TIL after a 6-feet sevengill shark latched onto a man's ankle and severed one of his arteries, he called out for help to some nearby fishermen, but they weren't able hear him. However, his dog in his truck heard him and sprinted to his rescue by biting the shark's tail & pulling it off of his owner. [Source]

TIL that Bologna (Italy) "was probably the first city in the world to abolish slavery" [Source]

TIL in the early 2000s Mike Tyson had a $50k hit put on his head by a notorious gang leader [Source]

TIL of Operation Burnt Frost the Shoot Down of the Satellite USA 193 which was a mission of safeguarding human life against the uncontrolled re-entry of a 5,000-pound satellite containing over 1,000 pounds of hazardous hydrazine propellant. [Source]