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Today I Learned
22 Sept, 19:49
TIL an elderly man in Italy lived for a year with an exposed brain due to scalp cancer that ate through his skull. He had no neurological symptoms except numbness, and his only treatments were wound care and antibiotics. (Link has graphic medical images.) [Source]Today I Learned
22 Sept, 18:49
TIL the sport with the highest total attendance in the world is Major League Baseball [Source]WikipediaList of sports attendance figuresWikimedia list articleToday I Learned
22 Sept, 18:49
TIL that Phryne, a wealthy 4th-century BC Greek courtesan, was tried for impiety in Athens. According to later accounts, she revealed her body before the jury, while her lawyer Hypereides argued that someone so beautiful could not offend the gods. She was acquitted. [Source]BbcThe 'it girl' of the ancient worldMany thought she was as beautiful as Aphrodite. But Phryne had a wit to match, writes Natalie Haynes.Today I Learned
22 Sept, 17:49
TIL Nazi Germany forced occupied Greece to accept an interest-free loan in 1942. Germany began repaying it in April 1943, but repayments ceased after the war, leaving 476 million Reichsmarks unpaid. Greece still maintains a repayment claim in the 21st century, valued at €11 billion. [Source]WikipediaCompulsory loan of Greece to Nazi GermanyCompulsory loan imposed by Nazi Germany on Greece during World War IIToday I Learned
22 Sept, 16:49
TIL that Joe Weider got Arnold Schwarzenegger his first movie role by passing him off as a German Shakespearean actor, even though Arnold barely spoke English. [Source]CBS NEWSJoe Weider, fitness mentor to Schwarzenegger, diesA bodybuilder himself, Weider played a key role in introducing a charismatic young weightlifter named Arnold Schwarzenegger to the worldToday I Learned
22 Sept, 16:49
TIL that Nigel Richards, the greatest Scrabble player of all time, not only won the English championships but also the Spanish and french championships despite never speaking the languages. [Source]WikipediaNigel RichardsInternational Scrabble championToday I Learned
22 Sept, 15:49
TIL In 1893 an envelope cutter named Walter Cowles was drinking at a tavern in London when he boasted he could fit a billiard ball in his mouth and close it fully. He inserted the ball in his mouth but swallowed it subsequently choking to death. [Source]WikipediaList of unusual deaths in the 19th centuryWikimedia list articleToday I Learned
22 Sept, 14:49
TIL about a hardcore punk band Minor Threat, which brought an alcohol-, sex- and drug-free culture to the youth called the Straight Edge. It was focused on keeping the mind clean by rejecting all recreational drugs and activities. Followers would put a big letter X on their palm [Source]WikipediaStraight edgepunk subcultureToday I Learned
22 Sept, 13:49
TIL that the inhabitants of Madagascar (Malagasy people) are the descendants of approximately 30 Indonesian mothers who sailed on a transoceanic voyage 1200 years ago. [Source]PubMed Central (PMC)A small cohort of Island Southeast Asian women founded MadagascarThe settlement of Madagascar is one of the most unusual, and least understood, episodes in human prehistory. Madagascar was one of the last landmasses to be reached by people, and despite the island's location just off the east coast of Africa, ...Today I Learned
22 Sept, 12:49
TIL that William Shatner offered to wrestle a real Bengal tiger that had been brought onto the set of Star Trek: The Original Series, only to quickly back down once he actually saw the animal up close. [Source]GrungeBizarre Things That Happened On The Set Of Star TrekStar Trek has some really entertaining stories about the shenanigans that happened on set. Here's some bizarre things that happened on the set of Star Trek.Today I Learned
22 Sept, 10:49
TIL that on a 1977 school trip to Washington DC, a senior made a bet to get his classmates and himself set up for an unannounced tour of the White House. With a local payphone he gradually convinced officials, under the guise of reporting for his school's newspaper, to allow the student body inside. [Source]WikipediaJeffrey DahmerAmerican serial killer (1960–1994)Today I Learned
22 Sept, 07:49
TIL Japanese idol Momoka Tojo was forced by her agency to post a "good night" selfie on X every day for a full year as a "purification" punishment after leaking a photo with her boyfriend. She complied every night, even after leaving her group, before finally regaining her freedom. [Source]Tokyo WeekenderJapanese Idol Finally Free After Being Made To Say ‘Good Night’ to Fans for Entire YearFor a whole year, former Katacoto＊Bank member Momoka Tojo was forced to post one "good night" selfie every day to fans on X.Today I Learned
22 Sept, 07:49
TIL Director Guy Ritchie was married to Madonna from 2000 to 2008 and got 60 million dollars from her after she filed for divorce [Source]WikipediaGuy RitchieEnglish filmmaker (born 1968)Today I Learned
22 Sept, 04:49
TIL a person died in 1974 while working at Pepperidge Farms when he fell into a vat of chocolate, and his name was Robert C.H Hershey [Source]Newspapers.comHershey Killed in Chocolate Vat 11131973Clipping found in The Tennessean published in Nashville, Tennessee on 1973-11-13. Hershey Killed in Chocolate Vat 11131973Today I Learned
22 Sept, 03:49
TIL that "25 or 6 to 4" means 3:34 or 3:35 AM - it is literally is a song about writing a song in the wee hours of the morning [Source]Wikipedia25 or 6 to 4"25 or 6 to 4" is a song written by American musician Robert Lamm, one of the founding members of the band Chicago. It was recorded in July 1969 for their second album, Chicago, with Peter Cetera on lead vocals.[3] Columbia Records released the song as a…Today I Learned
22 Sept, 02:49
TIL Cabin in the Woods (2011) was meant to have a tie-in with the Valve video game Left 4 Dead 2 (2009), serving as an additional DLC level for the game. The collaboration fell through due to MGM's financial troubles, but Valve allowed 3 infected (Tank, Witch Boomer) to be in the film background. [Source]WikipediaThe Cabin in the Woods2011 film directed by Drew GoddardToday I Learned
22 Sept, 02:49
TIL Audrey Hepburn secretly delivered messages for the Dutch Resistance as a teenager during WWII and reportedly helped raise money for the resistance through underground performances. [Source]Bbc'She believed you have to take sides': How Audrey Hepburn became a secret spy during World War TwoAs a teenager growing up in the Netherlands, the Oscar-winning actress bravely carried messages for the Dutch resistance during the Nazi occupation.Today I Learned
22 Sept, 00:49
TIL that Pierce Brosnan was fired from the James Bond series during a 2 minute phone call with the producers. [Source]the GuardianPierce Brosnan: I was 'kicked to the kerb' as James Bond after Die Another DayFormer 007 describes his ‘shock’ after being dismissed as the charismatic British spy in brief phone call with saga’s producersToday I Learned
22 Sept, 00:49
TIL Elizabeth Olsen said the Avengers: Infinity War cast learned the movie's ending inside an AC van on the day they filmed it. [Source]AV ClubThe Avengers cast found out the ending of Infinity War on the day they shot itToday I Learned
21 Sept, 23:49
TIL that Mt. Sunflower, Kansas' highest point, is merely the high point in a farmer's relatively flat field. [Source]Outdoor PilgrimMount Sunflower - Kansas' High Point - Outdoor PilgrimMount Sunflower was my 29th state high point and part of a last-minute winter road trip. I saw little sun, no flowers, but lots of snow!
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