Today I Learned (TIL)

Original Title: TIL Poland's cities of Warsaw and Poznan utilize teams of live mollusks to detect impurities in drinking water at 50 discrete water treatment plants. When 4 or more mussels are detected to have closed (using magnetic sensors) the water supply shuts off.

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TIL the song “Hello ma Baby” from the old cartoons was the first popular song about the telephone and was about a man dating a lady over the phone without having ever met her (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/hillo538 on 2024-12-20 17:28:08+00:00.

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TIL in 2010 a two-tonne hippo escaped from a Montenegro zoo during a flood. After wandering around nearby farms for 10 days, she returned to her pen on her own accord. Her keepers had been keeping... (news.bbc.co.uk)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/tyrion2024 on 2024-12-20 14:55:31+00:00.

Original Title: TIL in 2010 a two-tonne hippo escaped from a Montenegro zoo during a flood. After wandering around nearby farms for 10 days, she returned to her pen on her own accord. Her keepers had been keeping a close eye on her, giving her food when she came close to the zoo & covering her with hay at night.

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TIL in March of ‘62, during development for the B-58 Hustler, a black bear named Yogi became the first living being to survive a supersonic ejection. (www.thisdayinaviation.com)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/FxckFxntxnyl on 2024-12-20 14:29:45+00:00.

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TIL that in 1990 Volvo nearly destroyed its reputation in the US with a staged ad campaign in which they claimed their cars could not be crushed by a Monster Truck. The Volvo had been reinforced a... (www.theautopian.com)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/FiredFox on 2024-12-20 17:55:12+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 1990 Volvo nearly destroyed its reputation in the US with a staged ad campaign in which they claimed their cars could not be crushed by a Monster Truck. The Volvo had been reinforced and the other cars weakened for the stunt.

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TIL In 1967, a rocket from an F-4 Phantom was accidentally fired on the deck of the USS Forrestal due to a power surge. The rocket struck the fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk, causing a fire which then... (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/OperationSuch5054 on 2024-12-20 13:26:17+00:00.

Original Title: TIL In 1967, a rocket from an F-4 Phantom was accidentally fired on the deck of the USS Forrestal due to a power surge. The rocket struck the fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk, causing a fire which then detonated the aircraft bombs. 21 aircraft were lost, 40 damaged and 167 sailors killed.

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TIL that in 2003, a 14-year-old boy in Manchester, England, created fake online personas to manipulate his friend into attempting to murder him, resulting in the UK's first conviction for inciting... (www.unilad.com)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/NoWafer5247 on 2024-12-20 16:50:48+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that in 2003, a 14-year-old boy in Manchester, England, created fake online personas to manipulate his friend into attempting to murder him, resulting in the UK's first conviction for inciting your own murder.

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TIL Alice Cooper owns the first "O" next to the "W" the Hollywood sign. He purchased it in memory of Groucho Marx for $27,000 as part of a restoration project to restore the sign. (www.hollywoodsign.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/LittleRiff on 2024-12-20 16:22:46+00:00.

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TIL that prior to the Nazi era, more than 100,000 Germans had learned Esperanto and it was being taught in the elementary schools of 126 German cities. (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Round-Eggplant-7826 on 2024-12-20 02:17:40+00:00.

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TIL the Colleoni family of Bergamo has three pairs of testicles as their coat of arms, as the name Colleoni sounds similar to "Coglione", the Italian word for testicles. (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/zahrul3 on 2024-12-20 06:38:21+00:00.

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TIL that 50% of the dopamine in your brain is synthesized by bacteria in your gut. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/piponwa on 2024-12-20 07:50:55+00:00.

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TIL about a short series of Garfield comic strips in Halloween 1989 that depict Garfield waking up in an abandoned house, alone and starving. Jim Davis wrote them “…to scare people. And what do pe... (thehundreds.com)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/twentyonerooms on 2024-12-20 02:27:48+00:00.

Original Title: TIL about a short series of Garfield comic strips in Halloween 1989 that depict Garfield waking up in an abandoned house, alone and starving. Jim Davis wrote them “…to scare people. And what do people fear most? Why, being alone.”

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TIL the jury in trial for Snowtown serial killer John Bunting were banned from listening to ‘Throwing Copper’ by the band ‘Live’ because Bunting played it to his victims as he tortured and killed ... (www.abc.net.au)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Unhappy_Trade7988 on 2024-12-20 04:25:12+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the jury in trial for Snowtown serial killer John Bunting were banned from listening to ‘Throwing Copper’ by the band ‘Live’ because Bunting played it to his victims as he tortured and killed then in his bathtub.

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TIL about The Vault, the FBI's online library of documents related to frequently FOIA'ed investigations conducted on a wide range of individuals and organizations. (vault.fbi.gov)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/koreanforrabbit on 2024-12-20 02:28:48+00:00.

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TIL In 2010, Greg Fleniken was found dead inside his locked Texas hotel room. He had no obvious external injuries but massive internal damage. His death was ruled a homicide. After an 8-month inve... (archive.vanityfair.com)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Ill_Definition8074 on 2024-12-20 01:20:43+00:00.

Original Title: TIL In 2010, Greg Fleniken was found dead inside his locked Texas hotel room. He had no obvious external injuries but massive internal damage. His death was ruled a homicide. After an 8-month investigation, it was found that a drunk guest in the next room accidentally shot Fleniken in the scrotum.

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TIL: That of the eight finalists from the 1988 Olympic men's 100m final, eventual bronze medalist Calvin Smith was the only athlete to never fail a drug test during his career. Smith later said: "... (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/appalachian_hatachi on 2024-12-20 07:13:13+00:00.

Original Title: TIL: That of the eight finalists from the 1988 Olympic men's 100m final, eventual bronze medalist Calvin Smith was the only athlete to never fail a drug test during his career. Smith later said: "I should have been the gold medalist."

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TIL that the only place in the world where Japanese is an official language is Angaur, an island in Palau. Japan doesn’t have the de jure official language. (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Durmeathor on 2024-12-19 17:29:56+00:00.

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TIL that in the US, you have a constitutional right to appear in court in normal clothes because wearing prison scrubs influences the jury (supreme.justia.com)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/lichenousinfanthog on 2024-12-20 02:29:59+00:00.

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TIL Johnnie Cochran, the defense attorney for OJ Simpson, was also Snoop Dogg's lawyer who helped him obtain a non-guilty verdict for his 1993 murder charge (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/jxp497 on 2024-12-20 01:56:07+00:00.

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TIL: Milk Duds are named after the candy’s initial attempt to create a spherical shape and failing to do so (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/kehillah on 2024-12-20 01:23:33+00:00.

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TIL that many of the first giant sequoia trees discovered by western explorers were cut down and exhibited at World's Fairs. Due to the sheer size of the trees, many fair attendees claimed they we... (en.wikipedia.org)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/1000LiveEels on 2024-12-20 01:18:33+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that many of the first giant sequoia trees discovered by western explorers were cut down and exhibited at World's Fairs. Due to the sheer size of the trees, many fair attendees claimed they were hoaxes.

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TIL that in the 19th century, a common treatment for syphilis was to flush the vagina or urethra with mercury. (www.webmd.com)

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/DietDrBleach on 2024-12-20 01:08:25+00:00.