30 "Today I Learned" Facts To Help Keep Your Brain In Top Shape

Users share the random things they learned about the world

May

• Published in Interesting
• May 30, 2022

Learning new things is not just enjoyable. It is also good for people, no matter what their age is.

It can be learning new hobbies or just simply learning new facts. According to research, learning new stuff is among the ways to develop your brain's health.

Acquiring knowledge is equivalent to exercising your brain. It's mental sweat that helps produce brain cells and reinforces the link between them.

When you do your brain this favor, you can help make its cognitive abilities better. You'll have better concentration, memory retention, attention to detail, and problem-solving.

You also decrease the chance of getting dementia (a condition in older people in which they gradually lose their cognitive functions).

We want to make ourselves feel good. And to do that, we need to have a sense of achievement.

Acquiring new knowledge is a rewarding experience. It will feel like we leveled up as a person.

So if you want to keep those brain cells functioning while keeping yourself entertained at the same time, you just came to the right post.

We've compiled 30 random facts from the popular Today I Learned subreddit. It's a community where people post new things they learned.

It's heavily moderated to ensure that we're only reading factual information.

1. A multi-talented cryptographer

TIL that Alan Turing (cryptographer responsible for breaking the Nazi Enigma code during World War II) was also an Olympic-level runner and he developed a new field of biology out of his fascination with daisies

2. The reason why Vincent van Gogh can dedicate all his time to painting

TIL about Theo van Gogh, Vincent's younger Brother, whose unfailing financial and emotional support allowed his brother to devote himself entirely to painting. He also died 6 months after his brother's suicide and today they are buried next to each other at the cemetery of Auvers-sur-Oise

3. How to determine if your dog is excited

TIL dogs "play sneeze" when they're feeling excited or playful. "Play sneezes" mean your dog is having a good time and indicate to other dogs that their behavior is only play

4. Old-style marketing

TIL Virgin Atlantic kept having passengers steal their popular salt and pepper shakers. Instead of removing them from the plane, they placed the words "pinched from Virgin Atlantic" at the bottom. The shakers then became dinner table conversation pieces and free advertisement

5. Cats' circadian rhythm

TIL that cats are not nocturnal or diurnal, they are crepuscular: a circadian rhythm where they are most active during dusk/dawn (low-light hours)

6. Tommy Davidson's past

TIL Tommy Davidson, comedian and actor from "In Living Color," was abandoned in a pile of trash at eighteen-months-old. He was rescued and adopted by a white family

7. Joni Mitchell's deal

TIL that songwriter Joni Mitchell only released a greatest hits album, "Hits", on the condition that she released a "Misses" album to go with it

8. When death knocks on the door of a person with dementia, this happens.

TIL “Terminal Lucidity” is the brief return of mental clarity or memory right before before death, in people who suffer from severe dementia and other neurological disorders

9. How long have aboriginal people been in Australia

TIL that the Aboriginal people of Australia have occupied the land for more than 60,000 years

10. Random Harry Houdini fact

TIL that Harry Houdini had skepticism of anything mystical and had intense anger at miracle workers, spiritualists, and mediums that preyed on vulnerable people

11. Ann odd job for the queen

TIL Queen Elizabeth has an official shoe-wearer who breaks in her shoes so they don't give her blisters

12. Serves the bank right.

TIL in 2011 a couple from Florida turned the tables and received a judgement against Bank of America for mistakingly foreclosing the family’s home and to cover subsequent legal fees. A court issued the family a writ of execution giving them permission to seize bank assets

13. The effect of throat cancer on Val Kilmer

TIL : Val Kilmer has lost his voice, quite literally. The only way we may hear speak again is through a computer program

14. Subjugation that took three centuries

TIL The Mapuche of South America were one of the very tribes successfully resisting Spanish control, staying independent for over 300 years. They called the Spaniards "New Incas", because the successfully resisted the Incan Empire as well. They were only subjugated in 1883

15. Recommended speed on the Autobahn

TIL, while you can go any speed on the Autobahn when indicated by signs, the recommended speed is 130 km per hour. If you are in an accident going 170 km per hour and it could have been avoided at the lesser speed, you will be automatically partially or fully faulted for the accident

16. It makes you wonder how many harems existed back then.

TIL there are at least 10 other men who left genetic legacies that rival Ghengis Khan's, and we only know the name of one of them: Giocangga, a 16th century ruler and ancestor of the Qinq Dynasty.

17. What happened to the Gibson Nine children

TIL about the Gibson Nine, an Australian aboriginal family who were still living a traditional nomadic lifestyle in the outback until 1984, when they settled in a town. The children have gone on to have successful careers as painters, although one of them later returned to the desert

18. We didn't know kidney stones can be sold.

TIL in 2006, William Shatner sold a kidney stone for $25,000 to an online casino. Shatner then donated all the proceeds to charity

19. Do this if you want to win an election.

TIL that wearing glasses actually increases a political candidate's electoral success, despite many politicians avoiding them as they think it makes them look less attractive

20. Fire departments need to be funded well. The volunteers deserve to be compensated for their efforts.

TIL that 67% of all fire departments in the United States are entirely or mostly staffed by volunteers

21. Don't get into the trend if it'll cost you your life.

TIL at least 33 people have died by electrocution from practicing Fractal Wood Burning

22. A problem that took 40 years to solve.

TIL in 1714 the British government offered £20K (~£2m today) to solve the longitude problem - which had cost thousands of lives due to a lack of ship positioning. John Harrison, a carpenter, took 40 years to make the perfect clock - his final version only lost 39.2 seconds over a voyage 47 days

23. Acid rain effects

TIL in the 70's and 80's, dead acidic lakes were fairly common in the US, Europe and Canada because of acid rain. The acidity in lakes killed all microbes and aquatic life, resulting in crystal clear water that allowed the lake bottom to be visible

24. The blood-stained hands of the Catholic Church

TIL A century before Martin Luther, Jan Hus criticized the Catholic Church for selling of indulgences and church positions. Hus was invited to the Council of Constance, arrested, charged with heresy, and burned at the stake on 6 July 1415

25. A waste of money

TIL that in 2014 the state of Alabama paid $75,000 for the right to use the phrase "Sweet Home Alabama" on road signs at the state line

26. Why did she get such a bad treatment?

TIL Susan Sarandon, who play a cellist named Jane in "The Witches of Eastwick", learned only after being cast that she would have to quickly learn how to play cello, and was told that she would be sued if she left the production

27. We wonder why the librarian hated the book.

TIL that, for 25 years, "Goodnight Moon" wasn't carried at the New York Public Library because it was hated by the children's librarian

28. This is heartbreaking.

TIL that Charles Lindbergh’s son, Charles Lindbergh Jr., was kidnapped at 20 months old. The kidnapper picked up a cash ransom for $50,000 leaving a note of the child’s location. The child was not found at the location. The child’s remains were found a month later not far from the Lindbergh’s home

29. It's a bad a idea to name a ship after a country.

TIL that in 1940 Hitler decided to change the name of the battle cruiser “Deutschland” to “Lützow” recognizing that the sinking of a warship was a propaganda disaster if it bore the name of its country

30. Random Victory Day kiss fact

TIL there is another photo, taken at a different angle, of the same famous Victory Day kiss in Times Square; unlike the original, the other photograph was taken by a government photojournalist on official duty, and is thus in the public domain and not protected by copyright

Learning new things will always be fun and exciting.

Aside from expanding our memory, we gain extra knowledge to share with people. Knowing a lot of things helps us gain confidence, which in turn, helps us deal with different challenges in our lives.

Share this post with your friends who love random trivia too!

May