r/todayilearned • u/Fairytlly • 3h ago

TIL that the "zombie-ant" fungus (Ophiocordyceps) does not control ants by invading their brains. Instead, it leaves the brain completely intact while directly encircling and seizing control of their muscle fibers like a biological puppet.

psu.edu

7.5k Upvotes

259 comments

r/todayilearned • u/AetheriaNox • 4h ago

TIL On average, a kidney transplant from a living donor lasts about 15 to 20 years, and a kidney from a deceased donor lasts 8 to 12 years.

kidney.org

8.4k Upvotes

311 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Sebastianlim • 3h ago

TIL there was a myth about King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) that the film had different endings in different countries , with Godzilla winning in the Japanese version and Kong in the American. In reality, both cuts have the same ending, and Toho has repeatedly affirmed Kong as the ultimate winner.

en.wikipedia.org

2.2k Upvotes

96 comments

r/todayilearned • u/wandering_soles • 2h ago

TIL that Vinnie Ream was only 18 years old when she was commissioned to sculpt the statue of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln for the United States Capitol rotunda in 1866, making her the first woman and youngest artist to be commissioned for a statue by the U.S. government

en.wikipedia.org

1.1k Upvotes

9 comments

r/todayilearned • u/leafpool2014 • 5h ago

TIL there were over 525 Million Votes in the 1964 Illinois House of Representative Election. Because the state failed to redistrict, every single seat was elected at-large due to a constitutional quirk in the Illinois Constitution, meaning each person could vote for all 177 candidates seperately

en.wikipedia.org

1.7k Upvotes

48 comments

r/todayilearned • u/PikesPique • 9h ago

TIL that a Christian broadcaster called Family Radio spent $100 million promoting a host's prediction that the rapture would occur on May 21, 2011, and that the world would end on Oct. 21. Some listeners spent their own money to spread the word, with one retiree spending $140,000 on advertising.

en.wikipedia.org

3.1k Upvotes

427 comments

r/todayilearned • u/poo-rag • 10h ago

TIL the actor whose character died during the live fire exercise in Starship Troopers later married the actress who killed him (in the film)

en.wikipedia.org

3.7k Upvotes

176 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Dazzling-Ad1894 • 1h ago

TIL that the proposed Beatles film of "Lord of the Rings" stopped at only one meeting. In 1968, both John Lennon and Paul McCartney convened with potential director Stanley Kubrick at his London office, but Kubrick persuaded the pair that the film would be unadaptable, and the project was dropped.

faroutmagazine.co.uk

• Upvotes

79 comments

r/todayilearned • u/ScienceTeacher1994 • 16h ago

Drop By, not Drop To TIL Jakarta, Indonesia, is now the world's most populous city, with a population of 42 million people. Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a current population of 36 million, is expected to surpass Jakarta by the mid century, while Tokyo is expect to drop to 2.7 million residents.

nbcnews.com

11.3k Upvotes

513 comments

r/todayilearned • u/jpw0w • 17h ago

TIL David Vetter "Bubble Boy" spent his entire life in a bubble, he suffered from severe combined immunodeficiency, and eventually died at the age of 12.

wamu.org

10.0k Upvotes

421 comments

r/todayilearned • u/TMWNN • 11h ago

TIL that Kirk Kerkorian bought the MGM movie studio in 1969, and sold it in 1986. Five months later he bought back MGM, and sold it again in 1990. Kerkorian bought MGM back in 1996, and sold it again in 2005.

variety.com

2.6k Upvotes

126 comments

r/todayilearned • u/TapFar687 • 9h ago

TIL that some men experience circular bald spots in their beard from a variant of the autoimmune condition, alopecia areata (barbae).

healthline.com

1.1k Upvotes

115 comments

r/todayilearned • u/roll-_-ller • 19h ago

TIL that Measles infection can cause “immune amnesia” by wiping out 11%-73% of body’s immune memory cells and antibodies leaving behind a “reset” immune system that have “forgotten” how to fight off past infections.

hms.harvard.edu

8.6k Upvotes

214 comments

r/todayilearned • u/named_mark • 22h ago

TIL the population of the NYC metropolitan area makes up 7.9% of the total US population. The city alone is 2.5% of the country's population.

census.gov

16.7k Upvotes

932 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Hermes3000Typewriter • 6h ago

TIL that Stan Laurel Tried To Bury Alive His Abusive Wife In 1938.

latimes.com

324 Upvotes

62 comments

r/todayilearned • u/soupdawg • 2h ago

TIL In 1999 the NOAA recognized a 5th ocean, The Southern Ocean. Prior to 1999 only 4 oceans were recognized.

oceanservice.noaa.gov

146 Upvotes

38 comments

r/todayilearned • u/RaccoonCityTacos • 22h ago

TIL there is an actual "Granny Smith" behind the origin of the Granny Smith apple in Australia in 1868. And the creation of the new hybrid was an accident from discarded apple scraps.

en.wikipedia.org

5.9k Upvotes

177 comments

r/todayilearned • u/bullet494 • 8h ago

TIL there are three kinds of twilight- civil, nautical, and astronomical. They are based on how many degrees the sun is under the horizon.

en.wikipedia.org

373 Upvotes

19 comments

r/todayilearned • u/OutrageousNightcall • 21h ago

TIL that Glenn Close holds the record for most Oscar nominations for an actress without ever winning one.

en.wikipedia.org

3.3k Upvotes

124 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Cantora • 34m ago

TIL that in 2007, scientists successfully created human-sheep chimeras by transplanting human stem cells into fetal sheep, allowing human blood cells to survive inside the animals for years.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

• Upvotes

19 comments

r/todayilearned • u/SkierJC • 11h ago

TIL that Japanese brand Gekkeikan sake for sale in North America is actually brewed in the United States (and not Japan) since 1989

us.gekkeikan.com

302 Upvotes

90 comments

r/todayilearned • u/MrMojoFomo • 1d ago

TIL that the average American armed forces inductee in WWII was 26 years old, 5' 8" tall, 144 pounds, and had 9 years of formal schooling

saturdayeveningpost.com

16.1k Upvotes

1.1k comments

r/todayilearned • u/finza_prey • 1d ago

TIL Air France Flight 4590 crashed into an airport hotel after it ran over a metal strip, causing its fuel tank to explode during take off killing all 109 people aboard and 4 on the ground making it the only Concorde crash after 24 years of no fatal incidents

en.wikipedia.org

2.8k Upvotes

153 comments

r/todayilearned • u/SakuraHana2008 • 20h ago

TIL that Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the Alphabet Song, Johnny Johnny, and Baa Baa Black Sheep were just the same song, and melodies were based on the classic children's song, “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman”.

en.wikipedia.org

1.2k Upvotes

105 comments

r/todayilearned • u/letseatnudels • 6h ago

TIL the earliest sunset of the year happens weeks before the winter solstice depending on latitude

earthsky.org

90 Upvotes

12 comments

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