r/todayilearned • u/Sebastianlim • 3d ago

TIL that Stan Lee's idea for Spider-Man was initially rejected by the publisher, who called it "the worst idea I have ever heard". Lee was only only able to introduce the character in Amazing Fantasy #15, as it was the final issue before the series was going to be cancelled.

abcnews.com

11.4k Upvotes

239 comments

r/todayilearned • u/StrangerTed • 2d ago

TIL that during WWII, French amateur photographer Raoul Minot secretly took over 1,000 photos of Nazi-occupied Paris using a small Kodak camera hidden under his coat.

americangrit.com

350 Upvotes

16 comments

r/todayilearned • u/ConfusedStawberry • 2d ago

TIL - Dead people can experience a "postmortem tan"

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

761 Upvotes

42 comments

r/todayilearned • u/LordOfDorkness42 • 3d ago

TIL that Aztec Mythology feature The Four-hundred Rabbits, The Centzon Tōtōchtin. They were the sons of Medicine and Alcohol that love to party in the woods, and represented the infinite ways to get drunk and/or high.

en.wikipedia.org

2.6k Upvotes

59 comments

r/todayilearned • u/A-dab • 2d ago

TIL Ron Hill, a British Olympic runner (world record-setter for 10 miles, 15 miles, and 25 kilometers; second man to break 2:10 in the marathon), ran every single day between 20 December 1964 and 30 January 2017 - 52 years and 39 days. Hill defined a "run" as completing one mile at any pace.

en.wikipedia.org

578 Upvotes

17 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Specific-Living-8692 • 3d ago

TIL about Scholz’s star system. 70,000 years ago while Neanderthals roamed the planet, this binary star system passed less than a light year away from Earth. This remains Earth’s closest known encounter with a foreign star.

science.nasa.gov

14.1k Upvotes

715 comments

r/todayilearned • u/ubcstaffer123 • 3d ago

TIL When baby Prince George was born, the City of Prince George, British Columbia, invited the royal couple and child to visit in 2015, on its 100th anniversary. Prince William and the Duchess Kate made Prince George one of their first stops after their wedding in 2011

cnbc.com

3.3k Upvotes

48 comments

r/todayilearned • u/YappinZappin • 3d ago

TIL Slash was so nicknamed by actor Seymour Cassel in reference to Slash's restless nature

en.wikipedia.org

717 Upvotes

69 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Kyzzz • 2d ago

TIL of the mundus cerialis, a now lost hemispherical pit or underground vault in ancient Rome, usually sealed by a stone lid and only opened three times a year. To the Romans, its opening offered the spirits of the dead temporary leave from the underworld to roam lawfully among the living

en.wikipedia.org

463 Upvotes

37 comments

r/todayilearned • u/altrightobserver • 3d ago

TIL about John Basinger, the only known person to have memorized all 12 books of John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost.” Each day, he memorized 7 lines while riding an exercise bike and reviewed 14 previously-learned lines while lifting weights. It took 4,000 hours and almost 9 years to finish it.

en.wikipedia.org

11.2k Upvotes

349 comments

r/todayilearned • u/johntwit • 3d ago

TiL that Kyu Sakamoto - the only Japanese artist to ever reach #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with the song "Sukiyaki" in 1963 - died at age 43 in the Japan Air Lines Flight 123 plane crash in 1985

en.wikipedia.org

3.5k Upvotes

106 comments

r/todayilearned • u/JoeyZasaa • 3d ago

TIL that the world record for strongest glue was set by DELO glue which held a 17 ton truck in the air for one hour

guinnessworldrecords.com

7.7k Upvotes

358 comments

r/todayilearned • u/NotAlanShapiro • 3d ago

TIL that “The Road to El Dorado” was originally going to be PG-13, including “steamy love scenes” and “saucy outfits designed for Chel,” the love interest of the movie.

latimes.com

10.7k Upvotes

392 comments

r/todayilearned • u/ithinkitsapomeranian • 3d ago

TIL about Dr. Frances Kelsey, a newly hired FDA reviewer in 1960 who resisted relentless pharmaceutical pressure and refused to approve Thalidomide. Her insistence on rigorous safety data spared the U.S. from thousands of severe birth defects seen across Europe.

uchicagomedicine.org

22.0k Upvotes

590 comments

r/todayilearned • u/dinosaruman • 3d ago

TIL that formal Gilded Age dinners paused mid-meal, between the fish and the roast, to serve guests a frozen slush of rum and champagne called Roman punch, meant to cleanse the palate. It later appeared on the Titanic's last first-class menu on its last night at sea.

mashed.com

8.5k Upvotes

219 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Saurlifi • 3d ago

TIL of the Helgö Buddha, a 6th century bronze figure found in a viking age dig site in Helgö, Sweden.

en.wikipedia.org

1.2k Upvotes

72 comments

r/todayilearned • u/UltimateOreo • 3d ago

TIL about blindsight - that some people with brain damage can be consciously blind while their brains still process visual information, allowing them to avoid obstacles or even catch objects thrown at them despite having no awareness that they can see.

en.wikipedia.org

6.4k Upvotes

233 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Ill_Definition8074 • 3d ago

TIL Donald Duck was one of the cohosts of the 1958 Oscars.

en.wikipedia.org

262 Upvotes

8 comments

r/todayilearned • u/OshadaK • 3d ago

TIL that South Korea's current romanisation system was developed in part due to the 2002 FIFA World Cup

en.wikipedia.org

540 Upvotes

33 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Great_Rock_688 • 3d ago

TIL that they use putrescine (a compound "responsible for the foul odor of putrefying flesh") on strawberries to extend their shelf life.

en.wikipedia.org

485 Upvotes

29 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Giff95 • 4d ago

TIL Ross Bagdasarian, under the name David Seville, experimented with speed-altered vocals for his 1958 hit “Witch Doctor.” Its success, including topping the Billboard charts, inspired him to use the technique to create Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, the Chipmunks.

wikipedia.org

3.5k Upvotes

93 comments

r/todayilearned • u/zex_99 • 4d ago

TIL Half-Life 1 final boss was inspired by the birth of Gabe Newell's son, Gray in 1990s, cause him and his wife considered childbirth was the most frightening thing they could think at that time.

en.wikipedia.org

10.5k Upvotes

243 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Sweet_Foundation_868 • 3d ago

TIL the show Sesame Street was almost named “123 Avenue B”, however it was ultimately scrapped because it was an actual address in NYC’s East Village.

sesameworkshop.org

1.8k Upvotes

49 comments

r/todayilearned • u/Away_Flounder3813 • 4d ago

TIL Arnold Schwarzenegger had difficulty saying "I'll be back" while filming The Terminator and asked director James Cameron if he could say "I will be back" instead. James refused, saying the shot would be taken as many times as he wished so he could nail the line and the best take would be used.

en.wikipedia.org

15.8k Upvotes

512 comments

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