TIL Ben Franklin wrote a satirical essay on farting called "A Letter to a Royal Academy (about Farting)" or sometimes "Fart Proudly". He wrote the essay in jest to highlight the absurdity of focusing on trivial matters while ignoring societal needs. (More details in comments).
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 01:44AM by Andre-2999
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 01:44AM by Andre-2999
via reddit https://ift.tt/iIdxu0a
TIL that Iceland - one of the last mosquito-free places on Earth, recorded its first mosquitoes in 2025 with the arrival of cold-tolerant Culiseta annulata
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:00AM by Emotional_Quarter330
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:00AM by Emotional_Quarter330
via reddit https://ift.tt/yfmjNIX
BBC News
Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time after record heat
Previously the country was one of the world's only mosquito-free zones.
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TIL the song "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy wasn't supposed to be an album release. In fact, the song only gained popularity because a Hawaii DJ, Pablo Sato, played the song from a download copy of the album he got from Napster like download site.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 06:11AM by random_agency
via reddit https://ift.tt/BL1hik6
https://ift.tt/D4XBMsf.
Submitted January 08, 2026 at 06:11AM by random_agency
via reddit https://ift.tt/BL1hik6
TIL about Null Island, the geographical location where the prime meridian and the equator intersect. It's located at 0° degrees longitude and 0° degrees latitude (0° N, 0° E). Is not really an island since there isn't any landmass.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:27AM by Thawne_23
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:27AM by Thawne_23
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TIL the three most popular drugs in the world are alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. The fourth is the betel nut.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 07:40AM by woodstock923
via reddit https://ift.tt/Q0tw6K1
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 07:40AM by woodstock923
via reddit https://ift.tt/Q0tw6K1
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TIL that Levi's recommends that jeans be worn 10 times between washes.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 08:31AM by Actual-Journalist-67
via reddit https://ift.tt/YvVhc7S
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 08:31AM by Actual-Journalist-67
via reddit https://ift.tt/YvVhc7S
Levi
How to wash and dry jeans - Denim Care Guide | Levi's® US
Discover the secrets to maintaining your beloved denim. Our comprehensive guide provides expert advice on washing, drying, and preserving jeans to ensure they retain their size, longevity, and style.
TIL that the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Busta Rhymes all attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn, NY at the same time. Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z even once rap-battled each other in the lunch room.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 08:02AM by altrightobserver
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 08:02AM by altrightobserver
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Mic
Four of the World's Most Iconic Rappers Went to High School Together
The New York Times featured a story this weekend charting the relationship between Americans' geographic birth place and their future success and fame. (The piece measures success and fame by the presence of a Wikipedia page, for the record.)
The…
The…
TIL a castle in France has been under construction since 1997 using only 13th-century techniques, tools, and local materials: The Guédelon Castle
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 11:39AM by Markulatura
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 11:39AM by Markulatura
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TIL Mercury, not Venus, is, on average, the closest planet to Earth
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 10:46AM by RGBchocolate
via reddit https://ift.tt/bHPOaLt
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 10:46AM by RGBchocolate
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AIP
Venus is not Earth’s closest neighbor
Calculations and simulations confirm that on average, Mercury is the nearest planet to Earth—and to every other planet in the solar system.
TIL Travis Barker credited Animal from The Muppets as his first ever hero and his inspiration to pursue drumming. In 1998, before his first show with Blink-182, he didn't have much time to prepare. He learned the drum tracks for the 20-song setlist in only 45 minutes and performed them flawlessly.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 01:46PM by Away_Flounder3813
via reddit https://ift.tt/PNDLI0J
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 01:46PM by Away_Flounder3813
via reddit https://ift.tt/PNDLI0J
TIL that Tyrannosaurus rex had a binocular visual range wider than modern hawks and may have been able to see up to 6 km (3.7 miles) away.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 03:44PM by yena
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 03:44PM by yena
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Science News Explores
Supersight for a Dino King
The movie Jurassic Park has a scary scene in which a Tyrannosaurus rex growls right into the faces of two characters. One person tells the other not to worry
TIL that George Washington’s farewell address talks about the evils of patriotism and the danger of political parties BUT ALSO about religion’s importance and avoiding foreign influence in politics
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 09:56AM by Wm_Westlake
via reddit https://ift.tt/SaXBy3u
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 09:56AM by Wm_Westlake
via reddit https://ift.tt/SaXBy3u
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TIL that after British R&B singer Mark Morrison ("Return of the Mack") was sentenced to public service for participating in a pub brawl in 1998, he hired a lookalike to perform the sentence so Morrison could go on tour
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:53PM by MrMojoFomo
via reddit https://ift.tt/PxM68Rr
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:53PM by MrMojoFomo
via reddit https://ift.tt/PxM68Rr
TIL that scientists just discovered a safer alternative contrast agent to the toxic and radioactive uranyl acetate for staining biological samples in electron microscopy: coffee
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 02:03PM by garrthes
via reddit https://ift.tt/GWzo8NR
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 02:03PM by garrthes
via reddit https://ift.tt/GWzo8NR
TIL that Faggots in Gravy are a traditional UK food made of spiced offal meatballs (Faggots) and often served with a rich onion or ale gravy.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 06:25PM by MadScienceBro
via reddit https://ift.tt/I5xlnhd
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 06:25PM by MadScienceBro
via reddit https://ift.tt/I5xlnhd
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TIL about the Wide Awakes; a youth organization and marching club formed shortly before the American Civil War. Groups would march at night to the beat of a drum, holding 6' torches, dressed in black, and would march in silence with their eyes straight ahead
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 09:04PM by MrMojoFomo
via reddit https://ift.tt/DCISyGw
https://ift.tt/BaCDnuX
Submitted January 08, 2026 at 09:04PM by MrMojoFomo
via reddit https://ift.tt/DCISyGw
TIL Sony was founded in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo and their initial product was a commercially unsuccessful electric rice cooker that often burned or undercooked rice.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:31PM by FromTheOrdovician
via reddit https://ift.tt/O3wND0i
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:31PM by FromTheOrdovician
via reddit https://ift.tt/O3wND0i
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TIL that before the radiation hazards of X-rays were widely recognized, shoe stores from the 1920s until about the 1970s used X-ray machines called shoe-fitting fluoroscopes to show customers their feet inside shoes.
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:38PM by stoictrader03
via reddit https://ift.tt/ISvsEK6
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 05:38PM by stoictrader03
via reddit https://ift.tt/ISvsEK6
TIL what a Muntjac is: the size of a Labrador and barks like a dog, yet has fangs like a snake and doesn't eat meat
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 11:33PM by XaltotunTheUndead
via reddit https://ift.tt/ok2Z1uN
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Submitted January 08, 2026 at 11:33PM by XaltotunTheUndead
via reddit https://ift.tt/ok2Z1uN
Discover Wildlife
It's the size of a Labrador and barks like a dog, yet has fangs like a snake and doesn't eat meat. Meet one of the weirdest wild…
Discover all you need to know about muntjac deer, including why it has glands on its face
TIL of 1940s radio show 'The Lonesome Gal'. Actress Jean King pretended to have a one-on-one conversation with the listener in a seductive voice, with a mic that “pick[ed] up each whisp of her breath." She amassed thousands of fans in over 50 cities and wore a mask in photos to protect herself.
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Submitted January 09, 2026 at 01:25AM by uqde
via reddit https://ift.tt/7jDMiGH
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Submitted January 09, 2026 at 01:25AM by uqde
via reddit https://ift.tt/7jDMiGH
Messy Nessy Chic
Behind the Mask of Lonesome Gal, Vintage Radio’s Virtual Girlfriend
Behind the Mask of Lonesome Gal, Vintage Radio’s Virtual Girlfriend - Editor's Picks - Messy Nessy Chic
TIL about Charles Rogers, a seismologist and pilot who's been missing since 1965 when the dismembered bodies of his elderly parents were found in the refrigerator of the home that all 3 shared.
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Submitted January 09, 2026 at 01:24AM by Ill_Definition8074
via reddit https://ift.tt/83HfiXb
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Submitted January 09, 2026 at 01:24AM by Ill_Definition8074
via reddit https://ift.tt/83HfiXb