TIL that in 1840, Britain introduced the “Penny Post,” allowing anyone to send a letter anywhere in the country for just one penny, making long-distance personal communication affordable for ordinary people for the first time.
https://ift.tt/m4HeOpC
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 02:29AM by SwordfishEither2516
via reddit https://ift.tt/mWp15MO
https://ift.tt/m4HeOpC
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 02:29AM by SwordfishEither2516
via reddit https://ift.tt/mWp15MO
TIL, democratically elected Iranian prime minister was overthrown by the CIA and MI6 in 1953 replacing him with Shah monarchy who gave access to iranian oil industry to Western companies.
https://ift.tt/dgbmvXK
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 09:50AM by lost_ted
via reddit https://ift.tt/Rnz2Ia0
https://ift.tt/dgbmvXK
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 09:50AM by lost_ted
via reddit https://ift.tt/Rnz2Ia0
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TIL about Barbara Morgan, the backup teacher astronaut for Christa McAuliffe on the Space Shuttle Challenger. After the 1986 disaster, she returned to classroom teaching, was later selected by NASA as a mission specialist, and in 2007 became the first teacher to fly to space.
https://ift.tt/dylFYDC
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 08:24AM by DullAmbition
via reddit https://ift.tt/SGAkHVu
https://ift.tt/dylFYDC
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 08:24AM by DullAmbition
via reddit https://ift.tt/SGAkHVu
TIL Alton Logan spent 26 years in prison for murder, while a lawyer who knew he was innocent the whole time stayed quiet because his client had confessed to the murder to him and therefore was protected by attorney-client privilege. After his client died, he disclosed the truth and Logan was freed.
https://ift.tt/L3O0Akp
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 12:12PM by tyrion2024
via reddit https://ift.tt/E4kbJu0
https://ift.tt/L3O0Akp
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 12:12PM by tyrion2024
via reddit https://ift.tt/E4kbJu0
ABC News
Innocent Man Free After 26 Years in Prison
After an attorney finally broke his silence, Alton Logan freed from jail.
TIL the American Revolutionary War was preceded by the Boston Massacre, where British troops fired upon a group of locals protesting unfair taxes who were throwing snowballs and rocks.
https://ift.tt/pH9UfJg
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 01:15PM by Phluffhead024
via reddit https://ift.tt/Y48mUZx
https://ift.tt/pH9UfJg
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 01:15PM by Phluffhead024
via reddit https://ift.tt/Y48mUZx
www.nps.gov
Boston Massacre (U.S. National Park Service)
TIL that violinist Vanessa-Mae became an Olympic skier. She took part in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Alpine skiing. She came last out of 67. Her selection became controversial due to questions around qualification and allegations of race fixing, claims that were not substantiated.
https://ift.tt/y25jPGw
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 11:40AM by johnsmithoncemore
via reddit https://ift.tt/b7plYZz
https://ift.tt/y25jPGw
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 11:40AM by johnsmithoncemore
via reddit https://ift.tt/b7plYZz
TIL researchers found that Americans spent nearly 90 minutes less per day, on average, outside of their homes in 2023 than they did in 2003.
https://ift.tt/l08mBRF
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 02:21PM by tyrion2024
via reddit https://ift.tt/CfxhgDc
https://ift.tt/l08mBRF
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 02:21PM by tyrion2024
via reddit https://ift.tt/CfxhgDc
The Conversation
America is becoming a nation of homebodies
Even after the pandemic lockdowns were lifted, out-of-home activities and travel remained substantially depressed, far below 2019 levels.
TIL that it's required to speak English to be a commercial airline pilot or air traffic controller...
https://ift.tt/mNSOyTG
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 12:12PM by Illustrious_Bag_7323
via reddit https://ift.tt/PLCVwmg
https://ift.tt/mNSOyTG
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 12:12PM by Illustrious_Bag_7323
via reddit https://ift.tt/PLCVwmg
AEROCADET | Articles & Reviews
Why Is English Used as the Standard Language in Aviation?
Want to know why English is the standard language in aviation? Read this blog to learn how it became the global aviation language, by uniting pilots worldwide.
TIL Ernest Hemingway survived 2 unrelated plane crashes within a 2 day period. The 2nd crash burnt parts of his right arm to the bone, and also parts of his left fingers to the bone.
https://ift.tt/tyT5eFc
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 02:58PM by Destination_Centauri
via reddit https://ift.tt/SXjWR01
https://ift.tt/tyT5eFc
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 02:58PM by Destination_Centauri
via reddit https://ift.tt/SXjWR01
Smithsonian Magazine
Ernest Hemingway and His Wife Survived Two Plane Crashes Just One Day Apart
The novelist recounted the harrowing ordeal in a letter, which just sold for $237,055 at auction
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TIL that Gonorrhea, a sexually-transmitted disease (STD), is becoming increasingly resistant to many classes of antibiotics, including the ones that were previously used to treat it
https://ift.tt/zSog0uy
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 01:01PM by Forsaken-Peak8496
via reddit https://ift.tt/TqoORUz
https://ift.tt/zSog0uy
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 01:01PM by Forsaken-Peak8496
via reddit https://ift.tt/TqoORUz
TIL that Beverly Hills, CA was named after Beverly, Massachusetts, which was named after Beverly, England, which gets its name from Bevreli/Beverlac, meaning beaver-clearing or beaver lake
https://ift.tt/OfMlLNR
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 04:22PM by Spirited-Pause
via reddit https://ift.tt/wDyP74i
https://ift.tt/OfMlLNR
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 04:22PM by Spirited-Pause
via reddit https://ift.tt/wDyP74i
TIL that baby carrots (baby cut carrots) are made from misshapen or broken full-sized carrots that are unmarketable, and were first introduced in 1986 as a way o reduce food waste. They're cut into 2-inch sections, shaped, and peeled to give them their appearance
https://ift.tt/gL2Vvlr
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 06:35PM by MrMojoFomo
via reddit https://ift.tt/qOHxfLl
https://ift.tt/gL2Vvlr
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 06:35PM by MrMojoFomo
via reddit https://ift.tt/qOHxfLl
TIL that lawyer Richard Haynes asked his clients to thank the judge and jury for acquittal. But he ended the practice after one client said “ladies and gentleman, i want to thank each and every one of you. And I promise you that i will never ever do it again”
https://ift.tt/2kOzc6I
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 07:39PM by longhorntrades
via reddit https://ift.tt/MH9ZaCo
https://ift.tt/2kOzc6I
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 07:39PM by longhorntrades
via reddit https://ift.tt/MH9ZaCo
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TIL that researchers have quantified how quickly irregular verb forms “regularize”: the half-life of an irregular verb scales as the square root of its usage frequency. For example, the word "dreamt" is slowly being replaced by "dreamed".
https://ift.tt/WmrxogP
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 06:41PM by ilovemybaldhead
via reddit https://ift.tt/c6U1GP2
https://ift.tt/WmrxogP
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 06:41PM by ilovemybaldhead
via reddit https://ift.tt/c6U1GP2
PubMed Central (PMC)
Quantifying the evolutionary dynamics of language
Human language is based on grammatical rules1–4. Cultural evolution allows these rules to change over time5. Rules compete with each other: as new rules rise to prominence, old ones die away. To quantify the dynamics of language evolution, we ...
TIL Harold Davidson, known as the "Prostitutes' Padre", was defrocked, exhibited himself in a barrel, and ultimately died after being mauled by a toothless lion.
https://ift.tt/VqEnzC0
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 10:39PM by pjwils
via reddit https://ift.tt/zBVgLEH
https://ift.tt/VqEnzC0
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 10:39PM by pjwils
via reddit https://ift.tt/zBVgLEH
TIL that certain bat species (notably Mexican free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensis) jam each other’s radar whilst hunting by emitting broadband ultrasonic “jamming signals” to interfere with the echolocation calls of nearby bats during prey pursuit.
https://ift.tt/17fPESs
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 09:02PM by Robbinit
via reddit https://ift.tt/yKwrJGe
https://ift.tt/17fPESs
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 09:02PM by Robbinit
via reddit https://ift.tt/yKwrJGe
Science
Bats jamming bats: Food competition through sonar interference
Mexican free-tailed bats compete with one another for food by sonically interfering with the echolocation of competitors.
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TIL Jamie Siminoff, inventor of Ring, was rejected by the sharks in ABC's Shark Tank. Five years later, he appeared on the show as a guest shark after selling Ring to Amazon for $1.2 billion.
https://ift.tt/GN08JH1
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 11:48PM by Omer-Ash
via reddit https://ift.tt/mGSeqJ4
https://ift.tt/GN08JH1
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 11:48PM by Omer-Ash
via reddit https://ift.tt/mGSeqJ4
Missouri Partnership
How Ring Founder Jamie Siminoff Fell in Love with Missouri - Missouri Partnership
"This city is awesome!" Siminoff says, with the same enthusiasm he had when he mounted his first tractor in La Belle. He starts talking about the diversity, the Midwestern values, the Fortune 500 companies that call St. Louis home, and the depth of the local…
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TIL that baby-cut carrots (commonly referred to as baby carrots) are made from misshapen or broken full-sized carrots that are unmarketable, and were first introduced in 1986 as a way o reduce food waste. They're cut into 2-inch sections, shaped, and peeled to give them their appearance
https://ift.tt/gL2Vvlr
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 10:37PM by MrMojoFomo
via reddit https://ift.tt/NTer0M2
https://ift.tt/gL2Vvlr
Submitted January 12, 2026 at 10:37PM by MrMojoFomo
via reddit https://ift.tt/NTer0M2
Reddit
From the todayilearned community on Reddit: TIL that baby-cut carrots (commonly referred to as baby carrots) are made from misshapen…
Posted by MrMojoFomo - 419 votes and 62 comments
TIL that just months after leaving office, Ulysses S. Grant set off on a world tour that lasted over two and a half years, becoming the first US president to circumnavigate the globe.
https://ift.tt/lBYmH5L
Submitted January 13, 2026 at 01:56AM by mrkuzan
via reddit https://ift.tt/6wrpJNn
https://ift.tt/lBYmH5L
Submitted January 13, 2026 at 01:56AM by mrkuzan
via reddit https://ift.tt/6wrpJNn
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TIL that in 2009 a 25-year-old Ukrainian chemistry student died after the chewing gum he’d accidentally coated in explosive powder detonated in his mouth, blowing off his lower jaw and killing him
https://ift.tt/ynlbLV5
Submitted January 13, 2026 at 02:37AM by Forsaken-Peak8496
via reddit https://ift.tt/YozRF1O
https://ift.tt/ynlbLV5
Submitted January 13, 2026 at 02:37AM by Forsaken-Peak8496
via reddit https://ift.tt/YozRF1O
TIL that medieval pilgrims could deposit funds at London’s Temple Church with the Knights Templar and travel with a written letter of credit, redeemable at other Templar houses on the way to Jerusalem, thus avoiding the dangers of carrying cash and creating an early form of international banking.
https://ift.tt/ZEAOBQd
Submitted January 13, 2026 at 03:15AM by Upstairs_Drive_5602
via reddit https://ift.tt/RgKwPjT
https://ift.tt/ZEAOBQd
Submitted January 13, 2026 at 03:15AM by Upstairs_Drive_5602
via reddit https://ift.tt/RgKwPjT
BBC News
The warrior monks who invented banking
Why did a 12th Century religious order start offering financial services?
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