TIL about Humsters, a human-hamster hybrid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humster
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/156cw3c/til_about_humsters_a_humanhamster_hybrid/
TIL There's a sign on a rooftop near the airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that says "WELCOME TO CLEVELAND" just to mess with people flying into Milwaukee.
TIL Baby gorillas are curious and will pull colourful items such as shoes, clothing, or dyed hair that they see on tourists. A baby in Rwanda once picked up a glove that tourist dropped, and the angry silverback confiscated it and threw it back at the tourist
https://www.sundayobserver.lk/2022/07/16/features/five-fun-facts-about-mountain-gorillas
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/156bpbv/til_baby_gorillas_are_curious_and_will_pull/
TIL kissing someone mouth-to-mouth is safer than shaking their hand. Coughing on someone's face is also safer than a handshake.
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health/nix-hansdshake-and-cheek-kiss
TIL that the British grew a Great Hedge to prevent the smuggling of common salt from coastal regions in India to avoid paying the substantial "Salt Tax".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Customs_Line
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1568zk1/til_that_the_british_grew_a_great_hedge_to/
TIL there are only 25 blimps left in the world.
TIL in many Indian religions, which include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, idols (murti) are considered as symbolism for the absolute but not the Absolute Itself, or icons of spiritual ideas, or the embodiment of the Supreme. It is a means to focus one's religious pursuits and worship (bhakti).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolatry
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1568n90/til_in_many_indian_religions_which_include/
TIL that contrary to popular belief, the CIA did not stage a coup against Mossadegh, the not so democratically elected PM of Iran. Rather, the power to oust the PM was already given to the Shah and had been exercised against Mossadegh twice before.
Today I Learned (TIL) about the Astonishing Leaning Tower of Niles! A half-sized replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa right outside of Chicago, IL.
TIL the oldest known turtle, Jonathan, is 190 years old and has had a mate since 1991 who was originally thought to be a female but is actually a male. They spend their days doing everything together.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_(tortoise)
TIL that "the father of the atom bomb" Robert Oppenheimer's daughter Toni was refused security clearance as a UN translator after the FBI brought up the old charges against her father. In 1977 she hanged herself at the beach house she inherited from her parents.
https://wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1566yxa/til_that_the_father_of_the_atom_bomb_robert/
TIL that Oasis released a song titled "Wibbling Rivalry", a 15 minute interview that has no music and only includes the two brothers of the band, Noel and Liam, arguing for the majority of it. The song charted at number 52 on the UK Singles Chart.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wibbling_Rivalry
TIL the official name for Clippy (Microsoft’s office assistant) is actually Clippit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Assistant
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/15663f4/til_the_official_name_for_clippy_microsofts/
TIL of Michael Hay, a British lawyer who opened a law firm in North Korea, which won some of its cases, but closed in 2016 due to sanctions
https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/the-man-who-loved-north-korea-too-much/
TIL That primes numbers used in cryptography aren't 100% primes. They are numbers that has a false positive rate of less than one in a million billion billion of not being primes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller%E2%80%93Rabin_primality_test
TIL that Ronald Reagan’s Treasury Secretary and later Chief of Staff, was named Donald Regan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Regan
TIL when dinosaurs roamed Earth, there were active volcanoes on the moon
https://www.space.com/27424-volcanoes-on-moon-dinosaur-age.html
TIL Prince Charles’ car Aston Martin DB6 runs on wine and cheese. Prince Charles has owned his Aston Martin DB6 Volante since 1970 and has once more reiterated that it runs not on regular unleaded, but instead on bioethanol produced from supply waste.
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/retro/prince-charles-aston-martin-db6-runs-wine-and-cheese
TIL Carrie Fisher’s ashes were placed inside a giant Prozac Pill
TIL in 1903, a US Senator from Alabama proposed a plan that will "encourage" African-Americans to settle in the Philippines. Which was recently acquired from Spain.