TIL ancient viruses that infected our ancestors millions of years ago left genetic material in the human genome, and some of those viral genes were later repurposed to help form the placenta.
https://ift.tt/MILj6Kv
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 11:51AM by cryptic_dcoder
via reddit https://ift.tt/Skf12mb
https://ift.tt/MILj6Kv
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 11:51AM by cryptic_dcoder
via reddit https://ift.tt/Skf12mb
Wikipedia
Endogenous retrovirus
inherited retrovirus encoded in an organism's genome
TIL Katie Holmes passed on returning as Rachel Dawes in “The Dark Knight,” so Maggie Gyllenhaal took over the role. Holmes instead starred in the Queen Latifah crime comedy “Mad Money,” which holds a 22% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
https://ift.tt/MH0NOLC
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 03:40PM by Giff95
via reddit https://ift.tt/nuDoEfU
https://ift.tt/MH0NOLC
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 03:40PM by Giff95
via reddit https://ift.tt/nuDoEfU
Wikipedia
The Dark Knight
2008 film directed by Christopher Nolan
👍1😁1😭1
TIL Warith Deen Mohammed, son of Wallace Fard Muhammad, disbanded Nation of Islam and abandonded his father's theology. Several dissident groups broke the ranks and revived NoI name.
https://ift.tt/0MGRYCS
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 03:12PM by BadenBaden1981
via reddit https://ift.tt/SW2EvxZ
https://ift.tt/0MGRYCS
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 03:12PM by BadenBaden1981
via reddit https://ift.tt/SW2EvxZ
Wikipedia
Warith Deen Mohammed
Leader of the Nation of Islam (1933-2008)
TIL about the Great Hedge of India (or Indian Salt Hedge), which was a customs barrier built by the British colonial rulers of India to prevent smuggling of salt from coastal regions.
https://ift.tt/COhf73p
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 05:53AM by Redd1928
via reddit https://ift.tt/nQyVS8s
https://ift.tt/COhf73p
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 05:53AM by Redd1928
via reddit https://ift.tt/nQyVS8s
Wikipedia
Inland Customs Line
The Great Hedge of India
TIL leopards have the most varied diet of any big cat, with over 100 recorded prey species. They're also the only big cats known to regularly store their kills in trees, hauling prey up to 140% of their own body weight high into the branches to keep it from scavengers.
https://ift.tt/HpEa4w0
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 04:26PM by Electronic_Cause_796
via reddit https://ift.tt/z4M7sxN
https://ift.tt/HpEa4w0
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 04:26PM by Electronic_Cause_796
via reddit https://ift.tt/z4M7sxN
PBS
Fun Facts About Leopards | Big Cats 24/7
Did you know that leopards can eat over 10 pounds of meat per day, or that they don't technically have spots?
TIL Elizabethan era theater was directly influenced by the then recent re-discovery of the roman era tragedies written by stoic philosopher Seneca. Despite that, Seneca's tragedies later felt into disrepute again because of their strong horror elements, especially the grotesque displays of violence
https://ift.tt/3SdkzR6
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 02:31PM by Mors_Acerba
via reddit https://ift.tt/j5ZaWYX
https://ift.tt/3SdkzR6
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 02:31PM by Mors_Acerba
via reddit https://ift.tt/j5ZaWYX
Wikipedia
Senecan tragedy
tragedies by ancient Roman author Seneca
TIL of Henry "Box" Brown, an enslaved man who attained freedom by mailing himself from Virginia to Philadelphia in a wooden crate. It took 27 hours and he travelled by wagon, railroad, steamboat, wagon again, railroad, ferry, railroad, and finally delivery wagon
https://ift.tt/gIKosFG
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 05:53PM by MyOtherRideIsTheRoci
via reddit https://ift.tt/rmksQOx
https://ift.tt/gIKosFG
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 05:53PM by MyOtherRideIsTheRoci
via reddit https://ift.tt/rmksQOx
Wikipedia
Henry Box Brown
American magician, illusionist, actor and former slave
❤1
TIL Helium was first detected in the Sun from an unknown spectral line during a solar eclipse, years before any Helium was discovered on Earth. It was named after Helios, Greek god of the Sun.
https://ift.tt/xbe7wFX
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 05:28PM by jamieseemsamused
via reddit https://ift.tt/MBA0Vqi
https://ift.tt/xbe7wFX
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 05:28PM by jamieseemsamused
via reddit https://ift.tt/MBA0Vqi
Wikipedia
Helium
Helium (from Ancient Greek: ἥλιος, romanized: helios, lit. 'sun') is a chemical element; it has symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table.[a] Its…
🔥1
TIL that in the 1700s, society heavily stigmatized paying actors, dancers, and opera singers for their work. In his classic, The Wealth of Nations (1776), Adam Smith explained that selling these talents was viewed as a "sort of public prostitution"
https://ift.tt/y6EqFXJ
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 06:10PM by Competitive_Swan_130
via reddit https://ift.tt/LhkfAVy
https://ift.tt/y6EqFXJ
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 06:10PM by Competitive_Swan_130
via reddit https://ift.tt/LhkfAVy
Beliefnet
Martha Nussbaum on Spitzer and Prostitution Laws
The Interdependence Project
TIL That Bob Marley gave songwriting credits for No Woman, No Cry to his friend Vincent Ford so that royalties from the hit song would support Ford's Kingston, Jamaica soup kitchen.
https://ift.tt/B02nImS
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:03PM by Parking_Spot
via reddit https://ift.tt/8IuvO5B
https://ift.tt/B02nImS
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:03PM by Parking_Spot
via reddit https://ift.tt/8IuvO5B
Wikipedia
No Woman, No Cry
"No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song performed by Jamaican band Bob Marley and the Wailers. The song was recorded in 1974 and released on their seventh studio album, Natty Dread (1974).[2]
❤1
TIL that dice are 12,000 years old, they are older than the invention of the wheel (5,000 years old). Modern looking, 6 faced dice are around 2,600 years old
https://ift.tt/vZ63zij
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:06PM by loloreel
via reddit https://ift.tt/HaX5em0
https://ift.tt/vZ63zij
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:06PM by loloreel
via reddit https://ift.tt/HaX5em0
Colorado State University
A roll of the dice: How Native Americans shaped gambling and probability long before the Old World
New research pushes the earliest known origins of dice, gambling and the exploration of randomness back six millennia and into North America.
TIL that English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) coined the words "international," "maximize," "minimize," "codify", "marginalize," "bicameral," and many others.
https://ift.tt/Eqf2lL0
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:04PM by fotogneric
via reddit https://ift.tt/eqTNX0o
https://ift.tt/Eqf2lL0
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:04PM by fotogneric
via reddit https://ift.tt/eqTNX0o
Faculty of Laws
Neologisms of Jeremy Bentham | Faculty of Laws
TIL of Callon of Epidaurus, an intersex person from 2nd century BC, whose medical treatment is the first recorded example of gender affirmation surgery.
https://ift.tt/Fb53LDy
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:34PM by BeatenBrokenDefeated
via reddit https://ift.tt/t6gnqBV
https://ift.tt/Fb53LDy
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:34PM by BeatenBrokenDefeated
via reddit https://ift.tt/t6gnqBV
Wikipedia
Callon of Epidaurus
2nd-century BC Greek transgender man
TIL one of the most popular actors in China is Mark Rowswell (stage name: Dashan), a Canadian comedian. He is often considered the most famous foreigner in the country. He is largely unknown in North America.
https://ift.tt/aYQCdxq
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 08:12PM by Dizzy-Cartoonist3011
via reddit https://ift.tt/RXlfGHZ
https://ift.tt/aYQCdxq
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 08:12PM by Dizzy-Cartoonist3011
via reddit https://ift.tt/RXlfGHZ
Wikipedia
Dashan
Canadian comedian
❤1
TIL: Japanese Tentacle Erotica is a lot older than I thought (early 1700's). "Tako to Ama, the Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife" is a widely referenced early example.
https://ift.tt/7eNb0XM
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:22PM by Hokie200proof
via reddit https://ift.tt/cfW9pti
https://ift.tt/7eNb0XM
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:22PM by Hokie200proof
via reddit https://ift.tt/cfW9pti
The Art Story
Katsushika Hokusai Paintings, Bio, Ideas
Hokusai screen prints of "ephemeral" pleasures are widely recognized far beyond Japan for their compositions and use of perspective.
🔥1
TIL about the Münchhausen trilemma - The philosophical argument that all attempts to prove something true eventually rely on circular logic, endless regress, or an unsupported assumption.
https://ift.tt/nYp4JA1
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:53PM by Coverlesss
via reddit https://ift.tt/xAOYkXI
https://ift.tt/nYp4JA1
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 07:53PM by Coverlesss
via reddit https://ift.tt/xAOYkXI
Wikipedia
Münchhausen trilemma
thought experiment about the impossibility of proving any truth: in response to repeated "but why?"s, only the circular argument, infinite regress, or axiomatic argument are possible
🔥1
TIL that Mark Cuban purchased the town of Mustang, Texas for 2 million dollars.
https://ift.tt/35O2huL
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 09:24PM by Sweet_Foundation_868
via reddit https://ift.tt/17vQXqb
https://ift.tt/35O2huL
Submitted July 22, 2026 at 09:24PM by Sweet_Foundation_868
via reddit https://ift.tt/17vQXqb
Wikipedia
Mustang, Texas
town in Navarro County, Texas, United States
TIL Titan submersible engineers plotted their sensor responses against time - not against depth - and were thus seeing naught but "noise" in their data. Had plotting been done against depth they would have known that sensor responses underwent drastic change towards later dives, and imminent failure
https://ift.tt/oWmSrd0
Submitted July 23, 2026 at 12:18AM by YappinZappin
via reddit https://ift.tt/UEHeljv
https://ift.tt/oWmSrd0
Submitted July 23, 2026 at 12:18AM by YappinZappin
via reddit https://ift.tt/UEHeljv
TIL Torpedo Juice was first mixed in WWII and made from pineapple juice and the 180-proof grain alcohol fuel used in US Navy torpedo motors. The US Navy then added poisonous additives to the fuel alcohol to discourage sailors. Recipe was two parts ethyl alcohol and three parts pineapple juice.
https://ift.tt/9We3KfD
Submitted July 23, 2026 at 12:54AM by EphemeralTypewriter
via reddit https://ift.tt/dISpAO8
https://ift.tt/9We3KfD
Submitted July 23, 2026 at 12:54AM by EphemeralTypewriter
via reddit https://ift.tt/dISpAO8
Wikipedia
Torpedo juice
alcoholic drink made from torpedo fuel
Til the legal method of executing royalty in ancient Thailand was to beat them to death with clubs.
https://ift.tt/G3ZmKT1
Submitted July 23, 2026 at 12:33AM by DistrictDry2852
via reddit https://ift.tt/5vCINGJ
https://ift.tt/G3ZmKT1
Submitted July 23, 2026 at 12:33AM by DistrictDry2852
via reddit https://ift.tt/5vCINGJ
Wikipedia
Execution of Thai royalty
Historical ceremonial execution of Thai royalty
TIL In 1926, Agatha Christie vanished for 11 days after a fight with her husband, sparking a massive manhunt. She was found safe at a spa hotel, registered under the surname of her husband's mistress. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle became involved by taking one of her gloves to a psychic to help find her
https://ift.tt/IVOXUsj
Submitted July 23, 2026 at 02:56AM by Majorpain2006
via reddit https://ift.tt/ptMbTv8
https://ift.tt/IVOXUsj
Submitted July 23, 2026 at 02:56AM by Majorpain2006
via reddit https://ift.tt/ptMbTv8
Historic Mysteries
Agatha Christie’s Disappearance: Amnesia, Suicide, or Despair? - Historic Mysteries
Agatha Christie, the famous author and creator of Hercule Poirot, disappeared suddenly in 1926. Found 11 days later in a hotel, she claimed amnesia and never revealed what had happened.