Recent comments in /f/todayilearned
BrownMan65 t1_jegxrnb wrote
Reply to TIL In 2017, six Chinese officials were punished for falling asleep in a meeting about how to motivate lazy bureaucrats. by Rifletree
Honestly public humiliation seems like a pretty effective punishment that we should use way more often. You are presumably representing the people and so if you are not living up to that responsibility then you should be shamed for it so that you get your act together. If you continue to fail then eventually you just get kicked out and someone else can be elected to take your place.
Mentalfloss1 t1_jegxedm wrote
Reply to comment by pharaohandrew in TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop
I grew up in southern Indiana in an environment similar to Georgia. Hot, humid, rattlesnakes, copperheads, a zillion biting bugs, and so on. We did have snow in the winter but never over a few inches.
pharaohandrew t1_jegwz2y wrote
Reply to comment by Mentalfloss1 in TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop
All good, sounds like a fun way to grow up. All we really had along those lines around here is close calls with venomous snakes.
WanderingLethe t1_jegwnbm wrote
Reply to comment by NoWarmEmbrace in TIL That There's a Bible Belt In The Netherlands by iamasinglepotassium
Deutsch didn't get morphed into Dutch.
It are words with the same origin, meaning of the people, the word people actually has the same origin as well.
Germanic people referred to themselves as Diets/Duutsch/Deutsch and some more variants.
The English mostly had contact with the Dutch, and called them Dutch, while the Dutch eventually started to call themselves Nederlands(Netherlandic) and only the Germans Duits. The Dutch anthem uses Duijtsche bloet, now Duitsen bloed (Dutch blood).
The Germans have kept the word Deutsch for their own, just as the Pennsylvanian Dutch (Deutsch).
majorbummer6 t1_jegw6l3 wrote
Reply to comment by Affectionate-Depth66 in TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop
Im literally panicking reading this.
FilteringOutSubs t1_jegvrj5 wrote
Reply to comment by starmartyr in TIL A newborn baby is 75% water at birth. A slightly higher water content than bananas, but slightly less than potatoes. by Imbiberr
> I'm not sure you understand what TLDR is for.
Sarcasm, snark, and sometimes a summary
MN8616 t1_jegvpw7 wrote
Reply to comment by grease-beef-patty in TIL that New Orleans chicory coffee mix started during the American Civil War when Union naval blockades cut off the port of New Orleans bringing coffee shipments to a halt. New Orleanians looking for their coffee fix began mixing chicory with coffee to stretch out the supply. by GeoJono
Back in the day went to NO on business and host took me for "coffee". Definitely an acquired taste. Definitely needs milk to "soften" it.
Mentalfloss1 t1_jegvijl wrote
Reply to comment by pharaohandrew in TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop
Sorry … most of us who play in the snow in the winter out here in the Pacific Northwest. I’ll edit.
lily_noodlez OP t1_jegvfue wrote
Reply to comment by regular6drunk7 in TIL: “EGOT” is an acronym that was coined by actor Philip Michael Thomas. It gained wider recognition after being introduced on the comedy series “30 Rock” by lily_noodlez
That’s a cool fact! Now I have to read up on it
bing_madsen t1_jegvc5b wrote
Reply to TIL baby giraffes fall 6 feet to the ground they are born. The fall doesn’t hurt them, but snaps the umbilical cord and tears the amniotic sack, with the shock of the fall stimulating the baby to take its first breath. by billyboysuedo
People are amazed at this, but my wife tries it, and people get mad.
FlashpointJ24 t1_jegva84 wrote
Reply to comment by qwerty-keyboard5000 in TIL A newborn baby is 75% water at birth. A slightly higher water content than bananas, but slightly less than potatoes. by Imbiberr
You'd also be 100% in jail.
pharaohandrew t1_jegv2vt wrote
Reply to comment by Mentalfloss1 in TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop
Most of whom? I’m in Georgia.
regular6drunk7 t1_jegurlx wrote
Reply to TIL: “EGOT” is an acronym that was coined by actor Philip Michael Thomas. It gained wider recognition after being introduced on the comedy series “30 Rock” by lily_noodlez
The next level up is the PEGOT award which is an EGOT and also winning the Pulitzer prize. Marvin Hamlisch and Richard Rodgers have done this.
Affectionate-Depth66 t1_jegupra wrote
Reply to comment by Salt_Market_6989 in TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop
Where I snowboard tree wells can be more then 12 feet deep and some years deeper. Part of the danger is that typically there is some sort of collision with the tree which then sheds it’s snow load on top of the rider. Imagine going head first for a dozen or more feet and as the walls of the well collapse the tree release the all the snow from it’s branches. I have done it once at it is scarier than I can describe. There you are upside down and buried. You can have all the safety equipment with you but you can’t move much or access your pack. The consolidated snow doesn’t get hard like in an avalanche so you can move a little. The key is not to panic.
Dlemor t1_jegupnc wrote
Reply to TIL that New Orleans chicory coffee mix started during the American Civil War when Union naval blockades cut off the port of New Orleans bringing coffee shipments to a halt. New Orleanians looking for their coffee fix began mixing chicory with coffee to stretch out the supply. by GeoJono
Chicory is an acquired taste in France from Ww2 . Less nowadays, but people used to add some to the coffee filter
Mentalfloss1 t1_jegunip wrote
Reply to TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop
Most of us have been in one. It’s a pain in the butt too. Your skis or snowshoes get tangled in the lower branches so that it’s really hard to climb out without detaching them. Detaching them is hard. My best friend fell into one when snowshoeing and disappeared. He was wearing snowshoes and a 50-pound pack. I had to lay down in the snow to help him out. We were cracking up.
Edit: Most of us who play in deep snow. I live in Oregon. There’s about 15 feet of snow in the mountains and more coming.
No-Wonder1139 t1_jeguhdr wrote
Reply to TIL that on top of the 3 matters of state that we’re all familiar with (solid, liquid, gas), there are at least 24 more, though most only exist under extreme conditions by gianthooverpig
Plasma is significantly more common, universally than the other 3 mentioned.
0OO0OO00O t1_jegufqg wrote
Reply to comment by Mr_Mojo_Risin_83 in TIL in the 1920s, Coco Chanel accidentally got a tan, and helped inspire the trend of sunbathing. Soon "sunlight therapy" was prescribed for almost every ailment from fatigue to tuberculosis. Before this, tanned skin was associated with the lower classes who work outside, and fair skin was revered. by Pfeffer_Prinz
Have you ever left your room?
0OO0OO00O t1_jegu9k3 wrote
Reply to comment by artaig in TIL in the 1920s, Coco Chanel accidentally got a tan, and helped inspire the trend of sunbathing. Soon "sunlight therapy" was prescribed for almost every ailment from fatigue to tuberculosis. Before this, tanned skin was associated with the lower classes who work outside, and fair skin was revered. by Pfeffer_Prinz
Maybe in the US, not everywhere. A 9 to 5 in an office is a privileged job in third world countries
Timballist0 t1_jegu7js wrote
Reply to comment by GhettoChemist in TIL A newborn baby is 75% water at birth. A slightly higher water content than bananas, but slightly less than potatoes. by Imbiberr
I love babies, but I couldn't eat a whole one.
MediaControlled t1_jegu4vs wrote
Reply to TIL baby giraffes fall 6 feet to the ground they are born. The fall doesn’t hurt them, but snaps the umbilical cord and tears the amniotic sack, with the shock of the fall stimulating the baby to take its first breath. by billyboysuedo
I guess we can add "skydiving" to the list of things giraffes are good at. Just don't tell them about bungee jumping, or we might have a new animal extreme sport on our hands.
excelbae t1_jegu4v9 wrote
Reply to TIL In 2017, six Chinese officials were punished for falling asleep in a meeting about how to motivate lazy bureaucrats. by Rifletree
Give them a break. They look just like my uncle falling asleep in front of the TV. Uncles need their naps.
Glorx t1_jegu3sm wrote
Reply to comment by Hydroblitz3307 in TIL A newborn baby is 75% water at birth. A slightly higher water content than bananas, but slightly less than potatoes. by Imbiberr
Hey you can leave at any time. All you have to do is overcome earths gravity.
AliasNefertiti t1_jegtwfl wrote
Reply to comment by Salt_Market_6989 in TIL about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids. by Roguecop
checkout the video of a skier saving a snowboarder who ended up in a tree well. It is posted in this thread (timing was after your question).
popkornking t1_jegxs64 wrote
Reply to comment by fizzlefist in TIL: honeycombs start out circular, and the surface tension of the beeswax pulls them into hexagons as it solidifies, because it is the most energetically favorable conformation. by craigdahlke
WOOOOOOOOO