/f/todayilearned
TIL about Ragamuffin Day, a celebration in the New York metro area in the late-1800s and early-1900s in which children wore costumes and went door-to-door asking for candy or money on Thanksgiving. It fell out of favor as trick-or-treating on Halloween gained acceptance in the 1940s and '50s.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by PikesPique t3_y1e2ft
TIL a "bum gun" is a type of bidet that resembles a garden hose with a hand-spray nozzle. They're so commonly found in Thailand (both Western-style and squat toilets) that politicians were outraged upon learning their parliamentary building didn't have what some refer to as "ass blasters".
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Torley_ t3_zzvknh
TIL about "The Pearl": An underground pornographic magazine issued monthly between 1879 and 1880. Its contents were three serial erotic tales simultaneously, devoted to sex in high society, incest, and flagellation. It was shut down by the British authorities for violating standards of obscenity.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by DasherPack t3_ynww49
TIL that in 2020, researchers tried to determine the actual effects of ingesting George's Marvelous Medicine (from the Roald Dahl book), consisting of shampoo, anti-freeze, brown paint, floor polish, and 30 other household items. It would cause vomiting, kidney injury, convulsions, and likely death.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by derstherower t3_10k6zy0
Submitted by darth_nadoma t3_zubeqt
TIL Devon Allen, track & field athlete/Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, was disqualified in the World Athletic Championships for a controversial false start. The starting blocks measured his reaction time from the time the gun went off at 0.099, which is 0.001 seconds faster than legally allowed.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by The_Critical_Cynic t3_yfezcn
TIL that William Daniels, famous for playing Mr. Feeney on "Boy Meets World," has been married to to actress and fellow Emmy Award winner Bonnie Bartlett since June 30, 1951; at more than 71 years, it is the longest active Hollywood marriage as of today.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by arrogant_ambassador t3_126adge
Submitted by sammer003 t3_122yd14
TIL the public library in Aarhus, Denmark has a 25-ft 3-ton bronze bell named 'The Gong' that rings every time a baby is born in the city. It is connected to the maternity ward in the local hospital, where mothers can press a button after giving birth to ring The Gong
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by ergotpoisoning t3_10fb6ku
TIL Betty White was nominated in the 1st Emmy category for female performers in 1950, 1 of the first women to have full creative control of her own TV show, while she was still living at home with her parents, the1st woman to host her own talk show and 1st woman to win an Emmy for game show hosting
biography.comSubmitted by 54_actual t3_zwxyru