Today I found out there was once a one man invasion attempt of the island of Sark. Andre Gardes was an unemployed nuclear physicist from France. Mr. Gardes believed himself the rightful heir and “Seigneur” of the small formerly feudal state of Sark. In August of 1990, Gardes decided to stage an invasion to forcefully set himself up as the […]
Read more
Today I found out the origin of the green, yellow, and red color scheme for traffic lights. While some of the specifics have been lost to history, it is known that this color scheme derives from a system used by the railroad industry since the 1830s. At this time, railroad companies developed a lighted means to let train engineers know […]
Read more
Today I found out that it currently costs more than double what pennies and nickels are worth to produce them. In 2006, the U.S. Mint sent a letter to Congress informing them that for the first time in history, it cost more to produce a penny and nickel than the coins themselves were worth. Including materials, machinery, labor, shipping, and […]
Read more
Note: This is a guest article contributed by frequent TIFO visitor and owner of Daily Random Facts, Jon. Today I found out Charlie Sheen once bought 2,615 tickets to a single Angels’ baseball game, hoping he’d be able to catch a home run ball. Charlie grew up with a love for acting and baseball. As with acting, Sheen started out […]
Read more
Today I found out there is an octopus with a detachable penis. Known as the Argonaut, this male mollusc has a very sacrificial way of impregnating their female counterparts. The male has one arm longer than his others, known as a hectocotylus, which is used to transfer sperm to the female. The arm stores up the sperm, and when the […]
Read more
Today I found out honey can be used for a variety of medicinal purposes. You may be skeptical about this because many such “natural” alternatives to medicine put forth are not backed by any scientific research. These types of claims are often based primarily on anecdotal evidence, which can be misleading. (I personally was extremely skeptical about honey’s medicinal value, […]
Read more
Today I found out how baseball groundskeepers achieve checkerboard patterns in the ballpark grass. Most of us have had the opportunity to stand in awe as our eyes perceive the beauty of a perfectly mowed grass in a baseball stadium. Stripes, checkerboard style, or even artistic expressions add flair to a baseball field. But how exactly do they get these […]
Read more
This Day In History: February 29, 1504 On this day in history, 1504, Christopher Columbus convinced a group of Native Jamaicans that his god was angry with them for ceasing to provide his group with supplies and that god would show his anger with a sign from the heavens. The sign was a lunar eclipse that Columbus knew was imminent. […]
Read more
Embed This Infographic: [Source: Today I Found Out]
Read more
Today I found out squirrels can purr. In September 2010 a baby squirrel named Rocky fell out of his nest in Mississippi. The family who found poor Rocky decided that their nursing cat, Emmy, would be the perfect mother for the little rodent. Rocky quickly became one of the litter and began to purr along with the other kittens. This […]
Read more
Today I found out the famous Star Trek line “…to boldly go where no one has gone before” is thought to have been inspired by a passage in a White House issued pamphlet on space. Specifically, it is thought to be from this passage in the pamphlet, “Introduction to Outer Space“: It is useful to distinguish among four factors which […]
Read more
Today I found out split infinitives are not incorrect grammatically. As mentioned in the recent Star Trek “to boldy go” article (check that out here), the majority of modern English grammar guides list split infinitives as being perfectly acceptable. This has also been the case, not just in modern usage, but throughout most of the history of the English language […]
Read more
Today I found out the origin of the term layman. The term layman has today come to mean “a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field.” It also has a somewhat less commonly known meaning of “a person who is not a member of the clergy”, which is its original […]
Read more
On This Day In History: February 22, 1974 On this day in history, 1974, Samuel Joseph Byck attempted to assassinate President Richard Nixon. Byck’s plan was to take control of an airliner and then force the pilots to fly the plane into the White House, thereby presumably killing the President who was there at the time. Not all went as […]
Read more
Today I found out Ron Jeremy was a special-ed teacher before pursuing a career as an adult film actor. In college, as an undergraduate, Ron Jeremy earned both a B.A. in education and a B.A. degree in theater. He then went on to earn a Master’s degree in special education. His dream was to become an actor, but he pursued […]
Read more
Today I found out Dick Van Dyke was once saved by porpoises when he found himself lost at sea on a surfboard. In his younger years, Dick Van Dyke frequently spent time surfing. In an appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Van Dyke briefly mentioned one such time he was surfing using a 10 foot long-board and […]
Read more
The Honeyguide is a type of bird that will lead certain animals, most notably the Honey Badger, to beehives. The bird will then wait for the Honey Badger to break open the beehive and to have its fill. Once the Honey Badger has left, the Honeyguide will fly in and eat the leftover larvae and beeswax. Honeyguides are also known […]
Read more
The word “Velcro” is derived from the French “velour” (velvet) and “crochet” (hooks). So essentially, Velcro just means “hooked velvet”. Source
Read more