10 Totally Random Facts Part-2
Embed This Infographic [Source: Today I Found Out] For Part 1 of this series go here: 10 Totally Random Interesting Facts
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How the Calorie Content of Food is Determined
Ken J. asks: How is the calorie content in food determined? First, let’s make sure everybody here understands what a calorie is. A calorie is just a measurement of energy- the amount of energy needed to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius at standard atmospheric pressure. This makes sense when talking about calories in food. Food provides energy […]
Read moreTop Today I Found Out Posts of 2012
Today I found out was started three years ago on January 1, 2010. In that span about 20 million people have visited the site with around 7.2 million of those people visiting at least once in 2012. There are now over 1400 posts between “regular” articles, “This Day In History” posts, Quick Facts, Infographics, and Answers. 2013 should be an […]
Read moreThe People Who Can’t “See” Faces
The condition is known as “prosopagnosia” / “facial agnosia”, or in less medical terms: “face blindness”. (“Prosopagnosia” actually literally means: “face ignorance”. “prosopon” = “face”, “agnosia” = “not knowing” or “ignorance”). Once thought to be incredibly rare, with only 100 or so documented cases up until the last decade or so, it’s now thought that around 1 in every 50 […]
Read more10 Bizarre Facts (Part-3)
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Read moreThe Johnny Cash Song “A Boy Named Sue” was Written by Shel Silverstein
Today I found out the Johnny Cash song “A Boy Named Sue” was written by Shel Silverstein. The song was originally inspired by a friend of Silverstein’s, Jean Shepherd (noted writer, actor, radio personality, and humorist, who, among other things, co-wrote and narrated the holiday classic The Christmas Story film, partially based on his childhood). Jean had often been teased […]
Read moreThe Mammoth Megalodon, A Shark About 30 Times the Size of a Great White
The (Carcharodon) Megalodon is thought to have looked something like a Great White Shark, only a bit more stocky and overall bigger… much bigger, with an average adult Megalodon estimated to have weighed around 70-100 tons (about 30 times that of a Great White Shark which full grown tend to be about 2.5-3 tons). The Megalodon is estimated to have […]
Read moreMerry Christmas! We Got You Some Knowledge to Share
Merry Christmas from everyone here at Today I Found Out! While you’re sipping eggnog and trying your best to continue smiling and nodding while your cousin and cousin-in-law once again tell you how their little Stacey has a photographic memory and already sings and plays the piano as well as Norah Jones, despite being just 4 years old and publicly […]
Read moreDecember 24, 1914: The Christmas Truce
On the whole, people don’t generally like to kill one another. Most wars throughout history are often more about the agendas of the state’s leaders than the soldiers on the field actually inherently feeling any real malice towards those they are asked to try to kill or otherwise defeat. Few events in history illustrate this as well as a remarkable […]
Read more10 Interesting Christmas Facts (Part-2)
Embed This Infographic [Source: Today I Found Out] For Part 1 of this series go here: 10 Interesting Christmas Facts You might also like: 12 Fascinating Christmas Traditions from Around the World
Read moreThe Olympic Swimmer Who Had Never Been in a Pool Until a Few Months Before Competing in the Olympics
The man was Eric Moussambani Malonga, later nicknamed “Eric the Eel”. Moussambani is from Equatorial Guinea in Africa and only managed to get into the Olympics at all because of a wildcard drawing system put in place by the International Olympic Committee, designed to try to encourage developing countries to participate in various Olympic events. Thanks to this drawing, Equatorial Guinea […]
Read moreThe Guy Who Did the Voice for Tony the Tiger also Sang “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
Today I found out the guy who did the voice for Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger also sang the iconic “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” song in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The man was Thurl Ravenscroft. Ravenscroft originally went unintentionally uncredited in the film. Because of this, a common misconception rose up that it was Boris Karloff, […]
Read moreWhat Do the Numbers in a Blood Pressure Test Mean and What Does This Test Tell the Doctor?
Carmen asks: What do the numbers in a blood pressure test mean? Also, what types of things do these numbers tell doctors? Well Carmen, blood pressure is really just that- the pressure at which blood moves around the body in your arteries. The easiest and least invasive way to test what that pressure is at any given moment is to […]
Read more10 Common Myths & Misconceptions Part 8
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Read moreThe Song “Silver Bells” was Originally Called “Tinkle Bell”
Today I found out the Christmas song Silver Bells was originally called Tinkle Bells. To make matters slightly more humorous, Silver Bells originally appeared in the The Lemon Drop Kid, a 1951 film starring Bob Hope. Needless to say, these two things would have surely resulted in the song getting a few chuckles, had composer Jay Livingston’s wife, Lynne Gordon, […]
Read more10 Common Items That Were Invented by Accident
This is a guest post contributed by List25.com 1) Teflon: Roy Plunkett, a chemist who worked for DuPont in the early 20th century, accidentally stumbled across the non-reactive, no stick chemical while experimenting with refrigerants, specifically looking for a non-toxic chemical to use for a refrigerant. After storing tetrafluorethylene (TFE) in gas form in small cylinders and having it frozen, […]
Read moreThe Origin of the Candy Cane
Milly asks: Where did candy canes originally come from and how did they get associated with Christmas? First, let’s start by dispelling a somewhat popular myth that more or less goes like this: The white base color of the candy cane symbolizes Jesus’ purity; the red stripes symbolize Jesus’ blood when he died on the cross; and the J shape […]
Read moreWhat Does Gangnam Style Mean?
L. Stevens asks: What does “Gangnam Style” actually mean? “Gangnam” is an area in South Korea, specifically a small area in Seoul, South Korea, home to about 1% of the population of Seoul and is about the size of Manhattan. It is known for its wealthy, “new money”, inhabitants. (The region has only very recently become extremely upscale, with a […]
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