Today I found out clownfish are all born males and the dominant male of a group will turn female when the female of that group dies. Clownfish, also known as anemonefish, are sequential hermaphrodites that first develop into males. In fact, they live in regimented schools made up of all males and just one female- the lone female being the […]
Read more
Today I found out how rum is made. Rum was once used as a medium of economic exchange in lieu of money. At one point in Europe, Rhode Island rum was even used as an accepted substitute for gold in economic exchanges. This drink, which first began being made as we know it today around the 17th century, quickly became […]
Read more
Myth: There is such a thing as true bulletproof glass In movies and TV shows, bulletproof glass is often depicted to be indestructible. No matter what weapon is used, no matter how many bullets are fired, bulletproof glass remains intact and unchanged. The only problem is, in real life, bulletproof glass isn’t really bulletproof and it isn’t really glass. The […]
Read more
Today I found out about the Rule of 72, which is a very easy way to calculate in your head how long it will take to double your money or debt based on a given fixed interest rate, assuming the interest is annually compounded. Use of the Rule of 72 is very simple. All you have to do is divide […]
Read more
Today I found out that Mexico is really called the United Mexican States or Estados Unidos Mexicanos. Specifically, there are thirty one states in the UMS, with 111 million people making it the 11th most populated country in the world. The United Mexican States was originally called “New Spain” around the time they won their independence from Spain. They then […]
Read more
Today I found out Teflon was invented by accident. The man who accidentally invented it was Dr. Roy Plunkett. After receiving his BA, MS, and eventually PhD in organic chemistry, Dr. Plunkett took a job with DuPont, in Jackson New Jersey. He was subsequently assigned to work on synthesizing various new forms of refrigerant, trying to find a non-toxic alternative […]
Read more
Note: This is a guest article contributed by frequent TIFO visitor and owner of DumpADay, Jon. Today I found the Slinky was originally intended to be used as a tension spring in a battleship engine horsepower meter. In 1943, Richard James, a marine engineer in a Philadelphia shipyard, was working at his desk, developing a special meter designed to monitor […]
Read more
Today I found out that the Popsicle was invented by an eleven-year-old boy. In 1905, eleven-year-old Frank Epperson from San Francisco, California invented the popular hot weather treat, the Popsicle as we know it today. However, the invention supposedly came about as a pure accident! According to the Popsicle company, one cold evening Frank left a mixture of powder flavored […]
Read more
Today I found out the microwave oven was invented by accident by a man who was orphaned and never finished grammar school. The man was Percy Spencer. At the age of just 18 months old, Spencer’s father died and his mother soon left him to his aunt and uncle. His uncle then died when Spencer was just seven years old. […]
Read more
Today I found out Super Glue was invented by accident, twice. Super Glue, also known as cyanoacrylate, was originally discovered in 1942 by Dr. Harry Coover, who by the way died last month on March 26th, 2011. Coover was attempting to make clear plastic gun sights to be put on guns used by Allied soldiers in WWII. One particular formulation […]
Read more
This week’s Today I Found Out articles will all be themed towards accidental inventions that are now common products. If you happen to know of any popular products that were invented by accident, feel free to email me here and let me know. If it’s interesting enough, I’ll do an article on it.
Read more
Embed This Infographic Source: Today I found out How to Make Maple Syrup Ever find yourself sitting there enjoying a stack of pancakes dripping with melted butter and maple syrup (getting hungry aren’t you?) and find yourself wondering, “I wonder how maple syrup is made?” …. Ya me neither. However, on the off chance you’re out of maple syrup and […]
Read more
Note: This is a guest article contributed by frequent TIFO visitor, paramedic, and amateur physicist, Scott. Today I found out why we divide the day in to seconds, minutes, and hours. The concept of needing to divide up the day seems second nature to even the smallest kid who asks, “is it snack time”. The reality is, even though we’ve […]
Read more
Today I found out that Elvis didn’t naturally have black hair. He was born a blond and, when he got older, his hair was more of a sandy blond color. He started occasionally dying it black all the way back when he was in high school and eventually just always kept it as black. Other fun Elvis Related Facts: There […]
Read more
Today I found out why short movie advertisement clips are called “trailers”, even though they are typically shown before the movie. It turns out, the first movie trailers occurred not at the beginning of the films, as they do today, but rather at the end of the films. They were called “trailers” because the advertisements would be spliced directly on the end of […]
Read more
Today I found out bread goes stale about six times faster in the refrigerator then when kept at room temperature. On the surface, this might seem counter intuitive; after all, everyone knows if you want to keep food fresher longer, you put it in the fridge. The problem stems from what bread is made out of, specifically starch molecules, and […]
Read more
Today I found out that toilet paper was first used by the Chinese about 1300 years before it caught on with the rest of the world. The first references of people using toilet paper dates back to the 6th century AD in the Chinese Imperial courts and amongst the other wealthy citizens of China. This eventually spread throughout China and […]
Read more
Note: This is a guest article contributed by frequent TIFO visitor and owner of DumpADay, Jon. Today I Found Out that Dolph Lundgren (A.K.A. Ivan Drago) is a real life genius. I guess the phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is true. Just looking at Mr. Lundgren, I’d think he was a fun guy to hang out […]
Read more