Walt Disney epitomized the American dream like few others. Sure, he wasn’t perfect. He was a ruthless businessman, long rumored to be anti-semitic and otherwise racist, and was a ringleader for Hollywood’s anti-communist witch hunt in the 40s. But he rose up from humble beginnings; his childhood was anything but stable as his family moved throughout the midwest as his […]
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Steph B. asks: Why do we make toasts with drinks and why is it called that? Humans throughout history have made a habit of basing a great deal of our traditions and customs around food. The curious practice of raising our drink containers is one of the most ancient of these. To answer your question, for starters, we’ll dispel a […]
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Today I found out the origin of the Loch Ness Monster myth. Loch Ness is a long, narrow lake southwest of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. It is the second largest loch in Scotland by surface area and the largest by volume. It is also the second deepest loch, at an astounding 755 feet (230 meters) at its deepest point. […]
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Most people are lucky enough to never experience having a loved one taken from them as a result of violence. Kelsey Grammer is not one of those people- his father was shot and killed and his sister was raped and brutally murdered. You know him best as Dr. Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist originally from the hit television series, Cheers. Dr. […]
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Embed This Infographic [Source: Today I Found Out] [Some images used in the infographic via Shutterstock] For Part 1 of this series go see: 10 Totally Random Interesting Facts For Part 2 of this series see: 10 Totally Random Interesting Facts (Part-2) For Part 3 of this series see: 10 Totally Random Interesting Facts (Part-3)
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While history knows him as a great Enlightenment thinker and writer, Voltaire was once Francois-Marie Arouet, the charismatic and rebellious youngest son of an upper middle-class French family. (His father was a minor treasury official and his mother from a low-ranking noble family.) After going against his father’s wishes and abandoning a promising career in law in favor of writing, […]
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Rhinos are lovable lummoxes, herbivores who roam grasslands and forests nibbling on foliage, fruit and grasses. When left alone, they can live for over 40 years in the wild. Able to reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, they are still not fast enough to outrun, or small enough to hide from, human hunters. As such, today there […]
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Not set in stone, the English language is constantly evolving to describe new developments and experiences and to match the zeitgeist of the times. With words created out of necessity to describe a new technology, like tweet and telephone, their origins are relatively easy to trace back to the people who first invented them. With others that seem to rise […]
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Today I found out that Granny Smith apples are named after a real Granny Smith. Maria Ann Sherwood was born into a farming family in England in 1799. Because of her parents’ work, she became interested in agriculture and began working on the farm as well. When she was just nineteen years old she married a man named Thomas Smith, […]
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Betty White is the grandmother we never had. Or wished we did. She is cooler than most people will ever be and at the age of 91, she seems poised to live forever. Betty’s professional entertainment career now spans an astonishing 74 years, having started in 1939. During that span, she has continually reinvented herself in Hollywood and despite being […]
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J. Rice asks: Why do we call condoms, “condoms”? Whether one knows them as johnnys, rubbers, raincoats, jimmy hats, or the demure “protection”, people the world over know a condom when they see one. Established monikers notwithstanding, the origin of the word “condom” remains a matter of some historical uncertainty. The most commonly told tale has the origin of the […]
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Today I found out why storks are associated with delivering babies. We all know how babies are made. The stork can be seen flying over rooftops with a little cloth bundle before landing at the doorstep of a happy couple who then unwrap their precious, smiling newborn—right? This myth was once a common story to tell children who were deemed […]
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Embed This Infographic [Source: Today I Found Out] For Part 1 of this series go here: 10 Bizarre Facts For Part 2 of this series go here: 10 Bizarre Facts (Part-2) For Part 3 of this series go here: 10 Bizarre Facts (Part-3) For Part 4 of this series go here: 10 Bizarre Facts (Part-4)
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Today I found out how the city of Seattle got its name. Seattle is one of the only major cities in the United States to be named after a Native American chief. In his native language, Seattle was pronounced “see-ahlsh” but it was difficult for English speakers to pronounce, so they anglicized it to the version that you know today. […]
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Today I found out the Australian Shepherd breed of dog was developed in the United States, not Australia. The Australian Shepherd is a popular breed throughout the United States, prized for its intelligence and good temperament. However, in spite of its name, the Australian Shepherd does not originate from Australia, but was developed on American soil. The breed was developed […]
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Paul asks: Who made the first pizza? Pizza has become such a staple of the modern diet that certain people, often found in Computer Science labs at 2 a.m. the world over, practically consider it one of the basic food groups. For such a popular food, its origins are difficult to pinpoint, as it all depends on your definition of […]
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In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… with a whole lot of maps and information about the very round Earth. Contrary to popular belief, not only did Columbus realize the world was round, so did his contemporaries. In fact, it was so well accepted that daring seafarers had been exploring the Atlantic for hundreds of years before Columbus’ time. Without […]
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Today I Found Out has teamed up with Jeremiah Warren to show his awesome “trivia” related videos here. You can subscribe to Warren’s YouTube Channel here. If you like this video and the Bonus Mother’s Day Facts below, you might also enjoy: The Woman Who Carried a Fetus in Her Body for Over 60 years The Record for the Most […]
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