TIL tipping was abolished in Switzerland in 1974 after a dispute over taxes on tips. Service is now included in prices, with higher wages replacing tips.
BezugssystemCH1903 , freepik Report
TIL that during the filming of the 2014 film Muppets Most Wanted Danny Trejo's mom passed away. Danny managed to keep it all together when people on set gave him their condolences, until Kermit offered his own, which caused him to run to the bathroom to bawl his eyes out.
-Appleaday- , Walt Disney Pictures Report
Our physical bodies aren't the only things we should be working out; our minds need just as much stimulation if we want to be happy and healthy well into our older age. Mental fitness develops our neuroplasticity. When we do puzzles, learn new languages, and even read books our brains create new neural pathways.
Neuroplasticity means that our brains can restructure and rewire themselves to adapt to changes. Physical exercise, traveling, learning new languages, reading books, playing video games, music or painting are all activities that can rewire our brains.
TIL that in 2009, a campaign succeeded in making Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing in the Name' the Christmas number 1 best-selling single in the UK after the public grew tired of X Factor winners topping the chart every year.
serioussgtstu , freepik Report
We also exercise our brains by constantly learning new things. Just like these random facts you have a chance to learn about today! So, let's go through some of the facts people have shared on the TIL subreddit in a little bit more depth, shall we?
Like the fact that the law basically qualifies Converse shoes as slippers. Although the tax write-off is a good reason why the makers put felt into the sole of the shoe, there's a comfort reason as well. It also helps the shoe to retain its shape and grip and ensures every step is as quiet as possible.
TIL that although the location of the former base of MI6 from 1964 to 1994 was meant to be classified, The Daily Telegraph called it "London's worst-kept secret, known only to every taxi driver, tourist guide and KGB agent".
S5A-0043 , Richard Cooke / Wikipedia Report
TIL Steven Spielberg beat James Cameron to the film rights of Jurassic Park by just a few hours. However after Cameron saw Spielberg's film, he realized that Spielberg was the right person for it because dinosaurs are for kids and he would've made "Aliens with dinosaurs."
tyrion2024 , Universal Pictures Report
Many of us can't imagine flying without Ziploc bags filled with our little toiletry bottles. But that was the reality once, and it wasn't 9/11 that forced airlines to ban liquids on planes. In 2006, the British government thwarted a terrorist attack to blow up a U.S.-bound plane with liquid explosives.
Interestingly, the liquid ban might soon be a thing of the past. We now have the technology for airport security to see if people have any dangerous liquids in their luggage by scanning it. Some UK airports are already more lax with their liquid policies, but the U.S. airports might be a bit slower in introducing changes.
TIL an off-duty nurse saved a boy's life by giving him CPR when his heart stopped after he was hit in the chest with a baseball bat during a Little League game. Seven years later that same boy saved the nurse's life by giving her the Heimlich maneuver after she started choking in a restaurant.
tyrion2024 , freepik Report
TIL in 1914, 4-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was shipped via parcel post. At 32 cents, her parents found it cheaper than a train ticket. Just under the 50lb limit, May rode in the train's mail compartment with a stamp on her jacket and was delivered to her grandmother by the mail clerk on duty.
BiggieTwiggy1two3 , Precious Packages-America's Parcel Post Service Report
If you grew up online in the 2010s, you must know Flappy Bird. The viral game was everywhere: people were playing it, reacting to it, and even hating it. But the iconic game is coming back in 2025: the creators announced a new version with new characters, new modes, and other new fun features. Let's hope they don't take it off all platforms after nine months for a second time!
TIL in Icelandic folklore there's a cat called Jólaköttur or Yule Cat. It lurks in the snowy countryside during the Christmas season and eats people who do not receive new clothing before Christmas Eve.
nejicanspin , LeksaArt Report
TIL: In 2009, two college students were jailed for refusing to pay a $16.35 mandatory tip at a Pennsylvania restaurant, citing poor service. After national attention, charges were dropped, and the case sparked widespread debate over tipping and whether it should depend on service quality.
ObjectiveAd6551 , freepik Report
TIL about the oldest barrel of drinkable wine, made in 1472. It’s only been tasted 3 times - in 1576 to celebrate an alliance; in 1716 after a fire; and finally in 1944 when Strasbourg was liberated during World War II.
thebigchil73 Report
We like to say that good things age like fine wine, but nobody really knows what the oldest drinkable wine from a barrel tastes like. Experts speculate that it might taste more like the barrel itself than anything else, since the longer the wine stays in a barrel, the more it absorbs oak flavors (vanilla, cloves, caramel, and such).
TIL about Philippine Airlines Flight 812. A passenger hijacked the plane and robbed the other passengers. He tried escaping using a homemade parachute, but he couldn't jump and needed a flight attendant to give him a push. He was killed after his parachute failed to open. Everyone else was unharmed.
Ill_Definition8074 , Toshi Aoki - JP Spotters / Wikipedia Report
Today I learned that sound can be minus decibels. The quietest place on Earth is Microsoft’s anechoic chamber in Redmond, WA, USA, at -20.6 decibels. These anechoic chambers are built out of heavy concrete and brick and are mounted on springs to stop vibrations from getting in through the floor.
Few_Loquat_4217 , Racool_studio / freepik Report
If you've ever been to Switzerland (or even had a connecting flight through Zurich), you probably know that even a tiny bottle of water can be pretty expensive. The 1974 law didn't actually abolish tipping, it just required employers to pay a minimum salary and not count on tips to make up a part of it. The Swiss still tip their hospitality service providers: it's not obligatory, but leaving a tip is still a custom.
TIL in 1984, 13-year-old Andy Smith wrote to President Reagan asking for funds to clean his bedroom after his mom called it a “disaster area”. Raegan sent a tongue-in-cheek reply saying his funds were “dangerously low” and suggested he practice volunteerism instead to solve local problems.
cuspofgreatness , freepik Report
TIL that up to half of the current Cherokee nation can trace their lineage to a single Scottish fur trader who married into the tribe in the early 1700's.
Wyrdeone , sonjachnyj / freepik Report
TIL: Astronaut Anne McClain was the first person to be investigated for space crime in 2019, when her estranged wife accused her of accessing her bank account while in space. Fortunately, investigators found the accusations were false and her now ex was charged with making false statements.
Astronaut Anne McClane's space crime might sound like a funny TIL fact, but, in reality, it was a real pain because of its jurisdictional challenges. Since she committed the crime aboard the ISS, it wasn't clear where she should be prosecuted. The 1998 ISS Intergovernmental Agreement states that astronauts should be prosecuted in the countries of their nationality.
TIL in 2016, a man deleted his open-source Javascript package, which consisted of only 11 lines of code. Because this packaged turned out to be a dependency on major software projects, the deletion caused service disruptions across the internet.
nuttybudd , DC Studio / freepik Report
TIL Alexander the Great had a Hindu Guru who accompanied his army on their return to Persia. After he died via self immolation the army held a drinking contest in his honor, resulting in 42 people dying from alcohol poisoning, including the winner, who drank 13 litres of unmixed wine.
Ainsley-Sorsby , Musée du Prado Report
Legendary British physicist Stephen Hawking used a voice computer to communicate with the world, but his voice computer spoke with an American accent. The speech synthesizer Hawking used was called Speech Plus CallText 5010, and its male voice was that of Dennis H. Klatt's. Klatt recorded himself for 'Perfect Paul,' a program that Hawking used until the very end. Klatt himself lost his voice to thyroid cancer, but it lived on in 'Perfect Paul' as the iconic Stephen Hawking voice.
TIL a team of student volunteers on an archaeological dig at a site in northern France discovered a 200-year-old note left by an archaeologist who had performed an excavation of the site in 1825.
tyrion2024 , Guillaume Blondel / BBC Report
TIL that Nickelodeon almost cancelled Hey Arnold’s Christmas episode because they thought kids wouldn't care about its portrayal of the Vietnam War. An executive revoked the decision when her nine-year-old son saw a rough cut of the episode and asked 'Mom, is that what Vietnam was all about?'.
Toipu , Nickelodeon Animation Studio Report
TIL that in 1907 French waiters went on strike for better pay, more time off - and the right to grow mustaches. At the time, lower-class workers were forbidden to have facial hair.
coolranch36 , freepik Report
Crows are the subject of many creations in the horror genre, but there is a morbid fact about how the birds conduct themselves after one of them passes away. When a crow comes upon a deceased one, they call all other crows in the area with an alarm call. Scientists call this behavior "funerals," and it's a way for the birds to learn about dangerous places, people, and even predators.
TIL a bank clerk dozed off with his finger on the keyboard and accidentally transferred 222,222,222.22 euros instead of 64.20 euros. His supervisor did not notice the error, approved the transaction, and was fired. The next year, a German labour court ruled the supervisor was unfairly dismissed.
Forward-Answer-4407 , javi_indy / freepik Report
TIL Stephen Hawking’s speech-generating device used a default American accent because he preferred it over a British one. Even when offered a modernized voice, he stuck with it, calling it his “trademark” and joking it made him sound more authoritative.
ObjectiveAd6551 , NASA Report
TIL Ghyslain Raza (the Star Wars Kid) began getting tutored at home because the school staff asked him not to return the following year after students started to tease or mock him which they saw as bad publicity. Although, he was able to move past it and now has a law degree & is working on his PHD.
tyrion2024 , Ghyslain Raza Report
So, Pandas, what did you think of this collection from the TIL community? Did you find the entries informative, entertaining, or, perhaps, both? Let us know in the comments which ones piqued your interest the most. Don't forget to upvote your favorites! And if you want to learn more interesting cool facts, check out our previous articles here, here, and here!