TIL in 2024, the original design of Mickey Mouse loses its copyright protection. However, Disney can still take legal action if you draw it in color, because colored Mickey Mouse is still copyright... (globaltoynews.com)
2024 will specifically pull “Steamboat Willie, “The Barn Dance,” and that original design of Mickey Mouse into the public domain in terms of copyright law. “What Happens When Disney Doesn’t Own Mickey Mouse Anymore?,” Quincy Stanford, DFB 2024 will be a good news / bad news year for The Walt Disney Company and its...
TIL scientists in a restricted zone, closed off to the public, discovered a plant grown out of the solidified lava. It was a tomato plant. Further research concluded it was from a tomato seed grown... (www.cntraveler.com)
In this week’s Maphead, Ken Jennings explains how one of the Earth’s newest formations—a volcanic island in Iceland—was formed a mere 50 years ago.
TIL the UK’s oldest joke is a crude riddle that features in the Exeter Codex and dates back to the 10th Century AD - What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole that it’s often poked bef... (www.wlv.ac.uk)
University of Wolverhampton is a large UK university based in the West Midlands, offering undergraduate degrees and postgraduate courses across 4 faculties.
TIL that 80s child actress Judith Barsi made so much money by 4th grade, her family bought a house in West Hills. She died at age 10 when her father killed the entire family. Her final films, “The ... (en.wikipedia.org)
NASA used math to prove astrological dates are meaningless. (nasa.tumblr.com)
The Babylonians excluded the constellation Ophiuchus from the zodiac, and Earth’s axis doesn’t point in the same direction it did 3,000 years ago.
TIL that in addition to being a drug cheat. Lance Armstrong is also been accused of being a technical cheat. It’s alleged he used a tiny motor on his bike. This is supported by video evidence of un... (www.cyclingweekly.com)
Verdy says he doesn’t think Armstrong’s performances were possible on just EPO alone
TIL in Japan raw eggs are generally safe to eat. This is because the country has developed a "super egg machine" that checks the inside of the eggs for salmonella using spectroscopic analysis. It a... (www.mashed.com)
While most eggs are considered unsafe to eat when raw, there's a scientifically interesting reason eggs are generally safe to eat raw in Japan.
TIL that the founder of the notorious “Bumfights” video series was caught trying to ship stolen baby parts out of Thailand in 2018 (coconuts.co)
Two Americans accused of stealing baby body parts and other human remains from the Siriraj Medical Museum have resurfaced seven months after fleeing Thailand.
TIL that Japanese actor Bandō Mitsugorō VIII claimed to be immune to fugu kimo, naturally toxic pufferfish liver. He ate 4 portions in a restaurant with his friends in Kyoto and died 8 hours later. (en.wikipedia.org)
TIL A 2021 study found that people who have experienced financial indebtedness are 2.5x more likely to commit suicide (www.researchgate.net)
TIL that Gatorade is similar in composition to a medical rehydration solution. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
These data indicate no difference in fluid retention between ORS or SDS when supplemented during exercise in the heat. This implies that fluid volume, and not drink contents, may be more important when ingested during exercise in a hot environment.
TIL about a man named Tricongius (meaning '3 gallon man') who was a celebrity in ancient Rome because of his ability to drink 3 gallons of wine in a single sitting. The Roman Emperor Tiberius is sa... (avirtualmuseum.org)
TIL recent evidence challenges the belief that hunting in prehistoric societies was primarily carried out by men. It is now thought that these societies developed tools, such as the spear thrower, ... (theconversation.com)
New research is challenging the hypothesis that men did the hunting in prehistoric societies.
TIL that upon Harry Houdini's death, his magic equipment was inherited by his brother Theodore on the condition that it be "burned and destroyed" upon Theodore's death. Instead, the equipment ended... (en.wikipedia.org)
TIL many female insects mate only once in their lives. Insect populations can be controlled by releasing flocks of sterile males into the wild. Females mate with them, never give birth and simply die. (en.wikipedia.org)
TIL that despite a growing population, full time college enrollment peaked in 2010 and has been dropping ever since (www2.deloitte.com)
Enrollment rates in higher education have been declining in the United States over the years as other countries catch up.
TIL in 2005, a guy named Doug Heckman read the EULA before he installed some PC software. The agreement included a clause offering 'financial compensation' to licensees who actually read the licens... (www.pcmag.com)
TIL that "Eat, Pray, Love" is technically a sequel to "Coyote Ugly," since both are about the author's life. Before Elizabeth Gilbert went to find her bliss in 3rd world countries, she tended bar a... (www.theringer.com)
An inside look at the most “Noughties” movie ever made
TIL that while each individual paying for their meal is called “going Dutch” in English, in Egypt it’s called “English style.” In Pakistan, Thailand and parts of Latin America, it’s “American style... (en.wikipedia.org)
TIL that after the Korean War, hungry Koreans would salvage leftover food from US army bases and cook it into stew. “Army Base Stew” is still eaten as a comfort food and can include instant noodles... (en.wikipedia.org)
TIL that the manta ray has the biggest brain and by far the biggest brain-to-mass ratio of any fish and is one of the few animals in the world that may pass the "mirror test" for self-recognition. (en.wikipedia.org)
TIL a study from 2015 showed evidence that polar bears are submissive to grizzly bears even when the latter is smaller, fewer, and/or not acting aggressively. Polar bears acted submissively towards... (academic.oup.com)
Abstract. Reduction of summer sea ice extent has led some polar bear (Ursus maritimus) populations to increase their use of land during the summer/autumn open-w