OGvN7 TIL that the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is one of the world’s rarest birds, with only about 443 mature individuals left in 2024. It migrates from northeastern Russia to Southeast Asia, but the loss of coastal wetlands along its route is driving the species toward extinction.
69wKm TIL South African "Pilot" flew with South African Airways for more than 20 years before his lack of credentials were exposed
wo476 TIL that ancient Jōmon people in Japan buried their hunting dogs in shell middens around 9,000 yrs ago, placing each dog alone in arranged, curled-up "sleeping" postures much like humans were buried; strong evidence that they were valued hunting companions, not just animals.
R5yY9 TIL 12 desert lions living on the coast in Namibia are the only known lions to hunt marine prey (seals, cormorants, & flamingos). The average home range of a desert lion is around 12,000 sq km (4,600 sq mi), whereas, the typical home range of a lion on the Serengeti is around 100 sq km (39 sq mi).
W7bad TIL that the coca wine was favored by many in the 19th century, including Leo XIII and Thomas Edison
9wX17 TIL Kraft Foods paid for a research study at Rutgers University to confirm that Velveeta cheese had nutritional benefits, and soon after, the American Medical Association gave Velveeta its stamp of approval, citing that the product had all the necessary nutritional value to build "firm flesh."
nWMPB TIL Air Bud was an actual dog that played basketball named Buddy, and the first movie starred him and just him.
4kWZo TIL the Sega Master System (originally released in 1985) is still widely produced and sold in Brazil, largely due to import duties on foreign electronics, wide affordability across all income brackets, and strong nostalgia for many Brazilians who view it as their childhood console
x6nZ7 TIL that capsule hotels in Japan have been used by Japanese salaried workers who are too drunk to return home safely, who have missed the last train of the day to make a return trip home due to working late hours, or who are too embarrassed to face their spouses.
5VRaP TIL that for about four months, the most valuable sports card in history was a Mike Trout rookie card, sold for $3.9M in 2020. Prior to that sale, Honus Wagner's iconic T206 had been considered the most valuable card since at least 1933. The record is now held by a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle ($12.6M).
M7p8K TIL Lust, Caution (2007) directed by Ang Lee is the highest-grossing NC-17 film of all time with a worldwide gross of $67.1 million (on a $15 million budget).
j6bOE TIL that a study in the UK found that the majority of men over 70 were sexually active