/f/todayilearned
TIL about Ragamuffin Day, a celebration in the New York metro area in the late-1800s and early-1900s in which children wore costumes and went door-to-door asking for candy or money on Thanksgiving. It fell out of favor as trick-or-treating on Halloween gained acceptance in the 1940s and '50s.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by PikesPique t3_y1e2ft
TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly.
atlasobscura.comSubmitted by ExpertPreference8481 t3_11bru51
TIL that a prison riot in 1985 on Spike Island near Cork, Ireland, ended after a mother of a prisoner heard what was happening, came to the island,& roared at her son through a megaphone after he had been on a roof for hours; it took only a few minutes of shouting & the remaining prisoners came down
irishexaminer.comSubmitted by newshoeshudis t3_yaz46h
TIL of Trix, a t-rex skeleton that is considered one of the most complete skeletons ever found. It was found only in 2013 on a farmers land in Montana, US. It was bought from the farmer for almost $5mil and is now on permanent display in The Netherlands.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by lucamila5 t3_11wrd49
TIL the guy who played Nick the bartender in "It's a Wonderful Life," Sheldon Leonard, became one of the most successful TV producers in history, having created the Andy Griffith Show, Dick Van Dyke, among many others. As a tribute, the two main characters on "Big Bang Theory" were named after him.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by latchkey_adult t3_z81ore
TIL that the famous author Thomas Pynchon has avoided publicity during his fifty-year career to the point that almost all known photos of him are from the 1950s. However, he voiced himself in two episodes of The Simpsons, where his dialogue consisted entirely of puns on the titles of his books.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by IHad360K_KarmaDammit t3_ybrkgp
TIL that the Hemlock Water Dropwort is the most poisonous plant in the UK. Its poison constricts the muscles, causing death by asphyxia, which also causes a rictus like death grin. Use of this plant in Phoenician Sardinia for executions is the origin of the term "Sardonic Grin".
wildfooduk.comSubmitted by AspireAgain t3_11zroqu
TIL dunce caps were originally a sign of high intelligence and wisdom. Philosopher and theologian John Duns Scotus was a proponent of pointy hats as a way to funnel knowledge to the mind and his followers, called Dunsmen, wore them. By the 1500s the Dunsmen fell out of favor as “behind the times”.
atlasobscura.comSubmitted by Aequitas05 t3_yhe7qd