/f/todayilearned
TIL A 2004 British reality show selected nine contestants for their suggestibility, tricked them into thinking they were flown to Russia, then had them compete to become space tourists. The "winners" were placed on a simulator and tricked into thinking they were in space for five days.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by R4G t3_102nzzg
TIL that the social huntsman spiders live in complex family groups up to 150-strong, led by a dominant matriarch. A single mum establishes a family and her offspring from one to four clutches remain with her until they are almost one year old.
australiangeographic.com.auSubmitted by miolmok t3_105a2sf
TIL of Baseball Hall of Famer Rube Waddell, who, despite his skill, showed various unpredictable behaviours including leaving midgame to go fishing, and was also incredibly easily distracted by shiny objects, puppies (who he would leave the field to play with), and fire trucks, which he would chase.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by a3poify t3_10b4ak0
TIL: In 2012, Canadian Justin Williams assaulted and stabbed his neighbor for coming over tell him to stop yelling over a video game (World of Warcraft), he replied "it's not a game, it's my life" then grabbed and stabbed his neighbor. The neighbor lived, but now has a scar in his chest.
huffpost.comSubmitted by Flares117 t3_10iizja
TIL restaurants can lose their Michelin star(s). If there is an inconsistency and things become less than satisfactory in an awarded restaurant, Michelin stars can be taken away. Gordon Ramsay once equated losing his Michelin stars in 2014 to breaking up with a girlfriend.
yahoo.comSubmitted by waitingforthesun92 t3_10kluwj
TIL the Cherokee writing system was made by one man, Sequoyah. It's one of the only times in history that someone in a non-literate group invented an official script from scratch. Within 25 years, nearly 100% of Cherokee were literate, and it inspired dozens of indigenous scripts around the world.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Pfeffer_Prinz t3_10l0ngz
TIL While filming Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975), Graham Chapman developed delirium tremens (DTs) from lack of alcohol on set. DTs can be fatal even with treatment and typically only affect habitual drinkers who consume 0.5L of liquor or 7-8 pints of beer daily for 10 years or more.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by smackedcheetah t3_10l2fcn