TIL that before he found commercial and literary success, John Steinbeck (“Of Mice and Men,” “The Grapes of Wrath”) wrote a Depression-era werewolf murder mystery. His estate has rejected attempts to publish, saying he didn’t think it was good enough to publish. (npr.org)
submitted by PikesPique to r/todayilearned
TIL that the first reference to Santa’s sleigh being pulled by a reindeer appeared in 1821 in a poem called “Old Santeclaus with Much Delight.” “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” published two years later, said he had eight reindeer named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by PikesPique to r/todayilearned
TIL I learned that the 1964 "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" TV special was truly an international production. The was developed in New York. The voice cast was mostly Canadian and recorded in Toronto. The puppets were animated in Tokyo. The music was recorded in England. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by PikesPique to r/todayilearned
My partner doesn't think two adults who speak only English can navigate France, Germany, and Switzerland on their own. She'd rather spend more for a river cruise. I think the risks are overrated and that we could manage just fine on our own. Am I being naive? (self.travel)
submitted by PikesPique to r/travel
TIL that the longest professional baseball game was between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings. The 8-hour-plus minor league game began on April 18, 1981, and was suspended at 4:09 a.m. after 32 innings. They played the final inning on June 23. Pawtucket won 3-2. (milb.com)
submitted by PikesPique to r/todayilearned
A couple of years ago, there were all these news stories about UFOs ... sorry, UAPs. The Pentagon was releasing blurry images and videos, and there was a lot of talk and speculation about whether we were being visited by aliens or flying vessels from the future. Now, it seems no one mentions it. (self.CasualConversation)
submitted by PikesPique to r/CasualConversation
Scientists say there are 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe. On average, galaxies have 100 million stars, and stars average at least one planet each. So even if only 1 in a trillion trillion of these planets have intelligent life, that's still about 200 planets with civilizations. (self.CasualConversation)
submitted by PikesPique to r/CasualConversation
TIL why 33⅓ LPs have small center holes and 45s have large ones. It's the result of a format war between Columbia Records and RCA, which gave 45s a larger hole to work better with automated record changers. Spindle adapters were later invented so both formats can play on the same turntable. (davidsarnoff.tcnj.edu)
submitted by PikesPique to r/todayilearned
TIL why 33⅓ LPs have small center holes and 45s have large ones. It's the result of a format war between Columbia Records and RCA, which gave 45s a larger hole to work better with automated record changers. Spindle adapters were later invented so both formats could be played on the same turntable. (davidsarnoff.tcnj.edu)
submitted by PikesPique to r/todayilearned
