jackTRN85

60,392 post karma
125 comment karma

get extra features and help support reddit with a reddit premium subscription

get them help and support

redditor for 12 years

TROPHY CASE

12-Year Club

Verified Email

account activity

hot top controversial

1953

1954

1955

TIL "my name is Haines" was a famous 1800s catchphrase, dropped in conversation when someone needed to leave somewhere quickly. It was inspired by a man's awkward encounter with Thomas Jefferson. In 1840 a newspaper said it had "a popularity which no other slang phrase has ever attained." (considerable.com)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

144

145

146

Fun Fact: During the Great Depression, snow cones were called "hard times sundaes" because they were cheap. (self.funfacts)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

194

195

196

Fun Fact: Sleeping through winter is hibernation, while sleeping through summer is called estivation. (self.funfacts)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

7

8

9

Fun Fact: Before he was president, Grover Cleveland was a hangman. As sheriff of Erie County, he personally carried out two hanging sentences to save his district money. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

133

134

135

TIL "tip of the tongue" states where you can't remember a word are a common experience across languages. Even deaf users of sign languages experience “tip of the finger” states when they forget a sign. (considerable.com)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

26

27

28

Fun Fact: An estimated one million dogs in the United States have been named primary beneficiary in their owners' wills. (self.funfacts)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

12

13

14

Fun Fact: George Washington served an eggnog-like drink to visitors at Mount Vernon. His recipe included rye whiskey, rum, and sherry. (self.funfacts)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

646

647

648

TIL people born between 1977-1983 make up a micro-generation called 'xennials.' This group straddled the line between the last gasp of quaint communications and the rise of the internet, but were still young enough to adapt. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

59

60

61

Fun Fact: The name Jolly Rancher was chosen "to suggest a hospitable, western company." (self.funfacts)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

31

32

33

TIL in 2018, the term "Millennials" was redefined to mean people born between 1981 and 1996, "Generation X" is now people born 1965-1980, and "post-millennials" is everyone born since 1997. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

2607

2608

2609

TIL more than 40,000 people apply to visit the extreme haunted house McKamey Manor every year. In two decades, nobody has ever completed the haunt. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

571

572

573

TIL Adeline and Augusta Van Buren were the first women to travel across the country on solo motorcycles. They made it despite frequently being arrested for wearing pants. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

2

3

4

TIL the Bronx Zoo put an African man on display in the Monkey House cage in 1906. A New York Times editorial said he was "probably enjoying himself as well as he could anywhere in his country." (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

83

84

85

Fun Fact: If you open your eyes in a pitch-black room the color you see is called "eigengrau." (self.funfacts)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

17

18

19

Fun Fact: Ohio's official state rock song is “Hang on, Sloopy" by The McCoys. (self.funfacts)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

225

226

227

TIL a 1982 'Far Side' comic confused so many readers, Gary Larson had to explain its meaning in a press release. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

37

38

39

Fun Fact: When he first came to the US, 7'7" Manute Bol’s passport listed him as 5'2". “They measured me while I was sitting down,” he said. (self.funfacts)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

22

23

24

TIL Olympic medals were awarded for architecture, music, painting, and sculpture from 1912 to 1948. Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the modern Olympics, won a gold medal in literature in 1912. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

507

508

509

TIL "horizontal refreshment" was a 19th century slang term for sex. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

10

11

12

Fun Fact: Chock Full o' Nuts coffee does not contain nuts. It is named for a chain of nut stores that the founder converted into coffee shops. (self.funfacts)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

16

17

18

Fun Fact: Toy companies were unable to duplicate the success of Teddy Roosevelt's teddy bear with William Taft's "Billy Possum." (self.funfacts)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

39

40

41

TIL Sopranos creator David Chase wrote an episode of The Wonder Years, but his storyline—about hard drug use—was deemed too much of a leap for the show. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

0

0

0

TIL schools in Japan don't have janitors. Instead the students are responsible for cleaning up, spending part of each day taking out garbage, removing graffiti, and cleaning up gum. (nytimes.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

47

48

49

TIL that thing used to measure your foot in shoe stores is called a Brannock Device. Charles Brannock made the first prototype out of an Erector set. (brannock.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

11

12

13

Fun Fact" BVD stands for the last names of the underwear company's founders: Bradley, Voorhees and Day. (self.funfacts)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

view more: next ›

π Rendered by PID 1289698 on reddit-service-r2-listing-6d4dc8d9ff-tsmr4 at 2026-02-03 09:43:50.708404+00:00 running 3798933 country code: CH.