TIL that in 1911 in what is known as the "Hayırsızada Dog Massacre" 80,000 of Istanbul's dogs were rounded up and banished to the island of Sivriada where most of them later died of starvation or drowning
TIL that Pope Innocent VIII was the first known recipient of an attempted blood transfusion. After falling into a coma in 1492, his doctor paid 3 young boys a ducat each to become blood donors. The physician then attempted to give their blood to the Pope by mouth. The Pope and the 3 boys all died
https://sahistory.org.za/dated-event/first-successful-non-direct-blood-tran…
#til #todayilearned
TIL about Stargazers, a family of fish that eyes on the top of their heads. They usually catch food by hiding in the sand and leaping upwards when the prey passes overhead.
TIL that about 90–95% of the body’s serotonin is made in the gut, not the brain. Intestinal cells and gut microbes regulate its production, and while it mainly controls digestion and inflammation, it also influences brain signaling, mood, and risk for conditions like depression and anxiety.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-024-01743-1
#til #todayilearned
TIL: Tom Cruise filmed the motorcycle cliff jump stunt in Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One over 500 times in practice before performing the real jump six times for the movie. It’s considered one of the most dangerous stunts ever attempted on film.
TIL Sean Connery had such a bad time on the set of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" in 2003 that it made him decide to retire from acting and publicly complain about "the idiots that make hollywood films these days"
TIL about Dream-reality confusion (DRC) – a psychological term for when people have difficulty distinguishing dream experiences from waking memories. People can live their entire life believing events from their past actually happened when indeed it was always just a dream and nothing more.
TIL 10k acres of Tohono O'odham reservation was flooded by a dam in 1960. In compensation, the Tribe could add unincorporated land to its reservation. Instead of a rural area, the Tribe won a lawsuit to build a casino in unincorporated land in the Phoenix Metro Area over AZ's objections in 2017
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-folds-hand-in-casino-settlement-d…
#til #todayilearned
TIL During the funeral of William Sherman, Joseph Johnston served as pallbearer. He kept his hat off in respect despite rainy weather; when told to put on his hat, he refused on the idea Sherman would not put on a hat at Johnston's funeral. He died the next month due to the cold caught that day.
TIL about the Cokeville, Wyoming hostage crisis, where in 1986, ex-marshal David Young stormed an elementary school and took 154 people hostage, claiming he did so to "reign over intelligent children." Before he could surrender, his homemade gasoline bomb backfired, killing Young and his wife.