#today i learned

i learned that unlike poison, snake venom is generally not effective when swallowed, since venom is meant to go directly into the bloodstream to cause damage. (Please do not drink snake venom) (x)

i learned that the gesture of genteel men resting one hand inside of their jacket is meant to signal a calm demeanor and good breeding (x)

i learned that in 2006 in a Chinese Zoo a Panda attacked a drunk man who tried to hug him. The Man defended himself by biting the panda back (x)

i learned that ancient civilizations developed iron tools well before the Iron Age by finding meteorites made of iron and nickel that didn’t require smelting (x)

i learned of Petra Williams a woman who catfished her niece Marisa online to teach her a lesson on dangers of social media. Marisa brought strange men home she met online. Turns out Marisa was actively looking for someone to murder the family and asked her aunt’s fake persona to do it for her (x)

i learned that a Canadian makeup developer helped Crayola create “Colors of the World” crayons that are meant to accurately reflect human skin tones. He pared down the 40 shades he had created for Cover FX to 24 distinct colors that kids can use to draw themselves (x)

i learned that American ice cream company Häagen-Dazs sued American ice cream company Frusen Glädjé to stop them from using a “Scandinavian marketing theme”. The court ruled against Häagen-Dazs as they had also marketed themselves as Scandinavian without having any real connection to the region (x)

i learned about unisexual mole salamanders which are an all-female complex of salamanders that ‘steal’ sperm from up to five different species of salamanders in the genus Ambystoma and recombine it to produce female hybrid offspring. This method of reproduction is called kleptogenesis (x)

i learned that the San Francisco restaurant Casa Sanchez closed in 2012, but people who got free tacos for life because they got tattooed with their logo can get free pupusas from the restaurant that took over their lease (x)

i learned that there’s a fake American Wild West town in England, called Laredo, built by re-enactors, who bring it to life every other weekend (x)

i learned that Bentley only uses leather from bulls for the upholstery of its cars, because they don’t get the stretch marks cows do (x)

i learned that Toyota is headquartered in the city of Toyota, Japan and was founded there, but is not named after the city. In fact, the city (originally called Koromo) renamed itself after the company in 1959, because Toyota had become so famous (x)

i learned that when Abraham Lincoln took off his Stovepipe Hat to give his first Inaugural Address, he awkwardly looked around for a place to put it. The losing Presidential Candidate, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, stepped forward, said “Permit me,” and took the hat to hold on his knee during the address (x)

i learned about birds anting themselves. Many bird species purposely get bitten by ants, which releases a venom that kills parasites on the bird’s feathers (x)

i learned that Potassium’s main role in the body is to help maintain normal levels of fluid inside our cells. Sodium, its counterpart, maintains normal fluid levels outside of cells. Potassium also helps muscles to contract and supports normal blood pressure (x)

i learned that humans have no sense for wetness, only temperature and pressure (x)

i learned about Jon Lech Johansen, a self-trained software engineer who created software that decoded DVD copy protection. Johansen defended himself against computer hacking charges, arguing he didn’t access anyone else’s information: he owned the DVDs. He was acquitted in 2003 (x)

TIL, Some people consume media normally. They call this “not being a fucking weirdo”