u/mikechi2501

122.4k post karma · 355.5k comment karma · joined Aug 2013

1. 437points

   TIL the term “Thug” originates from 19th-century India and a criminal underground network named the “Thuggees”, who would befriend travelers, gain their trust and strangle them using a silk scarf, stealing their valuables. (en.wikipedia.org) [Word Origin/Translation/Definition, removed ]

   submitted 18d ago by u/mikechi2501 to r/todayilearned

   50 comments · source

2. 4,933points

   TIL that funds from a multi-billion dollar global money-laundering and embezzlement scheme involving a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund were used to finance “The Wolf of Wall Street,” a film about global money-laundering and embezzlement. (straitstimes.com) [Frequent/Recent Repost: Removed]

   submitted Jul 2026 by u/mikechi2501 to r/todayilearned

   43 comments · source

3. 5,090points
   

   TIL in 1994 while playing the White Sox, Albert Belle was caught using a corked bat. It was confiscated and locked up until teammate Jason Grimsley crawled through the ceiling and swapped it with Paul Sorrento’s bat. The theft was discovered because the bat had Sorrento's signature on it, not Belles (espn.com)

   submitted Jun 2026 by u/mikechi2501 to r/todayilearned

   261 comments · source

4. 455points
   

   TIL in 1935, Robert Barr and Clyde Johnson robbed a store, stole a car and killed a police officer. Johnson was captured and lynched by a vigilante mob. Barr was eventually captured but, while on the run, secured a job as a paid extra in the film “Rose Marie”. (en.wikipedia.org)

   submitted May 2026 by u/mikechi2501 to r/todayilearned

   32 comments · source

5. 1,555points
   

   TIL that audio engineer and producer Alan Parsons, who sound engineered 1969’s “Abbey Road” and 1973’s “Dark Side of the Moon”, didn’t win a Grammy until 2019 for the 35th anniversary release of his own album “Eye in the Sky”. (en.wikipedia.org)

   submitted May 2026 by u/mikechi2501 to r/todayilearned

   138 comments · source

6. 209points
   

   TIL that early 19th-century railways used paired stone blocks to support rail tracks instead of timber rail ties. Because the blocks were laid separately, this created a clear center path for horses to walk between without tripping. (en.wikipedia.org)

   submitted Apr 2026 by u/mikechi2501 to r/todayilearned

   5 comments · source

7. 5,564points
   

   TIL that Vatican City is not the only landlocked sovereign state within the borders of Italy. The other being the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, which is also the oldest surviving sovereign constitutional republic in the world. (en.wikipedia.org)

   submitted Mar 2026 by u/mikechi2501 to r/todayilearned

   214 comments · source