What interesting things have you only recently learned about?
To be clear, this is about things which have been true for some time and you only recently learned about, not things that only happened recently. In particular, recent deaths of celebrities and other high-profile individuals should go in the General RIP Thread
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So, what interesting things have you guys...and gals...only recently learned about?
Edited by Twiddler on Apr 8th 2023 at 1:07:55 AM
Ahr river
What's eatin' you, chief?
Wife battery wasn't illegal until the end of the 1870's, and even then it wasn't really enforced and not many cared (US, mind you). It was only in the mid twentieth century that it began to be outwardly enforced. Progress indeed... in some ways.
War is God.
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
I just took a look at the all-time Olympic medal tables.
If you count only the Summer Games, Finland has the 14th most medals. In the Winter Games table, we're 6th, between the USSR and Canada. We rank 10th if you count all Olympic games.
We're a nation of 5.4 million (to the neared 100 000.) We have a combined total of 455 medals. That gives a ratio of about 84 medals per 1 million people. For comparison, I want to do the same calculation for other countries.
USA: 314 million people, 2 549 medals -> about 8 medals per 1 million people.
USSR: In 1991, it had about 293 million people, and they had a total of 1 204 medals. That's about 1 medal per 1 million people.
Germany has about 81,8 million people, and together with East Germany, it has 1 618 medals. That gives us an estimate of 20 medals per 1 million people.
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Space Wizard
Whoa! I didn't know Norway had the most winter Olympic medals total (not counting a combined Germany)! 
I knew that Winter was our best of the two Olympics, but 303 medals is insane.
Hey, Best Of, could I ask you to do the same calculation for Norway?
edited 5th Aug '12 2:05:44 PM by Lemurian
Join us in our quest to play all RPG video games! Moving on to disc 2 of Grandia!
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
I never knew that our nation had been so successful. I knew that we've been the ultimate medal hoarders in some sports at some times, but that record is way beyond what I would've expected. I thought we were about average in our medals per person ratio, though I'm not sure if anyone's calculated those before.
The proudest part of our Olympic history has to be the era of Paavo Nurmi, when he won more or less all long-distance running contests. Then there's Lasse Virén, who won even though he fell down in one competition. But for the most part, I thought that we weren't anything you'd remember.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Norway has about 5 million people, and it's won a total of 447 medals. So that gives is a ratio of about 89 medals per 1 million people.
If you want really amazing numbers, try this: Norway has 303 Winter Olympic medals, so that's almost 61 medals per 1 million people.
For comparison, the US has 253 Winter Olympic medals, so that's "only" about 0.8 medals per 1 million people.
...OK, now I feel really stupid. There actually is a site that lists there. Here.
It gives different rations than my calculations, though. Maybe I've made some rounding errors?
Nope. It only counts Summer Olympics.
edited 5th Aug '12 2:13:49 PM by BestOf
Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Indecisive pumpkin
Michael Phelps has the most Olympic medals, ever.
‽‽‽‽ ^These are interrobangs. Love them. Learn them. Use them.
What's eatin' you, chief?
Fail to understand why so many women (and men) get all hot in their loins about that dude.
War is God.
The oldest every Olympian is called "Captain Canada", and is 65 y old. He has served his state for about 40 y.
... That's dedication.
Indecisive pumpkin
Me neither. I guess it's an androphile thing.
What's eatin' you, chief?
Smartass.
He's not even that good looking.
War is God.
He's kinda attractive, I guess, but I still don't see it, really.
Indecisive pumpkin
What did I say? 
'80s TV Action Hero
Is he that swimming-chappy?
'All he needs is for somebody to throw handgrenades at him for the rest of his life...'
@ Lavender. Don't worry. It was because you used "androphile".
Yeah, that American fella.
edited 5th Aug '12 2:50:17 PM by Inhopelessguy
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
There is absolutely no mention of cats in The Bible.
The lions, on the other hand, appear precisely 13 times. Is the number a coincidence? Who knows.
I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.
What's eatin' you, chief?
I'm just joking. I was assuming you were being a smartass for using the fancy term for "attracted to men".
Guess the Bible doesn't like pussy.
-everyone loads their guns-
(nervous laugh)
edited 5th Aug '12 2:51:47 PM by Prometheus136
War is God.
Indecisive pumpkin
Oic. Nah, I just have an overly large vocabulary. Comes from being an English major's kid.
‽‽‽‽ ^These are interrobangs. Love them. Learn them. Use them.
@ Lavender. English, eh? Tell me when you read Freud. Oh, he's a treat to read! Not from a psychology POV. That's as useful as Sociology (I kid). But from a literary view, he's a treat.
Judging you
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
You obviously are not familiar with Song of Songs. ![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]"){kind=small}
'80s TV Action Hero
That's how they powered their vast killy robots.
Judging you
Fucking Babylonians with their fucking Humongous Mecha causing terror in the Ancient Ages
edited 5th Aug '12 3:05:01 PM by MrsRatched
Haw Haw Haw
icon by implodingoracle
I only just recently learned the lyrics to the song the girl sings at the end of The Jungle Book. Mind you, I never really cared for the movie on prior viewings.
No country outlawed marital rape until 1965. Ugh.
‽‽‽‽ ^These are interrobangs. Love them. Learn them. Use them.