pYp5Z TIL that 110 royal dignitaries went on a cruise in 1954 to promote tourism in Greece
GAdJN TIL, a missionary noticed a pot (actually a ship's bell) used in a Maori Village to boil potatoes, had an unfamiliar script on it. The language was later identified to be Tamil, spoken in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore. Recent dating suggests the bell was cast in the 17th or 18th century.
169Mr TIL that because Africans have such higher levels of genetic diversity, that can make getting bone marrow transplants much harder
oRGOK TIL that Alaska Airlines worker John Liotine had his recommendation to replace an aging jackscrew on an MD-83 during routine maintenance overruled in 1997. On January 31st, 2000 the same MD-83, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed mid flight over the Pacific Ocean due to the jackscrew failing.
dDBvr TIL that president Lyndon Johnson would prank his guests by pretending to lose control of his amphicar and drive it into a lake.
KYpJQ TIL when someone is angry they are proven much more likely to double down on something, which is contrary to a common perception that negative emotions (such as fear) mediate escalation of commitment.
a8ld9 TIL Sonic Rush (2005) samples a Malcolm X speech in its final boss music
Zp6gD TIL Pakistani School Textbook Rejects Theory Of Evolution By Charles Darwin.
78XJP TIL In 1938, the House Un-American Activities Committee named several celebrities who had sent greetings to a communist-owned French newspaper, including Shirley Temple, who was 10 at the time.
kJKWB TIL Thomas Guy was an investor in the South Sea company, widely considered the first financial bubble in modern history. He pulled out early in 1720, which saw his fortune quadrupling the following year. He spend most of his earning funding public hospitals which are still operational today
EgaJP TIL that rabies can make men hypersexual. One Austrian doctor said, regarding his patient, that “Semen et animam simul efflavit: His seed and his life were lost at the same time.”
Y75yB TIL in 2023 a Canadian court ruled that a thumbs up emoji 👍 carried enough weight to establish a legally binding contract between two parties