TIL that The International Kilogram, a cylinder of a platinum-iridium alloy is *exactly* 1 kilogram, and is locked in a vault southwest of Paris, that takes 3 keys to open. It has only been taken out on 3 separate occasions since it was created, almost 140 years ago.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 03:25AM by lemonryder
via reddit https://ift.tt/3sVibtm
https://ift.tt/2omA30k
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 03:25AM by lemonryder
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Atlas Obscura
Le Grand K
The former global standard for the exact mass of one kilogram sits under lock and key outside Paris.
TIL The US National Park Service put out a set of guidelines to avoid being attacked by a bear, such as moving sideways away from the bear and vocalizing to identify yourself as a human. They also advised: “Do NOT push down a slower friend (even if you think the friendship has run its course)."
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Submitted January 25, 2021 at 11:52PM by Miskatonica
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https://ift.tt/2XEaGZS
Submitted January 25, 2021 at 11:52PM by Miskatonica
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the Guardian
US government issues bear advice: friends don't let friends get eaten
The National Park Service has warned against sacrificing slower friends in a bear attack ‘even if the friendship has run its course’
TIL: A shoelace knot gets untied while running due to the foot striking the ground at 7G. As the knot loosens, the swinging leg applies an inertial force on the free ends of the laces, which rapidly leads to a failure of the knot in as few as 2 strides after inertia acts on the laces.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 02:47AM by mftheoryArts
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https://ift.tt/39YkZgI
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 02:47AM by mftheoryArts
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Berkeley News
Shoe-string theory: Science shows why shoelaces come untied
Berkeley scientists have begun to unravel a knotty mystery
TIL That Venice, Italy has no centralized sewage treatment or modern sewer system. Septic tanks are being added but for the most part, the canals and the tides do the job. Tourists complain about the smell.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 03:18AM by CleanReserve4
via reddit https://ift.tt/2NDupXt
https://ift.tt/3iT5XNh
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 03:18AM by CleanReserve4
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MyVeniceLife
How Does the Sewage System in Venice Work?
Venice is the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region. It is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals. This is the reason why Venice is also known as “La Dominante”, “La Serenissima”, “Queen of the…
TIL about practice babies. In the early to mid 1900s, orphaned babies were lent out to college home economics programs where they were taken care of entirely by groups of students in order to learn child-rearing skills.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 06:59AM by Sputnik-Cat98
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 06:59AM by Sputnik-Cat98
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Stitcher
Stuff You Missed in History Class - The Practice Babies on Stitcher
Practice babies were live human babies, cared for by college seniors who were temporarily living in home ec practice houses. The babies mostly came from orphanages or child welfare agencies, and were usually adopted after their time in the program. Learn…
TIL: The original Doctor Who theme music was composed without musicians, instruments, synthesizers or even a two-track recorder. It was put together on one-inch pieces of 1/4inch tape and painstakingly stuck together by British digital music pioneer Delia Derbyshire and her assistant.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 05:13AM by Notmyrealname
via reddit https://ift.tt/2KONDIH
https://ift.tt/20pE79O
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 05:13AM by Notmyrealname
via reddit https://ift.tt/2KONDIH
Wikipedia
Doctor Who theme music
piece of music created by Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire
TIL: The original Doctor Who theme music was composed without musicians, instruments, synthesizers or even a two-track recorder. It was put together on one-inch pieces of 1/4inch tape and painstakingly stuck together by British digital music pioneer Delia Derbyshire and her assistant.
https://ift.tt/20pE79O
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 05:13AM by Notmyrealname
via reddit https://ift.tt/2KONDIH
https://ift.tt/20pE79O
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 05:13AM by Notmyrealname
via reddit https://ift.tt/2KONDIH
Wikipedia
Doctor Who theme music
piece of music created by Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire
TIL of Lois Gibson, a forensic artist whose sketches have led to the arrest of over 1,200 criminals. One of her sketches was the first ever used on America's Most Wanted, and she's known for her uncanny accuracy.
https://ift.tt/39gCvNT
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 06:23AM by SmokinDroRogan
via reddit https://ift.tt/3pjGYoQ
https://ift.tt/39gCvNT
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 06:23AM by SmokinDroRogan
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Business Insider
10 incredibly realistic sketches by the 'world's most successful forensic artist'
This female artist holds The Guinness Record for the most identifications of any forensic artist in the world. Here are 10 sketches from her portfolio.
TIL: Some roads in Australia are so long that the Australian government counteracts the risk of fatigue by playing little trivia games on the side of the road.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 11:40AM by Leoz_13
via reddit https://ift.tt/3qSnec9
https://ift.tt/2Bt22jP
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 11:40AM by Leoz_13
via reddit https://ift.tt/3qSnec9
Bored Panda
Australia Uses Trivia Signs To Keep Drivers Awake On Long And Boring Roads, And It’s Genius
Have you ever driven on a road so long that the government installs trivia signs to stop you from falling asleep out of boredom? No? Then you haven't been to Australia.
TIL that Major Walter Reed, after whom Walter Reed Medical Center was named, led the team that confirmed that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 04:03PM by Mad_Chemist_
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https://ift.tt/2bpMn7i
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 04:03PM by Mad_Chemist_
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Wikipedia
Walter Reed
American physician and medical researcher
TIL that Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in the southerns states, then returned again and again to rescue 70 more enslaved people. Then later, after the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, she helped guide fugitives farther north into Canada. During the American Civil War she helped the Union Army.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 04:06PM by papapikey
via reddit https://ift.tt/3qSTXOv
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 04:06PM by papapikey
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Wikipedia
Harriet Tubman
African-American abolitionist and humanitarian
TIL Einstein was unknowingly in a love affair with a Soviet spy for 4 years. Despite an FBI record stored in 14 boxes, or 1,427 pages, by the time he died, nothing was ever discovered of the relationship
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 03:41PM by Rivision
via reddit https://ift.tt/39lq97a
https://ift.tt/3a0LUse
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 03:41PM by Rivision
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HISTORY
Einstein Had No Clue His Lover Was a Suspected Russian Spy
Albert Einstein may have been a genius, but when it came to relationships, he was just as clueless as the rest of us—maybe even more so. In a letter written
TIL Stress makes you dumb: Studies have shown stress and complaining decreases the size of your hippocampus responsible for learning and memory.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 05:37PM by readcommentbackwards
via reddit https://ift.tt/3poWkbB
https://ift.tt/3omEFBa
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 05:37PM by readcommentbackwards
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TIL in historic folklore, vampires suffered from arithmomania (compulsive counting). They were often combatted by placing great quantities of items near them in order to keep them occupied. This served as inspiration for The Count on Sesame Street.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 06:11PM by boots_n_cats1
via reddit https://ift.tt/2YiKNyx
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 06:11PM by boots_n_cats1
via reddit https://ift.tt/2YiKNyx
Wikipedia
Arithmomania
mental disorder whereby someone has a strong need to count their actions or nearby objects
TIL about Aleen Cust, the first woman veterinary surgeon in the UK and Ireland. She practiced as a vet for 25 years before she was officially recognised by the RCVS. During this time, she owned her own practice and volunteered at the front lines of WWII treating horses
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 03:41PM by idontlikejazz
via reddit https://ift.tt/3qMQcKu
https://ift.tt/3cex5Fo
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 03:41PM by idontlikejazz
via reddit https://ift.tt/3qMQcKu
Wikipedia
Aleen Cust
Anglo-Irish veterinary surgeon
TIL Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to be accepted at a medical school in the US, because the students thought her application was a prank from a rival school and voted to let her attend.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 05:44PM by 02K30C1
via reddit https://ift.tt/36cp6Va
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 05:44PM by 02K30C1
via reddit https://ift.tt/36cp6Va
PBS NewsHour
How Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor in the U.S.
Most often remembered as the first American woman to receive an M.D. degree, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell worked tirelessly to secure equality for all members of the medical profession.
TIL in 1984 David Letterman introduced the world to "Velcro Jumping" by proving that with enough Velcro a man could stick to a wall. And by the 1990s, it had become a favorite pub activity in New Zealand.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 04:26PM by WhileFalseRepeat
via reddit https://ift.tt/3iPyPWx
https://ift.tt/36eFnZO
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 04:26PM by WhileFalseRepeat
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Wikipedia
Hook-and-loop fastener
system quick opening and closing
TIL about brothel candles, which burned for precisely 7 minutes and were heavily used during Victorian times. The individual would pay the fee, light the candle, and when the candle burned out, the session was over.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 04:13PM by klavierchic
via reddit https://ift.tt/3plsTHv
https://ift.tt/3ofMUxD
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 04:13PM by klavierchic
via reddit https://ift.tt/3plsTHv
Gleek
Nothing Says Romance Like a Box of Brothel Candles
Not long ago, I came across two small boxes of vintage Victorian candles in an antique shop. The top of the boxes featured Victorian ladies looking happily respectable. But the bottom had pictures of scantly-clad...
TIL Georgy Zhukov, Marshal of the Soviet Union, was an avid fisherman in his retirement. When President Eisenhower, who considered him the most instrumental Allied leader in Hitler's defeat, learned this he had him sent a set of fishing tackle. Zhukov used it exclusively, for the rest of his life.
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 08:45PM by Dusk_v731
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Nto3d1
https://ift.tt/2Nv9DJo
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 08:45PM by Dusk_v731
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Nto3d1
Wikipedia
Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (Russian: Гео́ргий Константи́нович Жу́ков; listen (help·info); 1 December 1896 – 18 June 1974) was a Soviet general and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He also served as Chief of the General Staff, Minister of Defence, and was a…
TIL in 2017, a baby was born 4 years after his parents died in a car crash. The grandparents fought a legal battle to be allowed to use the couple's embryos, which had been frozen in liquid nitrogen, and after the birth, all 4 grandparents took DNA tests to establish that the baby was their grandson
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 08:02PM by malalatargaryen
via reddit https://ift.tt/36bhGla
https://ift.tt/3r6Lyr9
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 08:02PM by malalatargaryen
via reddit https://ift.tt/36bhGla
BBC News
Chinese baby born four years after parents' death
A surrogate mother gave birth as the biological parents had frozen embryos before they died in a car crash.
TIL There was a special GM program that allowed astronauts to lease up to two Chevys per year for $1 each. Six of the seven original Mercury astronauts took full advantage of the program by leasing both a family wagon and a Corvette
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Submitted January 26, 2021 at 10:08PM by yaboodooect
via reddit https://ift.tt/2YfWl5V
https://ift.tt/3iPXkmP
Submitted January 26, 2021 at 10:08PM by yaboodooect
via reddit https://ift.tt/2YfWl5V
Hagerty Media
To the Moon: The cars of the Apollo 11 astronauts | Hagerty Media
50 years ago, 500 million people watched history being made.