TIL that in 1960, some 14,000 cats were dropped by parachute over Borneo to combat a rat plague, and it worked!
https://ift.tt/4F5ayzT
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 10:32AM by iamchagga
via reddit https://ift.tt/46PjA2B
https://ift.tt/4F5ayzT
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 10:32AM by iamchagga
via reddit https://ift.tt/46PjA2B
Wikipedia
Operation Cat Drop
UK air drop of cats into Borneo to combat rats
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TIL that in 1982, 28-year-old Vladimir Smirnoff, ranked world #1 in fencing, was killed at the World Fencing Championships when a broken foil pierced his mask, entered his eye socket and penetrated his frontal lobe. The incident is the reason why fencing uniforms now include Kevlar as standard.
https://ift.tt/jHew0Yk
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 11:36AM by a3poify
via reddit https://ift.tt/sP03Lqt
https://ift.tt/jHew0Yk
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 11:36AM by a3poify
via reddit https://ift.tt/sP03Lqt
Wikipedia
Vladimir Smirnov (fencer)
Vladimir Viktorovich Smirnov (Russian: Влади́мир Ви́кторович Смирно́в, Ukrainian: Володимир Вікторович Смирнов; 20 May 1954 – 29 July 1982) was a Ukrainian SSR Soviet foil and épée fencer. He was the 1980 Olympic champion in men's foil, and the 1981 world…
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TIL the first man to wear a top hat in public was arrested for disturbing the peace. The arresting officer claimed the sight of the hat caused women to faint, children to cry, and dogs to bark
https://ift.tt/JkLOpIV
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 02:26PM by Amthomas101
via reddit https://ift.tt/ESMPgBI
https://ift.tt/JkLOpIV
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 02:26PM by Amthomas101
via reddit https://ift.tt/ESMPgBI
OnThisDay.com
'Terrifying' Top Hat Causes Sensation
The first time a man stepped out in London wearing a topper it caused a sensation, then a court case. Who now could imagine Fred Astaire without his famous top hat?
TIL: The ubiquitous anti-piracy commercials used on DVDs used pirated music.
https://ift.tt/XRJ0WOA
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 02:09PM by 3shotsb4breakfast
via reddit https://ift.tt/UP3Thjr
https://ift.tt/XRJ0WOA
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 02:09PM by 3shotsb4breakfast
via reddit https://ift.tt/UP3Thjr
Ransom Note
Anti-Piracy Advert Music Was Stolen - Ransom Note
One of the biggest cases of hypocrisy was uncovered last year with little more than a whisper. Most of us will remember seeing the “You wouldn’t steal a car” piracy adverts on every dvd we played in the early 00s. What most people have yet to discover is…
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TIL That while Kmart in the US is all but dead, with only 1 traditional store remaining, Kmart Australia is wildly popular with nearly 300 locations.
https://ift.tt/a4VqxHO
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 05:53PM by HumanTarget
via reddit https://ift.tt/91TULRt
https://ift.tt/a4VqxHO
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 05:53PM by HumanTarget
via reddit https://ift.tt/91TULRt
Wikipedia
Kmart Australia
Australian discount store chain
TIL the Myers-Briggs personality test was made by two women without any formal education in the field of Psychology, most of the research supporting its validity come from the Myers-Briggs foundation, and it is widely considered to be just pseudo-science in accademic circles.
https://ift.tt/z2t6axI
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 06:42PM by Bruhtilant
via reddit https://ift.tt/DP278r9
https://ift.tt/z2t6axI
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 06:42PM by Bruhtilant
via reddit https://ift.tt/DP278r9
Wikipedia
Myers–Briggs Type Indicator
model of personality types
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TIL In 1988 Ivan McGuire, an experienced skydiver with 800 recorded dives jumped from the plane for his 3rd dive that day. He had his camera rig with him but completely forgot to equip a parachute rig, thus he jumped to his death from 10.000 feet. The camera footage of the fatal fall survived
https://ift.tt/ucICU8N
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 09:03PM by Ainsley-Sorsby
via reddit https://ift.tt/r48gaEf
https://ift.tt/ucICU8N
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 09:03PM by Ainsley-Sorsby
via reddit https://ift.tt/r48gaEf
EssentiallySports
VIDEO: When Sky Diving Went Terribly Wrong After Man Grabs Camera and Forgets Parachute at 10000 ft in the Air
From an adrenaline high to a heartbreaking Loss, the unforgettable skydiving mishap that claimed the life of a skilled diver.
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TIL that the expressions “ignorance is bliss”, “the end justifies the means” and “honour among thieves” are all attributed to a Roman slave, Publilius Syrus
https://ift.tt/0luaIdX
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 08:56PM by Bizchasty
via reddit https://ift.tt/alhDURJ
https://ift.tt/0luaIdX
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 08:56PM by Bizchasty
via reddit https://ift.tt/alhDURJ
Wikipedia
Publilius Syrus
1st century BC Syrian-born Latin writer
TIL that medieval kings had a personal banker called the Court Jew
https://ift.tt/9FCBVlm
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 08:57PM by fetissimies
via reddit https://ift.tt/kdUbDsw
https://ift.tt/9FCBVlm
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 08:57PM by fetissimies
via reddit https://ift.tt/kdUbDsw
Wikipedia
Court Jew
Jewish banker who handled the finances of, or lent money to, European royalty and nobility
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TIL That the smallest body of water that has a perceptible tide is... Lake Superior.
https://ift.tt/ZJNuOdl
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 10:51PM by LightlyStep
via reddit https://ift.tt/X0aJghM
https://ift.tt/ZJNuOdl
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 10:51PM by LightlyStep
via reddit https://ift.tt/X0aJghM
Sciencefocus
What size does a body of water have to be to be influenced by the Moon’s gravity?
Every single water molecule feels exactly the same gravitational pull from the Moon, but how many molecules are needed before this pull is noticeable?
TIL It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has never won an Emmy in its entire run. It has never even been nominated in a major category with three nominations for Outstanding Stunt Coordination being the only ones it has ever received.
https://ift.tt/2nlAto9
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 12:49AM by tyrion2024
via reddit https://ift.tt/vOP8pBV
https://ift.tt/2nlAto9
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 12:49AM by tyrion2024
via reddit https://ift.tt/vOP8pBV
CINEMABLEND
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Still Gets Snubbed By Awards Shows, But Star Glenn Howerton Has The Best Reaction
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia has been snubbed for years.
TIL: Gargoyles on building were used to divert water on the roof away from the building by spraying the water through the mouth. It's related to the word "gargle"
https://ift.tt/TY8MlcB
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 11:25PM by SilentWalrus92
via reddit https://ift.tt/XZbHo6s
https://ift.tt/TY8MlcB
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 11:25PM by SilentWalrus92
via reddit https://ift.tt/XZbHo6s
Wikipedia
Gargoyle
sculpture of a grotesque being or animal on a building, often used as a waterspout
TIL That the Sea of Japan has almost no perceptible tides.
https://ift.tt/plfG0dw
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 10:52PM by LightlyStep
via reddit https://ift.tt/CH3vkuj
https://ift.tt/plfG0dw
Submitted January 16, 2024 at 10:52PM by LightlyStep
via reddit https://ift.tt/CH3vkuj
Wikipedia
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan .mw-parser-output div.crossreference{padding-left:0}.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatno…
TIL of the 155 passengers on the 2009 Hudson River plane crash, only 10 were found to have found or used their life vests correctly
https://ift.tt/6D2MSAw
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 03:24AM by Wrexis
via reddit https://ift.tt/H783TlS
https://ift.tt/6D2MSAw
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 03:24AM by Wrexis
via reddit https://ift.tt/H783TlS
The Denver Post
Sully’s “Miracle on the Hudson” safety advice not carried out
In the seven years since an airline captain saved 155 lives by ditching his crippled airliner in the Hudson River, there’s been enough time to write a book and make a movie, but apparently no…
TIL Roughly 1 in 8 people (12.3%) in the USA live in the NYC, Chicago or LA urban areas. These urban areas account for only 0.2% of America's land
https://ift.tt/AVhxapO
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 03:39AM by Fawxhox
via reddit https://ift.tt/xQ5cND2
https://ift.tt/AVhxapO
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 03:39AM by Fawxhox
via reddit https://ift.tt/xQ5cND2
Wikipedia
List of United States urban areas
Wikimedia list article
TIL in 2014 there was a 7,500 player battle in EVE Online, with thousands of ships being destroyed and an estimated $300,000 of real world money being lost in the conflict.
https://ift.tt/VBlD2OX
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 05:39AM by HumungousDickosaurus
via reddit https://ift.tt/FhCBxoQ
https://ift.tt/VBlD2OX
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 05:39AM by HumungousDickosaurus
via reddit https://ift.tt/FhCBxoQ
Wikipedia
Battle of B-R5RB
The Battle of B-R5RB or the Bloodbath of B-R5RB (/ˈbiː tæk ɑːr faɪv ɑːr ˈbiː/ ⓘ) was a massive-scale virtual battle fought in the MMORPG space game EVE Online in January 2014 (YC 116 in-game), possibly the largest player-versus-player battle in gaming history…
TIL that the Eastern Front alone is enough to make WWII one of the, if not the single deadliest war of all time. Of the approximately 80 million deaths caused by WWII, about 40 million were on the eastern front.
https://ift.tt/nbOZv5o
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 05:35AM by xxwarlorddarkdoomxx
via reddit https://ift.tt/oQ6XZd9
https://ift.tt/nbOZv5o
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 05:35AM by xxwarlorddarkdoomxx
via reddit https://ift.tt/oQ6XZd9
Wikipedia
List of wars by death toll
Wikimedia list article
TIL The first man to finish the 1904 Olympic marathon rode in a car half the race. The actual winner had to be carried across the finish line after his coaches gave him a mix of brandy, eggs and strychnine. 4th place stole 2 peaches from a spectator, ate rotten apples from an orchard and took a nap.
https://ift.tt/Pu5CaMr
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 06:08AM by poseidonofmyapt
via reddit https://ift.tt/YkPabDt
https://ift.tt/Pu5CaMr
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 06:08AM by poseidonofmyapt
via reddit https://ift.tt/YkPabDt
Wikipedia
Athletics at the 1904 Summer Olympics – men's marathon
The men's marathon at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, United States, took place on August 30 of that year, over a distance of 24 miles 1500 yards (40 km).
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TIL The Simpsons' show-within-a-show, "The Itchy and Scratchy Show", isn't actually based on Tom and Jerry. It's based on a more obscure cartoon called "Herman and Katnip," which was notorious for being violent and mean-spirited.
https://ift.tt/1QDbnio
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 06:05AM by Freezair
via reddit https://ift.tt/Rfb8QPk
https://ift.tt/1QDbnio
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 06:05AM by Freezair
via reddit https://ift.tt/Rfb8QPk
Wikipedia
Herman and Katnip
American animated short film series
TIL that when writing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl originally intended for Charlie to be black, but his agent thought it was a bad idea and made him turn Charlie white.
https://ift.tt/EphDTq0
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 11:12AM by astarisaslave
via reddit https://ift.tt/BKCs0rt
https://ift.tt/EphDTq0
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 11:12AM by astarisaslave
via reddit https://ift.tt/BKCs0rt
NPR
Roald Dahl's Widow Says Charlie From 'The Chocolate Factory' Was Originally Black
Dahl's widow revealed the surprising scoop on the BBC earlier this week.
TIL that Sigmund Freud dissected hundreds of eels in search of the male sex organs. He had to concede failure in his first major published research paper, and turned to other issues in frustration
https://ift.tt/NMEdQDI
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 12:02PM by ohdearitsrichardiii
via reddit https://ift.tt/iqGpTSV
https://ift.tt/NMEdQDI
Submitted January 17, 2024 at 12:02PM by ohdearitsrichardiii
via reddit https://ift.tt/iqGpTSV
Wikipedia
Eel life history
life history of eels (Anguilliformes)