124 words TIL that an F-117 Nighthawk crashed in Sequoia National Forest in 1986, two years before the plane was publicly announced. The US Air Force established a permitter around the crash site and secretly replaced the wreckage with a wrecked F-101A that had been stored in Area 51 for this purpose.
127 words TIL that Frank Prentice a survivor of the Titanic, stated that the scent of the iceberg was detectable before the collision occurred.
369 words TIL of aphantasia a condition where people are unable to form mental images in their head. People with aphantasia are also less likely to have an inner monologue.
178 words TIL in 1990, Coca-Cola ran a promotion in which some cans had prizes inside instead of Coca-Cola. To make the cans feel like normal cans, they also contained chlorinated water with a foul-smelling substance added to discourage drinking. The promotion ended after 3 weeks due to negative publicity.
167 words TIL Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets
152 words TIL that people who attempted suicide have a shorter life expectancy by 11 years for women and 18 for men, and it’s surprisingly largely due to non-psychiatric disease
132 words TIL that The Specials singer Terry Hall was abducted by a paedophile ring in France when he was 12 years old
188 words TIL that for a period of 20 years, Argentina ranked as one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, having the highest GDP per capita in 1895 and being among the 10 richest until 1920. Today, the country is in crippling debt, and is considered one of the biggest economic downturns in modern history.
135 words TIL the top 10% of drinkers in America consume an average of 74 drinks per week. About 30% of Americans never drink at all and another 30% only drink on special occasions, at most once every couple of weeks.
180 words TIL Sexsomnia, also called sleep sex, is a disorder in which sleeping people engage in sexual behaviors such as masturbation or initiating sex with another person. Even if their eyes open and they make sexual noises, they are truly asleep and unaware of their behavior once they are awake.
217 words TIL Sexsomnia, also called sleep sex, is a disorder in which sleeping people engage in sexual behaviors such as masturbation or initiating sex with another person. Even if their eyes open and they make sexual noises, they are truly asleep and unaware of their behavior once they are awake.
130 words TIL Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas share the same birthday, 25 years apart, and they are married to each other
191 words 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.
127 words TIL newborn babies shouldn’t drink plain water because it can lead to brain swelling and even death.
467 words TIL 27% of Americans 18 and older have cut off contact with a family member
142 words TIL On 5th November families, schools and communities across the UK burn an effigy of a man who tried to start an insurrection.
151 words TIL that oil tycoon J Paul Getty was so cheap that when his grandson was kidnapped he absolutely refused to pay the ransom. When his grandson's ear was mailed to him, he agreed to pay the maximum tax deductible amount and loaned the rest to his son... At 4% interest.
151 words TIL about millionaire Wellington Burt, who died in 1919 and deliberately held back his enormous fortune. His will denied any inheritance until 21 years after the death of his last surviving grandchild. The money sat in a trust for 92 years, until 12 descendants finally shared $110 million in 2011.
158 words TIL 24 of the 50 US states have Native American derived names (many through French), 1 is Hawaiian, 4 directly from Spanish, 11 named after people, several of various origins (English, French, Latin), and at least 6 of unknown origin.
204 words TIL Cross-dominance, not to be confused with ambidexterity, is a motor skill manifestation in which a person favors one hand for some tasks and the other hand for others.