TIL In the 1970s the US changed its nuclear doctrine after discovering that neither side could win a nuclear war. Presidents Nixon and Carter changed the nuclear attack plans to allow the Russians to survive and recover after a nuclear war, even if the US did not survive
TIL that in 2016 a research ship was named The RRS Sir David Attenborough. An internet poll to suggest the name of the ship showed the actual winner was the name "Boaty McBoatface," but the Science Minister wanted a "more suitable name" and chose a different name from the poll's choices.
TIL that the "schoolboy" look that Angus Young wore in the band AC/DC was suggested by his sister. He was 18 at the time and it was his school uniform she suggested he wear on stage.
TIL Blue Whales cannot swallow large prey because their throat is tiny – only 4 to 8 inches in diameter! They primarily eat one of the smallest animals in the ocean – shrimp-like creatures called krill.
TIL that spiderwebs were used as bandages by ancient Greek and Roman soldiers, due to their antibacterial and antifungal properties, and containing vitamin K, which promotes clotting
Today I learned that the CIA secretly owned a Swiss company called Crypto AG that maintained offices all over the world and sold products with secret backdoors for the US government and key allies.
TIL In the US, if your scheduled arrival time to a destination is delayed by an airline (due to missteps on their part, such as overbooking), for more than 2 hours (domestic) or 4 hours (international), you are entitled to financial compensation of up to 400% of the one-way fare, capped at $1,550.
TIL Following the battle of Midway, an American newspaper published a headline basically revealing that Japanese naval codes had been cracked. The Japanese never noticed this blunder.