x6J6w TIL that soldiers in WWI wore medieval body armor (which hadn't been used for 400 years) to protect themselves during close-quarters trench warfare.
5VWVp TIL A heat wave and heat dome are not the same. A heat wave is a prolonged period of abnormally warm weather. However, a heat dome occurs when a high pressure system stalls, trapping a huge mass of hot air underneath. It's like a lid on a pot, trapping the hot air and preventing it from escaping
M7b7a TIL tattooing was a fad among Victorian aristocrats, especially women. They hid their ink, since it was still associated with criminals. King Edward VII, his sons, and Winston Churchill's mother all had tats. The fad spread to the US, where one paper said ~75% of upper class women were tattooed.
j686a TIL a British woman was wrongly convicted of murdering her two sons (born 1996 and 1998) when they really died from SIDS. The little-understood disease caused a jury to believe she smothered them to death. After serving 4 years, she was released in 2003. She died in 2007 from alcohol abuse.
0d7dL TIL that, despite media portrayals to the contrary, young adults tend to make highly rational decisions when it comes to selecting potential romantic partners
grVrb TIL that barrels placed on roof tops, as seen in old West photos, serve as a fire suppression.
LQvQP TIL predation by wasps can cause the eggs of red-eyed tree frogs attached to the leaves of trees to hatch immediately, allowing the tadpole to escape by falling into the water below
b6R6Q TIL the US actually DOES have an extradition treaty with Cuba
QNvNe TIL that Samuel Howes Caldwell invented autocorrect in 1959. He did so specifically for Chinese speakers, even though he didn't speak the language, so that they could use Western keyboards.
ANrNd TIL According to the Smithsonian, 7-Eleven was the first retailer in America to install self-serve beverage stations
yVJVM TIL of the "Cave bears", a now extinct species who lived predominantly in caves throughout Europe
DQEQV TIL Isidor Straus, co-owner of Macy's, and his wife Ida died on the Titanic after refusing a lifeboat to prioritize women and children.