› added 6 years ago

199

TIL that the Catholic Church didn't pardon Galileo until 1992, when Pope John Paul II admitted Galileo was right, more than 350 years after the condemnation

Read more nytimes.com

via reddit.com

KOJ49 TIL: Plato's real name was Aristocles, and that 'Plato' was a nickname (roughly 'the broad') derived either from the width of his shoulders, the results of training for wrestling, or from the breadth of his style, or from the size of his forehead.
dDwr TIL it is believed that the invention of the wheel was so challenging that it probably happened only once, in one place. Before its invention in 3500 B.C., humans were already casting metal alloys, constructing canals and sailboats, and even designing complex musical instruments such as harps.
PYJbO TIL the potato and tomato are both native to Peru. Though commonly associated with Eurasian culinary traditions, both plants were unknown to the eastern hemisphere until 500 years ago.
rk7W TIL that Nicorette was created in Sweden for submariners who couldn’t smoke on board
0w1Wj TIL that viewing the Earth from outer space is purported to make you a more empathetic and amicable person, a phenomenon called the "Overview effect"