› added 4 years ago

128

TIL during world War II, the army would pour ice cold water in the ear of "draft dodgers" who pretended to be deaf. The normal response is to turn the eyes to the ear with cold water (Caloric reflex. About half of deaf lack this reflex). No response = truly deaf. Response = Possible draft dodger.

Read more youtu.be

via reddit.com

oRA6o TIL In the 80s, there was a panic over reports that 1.5 million children per year being abducted in the US, but it turned out to be just bad record keeping.
QNP6L TIL Sylvester Stallone said that whilst shooting critically-panned D-Tox (2006) the teamsters met the cast at airport holding signs saying DETOX, making it look like Kris Kristofferson, Tom Berenger and Stallone were all going into rehab rather than a film shoot.
xVOeo TIL about about the 1918 pandemic morbidity: The first wave hit the poor, the second wave hit the rich
7D9P TIL the poorly-received 1999 movie “Wild Wild West” was a commercial success, likely due to underage teens buying tickets, only to sneak into American Pie or the South Park movie.
OoYG1 TIL that city security cameras in San Francisco haven't deterred criminals from committing assaults, sex offenses or robberies, but it did reduce homicide within 250 ft of the camera, while increasing homicide by the same amount 250-500 ft away from the camera.