› added 4 years ago

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TIL that in 1688 false reports of Irish soldiers burning and massacring English towns prompted a mass panic, with thousands of people arming themselves and preparing to resist non-existent groups of marauding Irishmen.

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0wKVN TIL one of the earliest depictions of a person wearing sunglasses is of a scientist in 1772. Yellow/amber-tinted spectacles were also a commonly prescribed item for people with syphilis in the 19th & early 20th centuries because sensitivity to light was one of the symptoms of the disease.
GDBN TIL Switzerland has over 3,000 points of demolition to stop invaders, w/bridges rigged to detonate &/or fall on railways, artificial landslides, & hidden artillery are set. On the German side, ALL tunnels are rigged, & mountains are hollowed for whole divisions. Military deception is everywhere.
W7o9X TIL The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is not in a frame. It's painted on the wall of a dining room for monks in Milano.
1WDX TIL You shouldn’t use Calvin Klein’s “Obsession” scent when you are on a Safari. Cheetahs,Tigers, Jaguars and other wild cats are attracted by it. Scientists use it to count the population of these animals better.
K0aJ TIL the creator of the BMI was a mathematician, not a doctor.