› added 6 years ago

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TIL When 5 experts were given fingerprints that, unbeknownst to them, they had deemed a “match” earlier in their career, and told that these were from a suspect of the Madrid train bombings, 4 of the 5 experts now said that they didn't match, suggesting their judgement is affected by the context.

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W7RBY TIL In 36 BCE, Roman statesman Marcus Varro wrote about germs, describing “minute creatures which cannot be seen by the eyes, which…enter the body through the mouth and nose and there cause serious diseases.” The germ theory of disease would not be accepted widely for another 1,900 years.
xKOb TIL an Oregon woman called 911 to report that a man, wanted by police, was breaking into her house. The dispatcher told her that due to budget cuts the police could not respond. The man eventually broke in and raped her. The police were not obligated to protect her. Warren v. District of Columbia
yVkNv TIL Genghis Khan invented biological warfare and flung plague-infested bodies into cities during sieges, and is the reason for the Black Death being introduced to Europe.
WkpP9 TIL that in a group of 23 random people there is a 50% probability that a pair of the individuals share a birthday - despite there being 365 separate days each person can be born. This is referred to as the birthday paradox. With a group of just 70 people, this probability goes up to 99.9%!
dDxPQ TIL the Leaning Tower of Pisa was almost destroyed in WW2 but spared because of how beautiful it is