› added 1 year ago

37

TIL: That the Nazi rallying call "Sieg Heil" was inspired by American football cheerleading techniques. Imported by his friend Ernst Hanfstaengl, Adolf Hitler was so impressed by the rousing qualities inherent at American sporting events, that he would seek to emulate the atmosphere at his rallies.

Read more military-history.org

via reddit.com

goP7 TIL that Ernest Hemingway survived plane crashes on two consecutive days
BrJkD TIL Gilbert Grosvenor boosted the circulation of National Geographic from 1,000 to 2 million in 1899 by discarding the magazine’s format of short, overly technical articles for articles of general interest accompanied by photographs
d86bQ TIL the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster eats yeasts that grow on rotting fruit, which can contain up to 6% alcohol. By consuming alcohol, the fruit fly kills wasp larvae that have hatched inside its body which would otherwise eat the fruit fly from the inside out.
OraR TIL During the German invasion of the Soviet Union, a single Russian tank delayed the advance of an entire division for one day
xVJ7g TIL Killer bees were created in an attempt to breed tamer and more manageable bees. This was done by crossing a European honey bee and an African bee, but instead the offspring became more aggressive and highly defensive bees that have escaped into the wild.