› added 8 years ago

963

TIL the second American in space had hayfever and was almost disqualified from astronaut training, until NASA realised the absence of pollen in space

Read more history.nasa.gov

via ift.tt

DpPj TIL that speed is now so important in financial trading that a new $300 million transatlantic cable was laid down in order to shave 5 milliseconds off communications between New York and London.
mpwP TIL that during renovations in the 1990s, Paisley Abbey in Scotland replaced 12 of its gargoyles. One of them was purposely shaped like a xenomorph from the movie Alien.
PbQL TIL animators and fx artists for Disney’s Frozen were sent to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to experience walking, running, and falling in deep snow. Both male and female personnel tried on long skirts to see how they interacted with the snow.
V4Wk TIL of James Price, an 18th century chemist/alchemist who claimed to be able to turn mercury into gold. When challenged to perform the conversion for a second time in front of credible witnesses, he instead committed suicide by drinking cyanide.
9YNx7 TIL Joseph Stalin’s granddaughter is a gun-loving antique shop owner in Portland, Oregon and a Buddhist.