› added 6 years ago

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TIL of the McNamara fallacy: choosing whether or not to do something solely based on statistics, and ignoring non-quantifiable confounding factors. It is named for US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's assumption that a greater personnel count would have lead the US to victory against Vietnam.

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b981Z TIL Josephine Baker was the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, the 1927 silent film Siren of the Tropics, directed by Mario Nalpas and Henri Étiévant. Baker refused to perform for segregated audiences in the US and is noted for her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.
Z8gpR TIL Velcro is the name brand of Hook and Loop Fastener. It was invented in the 40s by a Swiss engineer and patterned after cockleburrs, burdock seeds that would stick to his pants and in his dog's fur. He looked at them under a microscope and was inspired to recreate it.
PYpGw TIL that Sir Fred Hoyle, the British astronomer who formulated the 'Panspermia' theory, also coined the term, 'Big Bang Theory'. Not because he supported the idea - he was extremely sceptical of it - but used the term to mock and belittle it. Unfortunately for him, it stuck.
16gV7 TIL a member of Michigan's State House of Representatives tried to cover up an affair with another member of the House by having his staff spread the rumor he had sex with a male prostitute. He was later charged with 4 felonies over the incident
kJnpW TIL: Tumbleweeds are not indigenous to North America and were likely not around during the wild west.