› added 6 years ago

629

TIL that the chemist whose research department invented the gas used to kill jews in concentration camps was not only a jew but also won the nobel peace prize for his prior work of extracting nitrogen from air, allowing us to feed billions.

Read more bbc.com

via reddit.com

6EGoZ TIL of Witold Pilecki, Inmate 4859, who volunteered to be imprisoned in Auschwitz to collect intelligence and escape two and a half years later. He was executed by the Soviet puppet state in Poland in 1948.
lwvK TIL that thanks to its 30’ deep foundation, the center of gravity of the 605’ tall Space Needle is just five feet off the ground.
XEj1D TIL the estimated death toll of the Massacre at Huế during the Vietnam War was between 2,800 and 6,000 civilians and prisoners of war, or 5–10% of the total population of Huế. Victims were found bound, tortured, and sometimes buried alive. Many victims were also clubbed to death
gMGo9 TIL new car smell is created when volatile organic compounds from adhesives and sealants used in car manufacturing emit noxious gas into the car, known as off-gassing. Individually they aren’t harmful, but together they could cause health problems by long-term exposure.
vPva7 TIL Liechtenstein is virtually free of public debt (with a debt/GDP ratio of 0.5%).