› added 5 years ago

305

TIL that Portland Oregon is named after Portland Maine and Portland Maine is named after the Island of Portland in England

Read more pdxhistory.com

via reddit.com

0vAL TIL Finnur Magnusson identified cracks in a rock as Runes and stated that they made up an epic poem about Harald Wartooth, for victory against the Swedish king Sigurd Ring at the Battle of Brávellir. Turns out he was 100% wrong, they were just naturally formed cracks and he looked quite the fool.
BrwkW TIL that the "electrical" smell from running things like a food processor or power tools for too long is the carbon brushes in the motor overheating and starting to burn
6E6gY TIL that when Socrates was found guilty of impiety and corruption of the youth, his punishment was put to a vote. He had the choice to suggest an alternative to death, but instead nominated that Athens provide him free meals for the rest of his life.
X0JZk TIL: That during the early part of the Bosnian War, the bobsleigh and luge track used for the 1984 Olympics was transformed into a field artillery position for Bosnian Serb guerillas, the men's alpine skiing venue was a Bosnian Serb military installation and the Zetra Ice Hall was reduced to rubble.
Dbmg TIL Elliot Ness, the man famous for bringing down Al Capone’s bootlegging empire during Prohibition, eventually became a raging alcoholic and often told glorified stories of his exploits while drinking in taverns.