› added 9 years ago

307

TIL In the late 1800s, a baboon was officially employed as a railroad signalman. He was paid in money and beer and never made a mistake.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

8xQb TIL that Malcom X had a Scottish grandmother and the reddish hair he inherited from her inspired the nickname “Detroit Red.”
nWld7 TIL that in 2001, actor Mark Ruffalo had a realistic dream that he had a brain tumor. Despite no previous signs, he went to see a doctor due to the vividness of his dream. The doctor ordered a scan and it turned out that he did indeed have a tumor, which was subsequently removed.
d8oYQ TIL That if you combined all of the area of the Nordic countries together, nearly 2/3 of it would just be Greenland. If Greenland became it's own country (it's currently a territory of Denmak), it would be the least densely populated country on the planet.
KAVG TIL that 60 years ago today, virologist Jonas Salk announced the first successful testing of a vaccine for Polio.
78GkM TIL that the oldest known prosthetic leg dates back to 300BC and was crafted by Romans from bronze and iron with a wooden core.