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TIL the term 'nepotism' comes from the Latin 'cardinalis nepos,' or 'Cardinal-Nephew,' a role in the Catholic Church of a Cardinal elevated by the Pope, who was usually related. The role existed from c. 1015 to 1692, when it was banned by Papal decree.

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Z8wnv TIL The bezel on a dive watch only turns counterclockwise so that if the bezel is bumped accidentally during a dive it will only move in one direction, subtracting time from the dive and prompting the diver to surface early rather than staying under for too long.
jNDQj TIL Herman Hollerith's invention, the punched card tabulating machine, patented in 1884, marks the beginning of the era of mechanized binary code and semiautomatic data processing systems, and his concepts dominated high-tech for nearly a century. His inventions led to the creation of IBM in 1924.
JD9l TIL Neanderthals had larger brains and much stronger bodies than modern day humans and even sailed thousands of years before us.
VBdYm TIL that iran once banned the hijab in 1933 to make iranian society more secular this had the opposite effect and led to a uproar of islamic thought in iran it made iranian feel there religion was being attacked it was one of the justification for the iranian revolution.
LkK1Z TIL the United States Navy Pre-Flight School created a routine to help pilots fall asleep in 2 minutes or less. It took pilots about 6 weeks of practice, but it worked — even after drinking coffee and with gunfire noises in the background.