› added 3 years ago

112

TIL of Washington Phillips who recorded several songs in the late 1920s on an instrument he built himself. He was the only one who could play it and what it was exactly remains a mystery.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

yQMge TIL about an organization with an unconventional definition of Science
6EZdw TIL that the first person to break the 100kmh land speed record correctly predicted he would die in a Mercedes. He pranked his friends while hunting by making animal noises behind a bush and they shot him. He died in a Mercedes while being driven to the hospital.
wLGvE TIL In the War of 1812, the British invaded Washington DC and burned down the White House and Capitol Building. The next day a tornado and storm lifted away two canons, killed troops, and damaged ships. The British retreated.
9Y9vX TIL that Iceland has largest banana plantation in Europe. They use geothermal energy to heat greenhouses, allowing for the production of tropical fruits like banananas.
NXAyJ TIL Leonardo da Vinci did detailed experiments to understand the nature of gravity long before Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton.