› added 3 years ago

112

TIL the origins and etymology of the name "Samantha" are uncertain. It first appeared on record in the 17th century, but was was very rare until it became popular through a novel in the 19th century. It fell out of use again until "Bewitched" aired in 1964, which made it popular once more

rR0Md TIL about "pearling"; the act of inserting small beads or smoothed pieces of domino under the skin of one's penis, commonly done in prison.
D18dv TIL in 1915 the Boy Scouts created a secret society with its own symbols, handshakes, and private rituals. It was eventually named "Order of the Arrow" and was inspired by Native American and Masonic culture. Their society was also influenced by the poem "Hiawatha" and novel "Last of the Mohicans".
0dbJR TIL six Italian scientists were convicted of manslaughter in 2012 and sentenced to 6 years in jail for making inaccurate predictions about the L'Aquila earthquake which killed 309 people in 2009. They were later acquitted on appeal.
BgQoe TIL that the epistemological views of last head of Plato’s Academy Philo of Larissa are remarkably close to modern epistemology. He believed that even the most perfectly rational evidence and facts are compatible with massive errors and beliefs should be based on the available facts and evidence.
JYeL4 TIL that a week before the Rosa Parks incident, segregation on interstate buses was struck down after a black Woman Army Corps Private refused to give up her seat to a white Marine.