› added 2 months ago

168

TIL the loudest sound in recorded history came from the volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island Krakatoa.

Read more classicfm.com

via reddit.com

WG98 TIL that suicide candidates in 18th-century Denmark were afraid to take their own lives because they believed it would send them to hell. Instead, they resorted to killing other people to receive the death penalty and repented before execution, believing that doing so would send them to heaven.
woAKP TIL that Gucci's iconic cane handles and use of materials like hemp and jute were thanks to the trade embargo placed on Italy by the League of Nations under Mussolini's rule. This was a way to circumvent the limited access to materials like leather.
yRBX TIL that Aberdeen, Washington, the birthplace of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, changed their town motto in 2005 to “Come As You Are” as a tribute to Cobain
QJJJX TIL Lou Gehrig had a better batting average than Babe Ruth in each of the years 1923-25, but Ruth had a better batting average than Gehrig over the 3 years combined. This is an example of a mathematical curiosity called Simpson’s Paradox.
b9wG4 TIL The chemical in catnip and silver vine, iridoid nepetalactol, that turns cats on is actually a mosquito repellent. Cats have evolved an endophin response to plants with this chemical to protect themselves from bites on the face. They aren't just having fun.