Post * 78we7 — Curious Curator

› added 8 months ago

33

TIL that Zima, the original "malternative" was made by filtering low-grade lager through charcoal (a process that strips away both color and taste), then adding citrusy flavor to make it palatable. The drink survived until 2008.

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0wNXy TIL Upon reading all of the 18 volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica he had received as gift for his enthronement, Shah Fat'h Ali of Persia decided to change his official title to include "Most Formidable Lord and Master of the Encyclopaedia Britannica"

YjGW TIL that if Helium is cold enough, it will form a “superfluid” where it acts like a liquid with zero viscosity, meaning it will actually try to “climb” out of containers against gravity to escape.

QmZ9 TIL that in 1971, phone phreaker John Draper discovered a way to gain free minutes for long-distance, AT&T calls. He would blow a toy, ‘Captain Crunch’ whistle, which had the same 2600-hertz tone that indicated a trunk line was ready to be put through, and gain access to additional minutes.

WZOX TIL that after he was accused of witchcraft, Giles Corey was subjected to “pressing.” He was stripped naked and weight was added to a heavy plank on his chest to force him to plead innocent or guilty. Each time he was asked to make his plea, he said “more weight” and was eventually crushed to death.

j6j0N TIL that the majority of the missing kids featured in Soul Asylum’s “Runaway Train” video on MTV were located thanks to the video, which was then updated with photos of new missing children as the original ones were found.