› added 7 years ago

288

TIL that for twenty years, the US nuclear launch code was ‘00000000’

Read more gizmodo.com

via ift.tt

KJGJ TIL The CDC has an actual “Zombie Plan” in place. It was started as a joke campaign, but actually evolved into real training and countermeasures because “if you’re well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack
JYnpV TIL bumblebees have parasitic "doppelgangers" called cuckoo bumblebees that resemble a specific race enough to be able to sneak into their nest, kill the queen, and trick all the workers into feeding their offspring and ultimately taking over the whole nest before moving onto their next target.
l7JwV TIL that the United Kingdom has an “uncodified constitution”: Rather than a single document serving as the source of its laws, various Acts of Parliament, court cases, and unwritten conventions together serve this purpose.
loAQ1 TIL when in the mid-1920s Italian carmaker Diatto ceased its collaboration with engineer Alfieri Maserati, Mr. Maserati still had an unrealized design for a racecar. He decided to build that car in his family workshop, thus starting the history of the car brand Maserati.
VBnKQ TIL Laconia incident during WWII. A U-boat sank RMS Laconia mistaking it for a Supply vessel horrified, the Germans tried helping survivors, but Allies attacked, leading to the "Laconia Order" restricting aid to survivors.