› added 5 years ago

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TIL that in the 1952 polio epidemic in Denmark, mortality was over 85 per cent due to a shortage of respirators. Dr Bjorn Ibsen invented a new kind of ventilator, proved it worked and then recruited thousands of volunteers to hand-pump them for weeks (they were fully manual). Mortality fell to 26%.

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0wQp5 TIL that English and Norwegian share not only the same syntax, but also have very similar pronunciation / sounds and even shared words (although usually with different meanings). English is classified as western Germanic but it fits all the characteristics of a northern Germanic language.
WGxL TIL that during the Rwanadan Genocide France gave the Hutu-dominated government extensive military, and diplomatic support during Opération Turquoise. The Hutu were the ones committing genocide.
Y7GpZ TIL about Helios Flight 522. An engineer failed to set the pressurization system back to auto from manual, causing most (except 2 flight attendants) to lose consciousness. The auto-pilot reached Greece and stayed in a holding pattern until they ran out of fuel and crashed, killing all 121 onboard.
9xkp TIL more rain falls on a Saturday than any other day, thanks to a seven-day dust cycle caused by traffic and industrial activity during the working week. Since Nature doesn’t generally follow 7 day patterns, they’re a human invention.
PY4gE TIL no Canadian owns the physical land they purchase, only an interest in the estate according to law (The Canada Act of 1982). The Canadian monarch owns 100% of Canada's land.