› added 4 years ago

45

TIL that Benjamin Franklin used chess as a means of learning Italian. He would play games with a friend who was also studying the language. The winner of their match assigned a task to the loser; such as making them learn some Italian grammar, which had to be performed before their next match.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

VBL54 TIL that not only is the blue whale the largest animal on Earth, it is the largest animal to have ever existed on Earth, growing up to 100ft long and weighing up to 200 tons.
pYJZO TIL about 'Row Zero', a theoretical plane above Hydrogen on the Periodic Table (not next to it!)
b67Y0 TIL only 8 players have been to 5 consecutive World Cups. Half of them are Mexican.
oD4R TIL referring to its high fuel consumption and repair costs, the airmen of the C5 Galaxy have nicknamed it FRED; short for Fucking Ridiculous, Economic/Environmental Disaster.
p8Pl4 TIL that a dog in Mexico named Frida saved the lives of 12 people who were trapped under rubble due to earthquakes. She identified a total of 52 bodies during her career and is considered a national heroine in Mexico. She is now officially retired.