› added 7 years ago

385

TIL Australian school authorities once accidentally gave a standardized history exam asking students to analyze a painting of the Bolshevik Revolution with a giant robot in the background. When apologizing, they promised "new guidelines governing the use of internet-sourced material in exams."

Read more smh.com.au

via reddit.com

0wNvp TIL of Carl McCunn, a wildlife photographer who arranged to be flown out to remote Alaskan wilderness but forgot to schedule when he'd be picked up. He wrote of a plane spotting him stranded, in his excitement he accidentally gave the pilot an "All is well" signal, his diary was found with his body
d8M48 TIL that Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra was a founding member of the supposed Mexican cartel death core band Brujeria.
b69aj TIL the Citadelle Laferrière is the largest military fortress in the Caribbean. Its gray walls are as thick as 16 feet and as high as 147 feet and was outfitted with more than 365 cannons. Since its construction, the fortress has withstood numerous earthquakes, though a French attack never came.
NvGb TIL that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan was asked at her confirmation hearing where she’d spent the previous Christmas. Her answer: “Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”
GAR75 TIL Galileo was convicted of heresy partially due to a misunderstanding. In his book he gave the character arguing against Heliocentrism the name "Simplicio" after a famous philosopher. In Italian this could also be construed as "simpleton" though and the church/Pope took it as him insulting them.