› added 7 years ago

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TIL about the "nocebo" effect, which is the opposite of the placebo effect. This was demonstrated when a man tried to OD on antidepressants and required IV treatment for low blood pressure, which returned to normal when he was told the pills were fakes

Read more ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

via reddit.com

5YkAD TIL This tower in Yorkshire is the tallest folly in the world. It was erected by John Edward Wainhouse and was originally going to be a mill chimney but was converted into a viewing platform to look over a private garden because of a neighbour's feud.
O4R7 TIL Soap Lake, Washington USA has spent the last 12 years planning a 60 foot Lava Lamp with lasers that you can walk into.
OoZL4 TIL that in 2007, the hijacking of a Mauritanian flight was thwarted. Over the PA, the pilot instructed the passengers that he was about to make a bumpy landing, and they should attack the hijacker while he was off balance. He said this in French, which the gunman did not speak. The ploy succeeded.
b64Q7 TIL Tom Baker and Lalla Ward were married at the time they played they Fourth Doctor and Romana 2 respectively on Doctor Who
mxmXo TIL the Waters & Sons firm in 1868 developed a process for making boats out of paper. At the peak of their popularity, they built simple single-person boats to a 45-foot "pleasure barge," which could comfortably seat 23 people. In 1875 they became the "largest boat factory in the United States."