› added 7 years ago

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TIL that in WW2 English spies planned to make Hitler less aggressive by feeding him oestrogen, the female sex hormone. It would go unnoticed by his food testers because it was slow and subtle. The English spies were already close enough to Hitler to execute the plan, but it never went through.

Read more telegraph.co.uk

via ift.tt

8a5AK TIL that porch roofs on old houses in the American South are sometimes painted blue to scare off "haints," a variation of the word "haunt" referring to ghosts or spirits. Blue is the color of water, and ghosts supposedly can't cross water.
WkBjA TIL Pope Gregory IX's association of cats with witchcraft led to the wholesale slaughter of the critters, and some scholars believe believe that by the 1300’s, Europe’s cat numbers were sufficiently depleted to prevent them from killing rats and mice, allowing the bubonic plague to spread.
Oopw6 TIL Nebraska's state flag once flew upside down at the state capitol for ten days before anyone noticed. Frequently listed among the worst flags in the USA by vexillologists, one state senator proposed creating a task force to redesign it, but the senate committee declined to take action.
Br6rd TIL about the Tadpole Galaxy which is a spiral galaxy with the distinct feature of having a 280,000 light year long trail of stars that resemble a tail.
e0Mjn TIL that 73% of cars are white, black, silver, or grey.