› added 9 years ago

84

TIL that during a siege, the viking legend Harald Hardrada fell sick, faked his death, and had his men convince the enemy to bury him inside the castle. As they entered, they dropped the casket, took up arms and conquered the castle

Read more shsu.edu

via reddit.com

P1ADL TIL that the phrase "tug at your heartstrings" has some scientific validity, because the heartstrings are actual vital parts of the heart. The medical term for them is the chordae tendineae, and they play an integral role in controlling blood flow within the heart.
G8bG TIL the 1945 Food and Nutrition Board Paper often quoted statement “humans require roughly 2.5 liters (8 glasses) per day” is only ½ of the full statement. The other half was “we get most of the fluid we need from food and other beverages.”
697jJ TIL Fifty-seven percent of Afghan women marry before 16 years of age, 29% are forced into marriage to settle tribal conflicts, 84% are illiterate, and the average woman gives birth to eight children. Afghan women also have the highest prevalence of self-immolation in the world.
XljR TIL of Lauri Törni, a Finnish soldier that after fighting in the winter war against the USSR, he joined the SS and kept fighting until the end WW2. After WW2, he migrated to the US and joined the US Army, and died in combat in Vietnam in 1965 by which time he had earned high ranking U.S. awards.
GYJE TIL That Petroleum companies bought rights to Battery patents and sued anyone who used them (with gag orders)