› added 6 years ago

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TIL of Vasili Arkhipov, a Soviet Navy officer who saved the world by casting the one vote not to use nuclear torpedoes on the US Navy, thus averting a nuclear crisis

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JYRJl For those who struggle with insomnia, Dr. Kennedy said she’d suggest showering at night, about 90 minutes before bed. “The body naturally cools down as bedtime approaches, in sync with the circadian rhythm,” she said. “Showering artificially raises the temperature again and allows for a faster cool down, which seems to hasten sleep.”
jN6vp TIL the expression "blood is thicker than water" originally had the exact opposite meaning: "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."
OGoNa TIL that bacteria can survive at least 3 years in the vacuum of space according to ISS experiments - giving support for pan-spermia theories
DJ0J TIL people originally used bread to erase pencil marks. In 1770, Edward Naine accidentally picked up a piece of rubber and found it to be very effective at erasing pencil marks, which prompted him to begin selling rubber erasers. Erasers exist to correct mistakes, and was invented because of one.
vjmj TIL a Philadelphia teen fell 5 stories while exploring an abandoned hotel with his friends breaking nearly every bone in his body. 8 weeks later he was back home and back to living a normal life.