› added 4 years ago

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TIL Vasily Arkhipov was the sole officer aboard a submarine who refused to authorize a nuclear strike, presumably saving the world from nuclear destruction during the cold war.

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BDQr TIL women, who participated in the experiment conducted by students, became sexually aroused in response to stimulating images of attractive females — whether they were heterosexual or not.
XXjP TIL that in 1740, Christina Johansdotter, a suicidal Swedish woman, exploited a loophole in dogmas. Suicide leading to Hell and infanticides being punishable by death, she decided to kill a child since repenting for a crime granted forgiveness, thus leading her to Heaven after her execution.
M7eMm TIL about the U.S. military's "birth control glasses" which were a nickname for an unfortunate looking pair of issued glasses. The thick brown frames and shape were extremely unpopular and equated to birth control because of how unattractive they looked. The frames were retired in 2012.
Y7RnP TIL: The writer of Ben-Hur was a Union General, a Governor, and an Ambassador. He even has a museum in his hometown in Indiana. Lew Wallace seemingly had a crazy and awesome life.
NX7XE TIL that the movie Twelve O'Clock High (1949), which features real footage of bomber combat from WWII, is still used today by military academies to teach principles of organizational leadership.