› added 7 years ago

66

TIL despite containing components from a 19th century fireplace mantel, Brian May’s homemade electric guitar, the “Red Special”, has only needed a single major restoration since its construction in 1963 (mostly for cosmetic work). May continues to use it as his primary guitar for live performances.

Read more wikipedia.org

via ift.tt

Oo7o6 TIL the SS Richard Montgomery was an American Ship during WW2 that was carrying 7000 tons of munitions to Europe which sank and today holds thousands of tons of explosives and ammo near London.
oBoQR TIL about Leo, an early socio-interactive robot built in 2002. Leo was programmed with psychological theory and spatial scaffolding. It is able to communicate by perceiving expression, gesture, speech, and thus responds appropriately with equal expression, gesture and speech.
grWaD TIL: despite being notorious for the Jack the Ripper Murders in 1888 and a resultant reputation for violence and death, the Whitechapel district of London only had 95 reported "killings" between 1837-1901.
QJN69 TIL of "soft despotism": a state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. It gives people the illusion that they are in control, when in fact they have very little influence over their government.
aryy TIL that a killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium named Hugo, committed suicide by repeatedly bashing his head into the walls of his tank.