› added 10 years ago

381

TIL a man who entertained at restaurants played a stolen Stradivarius violin for over 50 years before confessing its true value to his wife on his deathbed

Read more nytimes.com

via reddit.com

4XPEw TIL: The story that Newton was hit on the head by an apple is almost certainly apocryphal. All Newton himself ever said was that the idea of gravity came to him as he sat in a contemplative mood, and was occasioned by the fall of an apple.
4XVRa TIL that the hum from transformers is caused by magnetostriction, a process where the change in polarity through the core causes the core to slightly and rapidly expand and contract, making a vibration.
6Ex4Q TIL As a rapper, Will Smith spent so much money between 1988-89, he underpaid his taxes. Smith had $2.8 million of his wages garnished and many of his belongings taken away. This prompted him to become an actor in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
JYbn4 TIL of the Battle of Empel, deemed a miracle in its time: stranded Spanish troops were surrounded by a Dutch fleet. After finding a painting representing Virgin Mary while digging trenches by a church, the river rapidly froze that night, allowing the Spanish to attack the Dutch and burn their ships.
rN9ox TIL: Earlier this year, Connecticut lawmakers are finally deciding to exonerate victims of the witch trials 375 years ago posthumously following exonerations of convicted witches from Massachusetts and Scotland last year.