› added 6 years ago

102

TIL about Emperor Pedro II of Brazil who was an avid supporter of science education and a respected intellectual in his own right. Charles Darwin himself said that “The Emperor does so much for science, that every scientific man is bound to show him the utmost respect.”

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VMey0 TIL that humans have a 95% probability of going extinct (in 7,800,000 years) according to J. Richard Gott's evolutionary formulation
69GXQ TIL That OMG's (Oh My God) First Use Was In A Letter To Winston Churchill In 1917.
OonBe TIL that the do-not-call list does not work anymore; which has allowed massive robocalls to happen
XLaR TIL that British Navy ships during the 18th Century would often have a fictitious “widow’s man” listed as part of their crew. The pay received by this “man” would be sent to the families of dead crew members.
YpkRB TIL South Korea once captured nine North Korean spies and a North Korean submarine using only a fishing net. Four of the captured senior officers killed the rest of the crew before killing themselves.