› added 10 years ago

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TIL that parts of the Eye of Horus symbol were used by Ancient Egyptians to represent numerical fractions.

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W7o8B TIL Christiaan Huygens was one of the first astronomers to apply mathematical principles to the design of optics rather than trial and error, and his telescope could study Saturn's ring system. The Huygenian eyepiece he invented in the 17th century is still in use today
oBWPo TIL the song “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was supposed to be a ballad, but during a recording session, Hawkins “screamed and grunted” through the whole song because he was drunk. It was his most-successful recording and is in The Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Ym1B TIL the fire hydrant patent was destroyed when the patent office in Washington D.C. caught on fire in 1836
E14Kw TIL that during the cold war the United States developed a rifle capable of firing low-yield nuclear warheads over 4 kilometers.
QNR7L TIL that the novelization of Star Wars: A New Hope was actually published several months before the release of the film, rather than the other way around