› added 3 years ago

558

TIL - There are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the observable universe.

Read more liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

via reddit.com

KlZE TIL A Canadian genius that specialized in ballistics was designing a super cannon to cheaply shoot objects into orbit. Canada and the United States cancelled the joint project. While devastated that his dream would never be seen, he was approached by another financial backer: Saddam Hussein.
VM8a8 TIL that Tuvalu (a Pacific island nation) leased the rights to the .tv domain in 1999 for $50 million; the deal trebled their entire national income, and one of the first things they bought was a membership in the United Nations
jYMp TIL the swiss city of Basel has a special team of garbage detectives tasked with finding and fining people that dumped their trash illegally.
D1ZWv TIL Al Capone was one of the first civilians to receive penicillin for treatment. However, it was already too late to cure his syphilis by that time.
P19PJ TIL the original World Cup trophy survived WWII in Italy hidden in a shoebox under the FIFA VP’s bed—only to be stolen in 1966 from England, held for ransom, recovered, stolen again in 1983 from Brazil, and never found again.