› added 3 years ago

854

TIL in 1848, Phineas Gage had an accident where a 43inch iron rod pierced through his cheek and came out of his skull. He survived mostly unscathed but he became a completely different person, going from a hardworking, pleasant man to a surly, aggressive alcoholic who was unable to hold down a job.

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R5B8l TIL instruments found in King Tutankhamun's tomb were played on a BBC radio broadcast in 1939 after a silence of over 3000 years
EgWrp TIL the 1966 song "River Deep – Mountain High" which was written by Phil Spector, cost a then unheard of $22,000 ($207,000 in 2023), and required 21 session musicians. It was reported that the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson attended the session, where he sat "transfixed" and "did not say a word."
mxyyO TIL that roads are built to accommodate whatever uses them and back in Ancient Rome this was a chariot or two horses asses, which was than used to gauge railway, which was than used to gauge the solid rocket boosters on the space shuttle.
Men8m TIL about rogue waves which for centuries, scientists believed were a myth, despite eyewitness accounts from returning mariners. The first real measurement only occurred on Jan 1, 1995 where it was recorded on an oil-drilling platform off the coast of Norway.
4dON TIL despite the existence of the Pan-American Highway, it is not possible to drive between South America and Central America in a normal passenger car. Swamps, indigenous peoples, FARC rebels, and environmental considerations have left the 100-km “Darién Gap” undeveloped.