› added 7 years ago

256

TIL Al-Jazari, a 12th-century Kurdish polymath, invented the crankshaft, piston engine, valve, cam, mechanical clock, combination lock, hydropower driven water supply system, and the first programmable humanoid robot. Leonardo Da Vinci was inspired by his work.

Read more wikipedia.org

via ift.tt

rRg5d TIL swamp coolers are nigh useless in swamps or other high-humidity locales, since they work via evaporative cooling
gkDy TIL that Zildjian , the largest cymbal producer, was founded in 1623 by an alchemist. He was attempting to turn metals to gold and accidentally made an alloy which made cymbals better. The business mainly made noisemakers for the Ottoman Army. A family member founded the 2nd biggest cymbal brand.
OA6g TIL that there’s a phobia called “Panphobia” which is the fear of EVERYTHING. It is said to be caused by ‘a vague and persistent dread of some unknown evil".
grj1D TIL that Matt Damon didn’t just make a surprise appearance in EuroTrip (2004) —he actually played "Donny" the band's leader, and sang the song "Scotty Doesn’t Know," which became a cult hit.
9my6 TIL Szechuan peppers cause numbness when eaten because they contain hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, a molecule that binds to cells’ tactile receptors to chemically simulate the same sensation as being vibrated at 50 hertz.