› added 7 years ago

263

TIL that Carl C. Brigham, a eugenist, used an intelligence test to determine the intellect of recruits for WW1. He concluded that the mixing of races is what was leading to the downfall of American education. He later adapted the test for higher education and it is now known as the SAT.

GAQL5 TIL: Non volatile memory onboard the Apollo spacecraft were made by manually weaving copper wires between magnetic cores, bit by bit. Software had to be perfect because any revisions to code were impossible
mwwO TIL diamonds aren’t rare; their demand is a marketing invention. In 1938 De Beers hired an ad agency who arbitrarily decided that a diamond engagement ring is worth 1 month’s salary. It worked so well they increased it to 2 months’ salary. De Beers carefully restricts supply to keep the prices high.
yJWe TIL in 2014 prescription drugs surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in 29 US states.
ADood TIL In 1937 in The Soviet Union, Stalin's name was mentioned at a Meeting. Everyone Rushed to Ovation and Began Clapping. However, Nobody dared to be the 1st to Stop Clapping. The Ovation Lasted 11 Minutes. The Factory Director became too Tired and stopped. He was Sentenced 10 years in Gulag.
loyWK TIL Dante, author of 'Dante's Divine Comedy', is the primary reason why the Tuscan dialect of Italian became the "standardized" Italian language. In 1945, the fascist Italian government called Dante "the greatest symbol of Italianness".