› added 5 years ago

100

TIL that Elvis Presley wore a cross, a star of David and the Hebrew letter chai because he didn't want to "miss out on heaven due to a technicality."

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

ADXQw TIL The vast majority of funds raised during 1985's LIVE AID concerts went to the corrupt Ethopian government and was spent on guns, with very little (if any) used for famine relief.
Bg7Lx TIL: In 1842, John Francis aimed a pistol at Queen Victoria but the gun did not fire and the assailant escaped. The following day, Victoria drove the same route in an attempt to bait Francis into taking a second aim. As expected, Francis shot at her, but he was seized by plainclothes policemen.
XElgj TIL scientists developed an implantable device to stimulate nerve regrowth and repair. The tiny electrical stimulator device is attached to the nerve surgically and the body is then able to absorb the device so removal isn't required. It showed success in nerve and muscle recovery in rats.
J18bl TIL that RollerCoaster Tycoon was developed by a single person using the most low-level programming language (Assembly) and it still was so bug-free it never required the release of a patch
a8GA9 TIL that the hulls of the famous first "six frigates" of the US Navy were constructed from the wood of the American live oak, a species unique to the northeastern United States with timber so dense that "a nail driven into it was nearly impossible to extract".