› added 10 years ago

71

TIL Al-Jazari, a Muslim polymath, inventor and scholar created the first robot, a female humanoid automata which washed the hands of her operators, 800 years ago.

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WkeGo TIL In the ancient Roman city of Puteoli there was an octopus that would sneak into kitchens through the sewer and eat pickled fish.
R5BJ9 TIL that after astronauts arrive in space they lose their sense of smell. As a result, they end up craving foods that have spicy, sweet and/or sour flavours.
E1yKX TIL the summit of Mt. Everest has just become another "tourist spot" for the rich and you can go despite having no prior mountain climbing experience
W7ExY TIL the 1970 song “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry was used in a 1990s UK advertisement for a campaign against drunk-driving, because of the lyric “have a drink, have a drive, go out and see what you can find.” The ad showed a group of drinkers at a rural pub getting killed when their car crashes.
9YOm6 TIL that I don't need to buy yeast to make bread, it will spontaneously grow in the kitchen.