› added 5 years ago

277

TIL - In 1990, BBC’s Tomorrow’s World featured a white, sticky coating with astonishing heat-resisting properties, Starlite. In a demonstration, a raw egg painted with the stuff stayed raw in the heat of a blowtorch. The inventor died in 2011, having failed to strike a deal with any manufacturer.

Read more sciencefocus.com

via reddit.com

J18VB TIL of the Nika Riots in Byzantium in 538 AD. They lasted a week, destroyed half the city, and killed tens of thousands of people. The riots were started over a chariot race
rRPed TIL ADHD doesn't always mean 'short attention span'. 'Hyperfocusing' on a task for hours on end is also a known symptom of ADHD, where the inability to stop is considered to be the problem.
QJjLd TIL it is illegal to put coins in your ear in Hawaii because it’s a a sign of selling illegal drugs.
W9j8 TIL tonight is Krampusnacht - when St. Nick’s counterpart, the Krampus, whips and kidnaps bad children
b6Wp9 TIL shipbuilders often place "Sacrificial Anodes", which is metal nodules made of easily-reacting metal like zinc, to "force" the Anodising corrosion to happen on these "throwaway" spots rather than on the main steel hull of the ship