Post * OxnX — Curious Curator

› added 9 years ago

131

TIL that, in July 1996, a British nursery teacher saved a classroom of children from an attacker with a machete. She was awarded with the George Medal, the second-highest honour that a civilian can receive, the following year.

Read more

xVLVo TIL that Pythagoras cannot have been the first to discover the Pythagorean theorem because it was known and used by the Babylonians over a millennium before he was born. Classical historians dispute whether he himself ever actually made any significant contributions to the field of mathematics.

WkK44 TIL that the first major wave of the bubonic plague was the Justinianic plague of 541-547 A.D. It is named after the Byzantine emperor at the time; Justinian I. The disease killed 20% of the imperial capital and the ensuing pandemic is believed to have killed 25%-60% of Europe's population.

Y785P TIL that the iconic Y.M.C.A. dance originated from a misunderstanding. The Village People's original dance choreography had them holding their hands above their heads to clap. Audience members misinterpreted this as a Y and added the other letters on their own in an episode of American Bandstand.

yQJLV TIL of 'Revelations of Divine Love', a book of Christian mysticism by Julian of Norwich. Written in 1373, it is the oldest surviving book in the English language written by a woman.

awJ09 TIL Snakes can defend themselves by releasing "Musk" from their cloaca. It smells bad enough to make some people vomit, and can't be washed off.