› added 7 months ago

22

TIL there are historical records that provide some basis for the folk tale of John Henry racing the steam drill.

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gr5EW TIL - In 1853, Elizabeth Jones built a 7,690sq-ft mansion (dubbed Wyndcliffe) in affluent Rhinebeck, NY, overlooking the Hudson River. The unusually impressive house prompted wealthy neighbors to expand & remodel their own homes, to "keep up with the Joneses” - giving birth to the common saying.
8ardP TIL that in preparing for D-Day, the Allies fooled Germany into thinking that they would attack Pas de Calais instead of Normandy by creating a phantom army complete with fake landing crafts made from painted canvas and inflatable tanks which they moved over night
gMdOD TIL that the Sonderkommando in Auschwitz revolted by throwing three SS personnel into the crematorium furnace alive.
NXx4M TIL that Playing Super Mario 64 can boost memory. In a 2022 study, participants were split into 3 groups: one played the game, another took piano lessons, and the last did nothing. Those who played Mario showed improved short-term memory and increased grey matter in the cerebellum and hippocampus.
jNwYQ TIL about Hemimastix kukwesjijk which is not a plant, animal, fungus, or protozoa. It constitutes an entirely new Kingdom, a new branch on the tree of life.