› added 9 months ago

29

TIL the Water integrator in the USSR, invented in 1936, used water levels in various chambers to solve inhomogeneous differential equations

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

V0Xk TIL that Toy Story was originally meant to end with Barbie saving the day- But Mattel wouldn’t permit the character to be used in that kind of role.
R5kx9 TIL the average annual amount of rainfall is greater in Sydney than London - about two times as much in fact. Rain generally falls as light drizzle in London and torrential downpours in Sydney.
7r0bL TIL of Larry "Lawnchair Larry" Walters, who, in 1982, attached helium balloons to his lawnchair and flew at an altitude of 16,000 feet, and used a pellet gun to pop balloons before dropping the gun, then continued to land on power lines. He was later charged $1,500 for not communicating with an ATC
R5k86 TIL In the history of the Catholic Church there has been over a decade without a Pope on the throne. The longest continuous time the throne was empty was two years ten months from 1268 to 1271.
Q9B9 TIL Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, originally named Reginald, began 75 years ago as a promotional coloring book gimmick during the Great Depression. Over the years, Rudolph had a son named Robbie, a brother named Rusty, and another cranky and overweight brother called Ralph.