› added 6 years ago

89

TIL: In the Viking period, Ulfberht swords were made of crucible (very pure) steel all the way from India. The exceptional quality of this steel made them so valuable that forgers faked the name Ulfberht on lower-quality swords, the equivalent of a fake designer logo.

Read more steffmetal.com

via reddit.com

PYJVE TIL parrots kept as pets will go through severe emotional trauma when they're given away, sold, or abandoned, developing destructive behaviors like screaming, aggression and self mutilation, plucking out their feathers In the wild they are extremely social and often mate for life (60-80 years.)
QJm7M TIL Dr. James Simpson, who first showed the effects of chloroform on humans in 1847. He sat with his assistants nightly trying chemicals. After they collapsed and came to after using chloroform, he recognized its anesthetic potential. He nicknamed the first baby delivered by chloroform "Anesthesia."
Pwwg TIL that during the Chelsea-Charlton match of 1937 on boxing day, there was thick fog and the match had to be stopped. The Charlton keeper stayed on the pitch for 15 more minutes without knowing, until a policeman found and informed him.
lABr TIL A plaque honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. mistakenly thanked his assassin, James Earl Ray, instead of actor James Earl Jones. When officials received their plaque they were horrified to discover that it bore an inscription thanking James Earl Ray for “keeping the dream alive”
bBKj TIL NASA built a wind tunnel in 1965 that could reach speeds of Mach 50.