› added 5 years ago

240

TIL that a few weeks before the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, US scientists performed a safety test on the EBR-II reactor by disabling cooling pumps and automatic protection systems at full thermal power. The core passively cooled itself as designed without human intervention or damage.

Read more ne.anl.gov

via reddit.com

j6wdn TIL that Dean Martin, also known as "the King of Cool," bootlegged liquor, worked in a steel mill, served as a croupier in a speakeasy, and was a blackjack dealer, all before the age of 15. At 15, he turned to boxing. Out of his 12 matches, Martin said that he "won all but 11."
jvBE TIL the last time a black man was lynched by the KKK was in 1981, and the police officers first on scene first presumed it was a drug deal gone wrong.
41na TIL Tim Roth refused to audition for Reservoir Dogs & told Tarantino “just watch my past work.” Tarantino gave him the part while drunk, but later watched Roth’s last film, in which he said Tim Roth “was awful! He was the worst!”
VM6KZ TIL that Everett Lee, born August 31, 1916, is an American conductor & violinist who was the first African American to conduct a Broadway musical & the first to conduct a performance by a major American opera company. He's still alive at 103.
vPZ1K TIL that French composer and organist Jehan Alain joined the French Army in WWII, serving as a despatch rider. He was conducting reconnaissance by motorbike when he encountered German infantry. Refusing to surrender, he killed 16 enemies before being gunned down.