› added 11 years ago

97

TIL the expression “sleep tight” originates from when mattresses were placed on top of ropes that needed regular tightening in the 16th-17th century

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kJWP1 TIL that certain frogs, like the wood frog, can survive being frozen solid in the winter and then come back to life when they thaw in the spring.
nWB89 TIL that commercial airline pilots wear uniforms resembling naval officers because Pan Am established this tradition with its fleet of flying boats. To align with the nautical nature, they adopted naval-style uniforms, a practice continued today
m1OYP TIL that by the time Joe Fraizer defeated Muhammad Ali in 1971, Fraizer was legally blind in one eye. He used his quick reflexes to fool eye tests, allowing him to continue to box.
XEr6k TIL George Washington died when his doctors tried to cure his epiglottitis (i.e. inflamed throat) with blood letting. He lost more than half his blood before they stopped the treatment, and died just hours later.
6E8GJ TIL That the Navajo were not the only Code Talkers in WWII. In fact, the Comanche had their own Code Talkers that were used in Europe the same way the Navajo were used in the Pacific.