› added 1 year ago

47

TIL on 12 December 2017, the Portuguese Navy commemorated the 700th anniversary of its official creation by King Denis of Portugal. Tracing its origins back to the 12th century, it is the oldest continuously serving navy in the world.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

ZvRD TIL that during the cholera epidemic in the 19th century ‘safety coffins’ were developed because of people’s fear of being buried alive
D166Y TIL that Willie O'Ree, the first black man to play in the NHL, was blind in one eye. It was caused by a ricocheting puck that hit him in the face when he was 18 and he kept it a secret for his entire 21-year career.
nRro TIL under Brehon law in early Medieval Ireland, women had many of the same rights as men and when married were allowed to keep property they bought themselves and retain it in case of divorce
a8wGM TIL Dr. Richard M. Bucke, Medical Superintendent for the London Asylum for the Insane 1877-1902, advocated gynecological surgery on women as a treatment for insanity. In over 200 surgeries on women including 16 hysterectomies, he claimed 71 of his patients were cured or their mental health improved
x6a0D TIL that Jonathan Nolan said of his brother Christopher, "I’ve always suspected that it has something to do with the fact that he’s left-handed and I’m right-handed, because he is somehow able to look at my ideas and flip them around in a way that’s just a bit more twisted and interesting"