› added 1 year ago

44

TIL that, according to Jerome, the Hebrew name of God (יהוה) was sometimes mistaken for the Greek letters πιπι (pipi).

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

NXwQJ TIL that in an ‘unfortunate evolutionary coincidence’ the δ-hexatoxins in Sydney Funnel-web spider venom are exceptionally dangerous to humans. A bite can kill a human in as little as 15 minutes.
8eQWP TIL that text messages have been sent electrically since at least 1774 when George-Louis LeSage sent static charges between two rooms in his house via 26 wires, one for each letter of the alphabet.
ZK7Q TIL that in order to obtain the vast amounts of titanium needed for the construction of the SR-71, the CIA created fake companies throughout the world to purchase the metal from the biggest supplier, the USSR.
PYZGG TIL that the Huanghuagang Martyr Memorial in China has a replica of the US Statute of Liberty on top. It replaced a previous Statue of Liberty that held a rifle, symbolizing Mao's quote that “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”
Zp54o TIL the session guitarist for Steely Dan’s hit single, Reelin’ In the Years, was offered a permanent spot in the band, but declined after predicting the group would collapse after their third album. He ended up being correct.