› added 2 years ago

64

TIL of the "satanic preschool" hysteria of the 1980s, where people were convinced satanic rituals were being performed on their kids, because of one woman's accusations which led to an investigation, which pressured kids into confessing things that were not true.

9Y4dp TIL technical and commercial divers will breathe a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, and helium known as trimix. Some of the nitrogen in air is replaced with helium to reduce the narcotic effect of breathing nitrogen under pressure, allowing them to dive deeper while maintaining a clear head.
0wRER TIL that in 2004, police discovered a fully equipped movie theatre (with seats, a large movie screen, projection equipment, and a bar) in one of the caverns of the Catacombs of Paris, and the source of this theatre remains unknown.
XjRR TIL Due to South Park’s Scientology episode, the Church of Scientology hired people to spy on Matt and Trey to find something on them to use for blackmail. The Church became frustrated when their investigation turned up nothing but the fact that they’re pretty normal people.
epvnn TIL in the 1980s, a woman bought a ring at a car boot sale for £10 & proceeded to wear it regularly under the assumption it was a piece of costume jewelry. However when she had it appraised decades later, it was identified as a real 26-carat diamond ring from the 1800s, which she then sold for £656K
J17O8 TIL Alan Kay envisioned the concept of the DynaBook in 1968. Originally called "KiddiComp", he described it as a personal computer for children of all ages and would offer similar functionality as what is now known as a laptop or tablet.