› added 6 years ago

82

TIL In Greek mythology, Talos was a giant automaton made of bronze to protect Europa in Crete from pirates and invaders. He circled the island's shores three times daily. (One of the earliest known interpretations of artificially made beings in literatures)

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

8DGV TIL the Simpson’s couch gag is frequently used by the show’s writers to make the show longer or shorter, depending on the length of the episode itself.
Z8XKo TIL that the term “Peeping Tom” originates from the time Lady Godiva rode her horse naked around Coventry in protest at her husband’s (Earl of Mercia) tax increases. She asked people not to look but a man named Thomas did and according to legend, was struck blind.
ANWk4 TIL: In November 1918 in the Netherlands, Social Democratic Workers' Party leader Pieter Jelles Troelstra, declared a socialist revolution and demanded in a speech before parliament for the government to surrender power. The movement failed from lack of support from even within his own party
0d9E1 TIL that the guy responsible for making doctors realize stress and spicy food doesn’t cause ulcers poisoned himself, intentionally gave himself ulcers, and got the Nobel Prize for it
gy77 TIL that according to “Solomon Cuve”(also called the “Crash Risk Curve”) drivers traveling 5 mph (8 km/h) above the average speed of traffic are statistically the least likely to be involved in a crash while crash risk increases dramatically when traveling below the average speed.