› added 7 years ago

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TIL: We know how ancient Sanskrit sounded because in the fifth century BCE, the Indian grammarian Panini produced a complete grammar of the language, including how all sounds are pronounced. The complexity of his linguistic analysis wasn't replicated until the 20th century.

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P11NZ TIL a microwave's wavelength is larger than the grid holes placed on the oven's door, which is why we don't get cooked while our food inside does
7NML TIL a man in China purchased a first-class plane ticket — and used it to eat a year’s worth of free meals at the VIP lounge at Xi’an International Airport.
0dxy TIL Oskar Schindler, who saved over 1100 Jews in WWII by employing them, spent all his fortune on bribes and black market purchases for his workers. After the war he never regained any of his wealth and in later life had to live off of a small pension from the German government.
699nm TIL there was disagreement over the danger of black widow spider bites until a 1933 experiment where professor Allan Blair allowed himself to be bitten. Blair also hoped to determine whether multiple bites would build immunity, but the first bite proved so painful that he decided against it.
v1laK TIL: The Morris worm has been referred to as the "Great Worm", due to the devastating effect it had on the Internet, both in system downtime and psychological impact on the perception of internet security and reliability. The name was derived from the "Great Worms" of Tolkien: Scatha and Glaurung.