› added 9 years ago

467

TIL Beethoven hated giving piano lessons unless they were for exceptionally talented students or attractive young women of whatever talent. He was also a notorious space cadet and never learned how to multiply or divide

Read more mentalfloss.com

via reddit.com

4XodX TIL that pipelines are internally maintained via "PIGS" (Pipeline Inspection Gauges), which perform cleaning, inspection and other maintenance operations. The PIG is inserted via a "pig launcher" and removed via a "pig catcher."
lmeK TIL Thomas Hicks ran the 1904 Olympic marathon while drinking a mix of strychnine, egg whites and brandy which made him hallucinate and become sick. His trainers had to carry him over the finish line but he was still declared the winner, with the slowest gold medal time in Olympic marathon history.
7rYjM TIL that the Vikings were the first Europeans in North America landing in modern-day Newfoundland in Canada, beating Christopher Columbus by 500 years.
dYkK TIL that Rick Allen, the drummer for Def Leppard, lost his arm after a car accident in 1984. He thought he could never play in the band again and became very depressed until a fellow drummer helped him design an electronic drum kit that could be played with one arm. He returned to the band in 1986.
Oo8Yg TIL the actor Matthew Perry played the videogame Fallout 3 so often, he got carpal tunnel syndrome and had to see a doctor.