› added 7 years ago

52

TIL in 1071, the Byzantine Emperor was captured in battle by the Great Seljuk Empire. The Emperor was brought to the Sultan, Alp Arslan, and told him that had he won, he likely would have had him executed. Alp Arslan replied "My punishment is far heavier. I forgive you, and set you free."

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

Bg88x TIL about the "Demon Core" a plutonium core of an atomic bomb designated to be the 3rd nuclear bomb dropped on Japan during WWII, but after Japan surrendered the core was used for research at Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico where it was involved in two fatal accidents.
ePXb TIL that as the Titanic sank, someone unlocked the kennels holding all the passengers’ pet dogs, “leading to the surreal sight of a pack of excited dogs racing up and down the slanting deck as the ship went down.”
e0G7L TIL Capt. Joe Hazelwood, responsible for the Exxon Valdez disaster that spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound and cost $7B to clean, was only found guilty of a misdemeanor (negligent discharge of oil), and was fined $50,000, and sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service.
ANaGB TIL that before Nirvana was formed, Kurt Cobain led a band called "Fecal Matter"
8GVX TIL that women who swallow semen are less likely to develop preeclampsia.