› added 5 years ago

114

TIL in the early 20th century, trains in the US were destroyed in staged head-on collisions in front of live audiences for entertainment. This ended in the 1930s as it was seen to be wasteful of old but otherwise useful locomotives at the height of the Great Depression.

Read more atlasobscura.com

via reddit.com

6KbQ TIL The first child to own a stuffed Paddington Bear, was Jeremy Clarkson.
4XaWo TIL Leonardo Da Vinci, a pacifist, invented an armored tank nearly 500 years ahead of its time, but included a fatal flaw in the design (the wheels only spun toward each other) so it could never be used in an actual battle.
oRrK TIL there was 5 different species of human living on the planet as recently as 30000 years ago
D1rOY TIL in 1957, San Francisco's "Youth for Service" program helped get young gang members off the streets by having them help the community. They did things like paint houses and help the elderly. The idea was that they just wanted to feel needed.
GAPRE TIL: In the 15th century, an engineer named Orban offered to build a huge cannon for Constantinople. After they turned him down, he offered his services to the Ottomans who then used his cannon to attack Constantinople.