› added 1 year ago

80

TIL King Louis XI plotted to kill a court astrologer who correctly predicted a death in his court fearing he'd done it himself. Before giving his guards the signal he asked if he knew when he'd die and the astrologer responded "I shall die just three days before your Majesty." He lived a full life.

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7xmZ TIL that during the American Revolutionary War, despite opposition from the Continental Congress, George Washington ordered the vaccination of 40,000 soldiers from smallpox, reducing the infection rate from 17% to 1%
gMvMD TIL that during the Chenrobyl disaster - Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bezpalov and Boris Baranov accepeted a suicide mission to release a safety valve in time and, in doing so, saved the world from a disaster that would have been exponentially worse than the initial explosion.
1aOdP TIL that Mike Tyson was only 23 when he lost to Buster Douglas. He was already 37-0 before losing to the 42-1 underdog.
VMxak TIL the outermost region of the Sun’s atmosphere, consisting of plasma (hot ionized gas), is called the “corona.” It has a temperature of approximately two million kelvins and an extremely low density. The corona continually varies in size and shape as it is affected by the Sun’s magnetic field.
GN5G TIL The reason The Doctor regenerates in Doctor Who is because William Hartnell (The actor who played the First Doctor) had to leave the show due to his poor health.