› added 5 years ago

165

TIL In World War II, British soldiers got a ration of three sheets of toilet paper a day. Americans got 22.

Read more businessinsider.com

via reddit.com

d6Q7 TIL Al-Qaeda initially planned to fly hijacked jets into nuclear installations, rather than the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They had decided against the attack on nuclear power plants “for the moment” because of fears it could “get out of control”.
N7vwJ TIL Bath Abbey church in England had up to an estimated 6,000 people buried under it which caused voids to form and put the church floors in danger of collapse. A church rep said "they just jammed them in and jammed them in — it would have been very unpleasant to put it mildly."
gymD TIL popcorn kernels that don’t pop are called “old maids” because they lack the necessary moisture to pop
OGaoa TIL that as far back as 400 BCE, the Chinese used rapid fire Crossbows that could shoot 7–10 bolts in 15–20 seconds, with an effective range of 70 meters and a maximum range of 180 meters. They were primarily used for defense of gates and doorways.
nWJAb TIL: In 1945 a B-25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building due to fog and pilot error. 14 people died, and 24 were injured. One of those injured in the incident, Betty Lou Oliver, was placed in a damaged elevator which fell 75 stories. Air trapped in the shaft slowed her fall, and she lived.