› added 11 years ago

81

TIL of Francine Gottfried, a woman who was famous briefly in the 1960s because crowds of men would stare at and harass her on her way to work. The crowd peaked at 10,000 and required a police escort

pNyp TIL that since becoming a nation 238 years ago, the US has been in conflict or at war approximately 90% of the time.
mxm7O TIL that the flag of Nepal, famous for being the only current national flag that isn't a quadrilateral, has its dimensions specified by law. The rectangle circumscribing the flag has an irrational ratio that is the least root of a quartic polynomial.
X008k TIL David Lunt revolutionized amateur astronomy by introducing the first hydrogen-alpha solar telescopes for consumers in the late 1990s. Through his telescopes, the ruby-red Sun looks alive, with prominences jutting from the limb, and bright flares erupting around sunspots
gMll9 TIL In 1977, Saturday Night Live held an "Anyone Can Host" contest, the first and only time they've allowed a non-celebrity to host. The winner was an 80 year old grandmother named Miskel Spillman. Her episode on 12/17/77 was notable for an Elvis Costello performance that got him banned from SNL.
W775B TIL that the Capitol was designed to have George Washington's tomb on public display. Both houses passed bills saying he should be buried there, and his wife consented, but due to various delays it took until 1830 for it to be viable. After an attempted theft of his head, the project was cancelled.