› added 11 years ago

264

TIL Newton’s flaming laser sword is a philosophical razor that states anything that cannot be settled by experiment is not worthy of debating.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

dDYV9 TIL that the first wind turbine was introduced in 1887 by a Scot called James Blyth. He offered to power the street lights of the village of Marykirk, near Aberdeen, using his 33ft turbine – the villagers refused and called it “the work of the devil.”
yV8MM TIL about Blue Peacock, a nuclear land mine with a proposed heating system to prevent malfunctions during cold snaps in winter involving body heat from live chickens and enough supplies for them to stay alive for a week.
NjOM TIL that during WW2, a bear named Wojtek was officially enlisted into the Polish Army, was trained to salute, and enjoyed drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. He is considered to be a hero of the war, and lives on emblazoned on the emblem of the Polish Army’s 22nd Transport Company.
0dW61 TIL the Confederacy attacked Vermont
GAlJ7 TIL Kate Bush was the first artist to use a wireless microphone headset (first made with just a clothing hanger) which let her dance as she sang!