› added 3 years ago

67

TIL that Ben Sliney, former FAA National Operations Manager, made the choice to ground all planes in US airspace on his first day on the job, September 11, 2001.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

VME8 TIL the English phrase “Gung-ho” is of Chinese origin (Kung ho). It entered the American lexicon in 1942 via an American general. The original meaning is “to work together.”
a8YEM TIL of 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident, where a failed attempt by North Korean forces to extract a recon team by submarine led to a 49 day manhunt across the city of Gangneung, with some of the 39 man crew believed to have succeeded in returning to North Korea.
OoWEY TIL in the 1980s Japan introduced forest bathing (being around trees) as part of its national health program. Known as shinrin-yoku, Japan has official forests based upon their unique physiological and psychological effects. The essential oils of trees (phytoncides) reduce stress and boost immunity.
DQBdv TIL that if it were ethical to donate a testicle, the donor could father a child genetically belonging to you. Germ cells in the testes will always produce sperm cells with the donor’s genetics.
vNXj TIL the heaviest human being ever recorded weighed 1400 lb. At one point, he also lost approximately 924 lb, the largest human weight loss ever documented.