› added 11 years ago

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TIL That Wernher Von Braun, the man who designed the V2 rocket for the Germans, always wanted to go to space, and when the first V2 hit London, he said “The rocket worked perfectly except for landing on the wrong planet.”

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Kv1a TIL An extension cord with two male ends on it is often used to bench test electrical equipment in the industrial field, but is considered so dangerous in other applications, that it is commonly referred to as a “suicide cord.”
jN6KR You probably know that your visual perception of the world is a bit different than your pets’. Dogs see things with less color than humans, snakes can see infrared, and if you have a pet bull, it lives in a world where red and green are the same color. This brings up a good question. Why do you have a pet bull? You should get a cat instead, and when you do, it is important to know that your new friend can’t focus on objects farther than 20 feet away. The point is, animals have evolved to see in a variety of ways. But how can we see things through their eyes? Marine biologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer David Gruber collaborated with a research team to develop lights and camera filters that allowed him to do just that, underwater. Through their work, the team discovered biofluorescence in an abundance of aquatic species. This “glowing” trait has to do with how an organism absorbs and emits light. Research has indicated that this radiance is possibly used for communication and camouflage. One caveat: You need a certain species of eyes (or David’s camera) to see it. Swell sharks (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) have fluorescent proteins inside their skin, which are triggered by the ocean’s blue light, becoming visible to other swell sharks. David’s camera has special yellow filters that allow the simulation of a swell shark’s vision. It turns out there is a massive rave going on 500 meters below the ocean’s surface, and one of the glowing guests is a type of cat shark!
KOrpB TIL That Chicago passed an Ugly Law that prevented anyone who was disabled, deformed, or an unsightly or disgusting object from exposing themselves to public view. Beggars were fined from $1.00 up to $50.00, or shipped to the poorhouse. This law was active in Chicago until 1974.
bNL0 TIL I learned the 27th Amendment, proposed in 1789, took over 200 years to be ratified; it was all but forgotten until a law student discovered it in 1982 and campaigned for its ratification.
Ax8w TIL Mankind has left 96 bags of urine, feces, and vomit on the moon.