› added 10 years ago

505

TIL that a Japanese TV show took three expert fencers and pitted them against 50 amateurs… at the same time

Read more kottke.org

via reddit.com

DQ5Le TIL of Special Force, a 2003 Lebanese video game developed by Hezbollah, which recreates battles from the South Lebanon conflict from Hezbollah's POV. After being released in countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, and the UAE, 8,000 copies were sold in one week
VMO44 TIL In 1912, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo invented a chess-playing machine that could solve a king and rook vs king endgame. It didn't always deliver mate in the fewest number of moves, nor always within the 50-move rule limit but it would checkmate the opponent every time.
LxMd TIL: Before medical science discovered how the circulatory system functioned, people believed that a vein ran directly from the fourth finger on the left hand to the heart. This is why people wear their wedding ring on this finger.
wLL0W TIL of Uriel Acosta, a 17th century Jewish philosopher. After being found guilty of heresy, he was given 39 lashes and was forced to lie in the doorway to his synagogue while the congregation stepped on him as they entered. He was so humiliated, that he then grabbed a pistol and shot himself.
R7Yg6 TIL: Ash dieback will kill up to 90% of ash trees across the UK