› added 6 years ago

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TIL that the "drink 8 glasses of water a day" is founded upon a 1945 recommendation that had no medical basis. Today's medical recommendation is "drink when you're thirsty, unless you're outside on a hot day or you're elderly"

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rdDy TIL that sleep deprived drivers cause accidents because of ‘microsleep’ episodes during which they lose consciousness for up to thirty seconds. Most people do not realize that they had a microsleep episode and think they were awake all along.
BrVmk TIL that in the 1950s, psychologist Milton Rokeach performed an experiment in which three men with Messianic delusions lived together for two years. He wanted to study how they would reconcile their delusions with the existence of two others with the same irrational belief.
yYLv TIL People who survived suicide attempts by jumping off the Golden Gate bridge often regret their decision in midair, if not before. Said one survivor: “I instantly realized that everything in my life that I’d thought was unfixable was totally fixable—except for having just jumped.”
8eByP TIL that the world smallest piloted biplane to fly is the Starr Bumble Bee II with a wingspan of 5 ft 6 in, total length of 8 ft 10 inches and takeoff weight of 260 kg. The record was set by Robert Starr in 1988 when he climbed to 400ft before the engine failed causing a crash.
6EB7X TIL that an effective assault tactic for a castle was to mine underneath it. Sometimes the defenders would also mine and meet them underground, and a sword battle would ensue.