› added 1 year ago

59

TIL that there is a special punctuation mark called the percontation point that can be used at the end of a sentence to indicate that the question is rhetorical. e.g. "Did you know about this؟"

mxdnp TIL the Hawthorne Effect is when an individual modifies their behavior because they are being observed. Somewhat like a placebo effect, the novelty of being a research subject and the increased attention could lead to behavior changes that result in false positive & inaccurate experiment conclusions
b9ngp TIL that the Australian bush ballad "Waltzing Matilda", also known as the country's unofficial national anthem, is actually about a travelling worker who steals the local landowners sheep to eat. Upon being chased by him and three policemen, he commits suicide by drowning himself in a local river.
GmPE TIL: President Ford was saved from assassination by a ‘closeted’ solider who the press outed as gay. Despite this being controversial in 1975, Ford publicly thanked the soldier who was estranged from his parents until Ford so publicly supported him.
7amr TIL Renowned concert pianist Krystian Zimerman’s personal Steinway grand piano was confiscated when he landed in New York City to give a recital at Carnegie Hall. US customs destroyed his piano, claiming the glue smelled like explosives.
pYxdN TIL that the Super Mario Bros. team initially found it illogical that Mario was hurt by stomping on turtles, leading them to design future games where Mario could safely jump on them. Also, Bowser was originally envisioned as an ox, but was redesigned as a turtle after Osamu Tezuka's suggestion.