› added 1 year ago

136

TIL that Richard Sorge was a Soviet spy in Japan during WWII. He had an open affair with the German ambassador’s wife, and told Stalin that Japan would NOT invade Russia, allowing the Soviets to move troops just in time to save Moscow in 1941.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

P10Nw TIL that in 1950's and 60's the Canadian government, military and the RCMP used a device called "the fruit machine" to attempt to identify homosexual men in the public service. Subjects were made to view pornography while measurements were taken of pupil diameter, perspiration and pulse.
0doEy TIL Game of Thrones won 59 Primetime Emmys during its run, which is the most by a drama series in history and more than doubles the two drama series tied with the second-most Emmy wins: Hill Street Blues and The West Wing with 26 each.
rMLy TIL that the Holy See, the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome is a permanent observer state of the United Nations and has used this status to oppose the adoption of a resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity proposed by the European Union in the General Assembly.
9Ywer TIL that in the early 2000s, Sony needed more of a mineral named coltan to supply the public's insatiable demand for PS2's. This mineral is mainly found in the Eastern Congo, and Sony had to negotiate directly with a radical militant group occupying the area in order to mine it.
oBoQR TIL about Leo, an early socio-interactive robot built in 2002. Leo was programmed with psychological theory and spatial scaffolding. It is able to communicate by perceiving expression, gesture, speech, and thus responds appropriately with equal expression, gesture and speech.