› added 10 years ago

89

TIL Groomsmen (specifically bride’s-groomsmen) were originally at weddings to protect the bride from being captured by another suitor

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

6EKW7 TIL since 1905 federal law has upheld that state government can fine or jail anyone not vaccinating, and as recently as 2019 this has been upheld (measles outbreak of 2019) and always been by the supreme court in our history
MeajA TIL Lighthouses had different techniques for rotating the light, most being too slow, making the light less visible. Augustin Fresnel proposed a mercury flotation system in 1825. Despite some lenses weighing over 6,000 lbs. the design reduced friction, increased rotation, and ultimately saved lives.
DQ0Wg TIL that as a student growing up in Ukraine, Maryna Viazovska (right) fell in love with competitive math Olympiads. In high school, she fell just short of being able to represent Ukraine at the International Math Olympiad. In 2022, she won a Fields Medal.
v1jMD TIL Janusz Korczak ran a Jewish orphanage and, when the ~200 orphans were ordered to a death camp, he stayed with them until the end despite multiple opportunities to escape.
b9NMZ TIL G.H Hardy came up with a scale of mathematical ability that went from 0 to 100. He put himself at 25. David Hilbert, the great German mathematician, was at 80. Ramanujan was 100. When he died in 1920 at the age of 32, he left behind three notebooks that still inspire mathematical work today