› added 5 years ago

93

TIL That in chess, white is slightly more likely to win than black in competitive matches. White wins 52% to 56% of the time compared to black.

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E1gld TIL that the Slinky was invented by accident, when a Mechanical Engineer was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea. After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully “walked” down instead of falling.
7rVkx TIL as composer Mike Greene was working on the "Bill Nye The Science Guy" theme song, a rap group was also recording inside his studio. He called them over to chant "Bill!" into the mic. It wasn't until the show aired that they knew why.
Mwnb TIL in 1970 Billy Joel attempted suicide by drinking nail polish and wrote a suicide note about how he was feeling. He survived, and used the note as the lyrics for his famous song “Tomorrow is Today”, and wrote “You’re Only Human” to help people with depression who are contemplating suicide.
6ekl TIL that so many British people make tea after the tv show “Eastenders” finishes, that backup power stations go on standby to cope with the massive surge in electricity
4XnNg TIL Anna Bagenholm survived the lowest body temperature ever recorded at 56.7 F (13.7 C). She had been skiing when she fell through a frozen stream and became stuck for 80 minutes. Despite being clinically dead, she made a full recovery and is now working at the same hospital that saved her life.