› added 12 years ago

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TIL, 30 years ago on this day Sept. 26th 1983. A Russian Colonel named Stanislav Petrov, now known as The man who saved the world, averted WW3. A Soviet early warning satellite detected nuclear launches from the US. Petrov trusted his instincts that the computers were malfunctioning and did nothing.

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5wVk TIL than in 1881 a woman got away with murdering a man who broke off their engagement by using the “hysteria defense,” i.e., a doctor told the jury that “Any virtuous woman when deprived of her virtue would go mad, undoubtedly.” The jury acquitted her in 20 minutes.
QJjKX TIL Unless they are going to be used for breeding purposes, female ferrets will go into extended heat. A female that does not mate can die of aplastic anemia without medical intervention. It is possible to use a vasectomised male to take a female out of heat.
yjRa TIL two Scottish rappers duped the music industry into thinking they were a Californian hip hop duo, and signed a £75k record deal with Sony Music
6EGvQ TIL the Albuquerque minor league baseball team changed their name to the Albuquerque Isotopes after the Simpsons episode, “Hungry Hungry Homer” in which Homer prevents the Springfield Isotopes plan to move to Albuquerque with a hunger strike.
r8a0 TIL Kingdom of Loathing, a browser-based MMORPG notable for having no subscription fees or microtransactions, requires users to pass a basic test of English grammar and spelling before allowing use of in-game chat.