› added 9 years ago

156

TIL the guy who played Scotty in Star Trek shot two snipers on D-Day and was shot seven times in WWII

Read more m.warhistoryonline.com

via reddit.com

VM8ED TIL about the weather phenomenon dubbed St. Elmo's fire. It occurs when a luminous plasma is created in an electrical field, resulting in a bright blue glow accompanied by a sharp cracking noise. When affecting ships at sea, it often warned of an incoming lightning strike, leaving sailors awestruck.
9YAmM TIL Stalin's Granddaughter is a Buddhist that runs an antique shop in Portland, Oregon
Z8GkQ TIL For more than 50 years last century, Chicago Public High Schools required boys to swim naked.
E1XEx TIL the candle wick curling sideways is a feature, not a bug. The end of such braided wicks (introduced in mid-19th century) will self-trim by gradually burning off in the hottest outer region of the flame. Previously, special scissors needed to be used often lest the flame get too high and smoky.
QARd TIL that our reaction to sneezing when encountering light is called Autosomal-dominant Compulsive Helio Ophthalmic Outbursts, also called ACHOO.