› added 4 years ago

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TIL that while Sputnik was the first man-made object to reach orbit, 13 years earlier the Nazis launched the MW 18014 rocket, the first man-made object to reach outer space.

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ANp6g TIL some boys used to be castrated so as to keep their soprano voices due to not reaching sexual maturity. Their rib cages were also bigger allowing them more lung and vocal capacity. There is only one known recording of a castrato
r5Kx TIL of a blind experiment in which artists and an art historian couldn’t differentiate between modern art masterpieces and works by 4-year-olds. An artist described one of the children’s pieces as “a competent execution of abstract expressionism.”
VpKp TIL in 1983, pioneering urologist Sir Giles Skey Brindley injected himself with an erectile dysfunction medication in order to prove its effectiveness. He showed off his resulting erection at an academic conference, even approaching the audience members for them to closely inspect his “results”.
lobWr TIL The South Korean government has decided that kimchi should no longer be referred to as pàocài (“pickled vegetables”) in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but should have its own name, xīnqí, to distinguish it from other types of pickled vegetables
6956W TIL the choir that comes in towards the end of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge" was made up of guitarist John Frusciante's mother and her friends from church, none of whom were professional singers.