› added 10 years ago

366

TIL that a decimal point was misplaced when the iron content of Spinach was measured in the 1870’s, leading people to believe it had 10x more iron than reality, and made you stronger. This is why the creators of Popeye decided he would eat spinach to grow his muscles.

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

xV7GB TIL English sweating sickness, which caused profuse sweating and sometimes led to a rapid death, remains a mystery more than five centuries later. After raging for more than 60 years, the last major outbreak of the disease in England was recorded in 1551. Then the "English sweat" simply vanished.
8apVG TIL The beat "Shave and a haircut" used when knocking on doors is highly offensive in Mexico, as it is commonly used to stand in for the rhythmically similar vulgar phrase "chinga tu madre, cabrón" (English: "F*** your mother, asshole!")
xVa70 TIL Iron Fertilization could capture 10-25% of annual carbon emissions, along with creating clouds that could cool the environment even more.
KoPJ TIL a researcher has conjectured that the pineal gland releases the psychedelic compound DMT when near death. High doses of DMT caused subjects to enter into non-corporeal, independent realms of existence inhabited by beings of light who were expecting the volunteers.
5VBGD TIL the medical term for a unibrow is "Synophrys", and can be a symptom of several genetic disorders ranging from learning difficulty (moderate to severe), to having fewer fingers or toes than normal, malformed limbs and facial anomalies.