› added 12 years ago

144

TIL that the disease polio could be eradicated, but isn’t currently because certain Muslim clerics encourage their patrons not to get vaccinated.

Read more sciencebasedmedicine.org

via reddit.com

p8bnZ TIL the US Navy conducted mock air attacks by aircraft carrier on Pearl Harbor in 1932 and 1938. In both exercises the attacks were successful, demonstrating the importance of air power over battleships. Both exercises were ignored by the US Navy but were studied carefully by the IJN.
41Lg TIL, Stella Lieback, the woman who sued McDonald’s over split hot coffee was 79 at the time, suffered 3rd degree burns and spent over a week in the hospital requiring skin grafts and other treatments. She only sued McDonalds so they could cover all medical expenses, they offered a paltry $800.
dD0JQ TIL there are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the observable universe. The exact number of possible iterations is estimated to be around 10^120, while the estimated number of atoms in the observable universe is around 10^80
YY8v TIL that in c.1730, A french scholar named Louis de Jaucourt spent 20 years writing a six-volume work on anatomy. He sent it to be published in Amsterdam, but the ship carrying the sole manuscript sank.
E1480 TIL Hugh Jackman started his own coffee brand and foundation called "Laughing Man" after meeting a struggling coffee farmer in Ethiopia. His goal was to provide a marketplace for farmers in developing countries to sell their goods for a fair price. Jackman donates 100% of profits.