› added 6 years ago

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TIL about Dr Clara Immerwahr, the first woman to get a PhD in Chemistry in Germany in 1900. She assisted with the weaponisation of Mustard gas, which was subsequently used on the frontlines in 1915. During a party to celebrate it's successful use, she committed suicide by shooting herself.

VMeXk TIL Mandrake, a root of a plant which sometimes resembles a human. It has long been steeped in the occult and medieval lore. The root was believed to bear hallucinogenic and narcotic properties and used in the treatment of headaches, earaches, gout and insanity to name a few.
jNXyX TIL The only NHL season to be cancelled outside of a lockout was in 1919. The Spanish Flu hit the players during the playoff finals and the series was cancelled. Both teams had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.
nR1o TIL milk becomes sour and curdled when it warms because a harmless bacteria called lactobacillus is activated which converts lactose to lactic acid. The acid converts a protein called casein to a curd. It’s the reason we can enjoy other milk products like cheese.
9YmDD TIL 20% of humans have sensory processing sensitivity - a greater sensitivity and responsiveness to the environment and to social stimuli. Studies show these individuals are strongly affected by others' moods, and have a higher brain activation of regions involved in attention and action planning.
yQdnJ TIL That at the age of 19, Michael Caine had a near death experience in the Korean War that “formed his character” for the rest of his life. He learned to live every moment as if it where his last and to always look on the bright side of life.