Post * loEP1 — Curious Curator

› added 5 years ago

131

TIL that the "pink slime" that sometimes grows in bathrooms isn't a mold, it's actually an airborne bacterium called Serratia marcescens that feeds on soap, hence why it thrives in bathtubs.

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OoaG1 TIL that we say "redhead" since red was the only relevant color word in Old and Middle English. Oranges arrived in England after 1300 AD and only became a color descriptor after 1540. Carrots arrived in 1530 but were purple and yellow at the time, as orange carrots were only popularized after 1600.

yQOJp TIL of Queen Isabella; frustrated, humiliated and tired of her husband; fled England, tricked him to send their son, invaded England with her lover (enemy and fugitive of her husband) and defeated him.

rmgM TIL The oldest parachute design appears in an anonymous manuscript from 1470s Renaissance Italy (over 400 years before the airplane), showing a free-hanging man clutching a cross bar frame attached to a conical canopy. As a safety measure, four straps run from the ends of the rods to a waist belt.

R5Rnj TIL In the 1990s Marvel released their financial reports in comic book form. The comics featured characters like Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk discussing revenue sources and future business plans.

7MDM TIL that in 1956, for a bet, while drunk, Thomas Fitzpatrick stole a small plane from New Jersey and then landed it perfectly on a narrow Manhattan street in front of the bar he had been drinking at. Then, two years later, he did it again after a man didn’t believe he had done it the first time.