› added 5 years ago

278

TIL about The Radium Craze. At the beginning of 20th century, radium was a miracle element, it was used in products from toothpaste to soap, hair and face creams, in food such as butter and milk. Doctors recommended it for the treatment of everything from arthritis to impotence to senility.

Read more thehistoryvault.co.uk

via reddit.com

loBb5 TIL about Mrs. Chippy, a cat that went on the Shackleton expedition to Antarctica. Shackleton ordered Mrs. Chippy shot when the expedition had to abandon its ship. His owner, McNish, died in poverty and obscurity, some of his last words being, "Shackleton killed my cat."
RBK7 TIL that Charlie Sheen once bought 2,615 tickets to a Major League Baseball game so he could improve his odds of catching a home run ball
lov0G TIL Young children will often effortlessly write in perfect mirror image because they haven't yet unlearned the idea that every object in the world is the same thing regardless of its orientation. 'Mirror writing' comes easily to them. Eg; A teddy is a teddy upside down or not, but a 'p' is not 'b'.
KOGeJ TIL People started wearing pajamas, originally spelled “pyjamas,” instead of nightgowns so they’d be prepared to run outside in public during World War I air raids in England.
6E7l8 TIL giraffes were thought to be nearly completely silent because their long necks make vocal vibration difficult. However, researchers spent 8 years recording almost 1000 hours of audio at three zoos and discovered that giraffes produce a deep, spooky humming noise, almost like tantric chanting.