› added 10 months ago

33

TIL that Pope Marcellus II who was ruler of the Papal States from 10 April 1555 to his death, 22 days later, is the most recent pope to choose to retain his birth name as his regnal name upon his accession, and the most recent pope to date with the regnal name "Marcellus".

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

oB8rY TIL about the IBM's System/23 Datamaster, designed to be set-up and operated by first-time computer users, and the predecessor to the PC. This desktop computer weighed 95 lbs, had 256 kB of memory, a text-only display, and cost around $9,000 (equivalent to $25,310 in 2019).
7ryJO TIL during WW2, the US Navy had two freshwater aircraft carriers on the Great Lakes to train its pilots
oBbZA TIL that, in July 2020, marine biologists studying the seafloor in the South Pacific Gyre ("the deadest spot in the ocean") discovered aerobic microorganisms in "quasi-suspended animation." At 101.5 million years old, they are the longest-living life forms ever found.
jNarn TIL: Listerine mouthwash is named after Joseph Lister. Joseph Lister was the British surgeon who pioneered antiseptic surgery. During his time, he would be chastised and ridiculed by other doctors for suggesting sanitary practices.
GdA7 TIL A Vancouver police officer pretended to be disabled and brain-injured from a motorcycle accident and borrowed a wheelchair to work undercover in an impoverished neighborhood. He waited for someone to assault or rob him but instead people approached him by donating food and spare change