› added 2 years ago

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TIL that the Enigma machine, a German cypher used in WWII was officially invented in 1918 by Arthur Scherbius.

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via reddit.com

OVkL TIL the “earworm” phenomenon, a song that you can’t get out of your head, has been discussed since the 19th Century and was written about by Mark Twain.
9YpZm TIL After North Korea banned Choco pies, South Korea airlifted 10,000 of them across the DMZ with balloons
j6kXv TIL that in March 2024, an Ethiopian bank lost millions after an ATM glitch allowed excess withdrawals but recovered 99% by naming and shaming those who exploited it.
Bble TIL that Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule and Nobel prize laureate, sent a letter accompanied by a cheque for 10 guineas to Winston Churchill, saying that the money should be used for the establishment of a brothel at the Cambridge University, instead of a chapel.
Wkev8 TIL Scientists managed to edit human embryos, freeing them from a piece of faulty DNA which caused a deadly heart disease that ran in families. The embryos were allowed to develop for 5 days before they stopped the experiment.