› added 6 years ago

218

TIL that the Royal Air Force, in order to hide their success of identifying Luftwaffe bombers at night, made up a story about how carrots are good for eyesight. This was done so Germany wouldn’t know it was radar. A story told almost 80 years ago is why people still believe this myth today.

ADQox TIL: The tensor tympani muscle causes the loud rumbling noise you hear when you close your eyes very tightly.
epndE TIL about de Clérambault's Syndrome, a disorder where someone has delusions of another person being infatuated with them. One case involved a woman who believed King George V of England was communicating his love for her by moving the curtains at Buckingham Palace.
e08M5 TIL The circuit board is green due to the solder mask, which protects the copper circuits printed on the fibre glass core to prevent short circuits, soldering errors, etc. The colour of the solder mask gives the board its appearance.
vPGG8 TIL about the Brazen bull a torture device used in Ancient Greece. The condemned were locked inside the stomach, a fire was set under it, heating the metal until the person inside was roasted to death, pipes would transfer the screams through the bull's nostrils, as if the bull was bellowing.
Z8lbB TIL of the rex Nemorensis, a Roman priest dedicated to Diana. The office was only open to runaway slaves, and to become the new priest, the slave had to kill his predecessor: "accordingly the priest is always armed with a sword, looking around for the attacks, and ready to defend himself."