› added 1 month ago

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TIL about the "cocktail party effect"—our brain's ability to focus on one conversation in a noisy room. This ability lets us tune into specific voices while filtering out background chatter, and even pick up important words like our name even when we are not paying attention.

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KOyoa TIL that in 1921 private police in the US dropped bombs and mustard gas on a coal miners' camp when they went on strike for better working conditions
kR9m TIL the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted 12-year-old leukemia survivor Declan McLean-Pauley’s wish to blow a bunch of shit up
x67jb TIL that other supernatural creatures, aside from fairies and vampires, are also allergic to certain kinds of metals in mythology and folklore. For example, demons are said to be weak against iron, with some legends stating that fairies are fallen angels that weren't evil enough to become demons.
M7Qg7 TIL that a BBC variety program called "the Black and White Minstrel Show" — featuring white people singing and dancing in blackface — was broadcast until the late 1970s. Watched by 12-16 million Britons every week, it won awards and made it onto screens in many other countries, including Australia.
41rN TIL in 1971 John List murdered his family to save their souls and arranged their bodies on sleeping bags. He then cleaned up, cut himself out of the family’s photos, turned on a religious radio station, and fled. Only after the lights in the house had burned out one by one did neighbors call police.