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TIL there is a mathematical "game" called the homicidal chauffer problem, in which a driver in a fast but slow-turning car tries to run over a slower pedestrian who has more freedom of motion. It is used to improve missile guidance systems.

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8ax5a TIL about the Erfurt latrine disaster in 1184. A party of nobles gathered in a room within the Church of St. Peter in Erfurt, right above the latrine pit of the monks. Due to the weight of the party the floor of the room collapsed and up to 100 nobles died plummeting in the fecal pool.
YpVDA TIL of the English succession wars which all started because 3 of England's potential heirs drowned in the English Channel. The white ship sank in 1120 with the legitimate son of Henry 1st, William, his bastard, Richard and his daughter Matilda, on board.
lobpK TIL That Medival Europeans thought that a brownstone supposedly found in old toads heads could cure almost any poison and the stones were often made into highly prized jewelry. These stones were in fact fossils dating from the Jurassic/Cretaceous period and had no curative properties.
Leb0 TIL there’s an optical illusion that can distort your vision for months, changing the way you perceive colour.
nWkw9 TIL a long-lost model of an X-Wing starfighter that was used in the climactic battle scene of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope sold for $3.1 million last year to become the most expensive Star Wars screen-used prop sold at auction. It's 1 of 4 known "hero" models that were made for closeup shots.