› added 6 years ago

94

TIL of Qian Xuesen, a Chinese rocket scientist and mathematician, who worked on the Manhattan Project during WW2 to help America build the world's first atomic bomb. During the Cold War, he was accused of being a communist and fled America to China, where he helped China build its first atomic bomb.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

N7LWb TIL that there is no established reason why men have beards. Possible explanations include beards increasing attractiveness to women (inter-sexual selection) or increasing dominance amongst other males (intra-sexual selection) by signalling sexual maturity and increasing perceived jaw size.
GY6YG TIL that there are impressive advancements in dealing with human waste. Examples: Temple of Poop (w/ flowering rooftop), 2 way mirror outhouse, urinals w/ sink to flush while washing hands, and Poo Power (toilets that turn waste into electricity).
DQW7D TIL René Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816 because he thought it was improper to press his ear on a woman’s chest and found that a tube let him hear heart and lung sounds more clearly.
WBpd TIL in 1987, a former airline worker shot his boss mid-flight, causing the stewardess to tell the pilot “We have a problem!”. The pilot asked “What kind of problem?” and at that moment, the man shot the stewardess dead & announced “I’m the problem” before murdering the pilots and crashing the plane
e0Een TIL of an algae-based polymer gel injection which stops bleeding almost immediately; it forms a clot within 12 seconds & permanently heals a wound within minutes. It was invented by Joe Landolina when he was a teenager, and so far is approved for veterinary use.