› added 7 years ago

248

TIL Coffin Torpedoes were invented in the 1800s to prevent grave robberies. They fired if the coffin was opened.

Read more atlasobscura.com

via ift.tt

ZgaQ TIL traditionally Japanese ninjas did not always wear black, as this was more commonly depicted in kabuki theater, but instead would typically wear regular clothes that would allow them to easily blend in with commoners. They only wore black on certain occasions, usually when a mission was at night.
LkPgP TIL a woman sued the comedian Gallagher for $100K when she got hit by a stuffed penguin with a fire extinguisher in it; when the case went to trial in 1993, the court sided with Gallagher, who took the stand and made as many laughs as his typical show would
1aDVX TIL despite working with an annual budget of only CAD 67M (US $48M), the National Film Board of Canada is among the most highly awarded film studios in the world. It produced over 3000 films, won over 5000 awards & has been nominated for 74 Oscars, more than any film organization outside Hollywood.
GY66J TIL: Am-Phu cave in Vietnam is decorated with "hell" themes: sculpted demons "and fanged devils bathed in sinister red light, where hands reach up from the waters below and river monsters threaten to gnash (visitors') souls to bits." It's located under the mountain associated with heaven.
N7Le1 TIL Interstellar, the film, contributed to our scientific understanding of black holes. When they ran a specially designed engine for producing CGI, they saw what they thought was a graphic bug. What it was, however, was imagery of what black holes actually look like.